The Chronicles of a White-Asian Guy

Strummer's Law

2007-12-12T04:48:00.000-05:00

It needs to be said that Joe Strummer is cooler than me, and probably cooler than the seven or eight of you folks out there reading this.

Strummer's Law is an idea mentioned by Dorothy Gambrell, the cartoonist for Cat and Girl webcomic. Strummer's Law states:

"Any rebellion against external conformity just reinforces internal conformity."

In this particular strip entitled "The Bleak Parade," she makes a joking reference to what is called "Mick Jones' Law," which states:

"Every rebellion ends in sell-outs, compromises, and let downs."

Now why do you folks out there care? Well, one, because the Clash freaking rule. And two, it was what came to mind when I came across probably the lamest attempt at rebellion ever.

The UMBC Underground website is absolutely one of the lamest and most pathetic attempts at trying to be "indie" or "rebellious" or whatever high ideal those morons and pretentious mouth-breathing drones that work for our student government aspire to be. It's about as underground as the United States Postal Service and about as rebellious as a Christian rock band. At best, it's a silly novelty. At worst, it's a pretentious website set-up by some nimwitted go-getter at SGA or whatever to try to promote the official SGA line on things.

Now I have no idea whether or not the site was rebellious at some point, mostly because I gave up digging after a half an hour of reading information that was readily available at the UMBC website. I appreciate the fact that they're trying to put a "hip" spin on stupid, silly, and often really really lame campus events, but you can't take a crap on my birthday cake and call it icing. The school events will still be lame and terrible and trying to promote them is a futile effort. Reviving school spirit (which is kind of a silly concept anyway) is going to require a resurrection unseen since the days of Jesus Christ. Bombarding us with more of the crappy advertising that you can find on the UMBC website (and you can find some pretty crappy advertising of student events that are really crappy) will not make us go to your crappy event and will probably make us less likely to go.

So the lesson here to the nimrod(s) that operate the website: stop fronting. You guys are pretty freaking lame. There are better things to waste your time on, like actual underground rebellion. Or at least finding better ways to come up with better programs. 'Cause if there's anything more irritating than being complicit with the authorities, it's pretending you're a rebel when you're nothing but a sissy-ass tool of the system. Either fight the man or just admit you suck and you're a little bitch. Especially compared to Joe Strummer.

Accidentally Hip.

2007-11-28T03:03:00.000-05:00

So I was looking through my music collection and deleting various duplicate music tracks and things that are mislabeled that I don't want to fix (who the hell labeled Judas Priest's "Breaking the Law" as "London Calling?"), and I came across a Broken Social Scene song called Love and Mathematics. I have no idea how it got on my computer, but I'm leaving it on there for indie cred.

I wonder if this makes me tragically hip now.

Promises, Promises...

2007-11-03T09:51:00.000-04:00

This week marks the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration of 1917. What's so important about the Balfour Declaration, you might ask? Well, if you've ever wondered where the Arab-Israeli dispute originates from, it's from this letter written 2 Nov 1917.

The exact text of the letter is as follows:

Foreign Office
November 2nd, 1917

Dear Lord Rothschild,

I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.

"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."

I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.

Yours sincerely,
Arthur James Balfour

The actual copy of the letter is shown here, as part of the Israeli Ministory of Foreign Affairs website.

So what's so wrong about the whole thing? It seems pretty squeaky clean, in spite of the fact that there have been people there for centuries. But that never really stopped the British before.

The problem was that the British had already promised the area to not one but multiple groups of Arab leaders in exchange for support against the Ottoman Empire. Apparently someone didn't think that it would be a smart idea to sit down and think these sorts of things out. Instead, the area now known as Israel (formerly known as the Levant) was now promised to multiple parties, who would be asking about the promise made by some white guy who was wearing the Arab clothing. And, of course, the British decided to instead hold onto the territory as a British League of Nations mandate.

So next time you get irritated at the Arab-Israeli conflict, ask yourself where the Brits are. The answer is probably not where the action is.

I Tied My Own Hands

2007-10-21T07:29:00.000-04:00

One of the things I remember thinking clearly about Hamlet when I read it in high school (as part of an assignment; I'm not that (un)cool) is how much of a sissy bitch he was. We spend an entire book watching this guy dick around and avoid the issue of whether or not he should avenge his father's death by sticking a knife in his uncle. I never really empathized with him.

Until now.

I'm definitely someone who's trapped in his own confusion. Sometimes I can express things that I want to rather easily, trivial stuff that doesn't matter at all. But when it comes to things that actually matter, all I do is sit on my hands and keep it to myself. And it sucks. Not being able to let those things out.

So I guess I understand what Hamlet is going through, except without the whole ghost of his father thing and all that other baggage. But he's still a sissy bitch.

Woohoo!!! Party!!!

2007-10-10T18:50:00.000-04:00

If any of you two or three winos out there are looking for an excuse to party, today is Double Ten Day, otherwise known as the day of independence from the Chinese emperor. The exact date is 10 Oct 1911. Yes, I know if they got their shit together a year earlier they would've made it 10/10/10, but oh well.

Don't know about you, but I'd drink to that.

Two Hundred Posts, Two Readers

2007-10-04T06:53:00.001-04:00

Two hundred posts. Whoop-de-freaking do. And the only thing I'm doing special with it now is using Courier New. Hell yes.

I wanted to post something important here, but I'm tired. You'll get it later.

21 Sep 2007 episode of The New Low News Show

2007-09-23T07:58:00.000-04:00

"Hello, Could You Please Let Us In?"

2007-09-18T03:57:00.000-04:00

So the Taiwanese are at it again. Not surprising.

Ever since President Nixon opened up relations with Communist China (while still upholding the status quo on Communist Cuba, mind you), Taiwan has been a marginalized state. Heck, it's even more marginalized than countries that egregiously flout the rules that govern good behavior (see Sudan, North Korea, Venezuela, Iran). And those countries are still permitted to sit in on the United Nations, while Taiwan kind of sits in the corner with a sullen look on its face.

The United States is in an interesting predicament. Taiwan, or the Republic of China (there goes any plan to go to the mainland anytime soon), had been a longtime ally of the United States for the first two, three decades of the Cold War. Then, in an attempt to make nicey-nice with the People's Republic and find another "friend" against the Russians, Nixon opened it up to them. And the People's Republic barged into that door and demanded that the Nationalists get the hell out of the United Nations.

This predicament has come to the forefront recently at a forum of Taiwanese and United States honchos in Annapolis, Maryland. Thomas J. Christensen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, made it abundantly clear in his address to the honchos that the referendum regarding the name of Taiwan (choose either Taiwan or Republic of China) is merely just unnecessary saber-rattling. The kind of saber-rattling that would wind up poking big, bad People's Republic in its eye. Of course, Mr. Christensen wasn't exactly too, uh, diplomatic in his statement, as this blog entry by Tim Johnson clearly makes known.

Mr. Johnson is very correct in saying how blunt Mr. Christensen was in his statement. Mr. Christensen basically called the Taiwanese a bunch of petulant, punk-ass, troublemaking hooligans who are going to start shit and drag the United States into something that the United States isn't ready to take on, as they have other pressing issues to take care of (Iraq and finding that Osama bin Laden character). He is right in his message that this is not the best way to tell the Taiwanese to be a bit more careful in what they're going to do.

One of the things that Mr. Johnson mentions is Mr. Christensen's position of how devastating changing the status quo would be for the United States.

"He accused Taiwan of trying to change the status quo, which both China and Taiwan have agreed to respect, and by doing so ignoring “the security interests of Taiwan’s most steadfast friend” – the United States."

Now that's great and all, but can you blame the Taiwanese people? The status quo really sucks. They have virtually no say in world affairs. They have no seat in the United Nations (and probably won't for a bit, considering the People's Republic is sitting on the permanent Security Council). Only a handful of small countries and the Vatican recognize Taiwan as a nation. How can you blame them for wanting a change in the status quo?

For Christ's sake, the "evildoers" of Iran and North Korea get invited to the United Nations. And they've done some terrible things. Taiwan, on the other hand, has cleaned up its act since the end of martial law in 1987. It's an Asian nation on par with Japan with regards to personal freedoms and liberties. And yet they don't even get the recognition that sleazy nations like Zimbabwe get. What gives?

Yes, I understand that if A led to B and B led to C some terrible shit would happen that the United States would not like to have to deal with. But doesn't Taiwan deserve some change?

September 11th and Intelligence Reform

2007-09-15T22:14:00.000-04:00

The following is an excerpt from the 15 Sep 2007 edition of The New Low News Show.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the intelligence community shrugged their shoulders, looked at each other, and asked each other, "What now?" Ten years afterward, and ten years too late, they found the answer as planes were flown into the Pentagon and the Twin Towers.

The importance of good intelligence cannot be stressed enough. In Sun Tzu's Art of War, he writes that "If you know yourself and know your enemy, you will fight one hundred battles and not be defeated." Knowledge is power.

While many talking heads and pundits claim that the CIA dropped the ball on the September 11 attacks, they failed to realize that they already dropped that ball much earlier.

The CIA had been concentrating on the threat of the Soviet Union ever Truman signed the charter into law. It threw most of its resources into combating the Soviet Union worldwide. But this concentration would start clouding its judgement. Threats to the United States, in the eyes of the CIA, were always backed by the Soviet Union.

This was not the case with Islamic fundamentalism. Islamic fundamentalism traces its roots back to the late 19th century, but started coming into its for after the defeat of the Arab nations by Israel in the Six-Day War. This was a movement that developed independently, without help from the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, the CIA believed it was, and did not fully look into it, considering it just one of the many fingers of the Soviet Union's grasping hands.

As a result, when the Soviet Union fell, it was ill-equipped to try to gather intelligence on the newer threats to the United States. The United States had been using satellites to gather intelligence on the Soviet Union, due to its repeated failures using human intelligence. Satellites, however, cannot gather much useful intelligence on terrorists, who are a much more fluid entity that a nation and can much more easily adapt. Also, human intelligence had been steadily dropping since the early 1960s and was not a major part of the CIA budget anymore. Therefore, there were less officers establishing agent networks on the ground.

Those who make the decision should try to remember not to fall into the same trap again. While the Middle East is an important area of concentration, there should also be attention paid to other areas of the world. The next threat to national security could come from anywhere.

Munich and 9/11: What We Should've Known 25 Years Ago

2007-09-10T06:24:00.000-04:00

The following is from the latest episode of The New Low News Show. This is the transcript of the In-Depth report.

September 5 marks the 25th anniversary of the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympic Games. It was the moment when years of strife in the Middle East was made painfully aware to the United States and the rest of the world.
The terrorists at Munich benefitted from lax security. The Munich Olympics were a symbol of a new, open society, in a desire to shed the image of a police state that had haunted Germany since its post-World War II days. The Israeli requests for more rigorous security were ignored. What's even more shocking is that a forensic psychologist, Dr. Georg Sieber, had actually proposed a scenario that was remarkably similar to what happened on September 5, only to be dismissed.
Security forces at the time were unsure as to how they were to deal with the situation effectively. They had never been trained to deal with such a situation. They tried a myriad of methods to try to extricate the hostages, all of which failed. They were so inexperienced that filming of the snipers trained at the terrorist was allowed.
Such was the state of affairs at the time. The West, mostly notably the United States, was mostly concerned about the looming threat that communism and the Soviet Union posed, not the threat that Islamic fundamentalism and the Middle East posed. Even when they did examine the Middle East, it was with the mindset that the Soviet Union was pulling the strings. Everything from foriegn policy to intelligence collection was with this mindset in place. As a result, there was no real understanding of "terrorism."
Concentration on the Soviet Union at the cost of ignoring other portions of the world would prove costly to the United States little more than 19 years later, when four hijacked planes wreaked a havoc and instilled a terror that was unfathomable and unknown to the American people.
When we remember the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks, we should also try to remember what happened 25 years ago and ask how we can make sure that we never fall victim to our own sense of security.

"If it was really your last day, would you really want to be filming a news show?"

2007-09-02T14:28:00.000-04:00

So yeah, I'm back. Whoop-de-fucking-doo. For the family audience out there, take out the third word in that "whoop" sequence and you're set. I apologize for the damage that I've caused. That'll teach you to not let your children on the internet unsupervised where they could see heinous things like interspecies relations and the word "fuck."
Honestly, I don't know why I come back to this thing. Maybe it's for the readers. But if you're reading this and don't know me, you've probably clicked on some funny links or did a really really weird search. Hell, even if you know me, I don't know why you come read this thing. I forget to update this thing so much, and when I do, it's not informative and even less funny. My life is about as interesting as Federal Reserve meetings on sedatives. My writing is about as compelling as a term paper.
So for those of you who've actually maintained somewhat of an attention (and no, I'm not going to judge you on your use of amphetamines), I haven't been up to much. Went back home briefly before I hauled myself back to the hallowed halls of education.
Classes so far range from the interesting to heavy (workload wise) to complete and utter cream-puff. Those creampuff classes are the Achilles' heel because, well, I don't like cream puffs.
Other than that, nothing much. Really.
And if you want updates and I know you, just contact me directly. I get lonely.

Covering Up the Poster Boy

2007-07-28T00:44:00.001-04:00

Most everyone who follows sports has heard of Pat Tillman. To those who read this and don't follow sports (which I suspect is a high percentage of the four or five of you out there), Pat Tillman was a successful football player who decided to give up guaranteed millions to join the US Army Rangers and fight terrorism. He was ultimately killed in Afghanistan, under what are very curious conditions.
It was discovered through an investigation by the Washington Post in 2005 that Pat Tillman didn't die as a result of enemy fire, but through friendly fire. The Department of Defense concocted a story to hide what really happened. Further investigation has turned up evidence that Pat Tillman was fragged. (Note: "Fragging" someone in the military sense of the word is defined as killing your superior, usually because you don't like him. It got its name because the common way to go about this is to use a frag grenade, as the evidence left behind makes it hard to trace.) He apparently was shot from 30 feet away using an M-16.
One of the more interesting things with the new facts that have arisen is Tillman's last words. In the previous version, he reportedly said "Cease fire, friendlies, I am Pat (expletive) Tillman, damn it!" several times. But in the new version, he says "Would you shut your (expletive) mouth? God's not going to help you; you need to do something for yourself, you sniveling ..."
Is this the reason that there was a cover-up? Probably not. But it does help shed more light on the man who was so revered as a symbol of the ultimate patriot. Pat Tillman was a well-read man, whose reading list ranged from religious texts to the works of Thoreau and Emerson.
He was also not some mindless, jingoistic, right-wing nut that some people think he was. He was critical of the Bush Administration, did not agree with the Iraq War, and even pushed for a member of his unit to vote for Kerry.
All of this builds a somewhat solid, albeit circumstantial, case for the argument that Tillman died as a result of friendly fire under some very unfriendly terms. What makes it worse is that it was a part of some massive cover-up by the Army.
This is just a small part of a larger mismanagement by the military. Veterans who have put their life on the line for the nation deserve better than this. Families and friends that have lost someone deserve better than hearing series of lies and cover-ups. And no soldier truly deserves to die under those circumstances. They have enough to worry about. They don't need to look over their shoulder at their comrades.
It's about time the whole truth came out. For the sake of everyone who is serving or knows someone who is.

Funny in so many ways

2007-07-22T05:56:00.000-04:00

So I have a long hiatus, and this is the best I can do for you. A story about a fox inside a Salisbury steak house. I don't know what's weirder: the fact that a fox is inside a steak house or the fact that the steak house is in Salisbury.

Keeping a Lid on Things

2007-06-19T02:42:00.000-04:00

Bored one dreary weekend, I decided to see what television shows were available to view through various means. I happened onto some episodes of the old NBC series Freaks and Geeks and thought that I might as well watch that.

Bad idea.

I couldn't sit through the first few minutes without sitting in my chair cringing while I was watching it. For some people, that show was a good release. For me, it was excruciatingly painful for me to watch, like someone was taking a wrench and twisting my fingers. I could barely stand to watch more than a few moments before I decided to get outside and take a walk.

After moseying on it for a few days, I realized how much anger, resentment, and other feelings I've been keeping internalized have been manifesting in me. I do things to mask it in an effort to cover it up. (Note: I'm not going to discuss what these things are...you've got to figure these out yourself.) But for some reason, they're hard to deal with. I've internalized them for so long that they've become a part of me. All the dark hatred flows through my veins like it was blood, and the bitterness has become so great that it's all I taste sometimes.

Strange how something so small can bring this up. But I guess it always was there; it just took something small to let me know that there was still a violent undercurrent under whatever exterior I've constructed for myself. But hard as I try to let it go, it just won't leave. It's been almost two years since I told that part of my life to go fuck itself and for the whole lot of them to go to hell. But it's more difficult than that. It's one thing to tell the whole lot of them to go rot in hell; it's quite another when you wake up with the scars and injuries that whole experience left behind and the consequences of inadequately dealing with them. Getting rid of those will take a long time, and maybe the anger and resentment will never disappear.

I thought when I was a retarded punk-ass high school kid that I'd be able to tell off that entire vacuous world to burn in hell. I seriously thought it was that simple, that I could burn the bridges and never look back. Guess they managed to burn me as well in the process.

Will You Be My Friend? I'll Give You A Bajllion Dollars

2007-06-07T21:04:00.000-04:00

Costa Rica has decided that no, being friends with a small, democratic nation isn't good enough and decided to go with a totalitarian nation with deep pockets instead. Instead of taking a stand against oppression, Costa Rica has decided to be a sucker and take the loot. Just today, Costa Rica has decided it would stop recognizing the Republic of China and switch its recognition to the People's Republic of China.

The PRC, thanks to investment and trade with its many partners, has deep enough pockets to bribe nations worldwide to recognize it as the "true" China instead of the ROC that sits on a little tropical island. Frankly, China is making friends by bribing them. It throws around its resources and uses them to buy friends. The ROC, who is down now to 24 nations (such as the Vatican and St. Lucia), doesn't have that much loot to toss around to various island nations to get them to recognize it as the true China. And yet all these other nations expect more; Costa Rica called Taiwan "stingy." Stingy? How much do you want from a fucking island country to recognize it? Good lord.

Suffice to say, I've crossed a certain Central American nation off of my "to visit" list. For now, at least.

Disraeli's Gears are Turning in my Mind

2007-05-12T06:08:00.000-04:00

I would like to first say that I apologize to the three or four of you who still come to this site and still read this blog for not posting more often. I don't know why my existence keeps you enthralled, but I guess it does somehow...
Also, this will be the first blog post with indents in the paragraphs. I thought this wasn't possible, but apparently it is. I'll give it a whirl and see how it works.
I was talking to a friend earlier and the theme of "living as if you die tomorrow" came up. This has come up before, and I've taken it to heart. It's an interesting philosophy, I have to say. But something that I have to somehow force myself to reconcile with.
The way I conduct my affairs, especially the social ones, is something out of a covert operation. I mentally go through different things that I can do in the situation and then analyze what is the best response by trying to predict what would happen for each action. It's a tenuous process and it's a miracle that I haven't gone nuts (or maybe I have). It's as if my life is a chess game.
I don't know where it exactly comes from. Possibly from the four years that I played chess in high school, which was the only source of "glory" that I could possibly get. Possibly from the fact that I would fail so miserably socially that I felt like that I needed to think about every damn thing I do so I wouldn't face the ridicule of my peers, something that somehow mattered to my scrambled, punk-ass mind at the time. But it's a mystery.
The thing is that I'm pretty hard on myself when things don't work out because, like I mentioned before, my life is somehow a chess game. In chess, you can pinpoint pretty much the exact move that cost you the game. And that is what I do. When I try to actually form a relationship with someone of the opposite gender and it fails (as it often does), I start doing an immediate post-game. "Where'd you go wrong? Was it preventable? How could have you prevented this? Was there a way to salvage the situation?" And the questions go on and on and on.
It's a terrible way to live, being in constant fear of making a mistake. I don't know how I somehow manage to think that way, not only in one area of life but in many others. But it's a way of life. For me, failure is always a preventable measure, and if everything is done correctly, success is automatic. That's a complete fallacy, but it's the way my mind works.
But I know somehow that I can't always function that way, that sometimes I shouldn't just dance around and fear mistakes. I recall a scene in Searching for Bobby Fischer (probably the greatest movie about chess ever made) where the main character and one of his mentors are playing chess in the park. The main character, Josh Waitzkin, has been trained by a chess teacher well-versed in the published strategies of the game, while his mentor, Vinnie, is someone who regularly plays chess in the park and plays by gut instinct, not by formal training. Anyway, Vinnie says to Josh, "He didn't teach you how to win, he taught you how not to lose. That's nothing to be proud of. You're playing not to lose, Josh. You've got to risk losing. You've got to risk everything. You've got to go to the edge of defeat. That's where you want to be, boy. On the edge of defeat." And that's something I should remember. Sitting around pussyfooting and trying to avoid failure isn't going to go anywhere. You have to put yourself out there and risk it all to win. Sure it may sound a bit suicidal at times, but you've got to risk it. Things don't exactly get done by sitting around and thinking about stuff.
This is not to say that a degree of evaluation isn't necessary. People should think about what they do beforehand about the consequences of what they do. But what I do is pretty much excessive. Sometimes you've got to risk losing to win. And that's something that I should try to prepare myself to do: putting myself at the brink of defeat to win.
Returning to the original theme of "live like you'll die tomorrow," if I were to die tomorrow, perhaps those consequences and possible failures that I dwell don't have much of bearing. So perhaps I should just lay it out there and see what happens. Who knows? Maybe I'll win.

[To those of you still hammering for some political musings, it'll happen eventually.]

Happy Cinco de Mayo

2007-05-05T03:38:00.000-04:00

For most Americans, Cinco de Mayo is a convenient excuse to wear sombreros, do body shots of tequila, and drink tequila shooters. In reality, it's a pretty minor date in the general scheme of things, as it was one of few defeats the Mexicans had against the foreign forces supporting the Emperor Maximillian. It isn't even the Mexican Independence day (that's September 16, if you want another excuse to party).

So why should we care? Well, it was a moral victory to the Mexicans, who would eventually toss the foreigners out in 1867 (and riddle Maximillian with lead via a firing squad). It also prevented Napoleon III (Maximillian's main backer) from quickly taking over Mexico and supporting the South during the American Civil War. So maybe the holiday is more important than we think...

Now you can go do your body shots of tequila...

Je Vous Aime

2007-04-16T21:55:00.000-04:00

For those of you who might not know (probably the international readers, if there are any) there was a shooting at Virginia Tech. It is one of the most horrific mass shootings in U.S. history. The last time something this bad happened on a college campus was in 1966 at the University of Texas at Austin, where the death toll numbered 16 people.

This is a very traumatic event for many people, especially for those who have friends or family who attend or work at Viriginia Tech. Many of us, including me, live in this bubble of safety that shelters us from what goes on in the outside world. Today, that bubble was burst.

When I first heard about the shooting, I harkened back to the shooting at Columbine. The sheer numbers and systematic way that the killer went about his business was just as disturbing as the two teens who rampaged through Columbine, chuckling about what they were doing. I felt the shock that I felt years ago when I learned that things like that could happen at the school I went to every morning.

In all of this, I feel the need to ask why this happened. What was the motive behind the killer commiting such a heinous act of violence? What drove him? Why did he choose this path instead of another? The majority of people are sane, balanced citizens. But with the right mix of events and pressures, one can turn a sane person into a murderous "monster."

I remember Columbine and the various media pundits putting out causes like they were throwing darts at the broadside of the barn. I would hope that people are not so quick to blame things in a half-assed attempt to explain the events and in the process cause grief to people who do not deserve the extra harrassment. There should be a deep investigation into rhyme and reason into why the perpetrator commited these acts. Hopefully we can take something out of this tragedy.

The Irony of it All...

2007-03-24T01:24:00.000-04:00

In the department of "I-knew-there-was-a-hidden-Catholic-conspiracy," (which is a very small department) is the course code for the graduate course at UMBC on the Reformation. It might be just an accident. Or it could be a sign...

Cal Ripken Jr. : Iron Man or Deadweight?

2007-03-22T21:25:00.000-04:00

In Maryland, they decided to have this thing called the Maryland Forum. It's a series of lectures by these very prominent figures in history and politics. And then there's Cal Ripken Jr.

Cal Ripken Jr., to me, is an interesting figure. The man could be considered one of the heroes of baseball by giving the fans something to root for after the strike in 1994. The streak and his very wholesome character won the fans back after the strike gave the perception that baseball players were a greedy and selfish lot.

But the streak also hurt the Orioles. In the name of the streak and the godly Cal Ripken Jr., the team kept him around at third base when they could've had someone better step in. In the name of the streak, Cal Ripken wouldn't take a day off until three years after he broke Lou Gehrig's streak. While that gung-ho, I'll-be-damned-if-I-slack-off-and-take-a-day-off attitude was great, his level of play, and the success of the Orioles, suffered as a result.

So you can see it both ways. He was a great ballplayer who played a lot of games in a row. But that came at a cost, to both his team and its fans. It just depends what's more important.

There's Something Happening Here

2007-03-22T03:24:00.000-04:00

For those of you who want some insightful commentary on current events, I'll come up with something soon. You can skip the following.

I've been musing since there isn't much for me to do right now, mostly due to the fact that it was suggested that The House on Garibaldi Street is probably not a good book to review. At first, I thought that I've led a pretty empty life. To me, it's a tumbleweed that kind of drifted across the open, barren plain; it looks pretty big but if you look closer, there's nothing there.

For the most part, this is how I've always felt. I was just some automaton, going through the motions of life, a footnote in someone's best-selling monograph. Nothing to see here, folks. This bothered me, until I just built up defenses. If that's how I am to them, I say to myself, then they shall be the same to me. Basically building walls to climb over them or something inane like that.

But I've starting to realize a little bit that this is not the case. First off, I'm not that old. I've barely gotten halfway to my mid-life crisis. I've got time to build up a meaningful life. Second, I'm sure that I've made some impact on someone. Hopefully it'll be a good one. Hopefully I haven't burned the wrong bridges yet. Third, there is a lot that I can be proud of, accomplishments that I've taken for granted that other people would give nearly anything to have. That I have a hard time dealing with, only because of my high standards for myself. But I've started to lower the bar so I can feasibly jump over it. I just have to convince myself that the bar isn't too low at that point.

Even so, I still can't help but think that there's less meaning in what I am doing. Perhaps watching all those Nova episodes about the universe really have had a negative impact on me.

A meaningful commentary on life events will be up soon.

The Hiatus is Over and I'm Still in Hiding

2007-03-21T01:12:00.000-04:00

Man, I've forgotten to post in this thing. Sorry I left the six or seven of you that read this thing out in the cold. Didn't mean to do it. Well, I mostly didn't mean to do it.

I've mostly been busy doing work and stuff. It's a great life that I lead, hiding from the various people that hover around my life and somehow do their best to inadvertently interrupt it.

For some reason, I've started to withdraw into my own little shell. I don't know why; maybe it's the influence of my best friend, who is pretty anti-social for the most part. I'm not sure if this is even such a bad thing. I'm able to concentrate on my work and do a pretty decent job at it too. But there might be something missing to that.

I'm not sure if my new way of living is such a good thing. I feel that I know even less people than I did before. But I'm not sure if that's such a terrible thing. There might a lot of people that I cut out that were decent. But there are still others that I've cut out simply because they were a waste of my time. And there are still others that I haven't cut out but just haven't been able to reach. Sorry about that.

What bothers me is why I'm so willing to draw myself into this shell. It's not exactly comfortable for me to just hide and be anti-social (for the most part, at least). Maybe it's the fact that I'm surrounded by what I feel are people that do nothing but irritate my way of living and really do nothing for me as a person. If I were around a different set of people, maybe I wouldn't be so withdrawn.

But that's not the case. I do not care for their little pretend worlds. Nor do they care for mine.

Looking for Love in the Wrong Places

2007-02-13T01:39:00.000-05:00

When people think of love in prison, they're not exactly thinking of love in the romantic sense. (And if you are, I'm sorry I offended you. Please do not love me.) But if you're looking for romance this Valentine's Day and you're not too discriminating, visit this site and find your perfect partner.

It's disturbing how love has come to this.

It's Not Funny When You Do It

2007-01-25T12:36:00.000-05:00

Whenever I'm watching something like the Borat sketches on Da Ali G Show or the Dave Chappelle Show, I laugh, but then I think about the absurdity of the unbased hatred that lies in so many people. The way they do comedy is more of a social statement rather than poking fun at a certain minority.

And then there are the morons at Tarleton State University, who decided to have a Martin Luther King party. Now one would think that this party was in honor of the greatness that Dr. King was. Instead, the party was designed to mock African-American stereotypes.

Earlier, I wrote a post about the use of the Confederate flag in the South by some universities (you can find the post yourself for the time being until I decide to put a link in). People think that the flag is harmless and that it represented a "better time" and a "way of living." Yes, if you think a better time was when racism was institutionalized and an entire race of human beings (yes, HUMAN BEINGS) were considered property. How can a person seriously have that attitude if things like that Dr. King party still occur and people willingly go along with it?

Dr. King dreamed that one day we'll all judge each other by someone's merits and character, not by the color of his or her skin. I've already made my judgement on those students at Tarleton State.

State of the Obvious

2007-01-24T00:32:00.000-05:00

So the State of the Union was tonight (or last night, if you want to get technical). Now as the pitiful semi-pro media pundit that I am (cue laughter) I should have watched the entire thing. But guess what, America: I didn't. That's right, I did not watch the State of the Union. Why?

Well, I figured that what President Bush says tonight won't really matter. It doesn't really matter how well he does with the War in Iraq or any of the nation's other problems; two more years of messing it up and then it's some other sucker's problem (sorry Obama, it's the truth). So he can say "I'm working on a program to make the Sunni Triangle a field of beautiful poppy seeds" and it wouldn't really matter.

Plus, I was pissed that they got rid of two hours of Law and Order. Bastard.

I Fought the Law, and the Law Gave Me One of Those Football Pats on the Butt

2007-01-21T22:40:00.000-05:00

From what I gather, it's pretty damn good to be a member of Congress. You've got lobbyists waiting around to shower you with gifts, and as long as you do a passable job hiding where you got that nice trip to Hawaii, it's all good. But what really impresses me is the protection they've got from the law.

Now I know there are some things that you can't arrest people in Congress for, like misdemeanors and stuff. I don't really care for that stuff (and if you're getting gifts and all sorts of other fun stuff from lobbyists, why the hell would you need to commit petty theft?). What really impresses me is the ability of some members of Congress to receive protection from major crimes. Like Mark Foley, who tried to solicit sex from a page of his who was underage. (He later blamed it on "alcohol.") Or Representative Bill Janklow, whose probation is about to end for his second degree manslaughter.

Now this guy's got quite the resume. And yet he sitll manages to hold a job working as lobbyist and has had his law license simply handed back over to him. I can only surmise that this is because he's a member of Congress. If it was me or any other average Joe, we'd be in one hell of a jam if we killed that motorcyclist. I doubt that we'd be getting second degree manslaughter and only 100 days in jail with a $5000 fine. Just a hunch.

So the next time you're thinking about commit a crime, run for Congress, just to make sure.

As If We Weren't Sure About It

2007-01-20T14:40:00.000-05:00

So it's all but official that Hilary Clinton is in the running to be the Democratic candidate for the presidency. Great.

Now I have to say that even though I agree with most of what the Democratic party has to say about the state of things, I disagree with many of the early candidates that are the front runners. John Edwards might have lost some steam from the last try four years ago. Barack Obama seems a bit too young (it was five years ago that he won his re-election bid for the Illinois State Senate) and inexperienced to jump straight into the presidency. The other candidates from the Democratic party I haven't heard of yet (but if I find out, or someone notifies me, I'll add my two cents about them too). And then there's Hillary.

Six years ago, when Hilary unpacked her bags in Westchester with her husband, good ol' Bill Clinton, and unleashed her Senate campaign, I thought she was a carpetbagging shrew running on the fumes of her husband's political prowess. I figured that all her opponent, Rick Lazio, would have to was mention the the very fact that she was a carpetbagging former First Lady (I didn't, nor did Lazio, think that the fact that she was riding the fumes of her husband's name was important) and that he would win. Well, that's what he did and lost. And ever since then, my view of Hilary has never wavered.

Ever since then, I've viewed her as a shameless Washington insider who is a pure politician who spends her day wheeling and dealing with other pure politicians. It doesn't help that the other senator from New York is Chuck Schumer, who I'm pretty sure has a monopoly on the Sunday evening news political soundbites, at least in the New York media market. Furthermore, all she's really cared about is toeing the line as a moderate and essentially letting Bush do what he wants so that she'll appeal to some less nutty Republicans. This whole presidency thing has been her goal ever since she filed the papers to be in the running for the US Senator from New York.

The Democratic party should start to run a candidate who's not such a spineless corpse. If John Kerry actually aroused some sort of emotion in any of the four or five people that read this thing, I commend you on either your spinelessness or how motivated you are by simple things. I can only imagine that you'd go into a seizure if Barack Obama was the Democratic candidate. God only knows what'd happen to you if it was Howard Dean.

So suffice to say, the pickings don't seem like much. Hell, the best guy out there in the Democratic pool of candidates was a guy who was running for re-election in the Illinois State Senate. So someone else with better credentials better step the hell up. Hell, anyone else with better credentials from other parties are welcome. Otherwise, four more years of pissing away the nation's resources is not going to bode well for anyone.

Seller Beware

2007-01-16T10:32:00.000-05:00

So when the government sells something important that they don't want in certain people's hands, you think they'd check on who's actually getting these things, right? Well, according to this AP article, not exactly. Seems like the US government sold surplus parts to middlemen who sold these parts to countries like Iran and China.

Now you think the government would be a little more stringent in selling these things to people. Well, when you have a war that's essentially turning out to be a giant hole to dump money in, it's plausible that the Pentagon is just looking to make some quick cash. The government isn't exactly stupid enough to sell these things directly through Iran. Instead, they sell them to middlemen, who they're not exacly stringent on credentials. For example, Congress sent undercover agents to pose as potential buyers. The government asked a few questions, but the undercover agents presented a phony phone bill and said they were identity theft victims. Government thought that was okay.

So the next time you see a country launching a missile at us, or another country is attacking our troops, you'll be happy to know that some of the equipment that made that possible was made in the United States of America.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-30T16:43:00.000-05:00

Nothing ruins your christmas like a severed animal head in a package under your Christmas tree.

You Lost the Civil War. Get Over It.

2006-12-28T16:05:00.000-05:00

As much of a Yankees fan I am, I know that the team loses sometimes. Take the last playoffs, for example. As much as I hate to admit the Yankees lost to some cheating geezer, they still lost. I can accept it.

Southerners, on the other hand, are still in denial. (Cue the Jeff Foxworthy joke about the river.) They still cling onto their old traditions as if they didn't lose the war, like the University of Texas and many other institutions in the South still do.

The excuse often cited for leaving that stuff up is for nostalgia and remembering the "good ol' times." Yeah, if you mean the "good ol' times" to mean slavery and institutionalized racism. No matter what you choose to remember about that culture (and I use the word "culture" quite liberally in that case), slavery was the basis for its existence.

So Bubba and Jebediah, think about what your culture means to an entire society of people in the United States when you put that Confederate flag on your wheel-less pickup on your front lawn or installing a doorbell that plays "Dixie" for your trailer home. If you're not, try draping yourself in a Confederate flag and walking down the streets of Harlem. That should get the message across.

News Flash: New Jersey is More Progressive than Maryland

2006-12-14T18:09:00.000-05:00

So New Jersey joins the group of states that legalized same sex marriage. Read more about it at MSNBC (as of the posting, the article is still under construction) or here at YahooNews. It stands to note that Maryland hasn't passed such legislature yet. Get with the times people.

Some conservatives state that it is against their religious convictions and morals to allow gay couples to marry. That's great and all, but remember, you are not supposed to impose your religious morals on other people. Would you like it if a Muslim legislature took over and started legislating Muslim laws and a Muslim judicial branch started to enforce those laws in courts? What if a conservative Jewish judge ruled that it was illegal for McDonald's to sell cheeseburgers? Religious right officials would flip the hell out and start screaming about their 1st amendment rights. Which is precisely why religious right politicians should let gay couples marry: to not do so would infringe on their 1st amendment rights shoved down their throats. As Justice David Souter wrote in the decision regarding the pledge of allegiance during the Cold War, "government should not prefer one religion to another, or religion to irreligion."

Another point: how the hell does someone getting a gay marriage infringe on your rights? I mean, it's not you're being forced into the gay marriage. So why are you bitching again? Don't like it? Don't get one.

Good Riddance

2006-12-10T15:06:00.000-05:00

One of the United States' pawns in the Cold War, Augusto Pinochet, died. Read all about it here. Good riddance.

This was a man who ousted a democratically elected leader (Allende) who had some leftist leanings. The US supported him as a buffer against Communism, because nothing supports the spread of freedom and democracy like supporting dictators. This was a man who supported the kidnapping and massacre of dissidents. Thousands of people were killed or went missing during his reign.

Have fun in hell, you bastard.

I Can Buy Furniture Made By Convicts

2006-11-27T11:45:00.000-05:00

One of my beliefs is that if you've got a horde of prisoners in jail for some minor offense, like perhaps a minor drug charge (that's another discussion), you might as well let them do something to occupy themselves. Maryland has come up with a plan to use a portion of their prison population to make furniture and other goods. Can't wait for my prison made dresser to come with hidden compartments and an array of shanking devices.

Return of the Prodigal Son

2006-11-21T03:24:00.000-05:00

So Thanksgiving is a couple days away. Whoop-de-freaking-goddamn-do. Again, if you know me at all or have read the blog posts from a year ago, you can probably tell I look forward to going home like I look forward to a root canal.

I do look forward to seeing my family, for the most part; that's not the true problem. It's mostly dealing with the people that I went to school with for much too long. I can't deal with half of them without some anger festering inside of me. Part of it is that many of them pissed me off when I went to school; part of it is just that they remind of a time that really shouldn't be part of who I am anymore.

Now I really don't truly hate everyone back home, only a select few. The rest are more or less inconsequential to me. I don't really care for them, and I'm sure they care even less for me. And that's perfectly fine with me. I mean, they got along fine not caring about me for most of my time there, and I've done better without them here at college. So it's all worked out pretty well.

Happy Thanksgiving.

"Hey, Can I Get One of Them Mexican Sandwiches?"

2006-11-13T15:00:00.000-05:00

So if you're a convict in jail reading this (and if you are, stop and go find some legal aid sites or something that'll get you out of jail), you have to be wondering why the hell it's taking so long to process your appeal. Or maybe you're a victim of medical malpractice who can't do much but read my blog (I'm sorry and I accept no responsibility for any further pain I cause you), and you're wondering why it's taking so god damn long to process your lawsuit. Well, it's because of idiotic lawsuits like this one. Yes, we have to take time in the courts to decide whether or not a big corporation like Panera can force out a small Mexican eatery due to the fact that a burrito might be a sandwich and Panera does not like to play with other sandwich shops.

You Too Can Succeed After High School

2006-10-31T02:57:00.000-05:00

I've always thought that graduates from my high school do jack shit. Really. I've never heard of anyone famous or important that came from my high school.

A couple years back, I remember reading about the story about a woman who had hacked her husband and put his remains in a suitcase that washed up on the shores of Virginia. After she sedated him and shot him. Really touching story. The official New Jersey state police report can be read here if you're really that curious. She's resurfaced in the news only because the police found more stuff she did wrong, as if drugging her husband, shooting him, hacking him to pieces, putting the pieces in a suitcase, and dumping the suitcase wasn't enough.

So the end moral of the story here is that yes, you too can be a psycho killer if you go to my high school.

In Order To Play, You Must Be This Scummy

2006-10-08T16:12:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I think that I want to be other people too much. That 's not to say that picking solid role models like Michael Jordan (if you're a basketball player) or Gandhi (if you want to liberate an entire nation peacefully) or Nelson Mandela (if you want to take shit for forty years to inspire people to liberate themselves semi-violently) is not bad. Instead, I think that I'm always too disatisfied with myself.

More or less, I think it's a lack of confidence on my part. Granted, I have made leaps and bounds in improving my self-confidence and how I think about myself. But I still find myself listening to that horrible monster that tells me to fall into that trap of self doubt and self loathing. And I try as hard as I can to not listen to that voice, but it's such a part of my psyche that it takes a lot of thinking to block out that voice.

I would love to improve who I am in every aspect possible. But, let's face it, it's not going to happen. I'm not going to be Casanova, Albert Einstein, Immanuel Kant, Sun Tzu, and Artur Rubenstein all rolled into one. I have learn to accept myself and find what's good inside and somehow play that up. What someone would like in a failed computer science major who was mediocre at best with the piano and the English language and can't hold a decent argument with anyone is beyond me, but I guess that's what I have to work with.

What irritates me sometimes is how some people can be the slimiest people that anyone's ever seen and yet still manage to attract people. I can be as clean cut as a freshly mown lawn, but people will still go to the lawn that hasn't be trimmed in months because it has character. If it means having to not be mown, I guess, then I'd take that to get some character.

But the thing that does bother me about that is that there is already a lawn fulfilling that role of being that unkempt and overgrown lawn. The world does not need two of those lawns. I have my own duty; other people have theirs. Trying to fulfill others duties while neglecting my own would not be just.

I can't just help and be jealous of others' charisma. I mean, I wish I had an ounce of charisma. But maybe it's one of those things that needs work...or something that I can't get at all.

Welcome Back, Blog Fans

2006-10-01T06:32:00.000-04:00

Well, I've come to write in this thing again, about what random stuff has collected in my head.

I've started to think that I've wasted a large portion of my life. Back before I went to college, I was about as much of an unimportant wallflower as anything. No one, not even a lot of my best friends gave too much concern about me. I'm pretty sure that if I was gone, I wouldn't even warrant a full page in the yearbook. About as colorless a person as anything.

I don't know if that's really changed. Now I have friends that are somewhat concerned about my well-being. I'm recognized as more of a human being. I now have some depth and personality, for once. Hell, I'm even getting some decent respect (but that's like saying a hobo makes decent money). But every once in a while, I feel that high school just keeps springing up and haunting me.

People will always talk about their high school years every once in a while. And everytime someone does, I always realize that I've got nothing to offer anyone. No colorful stories, nothing. I was just unimporant and miniscule in other people's grand schemes. Didn't do anything worth mentioning to people. And it's those times that I wish I hadn't wasted so much of my life being unimportant and inconsequential.

Besides, I know that many of the connections, if any, were life-changing and important connections for life. I honestly doubt that. I saw it then, and I see it now. Everytime I go back home and see someone from high school, I just wonder what importance I have in their eyes. And how do I benefit from knowing people who couldn't care about me?

But in the end, I tend to realize that I wouldn't be the person I am without that terrible waste of time. And in spite of that (or perhaps of that) I have people who like me for who I am. But I can't help just wonder, for a moment, how much better of a person would I have turned out to be had I not wasted all that time?

The Return

2006-09-07T13:33:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm back. Somehow.

It's been a while since I last wrote in this thing. Didn't have much to say, or if I had something to say, it wasn't nor will it ever be important.

Come back for more.

Nice Try, Maryland

2006-07-19T15:42:00.000-04:00

So when Maryland tries to fight the behemoth known as Wal-Mart and get them to provide health care for its employees, the federal government steps in and blocks it.

The important thing is that you tried.

Finally Congress is Doing Something To Save Money

2006-07-13T14:54:00.000-04:00

So in between finding ways to keep non-white people from coming into this country and doing jobs we don't like and finding ways to keep non-Christian people from coming into this country and doing bad things to it, Congress is finding time to figure out ways to keep those damn textbook makers from price-gouging students. Read more here. Apparently the publishers forget we're poor students.

Shut the Hell Up and Go Eat Kimchee

2006-06-26T16:43:00.000-04:00

So I was reading the newspaper and came upon an article that said FIFA was blocking e-mails from Korea (South, if a clarification was needed, even though we all know that nobody in the North has outside contact) about some apparently bad calls made by the officials. Read the Chicago Sun Times article here. If the officials made the "correct" calls (i.e. calls in Korea's favor) they would have advanced to the next round of play. Apparently, the people were under the misguided notion that if five million people e-maile d FIFA, the game would be replayed.

The main point is that those Koreans should shut the hell up. Every time there's a slight bit of doubt (or not) regarding an officating call in international sports, they bitch and whine about it. Remember Apollo Ono? Yeah.

Furthermore, if it wasn't for bad officiating, the Koreans would've already been out of contention. Remember the game that they played against France? FIFA officially states on the website that the ball never really crossed the goal line, but most people who actually watched the game (like the people at Sports Illustrated) agree that the ball did cross the line and that France should have been up 2-0. Oh well. Guess that doesn't matter to Korea.

Come to think of it, though, the Koreans do have a point: the officials have been pretty shaky. They seem to hand out yellow cards like they were coupons. Handballs are clearly missed. You'd come to expect better personnel from an organization that has four years to prepare for such a large, worldwide event.

Nevertheless, the Koreans have to realize that shaky officiating is an unfortunate part of the game. It will give sometimes, but it will also take away as well.

Go Me!

2006-06-07T11:46:00.000-04:00

So I managed to get only a 3.0 last semester. Which means, I'm in some trouble, as my GPA is only at a 2.96 instead of the 3.25 it needs to be at. In other words, I'm in some trouble. It's going to take some brilliant rhetoric to explain how the discovery of what I really want to do in life had to do with why I did so crappy in my first two semesters.

I'm Back Home

2006-05-30T11:56:00.000-04:00

So I've returned to New Jersey. Woohoo. Haven't seen much of my friends. Probably should make more of an effort to. Anyway, I've pretty much spent my time here just chilling out enjoying the week before my class and job start up. Also, trying not to fret over whether or not I did well last semester. Chances are, I didn't. Oh well.

Finals

2006-05-18T04:21:00.000-04:00

So I love how I decided to be a retarded idiot and not make my hardest class pass-fail. Now I'm royally screwed. Great.

Thanks, You Bastards

2006-04-23T14:05:00.000-04:00

So I didn't get an apartment assignment because the system and my friends screwed me. Thanks guys. Appreciate it, you fucktards.

You Have Some Acid On Your Face, You Fucktard

2006-04-16T04:34:00.000-04:00

First, I would like to say that the following will contain some inappropriate words that you may not your children, younger siblings, or grandmother/priest/neighbor to see. So I suggest that you escort them out of the room while you read this entry. After that, you can put on whatever you want.

Basically, this is to the fucker that said to me one night, "Jon, you should get a girlfriend." Hey, it's not that fucking easy, you fat piece of shit. Look, I'm sorry that I'm not as much of a pimp-master as your fat ass, but I haven't been slacking off at it either. I work for it, and all I see is nothing. So shut the fuck up, you fucking retard. Go sit with your prissy ass girlfriend and keep those fucking comments to yourself. You say something like that again, I'm not going to be this friendly.

Okay, you can get that person that you sent out of the room back.

I Folded At Least One Losing Hand

2006-04-05T12:11:00.000-04:00

So I dropped Computer Science II. Does it upset me a bit? Yes, of course. I tried doing that stuff and I ultimately failed. But at least I've learned now that I really hate that stuff and I don't want to get stuck doing it. Good for me.

I Have No Past

2006-03-27T20:57:00.000-05:00

I came to the realization that I really have no record of much of my past life. It's all hidden in memories that people find more important and other stuff. Picture of me from high school are few and far between. And you know what? I don't care. High school was a piece of shit waste. Didn't matter. I really don't care about quite a few people from home. All they caused was a lower self-esteem and just ultimate hell. I would have been a better person had that not been part of my life.

Or would I? I'm not sure. I'd like to think that I gained something from four years of just miserable suffering and such. But all I really can get out of it was that I just suffered unnecessary hardship and pain. Four years of my life I probably won't be getting back.

So I probably come off as angry and bitter. What's new? All kidding aside, I had a rude reminder of what high school was like and how I was just an ultimate failure at life back then. It seems harsh for me to say that, and it probably wasn't my fault that I wasn't built mentally for the atmosphere. But I think it probably stunted my development as a person and just made it a bit more difficult for me to adjust to the real world.

And if you liked high school for some bizarre reason, I really don't have much against that. Whatever. If you've got good memories, hooray for you. I really don't care too much about those good memories.

Uuuugggghhhhhh

2006-03-25T17:03:00.000-05:00

Well, it was an eventful weekend. Went to Rutgers on Thursday night, enjoyed myself there. Went to Yale on Friday night, more or less enjoyed myself there. Essentially, some fun times all around.

There is nothing philosophical about this entry. There will be a philosophical one later.

What the Hell Have I Done With Myself?

2006-03-21T14:26:00.000-05:00

So I'm pretty much faced with a pretty dire situation. I've pretty much by now realized that what I've been gearing my future for is probably something that I did for other people and not myself. Unfortunately for me, I'm the one who has to live with that and not them.

But since it is my life, I should be able to do what I think is best. And if you don't like it, well, tough luck, it isn't your life to live. So that means that you have to find it within yourself to shut the hell up and deal with my life decisions. Just because I think that I'd do better in a field that you look down upon, then you should be happy for me that I have found a life calling that I enjoy and can do well in.

So the end result is that for all eight or nine of you reading out there, and for the seven or eight of you that want me to be a computer [insert word here], it may not happen. And you should be happy for me.

Dear Computer Science...

2006-03-21T12:16:00.000-05:00

Dear Computer Science,

Fuck off.

Me.

Last Day Before Another Break

2006-03-17T05:08:00.000-05:00

Well, another break comes and another return to my home. Whoop-de-freaking-do. Not really caring too much, quite frankly. I'd rather stay here instead of heading back home to New Jersey. But oh well. What is to be done is to be done.

As If Burning Down My House and Putting Sawdust in My Gas Tank Wasn't Enough

2006-03-10T07:44:00.000-05:00

So apparently the computer science department is still sending me signals about how much I suck. Well, good for you, you crappy ass bastards. I don't care about you as much as you don't care about me.

I'll keep my eye out for you...

Visions of a Different Future

2006-03-04T12:25:00.000-05:00

So apparently the guy in charge of the world and the universe has now resorted to sending me messages in my dreams that I'm not doing the right field. Apparently in my dream I dropped my computer science courses to be some sort of other engineer. Odd, isn't it?

No, I Won't Back Down

2006-02-26T20:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I just finished as much as I could of my computer science project as I could. It doesn't work at all. It doesn't solve the damn maze like the project description asks it to. But oh well. Just because this time I failed at it doesn't mean that I can't come back with a vengeance at all. Nope. It's only another reason for me to be able to do better the next time. So take that computer. How do you like that? That taste good with your chips? Thought so.

I'm in an interesting mood right now.

An Explanation

2006-02-22T12:10:00.000-05:00

For the four or five of you that read this blog regularly because you keep typing something wrong in the URL to get to the blog with the pretty ladies, I feel an explanation is necessary for some of my entries.

Many (and by many, I mean four or five) of you know that I poke fun at Maryland and all it's crabby glory. I do so not because I hate Maryland (how can I hate the state that produced Babe Ruth?), but because there are a lot of Jersey-hating Marylanders out there.

I make fun of Maryland probably three or four times in my blog, and there are some of you guys out there who are getting all crabby about it? Jeez. Toughen up.

What I do is a lot different than what the Marylanders do. The Marylanders recycle the same damn jokes over and over again. "Jersey smells funny." "Jersey girls don't get picked up." "Jersey smells funny." "Jersey drivers suck." "Jersey smells funny." You know, repeating the same damn joke over and over again isn't funny. You can't think of something original, then don't tell it. Asking me what's my exit isn't funny. (It's exit 114 on the New Jersey Parkway, in case you were interested.) Come back with something clever will you.

So just because I make jabs at Maryland for its various faults does not mean that all of you have to rise in arms to defend Maryland. If Jerseyans acted that rashly, we would've taken out a few states already. But we didn't. Why? Because we have a thick skin. And we prefer to use our education (from our top-tier public schools) to fight back.

And the end result is that Good Charlotte still comes from Maryland. And so does John Waters. And Bruce Springsteen is still the Boss. John Waters? Well...I'm not going to go there...

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. We don't have to pump our own gas. Take that.

Karma is a Two-Timing Bitch

2006-02-21T03:14:00.000-05:00

Karma is an odd fellow. It just is. Things may work out in the end, and sometimes in the worst way possible, and you can't feel good about how karma works out. That being said, I feel really terrible about how I said that. But that's the way I see it. And I shouldn't see it that way, because that's a horrible way to see it.

That's all I have to say about that.

Put This On Your Crabs

2006-02-20T14:51:00.001-05:00

First, the title refers to Old Bay spice, a nasty ass spice that the creeps down here in Bal-Di-More put on their crabs. Second, these are the crabs that are marine crustaceans, not the crabs you picked up last night coming back from a private meeting in Bal-Di-More.

Now that I've got all of that out of the way, I think I've made it clear to all of the Maryland people who read this blog that I'm sick and tired of the crappy-ass jokes that are made about my home state. Shut the hell up. Your state produced John Waters, who is nothing but a two-bit pornographer, if that. Your state also produced Sisqo (the thong song guy) and Vertical Horizon (remembering that took a lot of energy). John Wilkes Booth is also a Marylander. Oh yeah, that's something to be really proud of. The all-stars out of the all-stars has to be Good Charlotte. Now that's something to be proud of.

And of course, Jersey still is the best state ever. Don't think so? Read this and try making fun of my state. Yeah, try.

Ha...Good Charlotte...

Damn It, Gretzky, You Too?

2006-02-09T18:23:00.000-05:00

So apparently Wayne Gretzky, one of hockey's greatest players, decided to follow in the steps of another one of sports' greatest atheletes, Pete Rose. Yep, according to the Newark Star-Ledger, Gretzky may have bet on his sport. You can also read the Associated Press story here. Apparently his assistant coach and his wife were involved as well.

The NHL does NOT need this. It's suffered enough bad PR with the strike, and having one of it's greatest players tarnished with these betting allegations is not going to make it any better. Furthermore, as if the betting thing wasn't bad enough, organized crime and even the New Jersey State Police may be involved.

Great.

Stop Making Fun Of My State, You Damn Hicks

2006-02-08T02:49:00.000-05:00

Sorry if that heading offended anyone. I apologize to the people from Maryland who are not hicks. The rest, screw you. Go play your banjo on your porch. Don't read the rest.

Jersey jokes are pretty crappy. The whole "Jersey smells like crap" thing is way overdone. It does not smell like crap. The only parts that probably do smell like crap are the industrial areas, and why the hell are your windows down in that part of the state?

Another shitty joke: What's the difference between Jersey girls and trash? Come on, guess. I'll give you a few seconds.

Trash gets picked up sometimes. What a crap joke. It's so not true. There are some girls that I know who would beat a lot of the girls I've seen here at UMBC. Trust me on this.

And if you want to rag on Jersey some more, just remember that Frank Sinatra is from New Jersey. And also that Vince Lombardi himself is buried in my hometown in Jersey. And there's this dude Bruce Springsteen that some people have heard of...

So yeah, New Jersey's got a lot of accomplished people. What's that? Did I hear John Waters? Yeah. That's what I thought.

My Birthday Was Three Hours Ago

2006-02-07T03:07:00.000-05:00

I share that special day with Bob Marley, Ronald Reagan, Babe Ruth, and Axl Rose. Explains a lot.

Gay Marriage Ban Falls in Maryland

2006-02-05T13:28:00.000-05:00

Take that, you wannabe hicks.

Go Teamwork

2006-01-29T09:41:00.000-05:00

Well, nothing says "Let's not work on peace" like not dealing with a government that was democratically elected due to its harsh position. Granted, Hamas has threatened the destruction of Israel time and time again, and Israel has every right to be wary. Unfortunately, the peace process doesn't exactly get furthered by not talking to each other. So unless Israel and the Palestinian people want to continue fighting for eternity, both sides have to go to the bargaining table with the ability to forget the past, at least for a while, in the name of peace.

Delaying Action

2006-01-29T02:48:00.000-05:00

So this is essentially the final hours I will be staying in my house until maybe Spring Break or the summer. Right now, I'm installing that long awaited Cossacks add-on that I've been desperately wanting for a while. The last few moments before returning back to college.

I've pretty much committed myself to being a computer engineering major. Unless I do really crappy this semester in computer science 202, I'm probably going to stick with it. And if I do really crappy, then hello information systems, history, and computer science minor.

Off to bed now. Only to rise for departure.

Does Anyone Else Not Know What They're Doing With Their Life?

2006-01-27T18:34:00.000-05:00

I used to have a life plan all worked out...until now. Now, everything's in question. My future is about as clear as a glass of milk. I have no freaking idea what I really want to do with my life. It's all so questionable. Granted, I did have plans, but as the poet says, "The best laid plans of men and mice oft go awry." And they sure as hell did go awry.

Everyone else seems to know what they're doing. Furthermore, they're good at it. Is it just me?

So...I Want To Be a Computer Engineering Major

2006-01-27T09:20:00.000-05:00

After some thought, I've decided that perhaps computer science perhaps isn't for me. I'm not sure I want to spend the rest of my life cranking out code for projects. It's such a hassle for something that isn't tangible. With computer engineering, I can actually see that I've made something. Computer science is more theoretical. And I really don't like theoretical stuff.

This is, in other words, pretty much the step before I become a history major.

Upset Special: Hamas Wins Palestinian Elections

2006-01-26T11:09:00.000-05:00

And you thought the Steelers was the biggest upset of the year...

This is a rather interesting development. On one hand, people are allowed to vote for whomever they want to vote for in a democratic election, and powers outside of that specific realm are required to respect that (i.e. not like how we treated Chile in the '70s). On the other hand, this may not be such a good move towards peace in the Middle East (which is difficult enough without Hamas's involvement).

The Palestinians have the right to vote for whomever they choose. If it is Hamas, an organization which espouses violence against Israel and has an armed branch to carry out that violence, then so be it. It says something about the current state of affairs for the Palestinians. Apparently, they believe that a change is necessary. It may not be a change that the West particularly likes (much less Israel), but it's one that the West will have to live with.

I'm Going To Need To Work For My Silver Plate

2006-01-25T23:32:00.000-05:00

I've come to realize that things are not going to be easy for me in the future. I have no connections with any higher power, nor will I be receiving favors from any of them. That includes powers spiritual and secular. Luck will probably not be on my side. Granted, I'd rather be lucky at what I do rather than be good, but for now I'll have to settle for busting my ass to be as close to good as I can hope I can be.

But I would really appreciate the help of powers that be. Really would appreciate that. Thanks.

Career Opportunites...the Ones I'll Never Get

2006-01-25T19:42:00.000-05:00

I am pretty sure I'm screwed myself for life with one semester of computer science. Getting a C in the first semester of a class which is integral to your major -- not good at all. What's even crappier is that it's a tight job market, and with my rather small skill set, I've got less of a chance than a snowball in the Mojave. Employers are not going to love my transcript when I'm going to apply for a job. An internship? Ha. Funny. The chances of that snowball seem pretty good compared to my chances of getting an internship. Boy, I've got a great future to look foward to.

Today I was looking at the Google Jobs page. For anyone going into any computer related field or mathematics, Google is perhaps the very best job that any one of those people can get. And everyone knows it. Those jobs are extremely hard to come by. For every job opening, they get thousands of applications. Thousands. You've got to be pretty damn good at what you do in order to snare one of those coveted spots.

I took a look at their internship opportunites. Many of them do require an actual college degree (which does bite) but the ones that don't specify skills that I know that I don't have currently (but probably should acquire so I'm not totally screwed in the future). It's just a terribly sobering experience just looking at that and knowing that you probably don't stand a chance in the highly competitive workforce that's growing as the opportunities are shrinking.

History. Maybe that's the answer. History.

Possible Good News

2006-01-25T11:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I heard back from my advisor, and I am able to take 201 and 202 concurrently. This may be a good thing or a bad thing. If I do do it, I will have to drop a class (probably English) and it'll be a crapload of work. But I feel that I know the material from 201 well enough to go forth with this venture. Right now, I'm very ambivalent about this. It's a tough decision for me, mostly because retaking 201 was a HUGE blow to my pride. Oh well. I have a few days to figure everything out.

Gangster Rap...Appalachian Style

2006-01-24T14:15:00.000-05:00

Well, if you think the topics of murder and violence are just a recent pheonomenon (someone please correct the spelling of that), then you obviously haven't heard the song "On the Banks of the Ohio." The lyrics are here and you can download it here. The gist of the story (which is not all in the song) is that a young man had gotten his girlfriend pregnant, and when she refused to marry him, he pushed her into the banks of the Ohio River. If you investigate further, you'll find different versions of the song. Some do have an ending where the law catches up to the narrator (who is sometimes referred to as Willie). But otherwise it's a pretty interesting song.

You Haven't Had Enough Time Already?

2006-01-23T21:11:00.000-05:00

And in the department of utter bullcrap, (it's not a department per se, but more of a concept) we have Ken Lay and his crony. Apparently, all these freaking years of sitting on the pile of money that they stole from Enron and its employees wasn't enough time for them to prepare a case in defense of their actions. Read about it here. To be fair, it is hard to concoct a defense when you're that obviously guilty.

I'm Sorry, You Lose, Have a Nice Day

2006-01-23T16:57:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite songs of recent is "Career Opportunities." It's a song with a message that rings rather true for me. Instead of making you click on a link to get the lyrics, I'll put them here:

They offered me the office, offered me the shop
They said I better take anything they got
Do you wanna make tea at the BBC?
Do you wanna be, do really wanna be a cop?

Career opportunities are the ones that never knock
Every job they offer you is to keep out the dock
Career opportunities, the ones that never knock

I hate the army and I hate the RAF
I don’t wanna go fighting in the tropical heat
I hate the civil service rules
And I won’t open letter bombs for you

Career opportunities are the ones that never knock
Every job they offer you is to keep out the dock
Career opportunities, the ones that never knock

Bus driver!
Ambulance man!
Ticket inspector!

They’re gonna have to introduce conscription
They’re gonna have to take away my prescription
If they wanna get me making toys
If they wanna get me, well I got not choice

Career opportunities are the ones that never knock
Every job they offer you is to keep out the dock
Career opportunities, the ones that never knock

Careers
Careers
Careers
Ain’t a-never gonna knock

These mostly ring true for me because: A) I'm a computer science major and B) I'm a computer science major who got a C in the introductory course. In other words, I'm not getting a sexy internship this summer. Furthermore, I'm probably not meant to be a computer scientist at all. But guess what? I don't know what I'm meant to do in this world, so I'll stick with what I've got.

The Return

2006-01-23T01:27:00.000-05:00

Well, in about a week, I will be returning to school. All I've got to say is "HOLY CRAP, IT'S ABOUT GOD DAMN TIME!!!"

Look, I love seeing my family and all that and spending some time with friends, but I really want to get back to school. There really is no point for me to be here. I really don't have many connections here and I'm not going to really miss being gone. Furthermore, my friends (who I really didn't get to see over the break) are all back to school already. So I'm bored out of my mind and almost itching to go back.

Almost itching. But very eager, nonetheless.

You Gotta Be Kidding Me...

2006-01-21T17:07:00.000-05:00

Wikipedia is a great website. It's edited by the general populace (with a few people who oversee the entire operation), and strangely enough, it's correct most of the time. But after reading this article, something leads me to believe that there is someone out there who has a little too much spare time on his hands. Never mind that it's the Boston Red Sux who truly suck. That's a minor point.

But you don't see me writing an article about it.

Maybe I Shouldn't Be Publicizing This...

2006-01-21T15:14:00.000-05:00

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County produces some of the finest minds in the United States. Some of the best researchers in Maryland, if not the world. And, oh yeah, an alleged prostitute.

I Can Write A Program in C to Figure That Out...

2006-01-19T19:40:00.000-05:00

So apparently, the educational system is filling our minds full of stuff that really doesn't help us out in the real world. Read about it here. What a bleeding surprise. I figured that out a while ago. I don't really know how a credit card works, but I can integrate a function. How useful. That'll help feed my family.

Well, If He Says It, It's Gotta Be True

2006-01-19T16:13:00.000-05:00

As if the numbskulls who think that intelligent design is correct need more proof against the idea (other than themselves, of course), we have the word from the authority Himself: yes, God. And what does He say? It is not a scientific theory.

Holy God...My Winter Break is Forever!!!

2006-01-18T16:01:00.000-05:00

Most colleges have a winter break that lasts from a few days before Christmas till the middle of January. Not mine. Nope. I gotta stay home until the middle of the month. So not only am I more or less stuck here alone, but I'm also bored out of my mind. I've tried teaching myself differential equations, only to have my mind blown away, so maybe I'll stay away from that. I've also been teaching myself C++, just to prepare myself if I am, by some magical miracle, permitted to take CMSC 201 and CMSC 202 concurrently. But the rest of my time is spent milling about on the internet as I'm trying to feed my brain with useful stuff about history and the world. That and maybe watch PBS for a while too.

Beirut/Beer Pong Should Be A Phys Ed Credit

2006-01-18T10:58:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the two University of Michigan students who won the national beer pong tournament. Read the story.

Possible Good News

2006-01-17T23:08:00.000-05:00

Well, after a small plea, my academic advisor will take a look into the possibility to allow me to take CMSC 201 concurrently with CMSC 202. I'm crossing my fingers. I really hope that I'll be able to do it and make up for getting owned by the class and by karma. Redemption will hopefully be within my grasp.

Denial

2006-01-17T12:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I got a response. I can't take CMSC 201 concurrently with CMSC 202. DAMN. I love the system.

I don't know, but perhaps this is another sign from the powers that be that I am in serious denial about what I want to do with my life. Is this just a series of misfortunes, or is there some hidden message in what is happening to me? It's been nagging at me for the longest period of time. What if I'm making a grave mistake? I don't want to be forty years old and going, "Oh shoot, what the hell did I just do with my life? I wasn't meant to do this. I just wasted the last twenty years of my life concentrating on stuff that I wasn't meant to do." If I can correct it now, I can save myself a lot of trouble later on in life.

I truly wish I knew what my calling in life was. It's been so murky forever. There are those kids who have a set goal in their mind when they were about five or six. I haven't got a clue, and I'm in college. Does this mean I'm screwed? Probably not. But it's sure unsettling. And it'll be more unsettling when I'm fifty and having a mid-life crisis.

Response

2006-01-16T15:03:00.000-05:00

So I've sent the e-mail owning up to having to retake computer science 201. Of course, I haven't recieved a reply yet. Hooray for federal holidays.

The Plea

2006-01-16T10:38:00.000-05:00

Here's the e-mail that I sent to my advisor regarding whether or not I can retake CMSC 201 while taking CMSC 202.

Due to some unfortunate events, in order for me to remain a computer
science major, it is necessary that I retake CMSC 201.  After reviewing
the various times for the class, it appears that Section 102 works the
best under the schedule that I have in place currently.  The class is
full, however, and I am currently on the hold list.  I would like to know
what the policy for getting off of the hold list and fully registering for
the class is.

In addition to the issue of the hold list, I would also like to know
whether or not it is possible to take CMSC 201 while also taking CMSC 202.
It seems a bit unorthodox, but I am fully confident that I understand the
material in CMSC 201 and that my poor grade was a result of a careless
miscue and my confusion about the material earlier in the semester.  I do
understand that the number of credits I would be taking semester would
total 21 if I were to add CMSC 201 to my schedule.  I feel that I am able
to deal with such a courseload, though.

I would greatly appreciate your help regarding the hold list as well as
whether or not I can go through with taking CMSC 201 concurrently with
CMSC 202.  Thank you for your time and assistance.

Surrendering to the Authorities

2006-01-16T01:08:00.000-05:00

So I've finally decided to e-mail my advisor about my predicament. Problem is that I have to get her to buy my idea. Any suggestions? I'd appreciate help in negotiation.

HA HA HA HA!!! REDEMPTION (Part I)!!!

2006-01-15T12:19:00.000-05:00

Ah yes...all is right with the world now. You thought you could go all the way, eh? Well, THINK AGAIN.

Oh yeah, and the Patriots lost too. Good.

HOORAY FOR THE SEAHAWKS!!! But I still like the Colts.

Now comes the part where the Panthers lose to the Bears.

What a Bunch of Crap

2006-01-13T21:25:00.000-05:00

First off, I would like to state that most athletes, as a whole, are nice people. It sucks for them because of a few despicable people (Ray Lewis, who definitely killed that dude, and Bobby Chiounard, who beat his wife, among other lively characters) that mess it up for everyone else. Now we can add the scumbag known as Sean Taylor of the Redskins.

This guy has gotten a free pass for basically being the scum of the earth. Moreover, he isn't just a piece of scum that exists and merely takes oxygen from the air. He apparently "allegedly" pointed a gun at during a dispute in Florida. He also spit in the face of an opposing player during the Redskins-Buccaneers game and was ejected. And yet, he has gotten off of the spitting thing with a slap on the wrist (whoever is the head of discipline in the NFL should grow a pair) and had his trial moved to a later date so he can play out the rest of the season (which hopefully will end with the Seahawks game). Good luck with that if you're a regular Joe with actual morals.

My new favorite team: whomever beats the Redskins. Unless it's the Patriots. Then I'd like a tie.

Vote for Me or I'll Suck Your Blood

2006-01-13T20:19:00.000-05:00

Only in Minnesota. Strangely enough, the only person I know from Minnesota is a normal guy. He also dominates in Halo as well.

Now all the freaky Goth people I know will start moving to Minnesota. That's not so bad. Then they'll keep out of my space then. 'Cause I'm probably not going to Minnesota any time soon.

O Captain, My Captain

2006-01-12T22:18:00.000-05:00

Farewell to THE captain.

I need something about local professional sports to feel better. The Jets totally blew, the Giants compressed the blow that was the Jets into one game, and it's another month or so till pitchers and catchers report to spring training. The Devils are in it. The Rangers and Islanders...eh... At least the Nets are at the head of the division. That brings some hope.

I need baseball season NOW. Bring back some winning.

Computers Are Evil

2006-01-11T23:45:00.000-05:00

So I'm bored out of my mind while I'm back home from school. Mind you, my break is about two weeks longer than everyone else's, so I have to find stuff to keep myself amused for the long term. So I try downloading this extra set of missions for this game called Cossacks (think Age of Empires but updated, with more units, and developed by Germans so everything that you get off the web is in Deutsch) and it keeps messing around with me by displaying some message in German and something about a CD needing to be put into the drive when it's work fine before. God how I love technology. To think that I might ally myself with these people in the future. The horror. The shame.

The Magic 8-Ball is Stuck on Ask Again Later

2006-01-08T11:10:00.000-05:00

I somehow manage to create grandiose plans for myself, only to watch them burn to hell in time shorter than it took to forumlate them. It's annoying. I'd love to make something of myself, but it always looks that as time goes on, things aren't going to fall in my direction.

It maybe a sign from above. As I have written earlier, I have a sinking feeling that I'm not doing what I'm meant to do in this world. But the problem is that I don't detest what I'm doing right now; I just detest the really crappy set of circumstances surrounding what I'm doing. In other words, somehow forces beyond my control have decided to mess around with what I'm doing. It may be a sign or just the powers that be (if they truly exist) have a sick and demented sense of humor. Furthermore, I don't know if the alternate that I have in mind is even the correct choice. It's enough to drive a person insane.

Maybe I should become a history teacher.

Career Opportunities

2006-01-06T21:37:00.000-05:00

So in the temporary minor crisis of what the hell I'm going to do in the future, I have now started to seriously entertain the far-fetched notion of being a Computer Engineer. That's right. I know that some of all 6 or 7 of you are rejoicing over the fact that A) I haven't fully converted to the dark side known as Information Systems and B) I might be a Computer Engineering major. And yes, I will still be an Information Systems major as well under that plan.

Unfortunately, I also need to find a plan to get my GPA to 3.25 as well. Anyone have suggestions that don't involve illegal activities (murder, bribery, extortion, blackmail, to name a few)?

To Hell With Computer Science

2006-01-03T17:19:00.000-05:00

Well, my hope of not having to take 201 again were dashed. I got a C in the class. So I'll have to take it AGAIN. Woo-hoo. Not looking foward to it. Stupid requirements.

...

That voice telling me to be an information systems major is really strong now. But the other voice that has all of those bad information systems jokes and insults is equally as loud. There's also that loud voice in the back of my head to see if i can take 201 and 202 concurrently.

This sucks. Royally.

There Is Hope Yet

2006-01-01T15:10:00.000-05:00

Amazingly, my nearly impossible dream of not taking 201 again is still alive. I got a 99 on the fifth and final project. Best that I've ever done on a project. Hopefully the final will be just as kick ass. Hope isn't dead. It's on life support. But it's still alive.

Resignation...and Happy New Year!

2005-12-31T13:21:00.000-05:00

So I've resigned myself to the fact that I may have to take 201 again next semester. Great. Looking foward to it.

Munich

2005-12-28T15:28:00.000-05:00

So I saw the movie Munich. Good movie. More information on the movie can be found at Wikipedia (obviously) and IMDB (duh). Quick outline for those ofyou who are too lazy to click on those links or just want some quick information as the boss is about three yards away: The Munich Olympics Hostage Crisis of 1972 resulted in the death of 11 Israeli athletes. Israel decided to fight back. Under the code name Operation Hand of God (how's that for a kick-ass name), assassination squads (often closely aligned with the Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency) would go throughout Europe and hunt the various participants of the massacre down and eliminate them. Munich covers one of those squads.

The movie was excellent. Screw all of you hardline pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian nutjobs. We're all human beings here. There was an equal arguement made in the movie, but that wasn't what the movie was concentrating on. It was more about the humanity of a man set out to do a duty for a country that officially doesn't know what he's doing. Frankly, I'd go freaking insane. Not only because of the fact that I'm running around half of a continent (the squad didn't go into Eastern Europe as it was Soviet controlled) killing people but the fact that I wouldn't be recognized by the nation that I'm doing this for.

Some people may question the righteousness of avenging the deaths of those eleven athletes. What do I think? Fuck yeah. Israel needed to make a statement that no one, especially a group of Palestinian terrorists, was going to dick around with any Jew anywhere in the world without dire consequences. It's an eye for an eye at it's most basic form.

This also brings up another question: Were the Palestinian terrorists justified in holding the athlete's hostage? No. Not one bit. It was a good move to get the message of their struggle out, but it was still morally reprehensible. Did it further their cause? Yes, it did. It made the Palestinian struggle something that the world would now recognize as a force to be reckoned with. But was it right? No. Killing people who didn't do a single thing wrong to you specifically is not correct in any stretch of the imagination.

Munich is the film Go see it. Go. Now.

I Hate Computer Science

2005-12-27T15:59:00.000-05:00

So apparently I have to get a B in CMSC 201 before I can take CMSC 202.

Fuck the rules. Stupid Maryland Board of Regents.

"...come join the dark side...uh...i meant be an information systems major..."

That voice is getting progressively stronger. Maybe I should listen to it. All of my computer science friends be damned. I'll appease them with a Computer Science minor.

Stupid Maryland Board of Regents.

Sorry I Have To Say This, Vlad

2005-12-20T01:05:00.000-05:00

Honors Forum officially blows. Dr. Korn? Lighten up a little bit. Vlad? Sorry about giving you a hard time.

We didn't do well on our presentation and were disqualified from the prize (a tour of the White House, which would probably be at the most inconvenient time ever) due to the fact that we exceed the totally bullcrap limit of three pictures for the Power Point presentation. Three pictures. You need more than three pictures for a Power Point presentation. It's all about the graphics. No one likes to read text on a screen.

Screw the class. It's over. Thank god.

Go Journalism!

2005-12-19T07:03:00.000-05:00

If you can read that, it says "Artic." Oops.