Friday, January 30, 2004
Yeah, so this is great. The Russians are planning an all out cold war nuclear show-down "maneuver." This will supposedly involve strategic bombers flying over the north Atlantic firing at a range, ICBMs (inter-continental ballistic missiles) being fired, and missiles firing from submarines. Putin wants to show the military's might in hopes of gaining votes in an upcoming election. Although he probably already has the state run media working on rigging the voting. I am counting down the days till he calls himself Czar Putin. Anyways, this whole maneuver is just a recipe for disaster. They are going to show their military incompetence when one of these missiles, which probably hasn't been inspected properly or maintained in decades, veers off its course and lands in the middle of a city. Or one of their ICBMs takes off and flies right into a Russian village. Remember the Kursk, that was considered the pride of their navy, and it blew itself up, killing all those on board. It is time they give up on the nostalgia of being a world power and realize that will never happen again. This irresponsible flaunting of their decrepit military does not scare me with its awesome power, rather its incompetence and neglect with dreams of the old days is what frightens me. The best part is they talk about how the maneuvers relate to the war on terrorism. Please, this is straight out of the cold war playbook. I can't wait for the day when Russia sends in strategic bombers, ICBMs, and submarine nukes to flush out a terrorist cell. Anyways, I just hope that when the coordinates are plugged in on those missiles, they don't switch a number redirecting them from Siberia to my backyard.
Russia Nuclear Exercise
So Jac left my apartment this morning for a real surprise. She got down to the carport and her car was gone. It turned out it got towed. Let me just say that this complex is tow crazy. Trucks patrol the lot at least once an hour looking for cars without permits. One time they put a sticker on a guys car because he had the wheels off while fixing his brakes. I am confident the only reason he got a warning is because the car wasn't towable. The guy put the wheels back on, but this didn't seem to matter to the tow company, they towed it anyways the next day. I would be pissed, here this person is trying to save a buck by doing his own brake job, and he has to pay $80 to get his car back. Anyways, how it works here is that each apartment gets two parking permits and one carport regardless of how many people live there. Visitors must compete for scarce and distant visitor parking spots. I was under the impression that since we technically rent the carport, anyone we want should be able to park there. When Jacqui came over there were no more visitor spots, so she parked in the carport. Which brings us to the beginning of the story.
Let me say that I hate towing companies, the entire premise of their MO is shady. They essentially steal poor college kids cars and hold them for ransom. And if you don't have the money, no problem, they'll just hold to the car for like $30 a day. Anytime I see them towing someone's car I have an explosive desire to throw a rock through their truck window. So, Jac and I go to their impound lot. Jacqui, being the fighter she is, tried to get a discount off the $78 needed for them to return her stolen car. This jack ass at the front desk says no, and she requests to talk with a boss. According to this cashier guy, "the bosses are in a meeting and I don't know when they will get out." Right..... a meeting..... I bet they were discussing fourth quarter profits.... right. The guy was a complete asshole, when she asked when they close, his response was, "when all the cars are gone." As if their stealing your car doesn't make you angry enough, they have the humor to insult you. At this point I was an inch away from punching the guy in the face. I finally agreed to pay the $78 and she filled out some paperwork. As I went to hand him a credit card, he replies, "we don't take plastic, we don't have the card reader." To which I reply, "can someone say tax fraud." Who the hell did he think he was kidding. I am sure it would be a real effort to get a card reader in there. So here is this company that charges hundreds of dollars and expects people to either pay cash or by paper check, and it's because they don't have a card reader. No, it's because they want to not only screw me by stealing her car, but also by making you and I pay the taxes they don't. I wanted to call the IRS right there. But, I only had $50 on me, so we had to go to the ATM. After paying $78 in hard cash, she finally got her car back. What a waste of money!
Point, watch where you park, because the carnappers will come.
Let me say that I hate towing companies, the entire premise of their MO is shady. They essentially steal poor college kids cars and hold them for ransom. And if you don't have the money, no problem, they'll just hold to the car for like $30 a day. Anytime I see them towing someone's car I have an explosive desire to throw a rock through their truck window. So, Jac and I go to their impound lot. Jacqui, being the fighter she is, tried to get a discount off the $78 needed for them to return her stolen car. This jack ass at the front desk says no, and she requests to talk with a boss. According to this cashier guy, "the bosses are in a meeting and I don't know when they will get out." Right..... a meeting..... I bet they were discussing fourth quarter profits.... right. The guy was a complete asshole, when she asked when they close, his response was, "when all the cars are gone." As if their stealing your car doesn't make you angry enough, they have the humor to insult you. At this point I was an inch away from punching the guy in the face. I finally agreed to pay the $78 and she filled out some paperwork. As I went to hand him a credit card, he replies, "we don't take plastic, we don't have the card reader." To which I reply, "can someone say tax fraud." Who the hell did he think he was kidding. I am sure it would be a real effort to get a card reader in there. So here is this company that charges hundreds of dollars and expects people to either pay cash or by paper check, and it's because they don't have a card reader. No, it's because they want to not only screw me by stealing her car, but also by making you and I pay the taxes they don't. I wanted to call the IRS right there. But, I only had $50 on me, so we had to go to the ATM. After paying $78 in hard cash, she finally got her car back. What a waste of money!
Point, watch where you park, because the carnappers will come.
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Some exerpts I liked from Federalist Paper No.51 in 1788:
"Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the consitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself but the greatest of all relflections on human nautre? If men were angels, no governement would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself."
"Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been, and ever will be pursued, until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit."
--James Madison
Ohh, and when he speaks of justice being the end of government, he is using end to mean purpose or goal. These are pretty awesome ideas in my opinion, and need to be remembered in today's politics. Governement must be controled to protect the individual liberties of citizens, and these liberties should not be lost in the pursuit of justice. Which is why I am against the Patriot Act.
"Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the consitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself but the greatest of all relflections on human nautre? If men were angels, no governement would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself."
"Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been, and ever will be pursued, until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit."
--James Madison
Ohh, and when he speaks of justice being the end of government, he is using end to mean purpose or goal. These are pretty awesome ideas in my opinion, and need to be remembered in today's politics. Governement must be controled to protect the individual liberties of citizens, and these liberties should not be lost in the pursuit of justice. Which is why I am against the Patriot Act.
Ok, had to add this. So Jacqui is reading for her philosophy class and goes, "drew what does obfuscation mean?" I didn't know so I looked it up.
Definition:To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand
So making the word so complex obfuscates its meaning. A word that defines itself. Ha.
Definition:To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand
So making the word so complex obfuscates its meaning. A word that defines itself. Ha.
So, I have customized my blog a little. I added the "tools" section to the right, and put those buttons in there. Also, I adjusted some of the gaps and tweaked the byline. This may seem trivial to most people, but the page is written in html, something I have absolutely no experience. Just by looking at the code, and that from other pages, I was able to decipher enough to do what I wanted to do. Pretty impressive, I even fixed the code provided for the haloscan button, to get it to show up. Not too bad for having never read about how to write html. Here is an example of html from a blog template (not mine), just to give those who don't know an idea of what it looks like.
Ok, it won't work, if the code is even somewhat representative of real code the post tells me there is an HTML ERROR, and if it is exact, it reproduces web page stuff, not the code. Basically it looks like old DOS, with all those letters, commands, and etc.
Anyways, I am going to continue patting myself on the back, find someone to write a "profile" on for a class, and go to bed.
Ok, it won't work, if the code is even somewhat representative of real code the post tells me there is an HTML ERROR, and if it is exact, it reproduces web page stuff, not the code. Basically it looks like old DOS, with all those letters, commands, and etc.
Anyways, I am going to continue patting myself on the back, find someone to write a "profile" on for a class, and go to bed.
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
I have a presentation about Halliburton's role in Iraq reconstruction tomorrow. Because of this, I have spent a lot of time researching the topic. My conclusion: A lot of what is being heard from the Democratic presidential candidates is nothing more than political rhetoric. There is little evidence of profiteering, cronyism, or other malicious activities. Despite having over $2 billion in revenues, their profits from Iraq were only $42 million. That's not that much for a company of that size. In fact, in the 3rd quarter of last year, 78% of their profits came from Energy Services with only 22% from governmental contracts. Meanwhile, 56% of the revenues came from the government, demonstrating what a low profit margin exists when working for Uncle Sam. "The federal government is always a difficult customer" Cheney in 1996.
Monday, January 26, 2004
I saw this and thought it was funny.
Lawyer askes a doctor in court:
Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the
autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
A: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law
somewhere.
Lawyer askes a doctor in court:
Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the
autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
A: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law
somewhere.
Sunday, January 25, 2004
Today I changed the template of the blog to give it a cleaner look. Also, I picked a template that allowed me to add links. I put a link to an email account on there, so I encourage the one or two people reading this to send emails. haha. Umm, seriously though, I would like to receive some feedback so don't hesitate to use the link.
Rant of the Day:
I think English classes are 10% learning of useful stuff, 90% changing your writing style to that of your professor, essentially becoming a writing whore for a good grade. I am so sick of every class that involves writing consisting of a teacher "instructing" what the proper way to write is. Then a couple weeks later, in the next class, you get a different prof who gives you a B or C because that style is all wrong; rather you should do it their way. After 10 years of being subjected to this madness I am learning to truly hate those who teach the English language. I wish I could turn in for a class a piece from a great novel or literary masterpiece under my name to be graded. Only to get worthless comments, from a writer so unaccomplished that they have to supplement their income with teaching because their writing is just not good enough. I can only imagine the look on their faces when I tell them that it was Hemingway, Austen, Steinbeck, or Kafka that was the source of all their corrections. But then again, they would probably burn me alive for plagiarism and academic dishonesty, in order to distract everyone's attention away from their own incompetence and towards me. That's how these academics are, so inflated on their own egos and power. There is nothing I hate more than having to tip-toe around a jack-ass professor when they make a mistake and 90% of the kids in the class are writing it down wrong. I am sick of the, "ummm, Dr. Super-Ego PhD, are you sure that is supposed to be -X", with a subsequent attack on my knowledge, then the "but the book said, blah blah blah", followed by a hurried explanation from him or her that they were just thinking of something else. Bullshit. The best are those who go, "yeah I messed up, sorry about that" Meanwhile, whenever a student makes a mistake, most of these super-ego profs jump at the opportunity to humiliate them in front of the entire class. Ahh academics, what can you do??????????
Being a pragmatist in academia often makes me feel like the only sane person in a mental institute.
Rant of the Day:
I think English classes are 10% learning of useful stuff, 90% changing your writing style to that of your professor, essentially becoming a writing whore for a good grade. I am so sick of every class that involves writing consisting of a teacher "instructing" what the proper way to write is. Then a couple weeks later, in the next class, you get a different prof who gives you a B or C because that style is all wrong; rather you should do it their way. After 10 years of being subjected to this madness I am learning to truly hate those who teach the English language. I wish I could turn in for a class a piece from a great novel or literary masterpiece under my name to be graded. Only to get worthless comments, from a writer so unaccomplished that they have to supplement their income with teaching because their writing is just not good enough. I can only imagine the look on their faces when I tell them that it was Hemingway, Austen, Steinbeck, or Kafka that was the source of all their corrections. But then again, they would probably burn me alive for plagiarism and academic dishonesty, in order to distract everyone's attention away from their own incompetence and towards me. That's how these academics are, so inflated on their own egos and power. There is nothing I hate more than having to tip-toe around a jack-ass professor when they make a mistake and 90% of the kids in the class are writing it down wrong. I am sick of the, "ummm, Dr. Super-Ego PhD, are you sure that is supposed to be -X", with a subsequent attack on my knowledge, then the "but the book said, blah blah blah", followed by a hurried explanation from him or her that they were just thinking of something else. Bullshit. The best are those who go, "yeah I messed up, sorry about that" Meanwhile, whenever a student makes a mistake, most of these super-ego profs jump at the opportunity to humiliate them in front of the entire class. Ahh academics, what can you do??????????
Being a pragmatist in academia often makes me feel like the only sane person in a mental institute.
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Last night I finally put up an electronic dartboard I got around Christmas time at Target for $10. It is pretty cool, its got about 15 different games including two types of cricket. Definitely worth the money, I could have spent that much playing one night at the bar. So, Jacqui (my girlfriend of three years) and I played about 20 different games last night. We were pretty much back and forth in terms of winning, although I had an amazing last round. The game was Random Shot where the computer picks a number and you get three chances to hit that number. You get one point for a single, two for a double, and three for a triple. If you get it on the first dart, then it will give you another number... etc. So, we were playing 15 rounds and my final score was 27, almost two points a turn. I was pretty impressed.
We went skiing tonight at this local place called Timber Ridge, a classic mid-west garbage dump turned ski hill. It is probably one of the worst hills I have ever seen, there are 4 chairlifts and about 5 runs, all of which take about 30 seconds to descend. Regardless, it is great for beginners and the price of $10 can be beat.
Before Jacqui met me she had only been skiing once. Now, this was somewhat of a problem because skiing is probably my favorite activity. I started when I was 8 or 9 and have been addicted ever since. I raced varsity throughout high school and have been skiing out west and east. So, with Jacqui being a part of my life, she definitely needed to learn. This past Christmas I bought her a pair of kick ass Volkl skis, she bought the boots and bindings and the poles came free. To finish off the ensemble, her grandparents got her ski pants, and my family gave her new gloves and goggles. We have been skiing three times this season and she is doing really well. She is at the point where she can maneuver the hill with ease and just learned the fabled hockey stop, where you stop at the bottom of the hill and spray up the snow. "I feel so much cooler doing the hockey stop," she said. On the second to last run, we went over to this little drop-off because she wanted to try it, probably due to her competitiveness. Well, after instructing her to lean back when she went off it, and some coercion, she slid off the edge to tear it up. I was really excited she didn't fall. About 100 yards past the bottom of it, she collapsed to the ground. I guess what happened is on the descent she hit a bump that knocked her forward. As she was flung forward, her pole which was planted in the snow, was driven right into the soft part of her throat. She actually bent the bottom of her pole in a 45 degree angle. After a few minutes she was feeling better, although it is still sore. Needless to say, I was proud. She had the guts to go over the edge, and the toughness to bend the pole with her throat, while continuing to ski another run without any complaining.
Ohh, and it's 0 degrees out, mighty cold. So now it is time to go make some tacos.
We went skiing tonight at this local place called Timber Ridge, a classic mid-west garbage dump turned ski hill. It is probably one of the worst hills I have ever seen, there are 4 chairlifts and about 5 runs, all of which take about 30 seconds to descend. Regardless, it is great for beginners and the price of $10 can be beat.
Before Jacqui met me she had only been skiing once. Now, this was somewhat of a problem because skiing is probably my favorite activity. I started when I was 8 or 9 and have been addicted ever since. I raced varsity throughout high school and have been skiing out west and east. So, with Jacqui being a part of my life, she definitely needed to learn. This past Christmas I bought her a pair of kick ass Volkl skis, she bought the boots and bindings and the poles came free. To finish off the ensemble, her grandparents got her ski pants, and my family gave her new gloves and goggles. We have been skiing three times this season and she is doing really well. She is at the point where she can maneuver the hill with ease and just learned the fabled hockey stop, where you stop at the bottom of the hill and spray up the snow. "I feel so much cooler doing the hockey stop," she said. On the second to last run, we went over to this little drop-off because she wanted to try it, probably due to her competitiveness. Well, after instructing her to lean back when she went off it, and some coercion, she slid off the edge to tear it up. I was really excited she didn't fall. About 100 yards past the bottom of it, she collapsed to the ground. I guess what happened is on the descent she hit a bump that knocked her forward. As she was flung forward, her pole which was planted in the snow, was driven right into the soft part of her throat. She actually bent the bottom of her pole in a 45 degree angle. After a few minutes she was feeling better, although it is still sore. Needless to say, I was proud. She had the guts to go over the edge, and the toughness to bend the pole with her throat, while continuing to ski another run without any complaining.
Ohh, and it's 0 degrees out, mighty cold. So now it is time to go make some tacos.
Friday, January 23, 2004
It is pretty late, and not much interesting happened today other than having to write three papers for my classes. Some news is that I have been waitlisted at Georgetown med school and deferred at Boston University. I found this out yesterday morning.
The way it works is that you can hold multiple acceptances up until may, I am. But at that point you have to pick one school that you would go to over the rest. The decision is not binding, and if you are waitlisted at another school, you can still go there. So... If you are on the waitlist, as people withdraw their acceptances, the school will call you up and accept you. So, that is where I am at with Georgetown. However, supposedly, the only way to get off the waitlist is to write a letter saying you will donate an arm, or other important body parts to get in. They fill their open spots with people who write those letters.
As for Boston Univ. they come to committee two times, at which point they can accept or reject you. Being deferred means that they met for the first time, and at that point they didn't want to either accept or reject me. So, I am still in the pot. When they meet in March, depending on their applicants I will either be accepted, rejected, or waitlisted. I need to send them a letter in the next couple days just letting them know I want to stay in the mix.
You know those shows on the Animal Planet where dogs do those competitions where they run through sticks and jump through hoops, well that is what it is like applying to med school. They intentionally make it as difficult as possible. Anyways, in the next few days I will try and outline the entire process for anybody who doesn't know about it.
The way it works is that you can hold multiple acceptances up until may, I am. But at that point you have to pick one school that you would go to over the rest. The decision is not binding, and if you are waitlisted at another school, you can still go there. So... If you are on the waitlist, as people withdraw their acceptances, the school will call you up and accept you. So, that is where I am at with Georgetown. However, supposedly, the only way to get off the waitlist is to write a letter saying you will donate an arm, or other important body parts to get in. They fill their open spots with people who write those letters.
As for Boston Univ. they come to committee two times, at which point they can accept or reject you. Being deferred means that they met for the first time, and at that point they didn't want to either accept or reject me. So, I am still in the pot. When they meet in March, depending on their applicants I will either be accepted, rejected, or waitlisted. I need to send them a letter in the next couple days just letting them know I want to stay in the mix.
You know those shows on the Animal Planet where dogs do those competitions where they run through sticks and jump through hoops, well that is what it is like applying to med school. They intentionally make it as difficult as possible. Anyways, in the next few days I will try and outline the entire process for anybody who doesn't know about it.
Thursday, January 22, 2004
OK, so I just read a news article on Yahoo by the Associated Press about the French attempting to ban beards from classrooms. This is in addition to any other type of religious symbols, including headgear. This country appears to get more socialistic by the hour. I mean, if people want to dress in a certain manner, according to their religious customs, then they should be able to do so in public places. As long as it does not obscure their identity.
These people here in the US that tried to wear Islamic veils that covered their faces in their drivers license pictures are just asking too much. What is the point of even having identification in that case. I would not put it past some of these terrorists to dress up in veils, use their wives identification card, and gain access to an area they hope to destroy.
Back to the topic, asking a Jew to take of his yarlmuka when in class is a violation of his religious freedoms. In no way does it interfere with anybody else's learning experience. The same can be said of turbans.
I think this is a frightening step on a path to socialism in France. Despite not having our emphasis on the individual and having a democracy based on the community, no good can come of such a violation of individual liberties.
These people here in the US that tried to wear Islamic veils that covered their faces in their drivers license pictures are just asking too much. What is the point of even having identification in that case. I would not put it past some of these terrorists to dress up in veils, use their wives identification card, and gain access to an area they hope to destroy.
Back to the topic, asking a Jew to take of his yarlmuka when in class is a violation of his religious freedoms. In no way does it interfere with anybody else's learning experience. The same can be said of turbans.
I think this is a frightening step on a path to socialism in France. Despite not having our emphasis on the individual and having a democracy based on the community, no good can come of such a violation of individual liberties.
Well, I just started this blog since it seemed time to jump on this crazy bandwagon where just about anyone can express what's on their mind. Having spent the past few months regularly reading other's blogs, I thought, wow, as much as I find other peoples' lives so interesting, maybe, although I doubt it, somebody would want to read about mine. I must admit that in person I absolutely detest talking about myself, but hey, this is innocent, right... At the least this may provide an outlet for me to discuss my thoughts and beliefs, regardless of whether or not someone reads them.
Let's see...
Some background info...
My life in a paragraph...
I am currently a college senior majoring in the field of chemistry at a small liberal arts college in Michigan. Next year I will be attending medical school, although I have not yet decided where I want to spend at least four more years of my life. I am sure I will post about the never ending process of applying to med school, but so far I have two acceptances, more than a couple rejections, and am somewhere in between for a handful of schools.
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit. For the most part my major hobbies consist of mountain biking in the summer and snow skiing in the winter. I love politics and have toiled long and hard about whether going to med school is the right thing for me. It seems that I am infinitely interested in anything pertaining to military or intelligence, and read as much as I can about foreign and domestic affairs.
During my short life, I have had the opportunity to travel, most of which was last year on study abroad, throughout North America, the majority of Western Europe, some of Eastern Europe, and Egypt. I am sure I will write about some of that.
For now I think I am going to figure out how to work this page.
Ok, this is actually a copy/paste job from another blog I started. This one doesn't have my last name in it, which just seems like a good idea. Plus the address is easier to remember.
Let's see...
Some background info...
My life in a paragraph...
I am currently a college senior majoring in the field of chemistry at a small liberal arts college in Michigan. Next year I will be attending medical school, although I have not yet decided where I want to spend at least four more years of my life. I am sure I will post about the never ending process of applying to med school, but so far I have two acceptances, more than a couple rejections, and am somewhere in between for a handful of schools.
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit. For the most part my major hobbies consist of mountain biking in the summer and snow skiing in the winter. I love politics and have toiled long and hard about whether going to med school is the right thing for me. It seems that I am infinitely interested in anything pertaining to military or intelligence, and read as much as I can about foreign and domestic affairs.
During my short life, I have had the opportunity to travel, most of which was last year on study abroad, throughout North America, the majority of Western Europe, some of Eastern Europe, and Egypt. I am sure I will write about some of that.
For now I think I am going to figure out how to work this page.
Ok, this is actually a copy/paste job from another blog I started. This one doesn't have my last name in it, which just seems like a good idea. Plus the address is easier to remember.
