Laughed So Hard I Almost Fell Out Of My Chair

Straight from BBC News:

The worst-case scenarios on climate change envisaged by the UN are already being realised, say scientists at an international meeting in Copenhagen.

In a statement outlining their six key messages to political leaders, they say there is an increasing risk of abrupt or irreversible climate shifts.

Even modest temperatures rises will affect millions of people, particularly in the developing world, they warn.

But most tools needed to cut global carbon dioxide emissions already exist.

More than 2,500 researchers and economists attended this meeting designed to update the world on the state of climate research ahead of key political negotiations set for December this year.

New data was presented in Copenhagen on sea level rise, which indicated that the best estimates of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made two years ago were woefully out of date.

Scientists heard that waters could rise by over a metre across the world with huge impacts for hundreds of millions of people.

There was also new information on how the Amazon rainforest would cope with rising temperatures. A UK Meteorological Office study concluded there would be a 75% loss of tree cover if the world warmed by three degrees for a century. The scientists hope that their conclusions will remove any excuses from the political process.

Dr Katherine Richardson, who chaired the scientific steering committee that organised the conference, said the research presented added new certainty to the IPCC reports.

"We've seen lots more data, we can see where we are, no new surprises, we have a problem."

"Mass migrations"

The meeting was also addressed by Lord Stern, the economist, whose landmark review of the economics of climate change published in 2006 highlighted the severe cost to the world of doing nothing.

He now says the report underestimated the scale of the risks, and the speed at which the planet is warming.

He urged scientists to speak out and tell the politicians what the world would be like if effective measures against global warming were not taken. He said that if the world was to warm by 5C over the next century there would be dramatic consequences for millions of people. Rising seas would make many areas uninhabitable leading to mass migrations and inevitably sparking violent conflict.

"You'd see hundreds of millions people, probably billions of people who would have to move and we know that would cause conflict, so we would see a very extended period of conflict around the world, decades or centuries as hundreds of millions of people move, " said Lord Stern.

"So I think it's very important that we understand the magnitude of the risk we are running."

He said that a new, effective global deal was desperately needed to avoid these dramatic scenarios - and the current global economic slowdown was in some ways a help.

"Action is rather attractive, inaction is inexcusable. It's an opportunity, given that resources will be cheaper now than in the future, now is the time to get the unemployed of Europe working on energy efficiency."

Lord Stern's views were echoed by Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

"Business as usual is dead - green growth is the answer to both our climate and economic problems."

"I hope the whole world will join us and set a two degree goal as an ambition of a climate deal in Copenhagen," said Mr Rasmussen.

You can read the article here.

I laughed out loud when I saw this, almost fell out of my chair too. Why? Because as I sit here typing this, it is 32 degrees outside. 32 degrees. The temperature at which water freezes. In the middle of March. It hasn't been 32 degrees in the middle of March here in years!

The worst-case scenarios for global warming are now being realized. Yeah, right. And I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

A pair of nunchucks, a skateboard, and an idiot. What could go wrong?



Hope his wife isn't planning on having kids...

Of All the Problems We've Got Right Now...

...and the Attorney General decides that this should be the government's top priority?

Okay, now, please, don't misunderstand me. Voting, to me, is absolutely our most sacred right as Americans. But the VRA being under attack? Come on! The guys who are filing this suit are right. Times have changed. The 1960s was a long, long time ago.

Honestly, this is what really irks me about people like Holder. Someone does something that doesn't fit in with their agenda or political beliefs, and they cry racist. Somebody opposes one of their plans, they are labeled a racist. People vote for their opponent, they are said to have done so because they are racist. I voted against Barack Obama, so according to those people,I must be a racist (nevermind the fact that I would've voted for Conoleezza Rice in a heartbeat).

A few weeks ago, Holder called America a "Nation of Cowards" for not talking about the issue of race. There's a darn good reason for that: every time someone tries to talk about race, people like Holder jump up and shout "Racist!"

You want people to talk about the issue of race, Mr. Holder? You really want people to talk about it? Then put the race card away. Let all voices, not just yours and your friends', be heard. Let the past, and all those who suffered and died for the movement that opened the door for a man like you to rise to the position you now occupy, rest in peace.

Quickie: Anyone Else Noticing a Connection?

The Dow dropped below 7000 today. This is the first time that's happened in over a decade. This coming the same day that the Obama administration announces a plan to buy up debts and bad assets from banks and other companies, as well as investing another $30 billion in AIG.

Maybe it's just me, but has anyone else noticed that every time the Obama administration and/or Congress announces another stimulus package or bailout or something similar, the stock market tanks? Am I the only one seeing a connection here?

Think about it.

Could You Pass The US Citizenship Test?

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

I could. How about you?

The Final Countdown Is on!

Well, we're into the home stretch now. Less than 20 hours until the official start of Spring Break! (Actually, more like 17 hours, since I get out of class at 2:00). It's gonna be an easy ride from here on out. All of my midterms are over and done with (the ones before break, anyway), and my study abroad application is finished. Just need to hand it in tomorrow morning and it's over and done with. Hopefully I'll be blogging from Austria next semester!

It's pretty quiet around here tonight, what with nothing to do and all. Heck, my roommate actuallty went home yesterday! (Don't ask how that worked out, I have no idea.) Actually, this was pretty good. I was able to do something that I really haven't been able to do all semester: write more of Justice Delayed! I finished up one section and started the first part of the next section. I'm up to a hairsbreadth under 12,000 words, and I'm just now getting into the real meat of the plot. This sucker's gonna be epic!

So, on a different note...

iTunes is annoying me. Not the player itself, mind you. That works great (and has quickly trumped WMP as my default player). No, what's annoying me is the iTunes store. For some reason, I can't access it. Every time I try, it says that it couldn't access the iTunes store because the session keeps timing out. Ever single time, it does this. Which is annoying, because I have a list of songs and TV show episoded (Top Gear, of course) that I want to buy and a gift card that is very quickly becoming all but useless. Oy.

Still Here

Sorry that the posts have been few and far between recently. It's been crazy as heck this week. Between midterms and trying to find a faculty reference for my study abroad application, I've been all but swamped. Too bad, because a lot of stuff has happened in the world that needs to be blogged about.

Fortunately, next week is Spring Break, so the posting rate should be back to normal soon.

Socks, former Clinton cat, put to sleep

This is news?

No, seriously. This is really important news? #2 on CNN's Top Ten?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

With all the crap going on the world right now, they give a 300 word obituary to a dead cat, just because he belonged to an ex-President? Are you [censored] kidding me? Most humans don't get obits that are half that long! What the heck is wrong with you, CNN?

Oh, if for some reason you want to, you can read all about it here.

What I Learned Tonight

Tonight, I learned about the genocide that occurred in Rwanda in 1994. I did not learn about it from the media or from an advocate for the UN or some other organization. No, I learned about it from a survivor of the genocide, Bishop Alexis Bilindabagabo, who experienced the horrific 100 days firsthand.

I learned that the roots of the genocide went as far back as the 1930s, when Belgium took control of the country. I learned that it was they who first drove the wedge between the Tutsi and Hutu peoples, who before this had co-existed peacefully for centuries. I learned that the genocide was openly encouraged and even planned and directed by the government. I learned that the United Nations knew full well what was happening but did nothing to stop it.

I learned what evil truly is. I learned that evil is 1,000,000 innocent men, women, and children murdered – butchered – in 100 days. I learned that evil is a government who plans to systematically execute an entire tribe of people simply because they exist. I learned that evil is the rounding up of people into groups numbering in the thousands so that they could be slaughtered with grenades and machine guns and then finished off with machetes. I learned that evil is the using of rape as a condoned, encouraged tool in warfare.

I learned that Edmund Burke was right. He once said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” The United Nations knew full well what was happening in Rwanda. They were fully briefed on the situation. They had the manpower, they had the means, they had the support, they had the firepower to stop the killing, and yet the leaders chose to place their own self-serving political agendas first and pretended nothing was happening. How can people like that then dare to call themselves good?

I also learned that God does still work miracles. I learned that Bishop Alexis faced death on an almost daily basis, and God intervened every time. I learned that even the heads of the Rwandan government tried to have him killed, and yet God spared him. And I learned that God was with him: every time the situation was desperate and he became hopeless, God literally spoke to him and renewed his hope.

I learned that forgiveness is truly possible. I learned that over the last 15 years, reconciliation has been the top priority in Rwanda. I learned that Hutus and Tutsis are working together, side by side, to help the country heal. I learned that a man can truly forgive the people who butchered his mother, father, sisters, brothers, and friends. I learned that he could forgive them of the debts they owed to him and to reconcile himself with them.

I learned that in spite of all of the tragedy, there is still good in the word.

Need Your Prayers

I just found out that my theology professor's elderly aunt passed away. She'd suffered a fall last night and was in the hospital. He has to fly out to California next week for the funeral.

Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

Taking the Plunge, Part 2

Well, I think I've gotten my entire music collection imported to iTunes (not sure as I had to stop after 11:00 last night). So far, I've only listened to a few songs, and I have to say I like it. In fact, I may even like it more than Media Player. It boots up faster than Media Player, loads each song faster than Media Player, doesn't freeze up for a second lime Media Player will do every so often and (maybe this is just me) it sounds better than Media Player too.

The only thing I like better about Media Player is the way it organizes Music. iTunes, no matter how you have it set, always seems to want to organize songs by Artist, which means if you have, say, fifteen songs on an album that's each by a different artist, you'll get fifteen different files of that album, each with a different artist in the file. Kind of annoying if you're looking for a specific song.

I'm gonna try out the iTunes store next. So far, so good (though it took 4 tries to connect). Let you know how that turns out. I understand that they now sell episodes of TV shows. Wonder if that includes Top Gear...

UPDATE: YES!!!!!!!! TOP GEAR EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE!

Taking the Plunge

Okay, long story short, my last article for the school newspaper got recognized for outstanding work and I won a $15 iTunes gift card. Unfortunately, I didn't have iTunes, so such a card was worthless to me. Until recently, that is.

Yep, I took the plunge and downloaded iTunes. Looks pretty good so far, only I made one possible mistake: I had it convert my entire music collection into whatever proprietary format Apple uses. And I have several dozen CDs worth of music on my laptop.

This is gonna take a while.

Anyway, I'll post my initial thoughts later this week (very busy still), once iTunes finishes converting my library. Which, at the rate it's going, should hopefully be within the next 24 hours.

Escape From City 17, Part 1

Holy Cow!

Would you believe that they made this for less than $500? Wow!

I can't wait for Part 2!

Reagan vs. Obama

Listen to this. Really listen to it. And think about it. Really think about what Obama is saying.

"Break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution."

Scary, isn't it?

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.

Guys, I hope you do something really sweet for your valentine this year. Ladies, I hope your valentine gets you something really special. And I hope whatever happens, your plans work out great.

As for me, I'll be spending some quality time in bed with my little Natalya.




By the way, "Natalya" is my Russian History textbook. (So get your minds out of the gutter already) I've got the mother of all history tests on Monday. I'm not kidding; were talking pre-Mongol Russia to Tsar Peter the Great, 20+ chapters, 1200+ years of material.

That's why I haven't been posting much lately, this past week is when the first round of tests and papers came due. Fun. Gonna be a long weekend.

Spidey Cat!

Spidey Cat! Spidey Cat! Does whatever a Spidey... uh... dangit! Forget it.

Obama Expands Security Council

Check this out.

Obama wants to "expand the membership of the National Security Council and increase its authority to set strategy on a wide range of domestic and international issues."

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Domestic issues? The Security Council was created, as the article points out, to advise the president on military and diplomatic issues. Both of which fall into the category of FOREIGN AFFAIRS. The National Security Council was never meant to oversee and advise on domestic affairs, but now Obama wants to change that stance, for purposes that he can't/won't disclose.

This raises a few questions:

1. Why does Obama want to expand the Council? As a follow-up, who does he want to add?
2. What sort of "domestic issues" would the Council address? As a follow-up, how do issues like energy and climate change relate to National Security?
3. How much authority would this new Security Council be given, and over what?
4. Who will oversee the Council?

This move, for me, seems very similar to his call to create a Civilian National Security Force from a few months ago. Again, the question is why? Why create a superpowerful, seemingly autonomous entity to handle "domestic" issues? What is Obama aiming to accomplish that he can't do via normal, Constitutional channels? Again, the only answers that I can come up with are genuinely frightening.

The Last Great President

Ronald Wilson Reagan

40th President of the United States of America

1911-2004

The Chance

It’s your sophomore year, a Tuesday morning, just about 8:20. You’re in the dining hall, just finished breakfast, on your way to get rid of your tray and you have to hurry because you’ve got class in less than ten minutes and there’s no way in heck you can be late. Then you see her. She’s a sophomore too, though due to various events in your not-so-distant past that you’d rather not discuss, you’re over a year older than her. You’ve know her for the last year and a half (heck, she was in half of your classes last year), and she’s always been a friend. But right now you’re struck by just how beautiful she is, and for a split second you wonder if she might be the one.

You walk over. She says hi. You stammer back a hello. She asks what’s wrong. You stammer incoherently for a moment before finally gathering the courage to ask if she wants to go to dinner with you. She laughs quietly, asks if you’re serious. You tell her you are. She says she’d love to. You go out that weekend.

It’s your senior year. You’ve been dating her for the last two years. Graduation is coming up soon, and you’re scared to death. Not because of exams, of course; that’s all old hat by now. You’re scared because of what you’ve been planning for the last month. As luck would have it, both of you are in the same class together, and even better, she understands the material and you’ve been struggling with it. There’s an exam coming up, so you call her up and ask her to meet you in the library. She agrees. You’re already there, sweating bullets. You spot her walking in a moment later, and the butterflies in your stomach start flying around again. She walks up and asks you what you need help with. Instead, you pull the box out of your pocket and get on your knee. Her hands fly to her mouth. You open the box, and watch as her eyes fix on the diamond. You ask her. She says yes. The place goes wild.

It’s a year after graduation. The two of you are renting an apartment together. You both found jobs straight out of school: she’s a lab technician at a local pharmaceutical company, and you’re a technical writer for a nearby software firm. You’ve also been working on a novel for the past few months. But none of that matters right now. Right now, all that matters is her, a vision in white walking down the aisle towards you. She reaches the altar, and the minister leads her in her vows. You never remember reciting yours, but everyone says that you didn’t make a mistake. You slip on her finger, your eyes never leaving hers. The minister says the words, and you pull her into your arms and kiss her. Husband and wife at last.

It’s three years after your wedding. You’ve both been promoted and have your own little group of staffers working under you. Your novel was published a year earlier to rave reviews, and you’ve got a multi-book contract with your publisher. It’s your birthday. She says she has a surprise for you. She hands you a box covered in wrapping paper and tied with ribbon. You carefully untie the bow and slit open the wrapping paper, sliding out an old shoe box. More curious than ever, you flip open the box. Inside are a baby’s nightgown, bonnet, and a pair of baby bootees. It takes you a full fifteen seconds to figure it out, and then you throw your arms around her and bury her in a passionate kiss.

It’s six months after your birthday. It was a rough pregnancy; she was taking medications to keep from going into labor and was actually bedridden for the last month. Even now, it’s still three weeks early. You’re dressed in medical scrubs, holding onto her hand as she desperately pushes the baby out. In the last two hours, she’s called you names that would make sailors and Marines quiver in their boots, and you’ve begun questioning whether or not she’s going to let you live after this, because it’s you’re fault she’s in such pain in the first place. Another contraction hits, and she squeezes your hand so hard that you think you feel something break. And then you hear it; the quiet wails of a newborn taking its first breaths. The doctors suction the mouth and nose, clean it up a little bit, then hand it to her. Her anger is suddenly gone, replaced by an overwhelming joy as the doctor hands her her newborn daughter. Your newborn daughter.

It’s eighteen years after your daughter was born. You quit your job over a decade ago and are now a full-time novelist. She's just been promoted to Vice President of her company. It’s your daughter's high school graduation. As you watch your daughter walk across the stage to receive her diploma, you can’t help but marvel at how fast the last few years have gone by. Seems like just yesterday your little girl was learning how to walk. Then your not-so-little girl started bringing boyfriends home. Most were decent, but there were a few troublemakers. You set them straight pretty quick, though (Amazing what watching the father cleaning a shotgun will do to most boys’ attitudes) A dull roar brings you back to reality, and you watch as your daughter’s graduating class tosses their hats in the air. As you scan the crowd, she reaches over and kisses you on the lips, marveling with you on how fast the time has gone.

“Hey there.”

Her voice snaps you out of your daydream, and you turn and look as she walks past, giving you a shy wave. You wave back, then start towards the washroom again. You glance at your watch and curse, not realizing you may have just missed your only chance.

Snow Day, Part 2

It snowed again last night. Not sure on the total, but it was definitely at least four to six inches. It was so bad that all classes before 10:00 were canceled, and the paths around campus are still really bad tonight. I suspect (though I'm not banking on it) that there might be a delay tomorrow, too.

This is the second big storm to hit the area in a week. We've gotten more snow in the last two weeks than we've had in the last two years. This is also the coldest winter on record, or at least in a very long time. I've lived here pretty much my whole life, and I don't ever remember it being this cold before.

Global warming, my @$$.

300

Yeah, it's my 300th post. Yeah, that was totally cliche. No, I don't care.

Daschle is Out

This just in: Tom Daschle Withdraws Nomination for Secratary of Health and Human Services.

Apparently, the guy owes the IRS more than $130,000 in unpaid taxes. And he didn't really withdraw voluntarily either: political pressure forced him to quit.

Now, my only question is this: Why is one potential cabinet member forced to resign for not paying taxes, but others are allowed in? Heck, the bloody Secretary of Treasury, the guy who runs the IRS, owes back taxes!

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

Do I detect a case of selective standards and ethics being applied here?

Blagojevich Gets The Boot!

Nice to know that there's still some semblance of justice in politics. Less than an hour ago, the Illinois State Senate unanimously voted to kick disgraced Governor Rod Blagojavich, who as you probably know is under Federal indictment for trying to sell Illinois' seat in the US Senate, out of office.

About bloody time, too.

Honestly, I'm not surprised at all. He didn't really make any effort to defend himself. Actually, that's wrong. He did make an effort, but he made the wrong kind of effort. Instead of testifying at his impeachment hearing, he held a media circus, arrogantly denying the hearings and insisting the charges against him were false.

Would have been a tad more convincing if he'd actually backed up his claims with solid evidence.

Honestly, this is the first bit of really good news I've seen regarding politics in a very long time. Nice to know the system still has some knowledge of justice left.

Snow Day!!!!

Yep, we got a good three inches or so of the white stuff last night along with a goodly amount of what the weather people call "wintry mix," AKA ice rain. Looking out the window, the walkways around campus appear to be frozen over. Which means, you guessed it, classes are canceled!

First found out when I woke up to take a shower. There was a sign on the bathroom door saying that there were no classes and to go back to sleep. However, while pranks and comic mischief aren't common around here, they aren't unheard of either (as evidenced by the two guys with the NERF gun). A quick check of the school's website quickly confirmed things: no day classes due to inclement weather.

w00t!!!!

Unfortunately, I didn't find this out until after I was wide awake. And today's normally my early morning day too (Bio lab first thing, just what I want to do; wake up early, eat a full hearty breakfast, then go cut open an eyeball. [vomit]). So now I'm wide awake with nothing to do. Guess I'll catch up on journal entries for my theology class and read ahead in The Awakening (Most. Boring. Book. Ever.)

Keep you posted. Stay inside, stay warm.

Update, 11:15 PM:
I suspect that we may have another snow day tomorrow, or at the very least, my 8:30 class might be cancelled. As I was walking back from dinner (6:30-ish), the footpaths were starting to freeze over again. There were some spots that I actually slid for a good couple of feet. Didn't look or feel like it had been salted, and there's one spot in particular where they physically cannot salt (between two narrow wooden footbridges), so if things are bad tomorrow, I might have another day off.

Liberal Hypocicy at its Finest

Get a load of this. The Democrats have started a petition against Rush Limbaugh after he stated that he hoped that President Obama fails. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says the petition is meant "to show Rush Limbaugh and all of the Republicans what they're up against if they start attacking President Obama."

This is a striking about-face, isn't it? Seems like for the last eight years, everyone in the Main Stream Media was actively rooting for President Bush to fail spectacularly. In fact, every single thing that happened was immediately labeled as Bush's fault. (Hey, I couldn't fall back to sleep when I found out it was a snow day this morning! That's Bush's fault too!) But now, when somebody says something bad about Obama, it's suddenly so taboo that the offender needs to be immediately banned from broadcasting? WTF?

Conservatives are saying that this is the opening salvo in an effort to crush Conservative Talk Radio and re-institute the so-called Fairness Doctrine. I'm inclined to agree with them.

I think the guys at the DCCC need to brush up on their Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

--The First Amendment of The Constitution of the United States of America.

So Much For Government Transparency

You all remember how our new President promised to operate totally in the open, complete transparency? Well, said promise didn't last long. President Obama signed an executive order granting Federal funding to abortion clinics both domestically and in foreign countries.

Late on Friday afternoon, when nobody would notice.

Oh, and did I mention that he also banned anyone from taking pictures of the signing?

Unsurprisingly, the only word from the MSM on this has been to decry the justifiable outrage from conservatives. I especially love ABC's Dan Harris' take: "Despite his desire to reach out to people who disagree with him, the new President may find that on some issues, it may be impossible to find common ground."

"Common ground." On abortion? You're freakin' kidding me, right? There is no common ground on abortion: you can either be for it or against it.

Oh, and by the way, if Obama wanted to "reach out to people who disagree with him," he should have at least signed the order when people were watching and permitted photographers. A better idea would be to try and compromise on the issues, instead of working from under the table with Executive Orders.

Congess = Morons

Guess what the newest thing on Congress' agenda is. The Cell Phone Predator Alert Act.

Okay, basically, this law requires that any and all cell phones that contain digital cameras make a sound every time the camera takes a picture.

Good idea, yes, but still, our country is up to the eyeballs in problems, and Congress is wasting time with this? Besides, any real predator (and not some bonehead in the wrong place at the right time) would probably use a hidden video/still camera, or else physically disable or cover the speaker. And how does it deal with older "Pre-Ban" phones?

Yeesh, all the problems we've got on our plate, and this merits the government's rapt attention? I can't decide what irks me more, the fact that they're taking this so seriously or the fact that we keep voting these same dolts back into office.

Watchmen

I recently finished reading the graphic novel Watchmen, which nerdjedi graciously loaned me after he checked it out of the library.

Wow.

Despite my minor fascination with Superman, I'm not really into comics all that much. But Watchmen absolutely blew my mind. It took everything I'd expected from comic book superheroes and threw it out the window.

One reason I hate comic books is because everything is so clear-cut black-and-white: the heroes are always morally upright and doing the right thing, the villains are always evil. Not so Watchmen. There is no real villain per-se (only the ever-increasing threat of global nuclear war), and some of the "heroes" can be considered borderline villains in their own right. Even the ending is ambiguous: you're not sure if the good guys won, or if what they did to get where they are is even right or not.

Most comic books are overwhelmingly simple: you don't have to read any of the text to figure out what is going on, not even one speech bubble. In Watchmen, if you overlook even one such bubble, I can pretty much guarantee that you've missed something incredibly important. This is a graphic novel in the most literal sense of the word, and a phenomenal one at that: it even won a Hugo Award in 1998.

Normally, I'm highly critical of film adaptations of comic books (Superman, Spiderman, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight being notable exceptions) but after reading Watchmen, I cannot wait for the film to come out. If it's even half as good as the comic was, it will be phenominal. Can't wait for March 6th.

Even if you hate comic books with the burning passion of a thousand suns, you absolutely have to read Watchmen at some point. It is just that good. Heck, I've just finished it, and I'm already thinking about buying my own copy so I can read it again and again and again.

Wanna See Something Really Scary?

3:54: "I pledge to be a servant to our President."

Wait, what?

Okay, I'm looking over my copy of the Constitution right now, and it says that the President is supposed to serve the people of the United States, not the other way around.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

Yeah, I know I've said some not so nice things about Obama before he got elected, but now, less than a week after being inaugurated, the man is really starting to frighten me.

First, he's closing Guantanamo Bay, which will result in hundreds of suspected terrorists being allowed to walk away, no questions asked. Next, he's outlawed the torture of known terrorists, which - given his administration's sweeping definition of terrorists (anything that makes the subject "uncomfortable) - has effectively castrated the United States' intelligence-gathering capabilities. Next, he signs an order forbidding lobyists from working in his administration, only to turn around and appoint a former lobbyist for Raytheon as Deputy Secratary of Defense. He wants to ban photographers from press briefings and distribute his own photos to the news media. He wants to authorize yet another bailout, one that will effectively double the national debt. He will more than likely severely curtail, if not overturn, the Second Ammendment. He wants to give the FBI and CIA permission to look over library records and Internet logs.

Now his personality cult wants me to pledge to be Obama's servant? No way, not me. I have only taken one pledge in my entire life, and I stand by it to this day.

I pledge alliegence to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

My loyalty stands with the Nation, not with the President.

Bohemian Acapella

The coolest song every written, Acapella-style.



Also, I apologize for the lack of posting over the last few days. I've recently been consumed by another new idea, one that's actually trumped the Western (which itself stalled out prior to my latest brainstorm). This one's actually a Fan Fiction, of Superman no less. It's an Alternate Universe Fic that examines the question: what if Clark Kent wasn't a Kryptonian, but his childhood friend Lana Lang was?

I popped the idea to nerdjedi, and he liked it. Said it sounded a lot like one of DC Comics' own Elseworlds publications. Who knows, maybe I'll wind up selling the story to DC. But that's a ways off, if it ever happens at all. In the meantime, I'm thinking about starting an account on FanFiction.net and publishing it there. I'll keep you posted on that.

War in the Dorm

Two of the guys in my dorm have a Nerf gun. A big one, the kind that you pump up and it shoots ten darts on full auto. They lit up one of the RAs as she was making rounds. Did it right in front of my room as I watched. Twice.

This means war.

Too bad everyone else on the floor is unarmed. And I lost all of the darts/arrows/whatever for my old Nerf guns. Oh well. Good thing the Raptor has a birthday in a few weeks...



Then it's on!

The Good, The Bad, and The... Ukulele?

As a follow-up to this post, check out another unusual rendition of the classic theme from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.



Found it as I was trolling around the Interwebs. Ignore the goofy part at the beginning.

This is Getting Old, Fast

The fire alarm in my dorm went off again last night at about 12:20 AM, right as I was finally drifting off to sleep. Had to stand outside in the freezing cold for ten minutes until they could reset it, then when I finally got back into my room, it took forever to fall asleep.

Sound familiar?

This is actually the 6th or 7th time that this has happened this week. Fortunately for me, I missed all but 2. Unfortunately, those were the two that happened at absurdly late hours. None of 'em are drills either. We don't know if someone's pulling the alarm on us or people are just burning stuff in their microwaves. Actually, someone did pull the alarm once; a foreign exchange student thought that the alarm lever unlocked the door to her hall (having seen the lever in question, I can't blame her; it's literally right smack-dab next to the door). Still, the guys in my hall are in a foul mood about it. Trust me, if you've never done it before, standing out in the cold in nothing but your PJs and a pair of sneakers is not fun. And we're the lucky ones - there have been a decent number of people in the showers when the alarms have gone off. Ouch.

On the upside, I have had a chance to work on my Western some more. I've got something of a plot that I'm starting to flesh out, but it is a bit more cliched than I'd like. Hopefully I'll be able to de-cliche it when I go back and smooth it over. Still no ideas for a title, though. That probably won't happen until I'm finished writing the plot.

Actually, nevermind. I just came up with an idea: 'Til Death.

I'll keep you posted. Hopefully, that will mean more Western progress, less fire alarms.

College: One Week In

Well, I've officially been on campus for one week, and I'm not dead yet. Or sick. Or in the hospital. Or anything. Except busy, that is. So I guess I'm making out okay. I just hope that the menu changes in the dining hall this week. It's been barbecue stuff all week, which I really can't eat. I'm getting sick of hamburgers, which was the only safe food to be had, besides the deli bar.

It's been snowing on and off all day. I'd say we got about 2 inches. They salted the paths, but it's been sticking anyway. The paths were pretty slick when I got back from dinner about 2 hours ago; they could be frozen now for all I know. Maybe my early class will get canceled. I'm not banking on it, though I would like to be able to sleep in again.

So, yeah, on a different note...

I'm working on another story. This one's got nothing to do with my David Pierce series. In fact, it's a Western. Yes, you read that right. A Western. I'm trying to steer away from most of the classic B-Grade Movie cliches, but a few are going to be unavoidable if the plot goes the way I'm planning on taking it.

It's not very well-developed yet, not even a title. Just the concept, one main character, and the beginning of a very rough plot. I'll keep you updated as the story evolves. If I even have time to work on it (been very busy for the last week), I'll probably put Justice Delayed on hold, at least until I can get a decent plot ironed out.

Well, that's all for now. Later.

What is Wrong With America

This afternoon over lunch, I was having a conversation with a certain friend of mine (who shall remain nameless). Now, normally, this guy and I get along okay. Sure, we rag on each other occasionally, and he sometimes demonstrates a unique talent for driving me up the wall, but aside from that we're pretty good. Except for one thing.

Politics.

Now, you who read my blog regularly know that I have strong political convictions, and I tend to be vocal about said convictions. Usually, I can keep a conversation going with someone, no matter what their political leaning, for at least a minute. Not this guy. As soon as I mention anything remotely political, he completely shuts me out. "No, you know what? No. I don't wanna hear it. I don't care. Just, no." Every time, he does that. Said quote is ususally followed by him attempting to engage someone else in conversation by saying (in a rather loud and obnoxious voice designed to completely drown me out. "So, soandso, how's the weather today? Did anything exciting happen at school/work?" etc. Every time. Today was no exception.

Today, it finally hit me. He doesn't care about what the government does. Moreover, he doesn't want to care. He doesn't want to be bothered with what happens in Washington, so long as it doesn't affect him too much.

This is what's wrong with America. There are too many people like my friend, on both sides of the fence, who don't care about what the government does and don't want to care either. They are just content to sit on the sidelines and watch Washington. Then there are the ones who whine and moan and just b!^(& when the candidate they didn't like won the election, then turn around and say they didn't vote. They didn't care, didn't want to be bothered with it.

Well, guess what. They need to be bothered with it. They need to care. Our system of government only works, only really works, if everyone stands up and gets involved. Think about it: Congress' approval rating gets worse and worse, yet we keep voting the same scumbags back into office. Why? Because the people who b!^(& and moan about how horrible things are don't go out and vote the scumbags out of office.

I don't care what side of the fence you're on, if you want things to change, if you want your voice to be heard, I mean really heard by the politicians in your local, state, and Federal government, you need to get out and vote, even if it is inconvenient (by the way, it's not supposed to be fun or convenient). You need to start caring, you need to start wanting to care. Or else we're all going to wake up and be like the British, wondering "what the Hell has happened to our country?"

News on the Dorm Front

Good news. I'd been running on my laptop's (horrible) wireless card all week, and it was running like a slug stuck in thick peanut butter. Well, I stopped at home last night, picked up a spare network cable, and now it's running a lot better. Not as fast as the FiOS at home, but enough that I can actually go on graphics-intense pages and not wait ten minutes for the page to load (not even kidding, it took that long a few times)

Bad news. The dorm kinda smells. Not really my room, but more so the hall. Smells faintly off cigarettes and poo. Now, cigarettes I don't really get, seeing as how the campus is smoke free. However, the campus across the street from us is not (yes, there's another college across the street from me), and everyone there smokes under the lamppost down the street. But the poo? Well, the smell does tend to be close to the vent, which shares a wall with the bathroom. But, it's bearable, sometimes hardly noticeable, so I'll deal with it until the semester ends and I get out of this dorm.

Thank God it's Friday. Everyone's pretty beat, we really need this three day weekend.

US Airways Plane Crashes in Hudson River - All Aboard Survive

From FOXNews.com

NEW YORK — A US Airways jet crashed Thursday in the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey after a flock of birds apparently struck its engines — but all 155 people on board are thought to have survived, and the pilot is being hailed as a hero.

Passengers were sent fleeing into the icy, 35-degree waters when the Airbus 320 went down near 48th Street in Manhattan shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport.

"We've had a 'Miracle on 34th Street' and now we have a miracle on the Hudson," said New York Gov. David Paterson.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the pilot told him he walked the plane twice to make sure everyone was off the plane, before exiting the aircraft. The pilot's identity hasn't been released, Bloomberg said, and the man is waiting to speak with the National Transportation Safety Board before talking to anyone else about what happened.

The pilot of the plane was Chesley B. Sullenburger III, his daughter confirmed to FOXNews.com. She declined to give additional details or confirm a TMZ report that he was a former Air Force flight leader and training officer who flew F-4s from 1973 to 1980.

"There were eyewitness reports the plane may have flown into a flock of birds," FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said. "Right now we don't have any indication this was anything other than an accident."

National Air Traffic Controllers Union spokesman Doug Church said the pilot reported a "double bird strike" less than a minute after takeoff. The pilot then said he spotted an airport below, in New Jersey. He first intended to make an emergency landing there but instead took the plane down in the river.

Doug Parker, chairman and chief executive officer of US Airways Group, would not speculate on what caused the incident but said at a news conference after the crash that the company will cooperate fully with investigators.

Most of the passengers were held at the New York City ferry terminal at 42nd Street after the crash, though at least two were taken away on stretchers. The New York City Fire Department said 78 people were injured, but the extent of the injuries wasn't immediately known. They were taken to hospitals in New York and New Jersey.

Flight 1549 had just taken off at 3:26 p.m. when it went down. The flight was carrying 150 passengers and five crew — two pilots and three flight attendants — and was heading to Charlotte, N.C.

The plane was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows but remained completely intact. Rescue crews opened the door and pulled passengers in yellow life vests from the plane. Several boats — including commuter ferries — surrounded the plane.

Many of the passengers were able to step off the plane and directly onto a rescue boat or wait for rescue on the wings of the plane, Bloomberg said.

Passenger Fred Beretta said everyone on the plane was helping each other to get out alive.

"I think everyone was just stunned," Beretta told FOX News on The O'Reilly Factor.

Beretta, who was sitting on the left side of the plane, said he heard the engine sputter and then go quiet. That was when passengers on his side, started to ask those on the right side about that engine and they too said it was quiet.

"There was no panic on the plane," Beretta said. "The pilot made a gradual left turn and (we) were waiting and knew the would same something. It seemed like a long time [till he spoke] but it probably wasn't. the plane was quiet except for a couple of emotional outbursts, but nothing major. The only words I recall [the pilot saying] was, 'prepare for impact.'"

"I looked out the window and though, 'there is a good chance we are going to die. I thought about my family and started praying."

Beretta described a calm scene as passengers told those near emergency exits to open them and walking close together those on the plane safety exited to the wings.

A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive Thursday night in New York City, Bloomberg said, adding the plane was still floating and tied up at a lower Manhattan dock.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said terrorism wasn't suspected.

"There is no information at this time to indicate that this is a security-related incident," Homeland Security spokeswoman Laura Keehner said. "We continue to closely monitor the situation which at present is focused on search and rescue."

Witnesses said the plane's pilot appeared to guide the plane down.

"I see a commercial airliner coming down, looking like it's landing right in the water," said Bob Read, who saw it from his office at the TV news magazine "Inside Edition." "This looked like a controlled descent."

"I saw what appeared to be a tail fin of a plane sticking out of the water," Erica Schietinger, whose office windows at Chelsea Piers look out over the Hudson, said shortly after the crash. "All the boats have sort of circled the area."

Those who believe they may have family members on board flight 1549 can call US Airways at 1-800-679-8215 within the United States.

Wow. A jetliner crashes, without power, on water, stays completely intact, and everyone survives. That's not supposed to happen. I mean that literally: jetliners aren't really designed to handle water landings. And the fact that everyone made it out is even more unbelievable. Even rescue crews are saying they'd expected there to be at least one or two deaths. But One Hundred Fifty-Five Survivors out of One Hundred Fifty-Five Passengers? No one expected that. And from what I've seen with the interviews of survivors, everyone remained calm, nobody went nuts or did anything stupid, either.

People say miracles don't happen anymore. A jetliner crashes on water, remains intact, and everyone gets out alive? If that's not a miracle, nothing is. God's hand was definitely on that plane when it came down, and with those passengers as they got out.

New Post on my Review Blog

I just posted a new entry on my Review Blog. Not actually a review, but more of a minor rant. Click here to check it out.

Also, while we're on the subject of movies, I just saw that The Dark Knight is going to be returning to theaters and IMAX later this month. January 23, to be exact. I've already seen it twice on the big screen, can't wait to see it a third time! This time, I think I'll go for an IMAX showing.

Dorm Room Woes

Well, we've been here less than a week, and my roommate and I have both decided that we're going to do everything we can to make sure we are not in this particular dorm next year.

It's small, it's noisy (utilities, not neighbors), it's hot, it's kinda dirty, the internet connection sucks, and it's a ghost town. At least, this particular hall is a ghost town. No one's ever really around, and when they are in, they keep their doors closed. It's like GCC all over again. Now, I know the rest of the school isn't like this, having visited several other dorms in the past. Funny how I wind up in places like this...

Fortunately, we're already underclassmen, and next year we'll be pretty high up the totem pole (my old AP credits might put me there already), so we should get pretty good dibs once housing signups for next year start rolling. I think that's only in a month or too. I'm gonna try and get in the newest dorm, but right now I'm in the oldest, so pretty much anything would be an improvement!

Settling In

4 days on campus, haven't gotten sick yet. Things are lookin' good!

The last three days have been kinda crazy, what with getting settled in and all. No more fire alarms, thank God, just a lot of classes (nearly all back-to-back) and a lot of homework.

I'm still pretty tired, not really used to sleeping in a dorm room. It's like sleeping in a Holiday Inn where you can't turn off the AC, very noisy. But I'm getting used to it.

Once things settle down (maybe over the holiday weekend) I'll start posting "normal" things again (political commentary, fiction, etc).

First Night

Yeah, I ran into some of my old friends last night, so we wandered around campus until about 11:00, then I went back to my dorm. Finally crawled into bed at about quarter to midnight.

The fire alarm went off an hour later.

Got to stand outside in the freezing cold wearing nothing but PJs, coat, and hiking boots for fifteen minutes. That was fun.

Didn't sleep much last night. Something in the room makes a lot of noise, like one of those motel air conditioners. I think I know what it is, hopefully it'll get turned off tonight.

Yeah, I'm running on maybe 4 hours sleep, and I've got newspaper and three classes today, back-to-back-to-back-to-back. I'm gonna be dead on my feet come 2:00.

Class is gonna start soon, gotta go.

Move In Complete

Well, I'm finally moved into the dorm. Actually, I got here about 8 hours ago, but it took me 'til now to get everything squared away and get dinner and stuff.

Family came down to visit after Papa Raptor got me moved in. I get the feeling I'll be seeing a lot of them. (That's what happens when college is 10 minutes down the road from your house!)

Classes start tomorrow. Yay. [/sarcasm] Fortunately, I don't have class until 10:00 tomorrow. Tues, Wed, and Thurs are gonna be rough, though. 8:30, 8:00, 8:30. And I go pretty much straight through, all day, every day. Whoopie.

Still, it's pretty good. My roommate's nice, as are my neighbors. Haven't seen many of my friends yet, but they're mostly the type that shows up at 2:00 AM on Monday. That, and most of them aren't in my dorm (I'm in a tiny one).

The Brits Are Finally Taking a Stand

Apparently, the British Government is now trying to ban fox hunting, which is one of the nation's oldest and most cherished traditions. The People don't like that very much. They're realizing just how many rights they've surrendered to their government by being apathetic.



But I can't help but wonder, is this too little, too late for them? For the last 20 years, they've basically been sheep; they've been so apathetic that they've gone along with whatever the government claimed was "in their best interest" without question. They've already lost the right to own guns, now they have to work to reclaim that right. They have, for all intents and purposes, lost the right to defend themselves (pocket knives have also been banned). I love the bit in the video when they mentioned how the chief constable said that Tony Morrison should have shouted for help when his closest neighbor was at least a half-mile away.

The scary part is, this can and is happening in the US right now. Obama's nominees for Secratary of State and Attorney General are notoriously anti-gun, and he's already proposing the same "common sense" anti-gun laws that Parliament used on their subjects. Many jurisdictions in the US actively prohibit carrying guns, tazers, pepper spray, etc., instead recommending that people defend themselves with items like combs, brushes, pens, car keys, or even (from the Illinois State Police) by vomiting on one's attacker. The question is, how much longer are we going to remain apathetic before we realize that the government has, via litegation that is "in our best interest," stripped us of our rights and turned us into a proverbial flock of sheep?

Who Can Fix The Economy? Are You Sure?

Okay, according to Obama, only the Federal Government can fix our economy. Call me cynical, but I sincerely doubt that.

Let us take a look at the government's track record with running things for a moment, shall we?

• Medicare: poorly managed and paying out more than it recieves from the .gov.
• Social Security: running out of money.
• Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac: have you been living under a rock for the last four months?

True story: in 1990, the Federal Government seized the Mustang Ranch, a brothel near Reno, Nevada, after the owners were convicted of tax evasion. As required by federal law, the Government then proceeded to run the Ranch. It went bust in 1999. I'm not making this up.

If the .gov can't even run a brothel, how can it be expected to run our economy?

Not to mention the fact that the .gov having controlling stakes and shares in hitherto privately-owned companies is socialist and communist. No, I'm not trying to call Obama a socialist (though many of his plans indicate such leanings). That's what socialism and communism are: a system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole and a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party, respectively.

Honestly, I'm pretty scared right now. Pelosi has just rendered the Republicans powerless in the Senate, and now Obama wants the Federal Government to take control of the economy. I don't like where this train seems to be going. I just hope I'm not the only one.

Cracked 10,000

Finally broke the 10,000 word mark in Justice Delayed. Still haven't gotten very far into the plot, though, so I'm going to estimate that the finished product is going to be somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 words long. (For comparison, the first draft of Codename: White Knight was about 37,000 words long)

Also, I've decided to alter the plot a little bit. Unfortunately, this is going to have a major impact on the rest of the David Pierce universe, so I'm going to have to rewrite White Knight. Fortunately, I was planning to do that anyway, but now it's definitive.

I move on campus Sunday, and classes start on Monday, so I'm gonna be busy for the next few months. I hope to have Justice Delayed finished by the end of the semester (early- to mid- May), and definitely by the end of August on the outside.

Democrats Putting Shackles on the GOP

Check out this article. The Democrats, under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have pushed through legislation that amends the rules regarding motions to "recommit" bills to committee before they are voted on by the Senate as a whole. Specifically, the changes will make it much more difficult for Republicans to recommit the bills and make changes to them.

In the past, the recommit option was used - by both sides - to make amendments to legislation, if not kill it all together. For more than 100 years, this option was used by the minority party to maintain influence over the workings of the Senate. Now, that option is gone.

Basically, what this means is that the Republican Party now has virtually no way to contest legislation proposed by the Democrats. Anything, from tax hikes to gun control to you-name-it can be pushed through for an immediate vote by the Dems with absolutely no input from the GOP. In other words, the Democratic Party will, for all intents and purposes, now literally be in absolute control of the Senate.

In addition, Pelosi's rule changes have abolished term limits for Senate Committee Chairpersons, allowing Senators to maintain control over their committees for as long as they remain in office, which means, assuming current voting trends continue, means that they'll most likely be in control until they either die or decide to retire. This further centers power in the Senate in the hands of a few select individuals, instead of spreading it equally between all of the Senators, as should be done.

Between these two bits of legislation, the Democrats have effectively muzzled the Republican Party. This angers me, not as a Republican (I'd probably be just as pissed if the GOP was behind it), but as an American. Our government is supposed to be about democracy, about debate, about both sides coming together and compromising for the common good, not push one set agenda into law.

Our government was founded on the principle of being "of the people, by the people, for the people," not "of the Party, by the Party, for the Party." Nancy Pelosi needs a forceful reminder of this.

President Obama To Get New Limo

It seems that when Barack Obama drives through Washington on his way to his inauguration, he'll do so in a brand-spankin' new Cadillac limousine.

Embedded video from CNN Video

Come on, a new limo? Give me a break! They just had a new one built for Bush 3 years ago! The economy's in the crapper, and the best thing the government can find to spend money on is a new limo for the president?

This isn't a knock at Obama, but rather the government's stupidity and wastefulness in general. I can think of a hundred things they could spend money on that are far more important than a new limo for the President. What a waste. But then, given our government's stellar record at flushing our tax money down the toilet, I really shouldn't be surprised.

Raptor's Moving!

I'm moving!!!!!!!!! Well, on-campus anyway.

I think (99% sure) that I have a room on campus this coming semester. Sweetness! Now I won't have to worry about crap rush-hour traffic anymore!

UPDATE: I just got an email from Housing. I've got a room!!!!! YEAH!!!!!

Honestly, I've been looking forward to this ever since the debacle that was Grove City, albeit with varying levels of enthusiasm, but now I feel like I'm really ready for this. It's time for me to spread my wings and strike out on my own. And hey, if things don't work out roommate-wise, I'll only be five minutes from home...

This won't change my blogging much (I hope). If anything, it'll give me even more things to gripe about.

On a different note, I could use some technical help with the blog. I'm trying to add labels to my posts, but they're not showing up. Anyone know how to make them work? (Yes, I've tried Blogger help.) Also, how can I put emoticons (smileys and whatnot) in my posts?

Funny How These Things Work Out

Yeah, Justice Delayed is in a bit of a slump right now. I finally cracked 9,000 words today, so it's just under half the length of the original More Than a Job, but I'm just now getting into the meat of the story (deliberate on my part.)

Honestly, I don't really know why this is taking me so long. I guess that part of it is that I'm at a rather dull point in the story (yeah, I'm lazy and only like to write exciting stuff), part of it's because I've already sort-of told this story once before, and part of it's because I'm trying to decide between three different ways to take the story. but that's not the whole thing.

I just... I dunno... Haven't really been motivated to write. I know, I've had a stinkin' month of no responsibilities or anything like that, yet I've hardly taken advantage of that time at all. In fact, the only times when I've actually thought out what I want to write next are the few times I've actually had something urgent I needed to do.

This isn't new either; this is always how I write; it's why it took me four months to finish the first draft of More Than a Job and five months for Codename: White Knight.

Yeah.

Funny how these things work out.

Welcome, 2009!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's... Razorhawk?

So, I was browsing the interwebs today, and I came across this video:



Yep. Real-life superheroes.

I know, I did the whole "What the [CENSORED]?" thing when I saw it too.

Yeah, not sure what I can really add to this post, aside from the fact that the World Superhero Registry really exists.

Okay, I admire what they're trying to do, but still... it's kinda... I dunno? Geeky?

Yeah.

Not much I can really add to this.

If I Ran GM

Ever since the auto bailout started garnering serious attention from Washington, I've been thinking. The automakers' problems aren't a result of the current financial crisis, but rather as a result of the manufacturers' own stupidity. (Auto Bailout a Go. Oh No.) So I got to thinking, if I ran an auto manufacturer, say General Motors, what would I do?

1. Gut the bureaucracy. Everything is done by committee nowadays, to the point where deciding what color a car's engine cover will be is endlessly and needlessly debated. Cutting this out will reduce development time and allow designers to focus on the more important aspects of the cars. Also, cutting out unneccesary bean-counters will save millions in salaries and benefits costs.

2. Cut the Top Brass' pay. CEOs and other execs make hundreds of millions while they drive the company into the ground. Not on my watch. Top brass would make $250,000 a year, $300,000 tops. Which is more than most Americans make.

3. Play hardball with the unions. Pardon my language, but the UAW has castrated the auto industry. I talk about this more in my previous blog post on the subject, but that was before I learned that the UAW owns a $6 million golf course and a $33 million retreat to go with it. I'd bring the unions to the table and force them to negotiate contracts that provide fair wages to the workers without causing the company to go bankrupt. If they refuse, I'd pack up and move manufacturing out of union country (part of something is better than all of nothing). Hey, it's worked for the Japanese manufacturers.

4. Focus on quality and aesthetics. Nobody wants to pay $40,000 for a car that looks, feels, and drives like a piece of junk. I'd build cars that people want to buy.

5. Massively reorganize the brands. Right now, with any of the Big Three, it doesn't really matter which of one company's brand you choose, you're still essentially buying the same car with a different badge. (Example: the Dodge Charger and the Chrysler 300.) That would change with me at the helm. I'd reorganize each brand to focus on a specific area of the market. Also, while they'd still share platforms, each model would be more distinct in appearance, color offerings, perfomance, and options.

• Chevrolet: Flagship Brand, featuring a little of everything. (in other words, it would stay basically the same)
• Caddilac: Premium luxury brand, focused mainly on larger sedans.
• Buick: Budget luxury. For those who can't afford Caddilacs. Might throw a crossover into the mix.
• Dewoo. Axed. This brand is crap. Last time I heard an add for them, they were offering "Buy one, get one free!" That says something. This brand would either be sold back to the Koreans or just bite the dust all together.
• GMC. Focus on SUVs (real ones) and utility trucks.
• Hummer. Civilian production would die, plants would be converted to produce up-armored Humvees for the Military.
• Pontiac. Re-focused on performance, like in the old days. The GTO and Firebird would be ressurected.
• Saab. I don't know what I'd do with Saab, honestly. Probably focus on premium perfomance like in the old days, though this would be more rally-oriented than Pontiac.
• Saturn. The entry-level economy brand. That's what it was, that's what it's reputation is, that's what it should be.
  

The Ninja Will See You Now

For a long time, nerdjedi has been trying to get me to check out this web comic called The Adventures of Dr. McNinja. Now, when I say a long time, I'm talking about several months, maybe even a year. Possibly longer. Well, I took a quick look at it back when he first started telling me about it, and I thought it was dumb and didn't make a lick of sense. What I didn't realize is that I was reading the beginning of the second of a three-comic story arc. Silly Raptor. So, anyway, the other night, he got on my case about it big time, eventually sending me the link to the archives and the very first comic. So, having nothing better to do, I read it.

I really should listen to nerdjedi more often.

I like it. Not die-hard-fan-love-it like nerdjedi does, but I like it. It's entertaining, it makes me laugh, it's pretty cool. I think I'll start following it. I'm really not into comics that much, but what the heck. It's goofy enough that I like it.

If you've never seen it before, it's worth checking out. Heck, it's good for a laugh. Sometimes more than one.

Oh, (this has nothing to do with what I just wrote) by the way, I finished Without Remorse last night. Finally! I liked it, not as much as I did the first time I'd picked it up, but only because I've read the first 600 pages or so at least a half-dozen times.

Next up: The Bourne Identity. I've actually allready started it. As awesome as the movie was, the book is even better (naturally).

Back From the Holidays

Hey, everyone. The last couple days have been kinda crazy, what with Christmas and all, so I didn't have time really to post.

Christmas was great. The rest of the Raptor clan came over to our place for Christmas dinner. All of the cousins were home from college, so literally everybody was there. It was really great to be able to see everyone. Grandpa Raptor really liked our Wii. He'd never seen one before, and he couldn't get over how amazing it is. I think he might want one of his own.

As far as gifts go, it was pretty low-key this year. I got a ton of books, and a B&N gift card that I used to buy even more. Stephen Hunter, Vince Flynn, and Robert Ludlum. I've got enough new novels to keep me reading until at least February.

Speaking of which, I'm nearly finished Without Remorse. Don't have my copy handy, but I'm on something like page 708 out of 750. I'll probably finish it off tonight, if not than definitely by tomorrow night. Can't believe I've owned it for something like 5-6 years and never once finished it.

On the downside, I didn't get to write as much of Justice Delayed as I wanted to. It's about 7700 words long, but I'm just now getting into the meat of the plot. If you're interested, I've got enough written to post a sample.

Oh, almost forgot to mention, I got the entire first season of 24 on DVD too. Believe it or not, I'm a 24 virgin. I really want to see the show, but I've always had something to do every time the season premieres, so I'll catch it midway into the season and have no clue what is going on. No more. Guess what I'll be doing New Year's Eve? And Day?

Merry Christmas, Everyone

Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year to all.

He's Gonna Regret This In The Morning

Pope Puts Stress On 'Gay Threat'

His Holiness says that "saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behavior is just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction."

Oh, that one's gonna come back and bite him in the @$$.

Remeber Those Spending The Holidays Far From Home

To all who are serving in the Armed Forces, and who are away from their families this Christmas, thank you. It's not enough, but thank you for your sacrifice.

Iced In, Part 2

18 degrees. That's how cold it is outside. It was 10 degrees when I woke up at 9:30 this morning. I haven't seen 10-degree weather since my stint in Pennsylvania's Siberia, AKA Grove City.

The driveway is still a sheet of ice, even though Papa Raptor salted it twice yesterday. The streets don't look much better. Our deck is an ice-skating rink. Both lawns are frozen blocks of soil. The minivan got left outside during the storm Saturday night (no room in the garage), and the door was still frozen shut this afternoon.

It hasn't been this cold around here in years. Global warming my @$$.

Raptor Is About To Wig Out!

Yeah, didn't get much work done on Justice Delayed today; just three lousy sentences, not even 50 words (in my defense, I seem to be most creative between the hours of 12:00 and 3:00 AM. Don't ask why.).

Haven't read any more of Without Remorse either (no defense here, just lazy).

Got by butt kicked in Scrabble. Lost by one lousy point on the last play of the game! Talk about frustrating.

Put the ornaments on the tree. How annoying. Not the putting up of the ornaments itself, but the fact Momma Raptor has to make sure everyone only puts on their own ornaments and that the tree looks "balanced" and turns it into a production.

That's not what's driving me crazy, though.

My left eyebrow has a twitch in it. For the last two days.

I've tried everything. I ate a whole banana, took an extra calcium with lunch, hydrated so much that I've turned into a living, breathing Greek fountain. No dice. It won't go away!

And it's driving me out of my cotton-pickin' mind!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please, I'm begging you, how do I make it stop?

EDIT:

Now that I wrote this post, my eyebrow stopped twitching.

I'm willing to bet that as soon as I click "Publish," it'll start again.

Iced In

It iced last night. A lot. The Turnpike is closed, the Expressway is closed, the back roads are... I don't even want to find out how bad the back roads are. It's tough to even walk. We usually go to church in the city, but it looks like we won't be going anywhere today. Even the 4-wheel-drive Subaru would have a tough time in this crap.

Gonna be slow around here today. I think I'll work at getting a big chunk of Justice Delayed done. This book is going to be epic (Okay, just a lot longer than I thought) I'm not quite at 6,000 words yet, barely even started on the plot, and it's already more than 1/4 the length of the first draft of More Than a Job.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and The Just Plain Strange

Found this as I was cruising around the interwebs.



It's an outfit called The Spaghetti Western Orchestra. The song they are, uh, performing is the legendary theme from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Definitely my favorite western and one of my all-time favorite films. Clint Eastwood is da man. Can't wait for his newest film, Gran Torino, to hit theaters.



"Get off my lawn!" Man, that sounds more intimidating than "Make my day."

Congress Just Gave Us The Finger. Again.

The economy's in shambles, unemployment is at record highs, the auto industry just got a major bailout, and what's Congress done?

Given itself a raise.

Yep, $4,700 more per member per year, which is roughly another $2.5 million that us taxpayers have to cover.

Needless to say, I'm pissed. These boneheads can't do anything right when it comes to running a country, can't even find a bathroom without an aide, and they think they should be further rewarded for their efforts? Yeah, right. [/sarcasm]

My advice: find out who voted for the pay raise, then we vote them out of office.

Status Update:
Without Remorse: pg. 208 of 750
Justice Denied: 5,566 words (spent most of the day running errands)

Auto Bailout a Go. Oh No.

It's finally happened. The Government's going to bail out GM and Chrysler. 17.4 billion dollars in "low-interest loans" to help get the automakers back on their feet.

In my opinion, this is a very bad move. The automakers' problems are not, as the CEOs have repeatedly claimed, as a result of the current financial crisis. Nope, their problems go way, way back to the early 1970s.

Back when gas prices started skyrocketing (the first time), the market suddenly turned from the big, powerful cars Detroit was pumping out and started looking at smaller, fuel-efficent cars like the ones Japan had just begun importing. Detroit put out fuel-efficient cars too, but unlike the Japanese, theirs were cheap, underpowered econoboxes. That trend lasted into the 90's when the gas glut caused the market for puckups and SUVs to take off. Then, when Hurricane Katrina hit and gas prices started to skyrocket again, buyers started to turn away from their big trucks towards hybrids. But Detroit kept on pushing the big, gas-guzzling trucks and then wondered why they wouldn't sell.

Another problem is the UAW. I think unions have their place, but they're not trying to secure safe work environments or revieve fair pay: OSHA and federal laws take care of that now. What the UAW has done is, quite literally, castrate the auto industry. The lowest-paid UAW workers, the ones who sweep the factory floors, make the equivalent of $70 an hour once you factor in retirement and benefits. (Auto workers at places like Nissan and Toyota, for comparison, make the equivalent of around $45.) And during negotiations during the crisis, the UAW leaders refused to accept a pay cut or reduction in benefits, even though the Big Three looked like they were about to go under. Never mind the fact that if the companies folded, the UAW's members would be out of work. What's that old saying, "Part of something is better than all of nothing?"

Honestly, IMHO, all the bailout is going to do is just prolong the inevitable collapse of the American auto industry because the automakers, in all likelyhood, will not change their ways despite the governments requirement to do so. Bankruptcy, on the other hand, would make such neccesary changes inevitable.

There was a editorial on the subject a few weeks ago in my college's newspaper. You can read that here.

Status Update:
Without Remorse: pg 84 out of 750.
Justice Delayed: 9 pages, 5,403 words.

A Declaration of Intent: Without Remorse

I was just staring at one of my bookshelves, looking over my massive collection, when one particular title suddenly jumped out at me: Without Remorse by Tom Clancy. It suddenly occurred to me that, although I have owned the book for at least three years now, I have never finished reading it. I've started it at least four times, twice making it through 3/4 to 7/8 of the book, but I have never actually finished reading it. I really liked the book too, it's definitely one of my top Clancy pics, but every time I read it, something comes up and I never get a chance to finish it.

Well, now I've got 24 days of Winter Break left, nothing big going on, and nothing major looming in my future. So I'm making my goals for the remainder of vacation:

1. Put a very big chunk in Justice Delayed, if not finish it entirely.
2. Read Without Remorse from cover to cover.

I'm a much faster reader than I am a writer, so I'll probably finish reading Without Remorse long before I finish the first draft of Justice Denied. Figure I'll be done the book in, oh, two weeks. I'll let you know when I finish. Do me a favor: If I don't report that I've finished it by January 12, get on my case about it.

Free Plug for Free Rice

A long, long, time ago, I came across a website. Okay, fine, I come across websites all of the time, but this one is different.

It's called FreeRice. What it is is a Flash-based (I think) game that gives you a vocabulary word - Puzzlement, for example - then list four possible answers - assistance, foe, perplexity, and exactness - and you pick the correct answer. (By the way, the answer is perplexity).

Okay, it's a simple vocab game, what's so special about that? Here's the deal. The site works with the UN World Food Program, and every time you answer a question correctly, the site donates (via its sponsors) 20 grains of rice to third-world nations in an effort to end starvation. It's not much, I know, but the site is really challenging and can be quite addictive, so you can wind up donating thousands of grains to the starving.

English Vocab isn't the only subject available either. There's also Math, Chemistry, Grammer, Art, and multiple foreign languages, too.

I'm under no illusions about this site. I know it's not one of those be-all-end-all will-end-world-hunger things, but it's something.

You can check out the site here, or else click the link in the sidebar.

Russia's New Treason Laws: Back To The Bad Ol' Days

Vladimir Putin, Russia's ex-President/current Prime Minister recently introduced a new anti-treason bill that most expect will become law. You can read about it here, but the short version is that anyone who cooperates with a foreign company or "Non-Governmental Organization" in a way that the Russian Government (Putin) feels harms Russia's interests will be guilty of treason.

Why is this bad? Because the bill applies any non-governmental organization from anywhere in the world that has offices in Russia, including international aid groups. So in other words, if Vladimir goes to Amnesty International to report abuse by Moscow Police, he's just committed treason. The same thing applies to those seeking aid from the European Court on Human Rights or the World Court, if what they want conflicts with government interests. And last time I checked, they still shoot traitors in Russia.

The article says that activists call this new legislation "a throwback to the days of Hitler and Stalin." I'm inclined to agree with them. In the Bad Old Days, if you disagreed with the State at all, then the State made you disappear. You'd be lucky to end up in a gulag in northern Siberia. Somehow, I get the feeling that when this bill passes (and since Putin's backing it, odds are that it will), the vanishing acts will start up again. Ever since he was elected President, Putin's been slowly but surely turning democratic Russia back into the totalitarian USSR. There's a constitutional change in the works that could allow Putin to run for office again, possibly indefinitely. If that happens, then I can see the Cold War starting up again. And given the way our next president has said he's going to deal with foreign threats, that's a really bad thing.

Celebrating Obama: Hold Your Horses

Recently, I've been seeing commercials on TV for Barack Obama commerative plates and commemorative coins. I've heard that several schools are renaming themselves after him. I've seen a report (but been unable to confirm) that St. Lois, MO wants to rename the historic Delmar Boulevard after him. I've even heard a rumor that a county in Alabama wants to create Barack Obama Day as a county holiday. Now, he's been named "Person of the Year" by TIME Magazine.

That's all well and good, but aren't we celebrating a bit to early?

Brack Obama hasn't done anything yet. Okay, he won the election and has appointed most of his cabinet, but he hasn't even been inaugurated yet. We have no idea how good or bad of a leader he will be, and yet we seem to be celebrating him as the greatest President since, well, Washington.

I won't deny that an African-American being elected President is nothing short of historic, and the occasion of his election should be celebrated, but really, this is going a bit too far. We don't know what he's going to do once he takes office. All I've heard from him are the same vague speeches about Hope, Change, and Equality, along with his Redistribute-The-Wealth rhetoric (Which is socialist. No, really, it is. Look the word up in the dictionary) and promises of so-called "Common Sense" gun laws . I don't know what exactly he's going to do once he takes office (though I can probably guess), and maybe he will turn out to be a good president. I don't know. But I think we should hold off on the celebrating until we know just what kind of a leader our 44th President turns out to be.

Why I Plan To Carry

A 21 year-old girl calls 911 to report she is being attacked by a stranger. The police arrive. 48 minutes later, after her attacker had brutally murdered her. You can read the full story here.

The police are supposed to protect us. That's their job. But, as this article clearly shows, they are not always around when we need them. You're being attacked, you call 911, then what? You need the police now, but they're minutes away if you're lucky. Ultimately, your own personal safety is your responsibility.

That's one reason why I plan on owning and carrying a gun (my age and present housing situation currently prohibit both). No one has a right to harm me or take my life from me, and I have a right to defend myself if someone tries. And I know for a fact that the police probably won't show up until it's too late.

A few months ago, somebody broke into the house around the corner from mine. The woman who lives there called 911, but by the time the police responded the guy was long gone. I wasn't home when the break-in happened; I actually wound up sort-of following one of the responding officers there. It was no more than five or six minutes from the second he turned on the lights and siren and blew passed me to when I drove past the woman's house as I turned onto my street, but that fast the guy (I think I remember learning that it was the homeowner's ex-husband; they'd just gone though a very bitter divorce) was in and out. Thankfully, the homeowner wasn't harmed. But she was lucky. Brittany Zimmerman wasn't.

Major Blog Renovation in Progress

As you've no doubt noticed, I've altered the blog's template again. I was tired of the old template and thought this one looked a lot nicer. I'll probably be fooling around with the color scheme and trying out new gadgets over the next couple of days. Let me know what you think about my experimentations.

I've also made some major changes to my profile as well. I'm just Raptor now, not jedi_raptor07. Image profile has also been changed. It's a peregrine falcon to fit with the Raptor name. The URL has also been changed. It didn't fit with the theme I had going with the rest of my URLs, so I decided to change it. That, and since my profile name has changed, I wanted the URL to be relevant to the new name.

Finally, I've deleted my Raptor's Reaction's blog. Honestly, I thought it was silly to have a dedicated blog for meaningful, intelligent posts while devoting my main blog to just pointless junk. I did integrate all of the posts from Reaction's into the main blog, so nothing was lost. Any new "reactions" will just be posted on the main blog. This change doesn't affect my movie review at all. That will remain separate.

That takes care of most of the major stuff (for now, anyway). I've made some changes to the sidebar and added a "Quote of the Day" gizmo above the posts as well.

What's the point of all these changes? Quite frankly, I was disappointed with the way the blog was, and I'm going to try and take it in a different directions. Hopefully now the posts will be more meaningful instead of the random junk I was posting earlier. This is most likely going to result in two major changes. First, I'll probably be posting more of the short microfictions that I put up occasionally. Second, the blog will probably be getting a bit more political in nature, so consider yourself warned.

Right now, I've taken the renovations about as far as I've planned to. However, this whole thing started out with me planning to do nothing more than simply changing the template, so we'll see what happens.

I Wonder What Amazon Thinks of Me?

Over the last year, I've made exactly three purchases from Amazon.com. First, for five books on the New Testament for my bible class. Second, for a textbook about movies and an a scene-by scene analysis of Psycho. Third and most recently, for an old Doctor Who series (for nerdjedi) and a three-disc Queen collection (for myself) Now, to make purchases from Amazon, like most online retailers (in my experience anyway) you have to create an account. After you purchase stuff, Amazon sends you these "Amazon Reccomends" emails that suggests items they think you'd like based on what you've previously bought from them. I can only wonder what those little gremlins who put together those emails think of me. "He likes books on religion, old horror movies, old British science fiction TV shows, and 80s rock bands. O-kaaaaaay....."