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This is reality!? [Dec. 8th, 2008|09:12 pm]
[Current Mood | irate]
[Current Music |Hinder - The Best is Yet to Come]

I was rather shocked when I saw a comerical on TV that was mocking the idea of clean coal technology. I thought, "this must be a joke. Nobody can be this ignorant." I was wrong. There is a organization that is making the statement that there is no such thing as clean coal technology.

Curious as to why these people would claim this, I visited their website. What I found was rather appalling. Clicking on the "The Facts" tab, I was expecting some statistics and evidence to disprove clean coal. Instead, all that was there was misleading quotes about coal energy.

Let's explore some:

"Burning coal is the dirtiest way we produce electricity."
-dirtiest is a pretty subjective term. Nuclear power produces waste that is very radioactive and destructive to the enivronment and, in some peoples' minds, dirtier than coal. The same holds for other forms of energy production.

"The coal industry is spending millions advertising 'clean' coal, but not a single 'clean' coal power plant exists in the US today.
-I am assuming they are making the argument that the money spent on advertisement should be used toward the clean coal technology. Oooo, millions. Millions on promoting the idea of clean coal. Know what the cost of constructing a single power plant and connecting it to the power grid is? BILLIONS. The millions spent in advertising clean coal is to inform people of the potential of clean coal technology so that they will in turn demand their lawmakers to invest tax dollars into it. Also, building a coal plant doesn't take a few months. It takes several years. Since clean coal technology is still in its early development, it takes especially more time and money to get the first plants built and running.

I could go on, but it is difficult to defend against attacks that aren't even really directed at clean coal or have any substance.

This site claims that the coal industry is misleading the Americans public in its advertisements. The coal industry's website is farthest from that claim as possible. There is a feature that lets you see what places in America have projects aimed at developing clean coal and other energy productions technologies and how much money is invested in those projects. Seems pretty transparent to me. They quote such organizations as the EPA as well as ThisIsReality on the state of energy production. While the anti-coal organiztion produces libel, the coal organization produces the statistical facts that over 50% of our electricity is from coal and that renewable resources will never be able to replace coal and match the energy needs of America.

What more is misleading? I have seen other sites use the unequivocal depiction of the cooling tower as emitting polutants in the air. Those cooling towers can't possibly be putting any coal biproducts into the air. All the gas you see coming out of the towers is STEAM. Steam is what generates the electricity. Coal is burned to heat the water to turn a turbine. For the cycle to continue, energy needs to be rejected, so it is condensed through the cooling towers into steam.

ThisIsReality also uses the symbol of a canary and depicts it dieing because of the (misleading) quotes about coal and how dirty it is. How dumb. Canaries were used in coal mining to test for natural gas pockets. They died because of toxic gas, not coal inhalation o anything. If that were the case, there would be no point of having a canary down in a mine in the first place.

I don't deny that burning coal releases biproducts that are harmful to the environment, but for ThisIsReality to unjustly convey clean coal as a pipe dream is an outrage. Both sides are working toward the same thing. It would be wise for ThisIsReality to get their facts straight, no, just get some facts in general, and let the clean coal technology develop so that this problem can go away.

I invite you to visit the respective sites of these organizations so you can see my point of view and prompt you to get educated about this topic and its consequences.

http://www.thisisreality.org/
http://www.americaspower.org/

UPDATE

I did some searching around and found this page:
http://action.thisisreality.org/details

Funny. In their TV spot, the quote at the end says "In reality, there is no such thing as clean coal." However, on this page OF THEIR OWN WEBSITE, they state, "If coal plants capture and safetly store their carbon pollution, coal can be part of America's 100% clean electricity mix." But wait, didn't you just say there is no such thing as clean coal? How can coal be part of the 100% clean mix if there is no such thing as clean coal? Seems a bit hypocritical/confused/like someone got dropped on their head as a baby. The page continues to describe the elements of clean coal technology such as CO2 capture, sequestration, and injection.

This site is making my head explode. Now I know why people use crack; it's to understand "information" on sites like this.
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Gay marriage is a question of love [Nov. 10th, 2008|11:23 pm]
[Current Mood | touched]


Text behind cut )
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'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over' [Oct. 31st, 2008|10:41 am]
[Current Mood | amused]
[Current Music |Metallica - Fade to Black]

This was published by The Onion days before President Bush took office in 2001. It is amazing how a fake news organization was more accurate then than Fox News Fixed Noise is now. I should ask the guy who wrote this for lotto numbers because he's freakin' Nostradamus.
 

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'

The Onion January 17, 2001 | Issue 37•01

WASHINGTON, DC–Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."

"My fellow Americans," Bush said, "at long last, we have reached the end of the dark period in American history that will come to be known as the Clinton Era, eight long years characterized by unprecedented economic expansion, a sharp decrease in crime, and sustained peace overseas. The time has come to put all of that behind us."

Bush swore to do "everything in [his] power" to undo the damage wrought by Clinton's two terms in office, including selling off the national parks to developers, going into massive debt to develop expensive and impractical weapons technologies, and passing sweeping budget cuts that drive the mentally ill out of hospitals and onto the street.

During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years.

"You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration," said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending. "Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?"

On the economic side, Bush vowed to bring back economic stagnation by implementing substantial tax cuts, which would lead to a recession, which would necessitate a tax hike, which would lead to a drop in consumer spending, which would lead to layoffs, which would deepen the recession even further.

Wall Street responded strongly to the Bush speech, with the Dow Jones industrial fluctuating wildly before closing at an 18-month low. The NASDAQ composite index, rattled by a gloomy outlook for tech stocks in 2001, also fell sharply, losing 4.4 percent of its total value between 3 p.m. and the closing bell.

Asked for comment about the cooling technology sector, Bush said: "That's hardly my area of expertise."

Turning to the subject of the environment, Bush said he will do whatever it takes to undo the tremendous damage not done by the Clinton Administration to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He assured citizens that he will follow through on his campaign promise to open the 1.5 million acre refuge's coastal plain to oil drilling. As a sign of his commitment to bringing about a change in the environment, he pointed to his choice of Gale Norton for Secretary of the Interior. Norton, Bush noted, has "extensive experience" fighting environmental causes, working as a lobbyist for lead-paint manufacturers and as an attorney for loggers and miners, in addition to suing the EPA to overturn clean-air standards.

Bush had equally high praise for Attorney General nominee John Ashcroft, whom he praised as "a tireless champion in the battle to protect a woman's right to give birth."

"Soon, with John Ashcroft's help, we will move out of the Dark Ages and into a more enlightened time when a woman will be free to think long and hard before trying to fight her way past throngs of protesters blocking her entrance to an abortion clinic," Bush said. "We as a nation can look forward to lots and lots of babies."

Continued Bush: "John Ashcroft will be invaluable in healing the terrible wedge President Clinton drove between church and state."

The speech was met with overwhelming approval from Republican leaders.

"Finally, the horrific misrule of the Democrats has been brought to a close," House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert (R-IL) told reporters. "Under Bush, we can all look forward to military aggression, deregulation of dangerous, greedy industries, and the defunding of vital domestic social-service programs upon which millions depend. Mercifully, we can now say goodbye to the awful nightmare that was Clinton's America."

"For years, I tirelessly preached the message that Clinton must be stopped," conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh said. "And yet, in 1996, the American public failed to heed my urgent warnings, re-electing Clinton despite the fact that the nation was prosperous and at peace under his regime. But now, thank God, that's all done with. Once again, we will enjoy mounting debt, jingoism, nuclear paranoia, mass deficit, and a massive military build-up."

An overwhelming 49.9 percent of Americans responded enthusiastically to the Bush speech.

"After eight years of relatively sane fiscal policy under the Democrats, we have reached a point where, just a few weeks ago, President Clinton said that the national debt could be paid off by as early as 2012," Rahway, NJ, machinist and father of three Bud Crandall said. "That's not the kind of world I want my children to grow up in."

"You have no idea what it's like to be black and enfranchised," said Marlon Hastings, one of thousands of Miami-Dade County residents whose votes were not counted in the 2000 presidential election. "George W. Bush understands the pain of enfranchisement, and ever since Election Day, he has fought tirelessly to make sure it never happens to my people again."

Bush concluded his speech on a note of healing and redemption.

"We as a people must stand united, banding together to tear this nation in two," Bush said. "Much work lies ahead of us: The gap between the rich and the poor may be wide, be there's much more widening left to do. We must squander our nation's hard-won budget surplus on tax breaks for the wealthiest 15 percent. And, on the foreign front, we must find an enemy and defeat it."

"The insanity is over," Bush said. "After a long, dark night of peace and stability, the sun is finally rising again over America. We look forward to a bright new dawn not seen since the glory days of my dad."

Link2 Extra Bases|Swing

Why I Hate Sarah Silverman [Oct. 7th, 2008|12:10 am]
[Current Mood | infuriated]
[Current Music |Gallows - In the Belly of a Shark]

I have two posts that I've been wanting to write after this week when I found the time, but I felt I needed to make this post now because it has really irked me.

Sarah Silverman is not funny.

As I am sitting here waiting for the answers to my thermodynamics homework to leap out of the book into my brain, I have Comedy Central going on in the background. Colbert Report was funny. Futurama was funny. Hell, I even thought South Park was a little funny. The Sarah Silverman Program: not funny.

Comedy sometimes tackles serious issues and successful comedians know how to do it. The recipe calls for pushing the envelope a bit, saying something witty, and maintaning respect for those who are at the expense of the joke.

Sarah Silverman:
a) shoves the envelope
b) doesn't say anything witty
c) has no respect for anyone

My opinion of her did not form out of tonight's experience, but was solidified by it; I was very unimpressed by her stand-up comedy routines I've seen.

This particular episode, Sarah pretends to have AIDS and she uses the condition to draw attention to herself. I don't have AIDS or know anyone who does, but seeing as I have a far less fatal condition in diabetes and I would feel greatly offended if the show had that as the focus, I can only imagine how offensive this show appears to someone who's life have been affected by AIDS. 

The funniest part of the show was at the end when a crowd of people were throw things at her on stage and screaming their hatred for her.

If it weren't for my thermodynamics homework, I'd join them.
Link4 Extra Bases|Swing

Richard Wright RIP [Sep. 17th, 2008|07:17 pm]
[Current Music |Pink Floyd - Echoes]

Richard Wright
Pink Floyd Keyboardist
July 28, 1943 - September 15, 2008

"Overhead the albatross hangs motionless upon the air
And deep beneath the rolling waves
In labyrinths of coral caves
The echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand
And everything is green and submarine.

And no-one called us to the land
And no-one knows the wheres or whys
But something stirs and something tries
And starts to climb towards the light

Strangers passing in the street
By chance two separate glances meet
And I am you and what I see is me
And do I take you by the hand
And lead you through the land
And help me understand the best I can

And no-one calls us to move on
And no-one forces down our eyes
And no-one speaks and no-one tries
And no-one flies around the sun

Cloudless everyday you fall upon my waking eyes
inciting and inviting me to rise
And through the window in the wall
Come streaming in on sunlight wings
A million bright ambassadors of morning

And no-one sings me lullabies
And no-one makes me close my eyes
And so I throw the windows wide
And call to you across the sky"
Link4 Extra Bases|Swing

Villains [Aug. 24th, 2008|06:16 pm]
[Current Mood | irritated]
[Current Music |Molly Hatchet - Flirtin' With Disaster]

Definitely not how I wanted to start my Sunday.

Angie woke me up a little after 4:30 this morning. She said she heard two pops and glass breaking. My first thought was gunshots, even though I didn't follow Ricky's advice about gunshots and get low to the ground (I went to the window). Initially I thought my car was safe, but Angie looked from another window and saw that it was indeed my car that was broken into.

The driver side back window was smashed in to gain entry to the car. The vandals then destroyed the ignition system in order to hotwire the car. They didn't get far because they most likely heard Angie yelling about calling the cops and ran off. The trunk was also open which I think they popped with the trunk release since there were no signs of forced entry there. They did take an air compressor out of the trunk and it was smashed on the ground.

The most frustrating part of this is that the police wouldn't come to look at the car and make a report. All they did was give us a case number over the phone. We took it upon ourselves to take photos for insurance purposes. AAA got us a tow truck, but the driver said no place was open on Sunday (everything bad always happens to me on a Sunday when nobody is open/available). The best he could recommend is to disconnect the battery and leave it till Monday and then get it towed to a repair shop.

I don't even think the car is worth getting fixed. It's a 95 LeSabre, so the repairs might be more than the cost of getting another used car. This is frustrating because classes start up for me in a week and once Angie has a job, we can't be competing for use of one car.

Problems just keep piling up and there isn't any relief. Life sucks.
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That guy's got the largest trouser snake I've ever seen [Aug. 9th, 2008|11:17 am]
[Current Mood | silly]
[Current Music |Rehab - Sittin' at a Bar]


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Good News [Jul. 23rd, 2008|11:30 am]
[Current Mood | excited]
[Current Music |The Outlaws - Green Grass and High Tides]

 I got a call from my brother the other day. Turns out that I'm going to be an Uncle.

Now that my brother and his wife have situated themselves financially and have a home, they are going to start a family.

It's going to be exciting to have my family grow. I'm sure my mom is ecstatic about grandchildren. My dad is too, but he'll probably play it off as a nuisance (like he does with my cat; saying he's a pain in the ass, but spoiling him rotten).

They still need to go to doctors to make extra sure it isn't a false positive and that everything will develop smoothly, but it should be fine. The birth will be end of March / beginning of April, the same time as Rick's and my birthdays.

Now I can go around and say I'm Uncle Buck; like the movie.
Link4 Extra Bases|Swing

The Dark (K)night [Jul. 23rd, 2008|10:41 am]
[Current Mood | frustrated]
[Current Music |Danny Elfman - Batman Theme Song]

I'm horrible at blogging, so I'm going to attempt to make up for my lack of posts by posting a few times now. Plus, I actually have interesting things to write about.

I just turned on the Cubs game Sunday afternoon, hoping to see a winning performance and enjoy the AC and a nice dinner that I was going to cook. A little into the 2nd inning and....

Everything goes dead; all my power. I make a call to the power company to report an outage. They call me back about 10 min later and tell me that no one else in my building has made a report and that it was just me. Trying to find out how this could be, it turns out that I wasn't even supposed to be getting power. When the power company came out in May to start service, they couldn't install the meter because the socket was damaged/missing. Nobody told me of this, but I was getting power so I didn't know the wiser.

I just have to say props to Connecticut Light and Power for having such easy to work with phone receptionists who actually understand about what they do instead of just answering the phone. They told me the only way I could be receiving power is if someone illegally was jumping my power from another source. So, it turns out  that for the past 2 months I was getting illegal power. I was assured that it wasn't my fault and that I needed to have the landlord fix the meter socket so that the power company could hook me up. Well, since all this happened on Sunday, the apartment office was closed. I can usually call the phone and get a message with the emergency number, but when I, I didn't get any message. My neighbors didn't know what the number was and none of my paperwork had it listed. My dad even looked on the internet and couldn't find anything.

So, I was stuck in my apartment with no power until Monday when the office opened again. Keep in mind Connecticut has been stuck in a perpetual heat wave for the past few weeks. Rather than roast in my apartment, I decided to go take in a movie; something I haven't done for a long time. I caught the 6pm showing of The Dark Knight. I must say, the movie exceeded the hype. It sounds cliché at this point, but Heath Ledger gave the performance of the century. I honestly believe he created the greatest villain in movie history. I was also pleased to see the Batman series get away from being campy like its predecessors. After the great movie, I went to B Dubs to get a late snack and read for a while. Came back and had to get ready for bed in complete darkness, including taking my insulin shots.

After being rather firm with the director of my rental agency about the illegal dealings they've been doing, I managed to get the head maintenance man to call an electrician and get my power on legitimately. It came on Monday afternoon, but I still don't think it's legitimate since I didn't even call the power company at that point to service my apartment. If I receive bills for the past two months of electrical usage, which would have to be estimated since there was no meter, I'm probably going to have to get lawyers involved to make my landlord cough up the cost.

On a side note, my empathy for all of you in the Quad Cities who got hammered by a storm and don't have power right now, although you guys have it worse than I. Hopefully things can get back to normal before the Bix this weekend and all the subsequent parties.

Link5 Extra Bases|Swing

Nerds Only! [Jul. 9th, 2008|10:36 am]
[Current Mood | geeky]
[Current Music |LA Slum Lords - Down 'N Dirty]

Ok, this question is directed toward anyone with a tenacity for technology.

I'm looking to beef up the graphic capabilities of my computer. I currently have a RADEON 7500 and I am looking for something more powerful. Specifically, I play Diablo 2 and I am anticipating Diablo 3 (which looks amazing). Can someone suggest a good graphics card that can support these games so I have limited graphic lag while playing online? I also have 1.6GHz processor and 640 RAM. Not sure if those need to be beefed up as well in order to support the graphics card. I was hoping to find something in the $200 or less range.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Link1 Single|Swing

*Wipes sweat from brow [Jun. 25th, 2008|11:11 pm]
[Current Mood | hot]
[Current Music |Incubus - Oil and Water]

So, Angie just recently had an appendectomy and we thought she was uninsured because she was no longer a full time student. The hospital bill would have been a whopping $15k. A huge sigh of relief today when Angie made some calls and found out she is still covered until her birthday in December. I'd rather us pay $2k-3k than potentially postpone the wedding to make payment.

Here's a public Service Announcement for all of you that like to cook: When making chili, or any spicy dish for that matter, use rubber gloves when chopping habeneros. The pepper oil sticks to your hands and creates a rather painful, burning sensation that cannot be removed without the use or unsafe amounts of bleach or rubbing alcohol.

So, when you like to make things really spicy, remember to wear a rubber.
Link12 Extra Bases|Swing

Friday the 13th Sucks! [Jun. 13th, 2008|10:48 pm]
[Current Mood | gloomy]

Three disapointing occurances today that really bring me down.

First, Cubs lost their first game in an interleague series against Toronto. Close game, but still a loss. Hopefully they pick it up tomorrow.

Second, Tim Russert died. Important figures in TV and the news have died before in my lifetime, but I think this is the first one that makes me feel a sense of nostolgia and a realization that an important person has passed and left a void in society. I have enjoyed watching him Sunday mornings on Meet The Press and over the past few months on the extensive presidential primary coverage on MSNBC.

The most saddening thing today is that Angie is in the hospital with appendicitis. She was feeling abdominial pains early this morning and they kept getting worse. I went to be with her in the emergency room immediately after work and I would still be there now if they didn't kick visitors out. She should be alright, but it is a very frustrating situation for us. She was supposed to leave tomorrow on her way to being a counsilor at LSM for a month, and now she needs to change her flight plans and possibly miss part of camp. The medical expenses are going to be very large, and sa a result of our families being drained to cover them, we may need to push back our wedding date. She is still looking for a job that will provide us with a significant source of income and benefits. Also, the timing is threatening potential phone interviews for said jobs. For me, I'm really worried. She is out here in Connecticut because of me and I assured her family that I would take care of her and I feel like I took her away from her support when she needs it most.

All in all, today is really crappy. I only hope that it starts getting better here on out.
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Political rant [Jun. 1st, 2008|01:06 pm]
[Current Mood | pissed off]
[Current Music |Nine Inch Nails - The Hand That Feeds]

I'm getting sick and tired of Hillary Clinton and her bonehead supporters.

Does she have the right to keep on going with her campaign? Absolutely.

Is she going about it the right way? Absolutely not.

Clinton has been campaigning as if she is owed the presidency. Because she is losing to Obama in one category, she comes up with some new category to explain why she should be the nominee. If it's not pledged delegates, it's super-delegates. If it's not super-delegates, it's popular vote. If it's not popular vote, it's states won. It goes on and on.

All the while, she keeps pushing why she would be a better president than Obama.

Thing is, Obama has been making the case why he would be a better president than McCain.

That's where the real difference is. It is a persuasion between the ideas of the Democratic Party and those of the Republican Party. The differences between Obama and Clinton are minuscule. For those who support either Democratic candidate, they should realize that the other would be just as good going against McCain.

The Hillary supporters that say that if they don't have things their way, they will support McCain is ludicrous. Why be so hell-bent on winning that you would vow to go for the real opponent if your candidate doesn't win. Hillary talks about the need for party unity, and yet her supporters insist on being divisive.

If Hillary really cared about her party and the future of this country, she would tell her supporters that she was staying in it until one of them is mathematically eliminated, and then they all come together to make sure the party is on the winning end in November. By not guiding her supporters, they are being self destructive and making it so much easier for McCain to win.

If there are 4 more years of poor economy and needless deaths in Iraq, I will hold each and every Clinton supporter accountable; even if they do fall behind Obama, they aren't doing enough to talk some sense into their fellows' heads.
Link2 Extra Bases|Swing

The Beginning of the End [Mar. 31st, 2008|12:15 am]
[Current Music |Semisonic - This This Will Be My Year]

Today is a pivotal day in history. Today marks the first day of the last season of the Chicago Cubs being under a World Series drought.

Last year the Cubbies got a taste of the playoffs. They have made roster moves to bring in some new blood, including Japanese phenom Kosuke Fukudome. The southpaws and youngbloods played in Winterleague. Spring Training was so great in testing the players that some future stars sadly didn't even make the cut because of the amount of talent the team has.

Sports Illustrated has picked the Cubs to represent the National League in the World Series against Detroit. They pick Detroit to win, but they didn't factor in the passion of the Cubs and their fans; the passion that has been waiting for 100 years to unleash everything we've got.

No more goats. No more black cats. No more Steve Bartman.

This is it. This is the year that the Cubs will go all the way.

Opening Day starts today at 1:20 CDT and can be watched on WGN TV or ESPN2 and also on the radio on WGN 720 AM.

I encourage everyone to get in on this. Wear your Cubs hats and jerseys. If you don't have one, get one. Listen to "Jump" and "Straight Lines" and Steve Goodman every chance you get. Watch this montage from last years memorable season. Represent yourself as one of the greatest fans of the greatest team in baseball.

EAMUS CATULI! AC006399 AC000000

Let's Go Cubs!!!
Link3 Extra Bases|Swing

How CNN Makes Me Dumber [Mar. 26th, 2008|11:55 am]
[Current Mood | cynical]
[Current Music |Stone Sour - Omega]

I should also note that it isn't just CNN, but MSNBC, FOX and other networks also; it's just that I find CNN's website easier to navigate.

This is the first presidential election that I have been following with great interest. I have read up on the issues, the stances, the policies, etc. I wish I could say the same for my fellow Americans.

CNN has a "Political Ticker," which lists brief abstracts of events concerning the presidential candidates. I know that the news networks have biases toward specific political parties and/or candidates (in CNN's case, they focus a lot on Obama). Being an educated citizen, I am able to read past the bias and generate an understanding of what is actually going on in the race for presidency. The easiest way of doing this is to (mostly) ignore the articles about mudslinging, name calling, and personal attacks. When the race is over and the president is elected, that won't matter anymore; only the issues will remain. That's why that is what people need to focus on during this race.

Now, if you go to the comments section of these articles, you will find some of the most unintelligent, unconvincing vocal diarrhea ever produced from a person. These comments are moderated for approval by CNN as well before being posted so that no scum is plastered all about the site. Unfortunately, the comments that are posted are the cream of the crop, which doesn't bode well for the intellect of our nation.

There are some comments that are posted that give me hope; comments that do focus on the important issues, constructively critique the candidates, and make sound opinions based on facts and research.

I will admit I am a supporter for Obama, but there are bad apples in both camps, just more so in the Clinton camp. On average (and I did the math), about 80% of the pro-Hillary comments are not in support of Hillary, but are an attack on Obama. I say attack meaning CAPS LOCK, multiple !!!!!!, name calling, and perpetuating rumors that have long been disproved. only about a fifth of the pro-Hillary comments laud her for her policies, stances, etc. For the pro-Barack comments, the figures are flipped, with about a fifth resorting to dim remarks and the rest heralding the issues at stake. I haven't looked at McCain because of the few articles that do include him, usually include something about the Democrats, so the Democratic supporters team up and bash him.

I find it astounding that with technology and communications as it is (with America being a leader in both), Americans are just dumb. The news is not responsible for the development of critical thinking and reasoning, but it brings about the information for people to test their ability to understand it and formulate educated opinions. Because of the class system we live in (thanks to capitalism), many Americans are ignorant by choice (well-to-do folk that couldn't are less) or ignorant by force (those unable to become educated due to socioeconomic status). The few Americans that do have the ability to understand and interpret this information are those who are well-off enough to garner a good education growing up, or the very well to do that use their knowledge to manipulate the system for their benefit.

I'm not sure what the answer is to this situation. both educating all Americans and developing a sense of urgency toward our government is something that will take a very long time, and even then may never be close to perfect. I guess what needs to be done is for the news to report the important issues and for politicians to focus on their issues. Limiting these base attacks will lead to fewer Americans getting riled up about politics, which will lead to a more intelligent nation.

In conclusion, don't read people's comments on articles about political happenings unless you are prepared to deal with a lot of bullshit.
Link2 Extra Bases|Swing

I am so smrt [Feb. 25th, 2008|11:15 am]
[Current Mood | grateful]
[Current Music |The Sleeping - Don't Hold Back]

A while ago I posted that a big accomplishment of mine last year was having a successful first term at Hartford. I bucked up, changed my acquired study habits, and completed ALL my homework in non-last minute form. As a result, I pulled a 3.73 GPA. Even though that is a huge improvement over the 2.8 I had at Augie, I still feel I could have put a little more effort into it.

I decided to turn around my academic ways just so that I learn and understand the material that I will be using on a daily basis. Invitations to academic honor societies is a plus though.

Alpha Lambda Delta is a honors society for students who maintain a high GPA during their first term/year at college. Even though I'm technically in my 6th year of school, it is my first at a new school and a new undergrad, so I guess it counts. It's a nice way of saying, "I started off this ride with high expectations and I'm damn well gonna meet them."

The second group, which I will admit I'm really excited about, is Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society. In order to be eligible, I needed to be in the top 1/8th of my junior class (I guess I'm considered a junior too because of my transfer). Since the number of engineering students at Hartford isn't that big compared to state schools, the competition (I couldn't think of a better term) is pretty high. The funny thing is, the chapter president is my physics lab proctor from last term; good guy.

I'm really starting to enjoy this being responsible concept. Next step, get a summer internship (in which these two babies on a resume sure will help).
Link4 Extra Bases|Swing

Irony [Feb. 12th, 2008|01:04 pm]
[Current Mood | amused]
[Current Music |Poison - Talk Dirty to Me]

BlackBerry out of service in North America

NEW YORK (AP) -- An outage has disconnected BlackBerry smart phones across North America.
AT&T Inc. says the disruption Monday is affecting all wireless carriers. AT&T first learned about the problem at about 3:30 p.m. ET.
There's no word on the cause or when the problem might be fixed.
BlackBerry maker Research in Motion did not immediately return a phone call.

I guess their BlackBerry wasn't working...

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For or against a student center at Augustana? [Jan. 27th, 2008|10:30 am]
[Current Mood | indescribable]
[Current Music |Disturbed - Striken]

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2007 in Review [Jan. 11th, 2008|12:56 pm]
[Current Mood | thoughtful]
[Current Music |Drangonforce - Through the Fire and Flames]

Since I haven't journaled much this past year, I'm making an entry that recaps the most pertinent events from the past year (in chronological order, I think):

1. Grandpa Died
It was a tough blow to see one of my biggest supporters in life to pass on. Even though we all saw it coming over the last year he was alive, it was difficult to say goodbye. It was time for him to go because he was falling apart physically and mentally. What made it especially hard for me was that it happened right in the middle of a rather difficult term for me at school that I barely got through.

2. Bears in the Superbowl
It was the first football season I got into since I gave up being a Lions fan back in the early 90's. It was exciting to see so many people in my communities at home and school affixing themselves to the TV (or like me, radio) every Sunday to catch the Bears running over another team. It is sad that they couldn't pull it off in the final game, but it was good to see a Chicago team go so far.

3. Capstone
For the first time in my life, I enjoyed writing a paper. The funny thing is, my senior music capstone was supposed to be one of the most difficult to write and comprehensive of my undergrad career. Instead, it turned out to be the most detailed, finely researched document I've ever produced. It also was unrepresentative of what I had learned in the previous 5 years, but representative  of what I was yet to learn in the next 3. Still, it was a good feeling to submit my first draft (that was written very easily) and being told not to change anything by all three on my council.

4. Band Trip to England/Scotland
Unfortunately it was not as part of the band, but being the sound guy and being able to say, "I'm with the band" is cool enough. It was my first time outside of the country and I couldn't have had a better experience. Cost a lot of money because the dollar was half against the pound. I got to sample the local beverages of choice, see some historic sites, and had one more opportunity to be with the best college band in the Midwest.

5. Getting the Heck out of Augustana
Hindsight is 20/20 and if I could go back, I would definitely choose a school with a focus on the liberal arts. The three things I take away from that school that I still respect are my friends, the symphonic band, and campus ministries. Bahls is leading that school so far down the crapper. Of course, there will always be the pro-school 4.5 students and Greek group partyers that will blindly give money to the school to keep it going. Having to get a second, usable education in another 3 years is my punishment for being fooled into a 5 year extension of High School.

6. Completing a Year of Being an Adult
This wasn't a particular event per se, but rather just a feeling I got during the summer. I had made many adult decisions in the last year prior to then and I felt that I made the right ones. I successfully found a reasonably priced apartment, maintained it, and kept abreast of all bills and rent. I held a part time job on top of school that entailed on average 24+ hours a week. I managed to be self sufficient and independent of my parents for all my living purposes. I know it is something that I can do again.

7. Moving to Hartford
After an arduous 2 day drive across half the country by myself in my overstuffed Buick, I arrived at what will be my home until at least May of 2010. Stemming off of #6 above, being away from not only my family, but everyone and everything I know was a big challenge for me. I managed to not only fall into my studies diligently, but managed to establish a social network to keep me sane. My experiences at Hartford are only just starting, but I continue to grow more confident every day in what I'm doing and knowing that I will be successful.

8. Cubs in the Playoffs
Didn't get far, but the fact that they went from worst to first in one season gave me a feeling that a North Side World Series is in store very soon.

9. Getting Engaged
Turning out to be the best decision I've ever made. After 2 years, I felt that I have truly found the person that completes me. Since that October night I feel that our love is stronger than ever and that our relationship will be lasting and satisfying.

10. Finishing a Successful Term at University of Hartford
Despite having to deal with a few cases of irresponsible classmates and almost unbearable campus life, I managed to pull off a great first term. My GPA is an astounding 3.73, which is the highest GPA I have ever received in my life. It's somewhat bothersome that I feel I could have done even better because there were times I knowingly didn't apply myself to the fullest. My roadmap of coursework is set for the next two years, and with luck, I'll land a few summer internships along the way. If you told me ten years ago that I was going to be an engineer, I would have told you to institutionalize yourself. My, how crazy life is.
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Take a trip with me back through time [Nov. 3rd, 2007|10:18 pm]
[Current Mood | nostalgic]
[Current Music |Beatles - Paperback Writer]

I recently went back and looked at all my previous posts in my journal, going all the way back to early 2004. What an interesting journey. So many entries that made me cringe and think, "what was I thinking back then." Other made me smile and chuckle at the good times.

Some of the more interesting times:

obsessing over Aerosmith and the Cubs - (not so much Aerosmith now, but still Cubs)
actually rooting for the Red Sox (2004) - (why?)
swearing off alcohol and detesting drunkenness - (HAHA!)
listing every detail of my day - (who cares)
taking tons of quizzes that try to relate my personality to something - (didn't I have better things to do?)
http://getyourwings5.livejournal.com/2005/01/16/ - (Day of Emo, or Mental Breakdown)
http://getyourwings5.livejournal.com/2005/02/11/ - Paul the Blue Duck (at the time, most number of comments)
Managing to relate anything to a box of chocolates... sexually (thanks Chris)
Having Mike's ex harass me through comments - (thus, I screen all anonymous comments now)

My journaling has definitely changed over the last 3.5-4 years. I don't update as often because I don't worry about the every little thing that happens every day. If I every write memoirs using this journal as an aide, I'm not going to include that I hated my professor one day for talking down to me and the next day talk about how things are better because he wasn't being a douche anymore. I'd rather just write an entry at the end of the term assessing my overall feeling about the course. Same goes for any other subject. Now I update if I'm amused by something or if I have some special announcement.

Kinda wish I started journaling earlier, like at the start of my college career. Actually, I did have a journal on some other site (onlinediary.net I believe), but I abandoned it because too many people (who I once thought were friends) kept slamming me for every little opinion they didn't agree with and every typo and misplaced comma I wrote. Then again, my freshman year would have included entries about how girls sucked because none would date me and how mono was screwing up my classes).

I also have become more cynical, or at least that's how I kinda see it. I used to write really peppy, optimistic entries. Now I write ones that criticize stupid people or say how stupid something is. I guess it hasn't become all negative; maybe just more "tell-it-as-it-is" and less "everything is wonderful." I tend to occasionally drop a swear once in a while as well when I would previously become irate when I saw such foul language used in a public forum in which children may have access.

I noticed the shift somewhat happened around fall of 2005, and considering changes in my life around then, it makes sense to correlate the two. I think I matured a lot during then and it got reflected in my writings. I learned life is not as peachy-keen as I believed. Don't get me wrong, I always try to see the best in every situation no matter how sucky, but I can still be a realist. As much as I would like to delete several of my posts from the conception of my journal up to that point (probably the last physical reminders of "that"), I don't believe in deleting entries because I created this journal to do just this: see how my life has changed from the past till now.

I didn't write much this last year in part because of how busy and mundane my life has been; living off campus away from everyone, going to boring classes, followed by boring work, followed by homework and sleep, repeat next day). Now that I am back to living in a more social environment and having time for things other than just class and work, I am trying to get into the habit of updating more frequently.

Thanks to all you who still read this and leave comments. Know that I still check my "Friends" page to read what you're all writing, even if I don't comment often.
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