Things like that make me happy to live in Canada! When I was in High School it was normal to take a lunch at a local pub. There was even one microbrewery that was popular among the school kids. Of course, we couldn't (legally) order beer, so we stuck to the menu and ignored the drinks. Pubs usually have great food, and they are often relatively inexpensive since they make their money off of drinks.

That being said, the original point was regarding sporting events. I would also gladly pay to view live sporting events. I purchase the MLB GameDay audio package every year to listen to baseball, and I have considered paying for hockey broadcasts as well. Fortunately here in Canada we can see hockey on broadcast television (still an analog signal too) every Saturday night anywhere in the country. Of course, if you aren't a fan of the locally broadcast team you might be in a bit of a pickle, but I'm a Leafs fan and they always get the most airtime since they have the largest fanbase in the country.

You are forgetting the fact that in order to display the ads in the first place the third party application must access the facebook/google API to retrieve content. By adding a line in the TOS for the API that reads something like this:
...access to this API used in conjunction with any third party advertising network or advertisers is strictly prohibited...
Then the owner of the API can go after the maker of the infringing software in court and easily win.

Google and Facebook simply have to add some terms of service to their API. By changing the TOS to include a restriction on ads they will have the legal right to force these companies out of business for violating the terms of using their APIs. I believe that we will see this change happen very quickly!

Unfortunately this is usually handled by the State Government (assuming you're in the US - I'm in Canada). It can be done through petitions and lobbying. The trick to get around the 19-to-enter laws here is to serve food. As long as you are serving food (even something as easy as french fries - anyone can operate a fryer!) you can allow anyone in. They just can't buy alcohol.

Most pubs in my neck of the woods will allow minors to come in with their parents (or legal guardians or whatever) and not purchase alcoholic beverages. That means kids can come, should they choose. They just can't drink all the booze.

The very fundamental principle of using television as a revenue generator is broken. I would gladly pay for a service that allowed me to watch whatever shows I wanted, when I wanted, with no commercial interruption. I am not willing to pay for a service that forces me to watch three minutes out of ten of commercials, and I certainly don't like to adjust my viewing schedule to accomodate the shows I want to watch! It is much easier for me to download shows and watch them later than it is for me to be in front of my television while they are being broadcast. If I want to watch a live event, such as a sports game, I can always head to the local pub and watch it there. I currently have basic cable and I pay ten dollars a month for it. The only reason I have that is that I purchase my internet through the cable company and, even paying $120 for the whole year, I was able to save a bunch of money on my Internet services ($300 off over three months, plus a 5% discount on my total bill, that amounts to a savings of $240 over the course of a year). I rarely turn it on. Not even for sporting events. Fix the delivery system and make it more accessible. Charge based on what you watch, rather than what channels you watch. If I was charged $0.25-0.50 per show I watched I would be inclined to watch more. But paying a monthly fee for a bunch of stuff I will never watch? Not worth the money.

I had quite the surprise when I saw the level of depth that the History channel used with their "Clash of the Gods" series. They focus primarily on the Greek pantheon, but they also have programs that discuss some Norse myth, as well as others. I know you can find these on Youtube for easy viewing. This may not be enough detail for you, but it could at least point you in the right direction as well as open up some additional questions that you could pose to the google machine.

There was an "Epic Geomagnetic Storm": http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/10/25/1222200/epic-geomagnetic-storm-erupts

You are asking a very specific question here. Generally the Ask /. questions are of a more general nature. That being said it sounds like you need help picking out a computer. I understand your needs and I have a piece of advice. Don't bother looking online. Go to the nearest Best Buy or whatever large electronics store is in your area. Walk down to the laptop section and look over the specs listed in front of each laptop until you can narrow it down to a handful of choices that suit your needs and price range. Go home and think it over for a few days then head back into the store. If they still have the laptop you have chosen purchase it. If not, repeat the process again. They usually have the same selection within the same week, but check the local flyer to determine when their prices are changed (i.e. Prices valid from...) Hope that helps a bit, I've done that with many people and they always seem quite happy with their purchases.

I feel your pain, I was out for six weeks a while back and it was painful. I'm sure you'll find something!