My sick stomach, the space sugar, and the new use for DNA November 30, 2008

Well in weird science news, you can get your kids genetics tested to determine which sport they might be best at.  Testing the ACTN3 gene can apparently tell if you might be good at endurance, strength, or speed skills. Hmmm…wonder where the mental strengths some in to the equation?

Also on science news, apparently the key ingredient for life was found in space…any guesses what it is?  Nope, not O2…not H2O….its Glycolaldehyde…aka sugar. Well a type of sugar anyways.  Thats right…as a comment to the article states, “we can find a molecule of sugar in space, but can’t find Bin Laden?” Well im not sure about the commentors rationals with the comment, but it does make you wonder how a single molecule can be found in space, yet problems here on Earth can’t be resolved…wow…the wonders of technology. 

Now onto a more productive rant…my team sucks!  We are like Jekyll and Hide some days.  We actually played well inthe 2nd half of the game today, but somehow still managed to loose it as Rodgers channelled a little Favre with that interception!  Ahhh! Now im left watching the lead in the NFC North being fought between MIN and CHI tonight…I guess ill have to root for CHI in that game because MIN makes me sick to my stomach! Now in order to have a shot at the playoffs, we need to win all the rest of the games and hope for Min and Chi to falter…after all we are now 2 games back!

Oh well…im channelling my anger into blogging and then studying because if not I will break something!  And can I just say…they shoulda never gotten rid of KGB!

Later!

Aloha Stadium, the leeward coast, and the crazy independence seekers November 29, 2008

Well today started off really early for me…try 2am early…cause thats when I woke up!  So i decided instead of trying to fall back asleep I would get up and go explore Oahu. So at 5am I left my house and headed out to Aloha Stadium(where the NFL Pro Bowl is held) and the Swap Meet that they have there on the weekends.  It was pretty big, with stalls all over the parking lot full of clothes, crafts, artwork, jewelry, etc.  There were some cool finds, but I didnt buy anything.  There were a few things I liked, but Im a broke grad student, so money is at a premium and I didn’t splurge…but I may down the line before I leave Hawaii.

My plan was to leave the stadium and go explore the Dole Plantation, but there was a glitch in the plan.  Mainly that I was an idiot and missed my connecting bus stop and ended up taking a long tour out to Waianae which is on the leeward side of the island.  Its a completely different atmosphere out there than in Honolulu and Waikiki…or even in Keneohe! My favorites from the bus trip were: seeing the Hawaii revolution signs wanting to take back the islands from the US and become its own sovereign country(which were all over Waianae), windsurfers, and the crazy campers/Hawaiian independence seekers making the beach their home.  They are all over the coast out in Waianae! Apparently there was some kind of parade out there today too, and they were closing down all the roads.  I didnt go explore off the bus much since Im a major Haole out there…and its different than dealing with the locals in Honolulu/Waikiki.  They are use to us there, but Waianae..it could have been bad!

So instead of hitting the Dole Plantation (which I will have to do another day), I rode the bus around the island. In the middle of the island heading towards the leeward side, theres a stretch that reminds me alot of Ohio…especially like the Warren and Butler County areas. It warmed the heart, but then random palm trees began to appear and I was back to reality of Hawaii. 

Random google searches that led to my blog “Wierd news about crossdressers” cool pitbull drawings” and “little crossdresssers”.  Hmm…someone really wants to find out about crossdresssing…

Later!

The dangers of Black Friday, the anger of an 8 year old, and other news November 28, 2008

Well I hope you liked the Thanksgiving comics…This is the last one!

In world news…Switzerland is joing the EU passport-free zone.  But dont worry, their independent non-partisonship will continue since they are still in no ways joining the EU.  The EU just extended the offer. 

We are teaching revenge and road rage at a young age now! Apparently an 8 year old got mad at his teacher for being punished for disrupting the class took her car for a little ride and crashed it.  Now Im not sure this is actually road rage since he never made it onto the road, or since he just wanted to go home and gripe to his mom, but its still disturbing to know an 8 year old will be so upset over being sent from a classroom that he would steal a car…

The oldest lady in the world died at 115 in Indiana on Wednesday.  Now the title transfers to another 115 year old lady in South America.  Someone shoot me if I live that long!

Its dangerous to work on Black Friday!  A Walmart worker in New York was killed by a surge of shoppers that physically broke down the door to get into shop… He was stampeded. Come on people…those deals will be there even if you filed in nice and orderly!  And in addition to the stampede, two people were shot at a Toys R Us in Califronia.  Two men were shot as they argued in the store. Whats next? A good old fashioned hanging? Was it worth it to know that you saved $5 and took a life to get it? Its a sad testiment to the shopping addiction on Black Friday here in the US. 

Well, not much is going on today.  I finally slept and that is always good in my world since Im an insomniac! Now Im off to read and write papers!

 Later!

 

Turkey Day and what not to watch when eating! November 27, 2008

Well, Happy Turkey Day to all!  I hope everyones was good, and the Turkey wasn’t dry, and that you are currently rolling around with tummy aches from too much pumpkin pie!

Yes, I had Thanksgiving out here in Hawaii, and there was Turkey, and mashed potatoes, and stuffing, etc. We all ended up at Eriks in Waikiki and sat around eating and watching tv and movies, since football was over by the time we got around to eating(plus most of the games sucked)! I have discovered that there a few things that men in general can’t stand watching on tv.  It mainly involves any kind of animal artificial insemination involving turkeys…Thank You Mike Rowe and Dirty Jobs! Not sure if any of you saw the Thanksgiving Day special where he was “milking” sperm from the turkeys and then inseminating the females, but all the guys flinched at the “milking” part, and eventually Erik gave up and turned the channel.  In the end we ended up watching the Godfather Part 1.  Its been awhile since Ive seen that one, and Im not sure that watching a headless horse being found in someones bed is any better while eating turkey! Oh well. All in all it was a good Thanksgiving…it was laid back, and relaxing, and full of fun conversation.  Better than most I guess.

Now its on to Black Friday, and then as I was informed by Jessie, Cyber Monday.  Ahh the shopping has begun, and apparently Colleen is out and enjoying it at 3am in Cleveland…poor Paul! I am going to avoid it as much as possible, but I may have to run to the grocery sometime this weekend, and I will eventually end up back in Waikiki to work on the group project sometime before Monday!  Ahh time to research.

Well Im off to rest and relax, and then to get some sleep since I haven’t slept much in the past 2 days (think like 4-5hours) and then Its off to studying, researching, and paper writing!

Later!

 

The Mumbai attacks, the polar bear confusion, and the Santa Shortage November 26, 2008

Well sorry about the delayed blog.  My internet connection was on the fritz and may still be…we’ll see. So todays, internet allowing of course, will be longer.

Doing well, only 4 more official classes, and 3 more papers to write.  Im getting started on paper #12 for one of my classes, but that involves reading more crisis diplomacy first! So I will be doing that when Im done with this!

On a somber note…for those in Mumbai…I hope it unites and doesn’t divide you, and I hope the healing can begin sooner rather than later!

And in following that message, the US condemned the terror attacks that took place in India.  Well of course we did.  We have a public foreign policy that is anti-terror.  Did we expect that the US wouldn’t? And along with the condemnation, lets raise the terror threat level in the NY subways as well.  Oh the culture of fear and naive!

And in the “keeping it real” news. Obama stated his daughters will do chores in the White house…so much for that staff of like 80! Sorry kids, at least you’re getting a dog still!

 Uh-oh to all you Browns fans out there…Brady Quinn is weighing surgery for that broken finger of his…Guess its more serious than they let on last week!

Well, the Japanese have figured out why two of their polar bears wouldn’t mate. And no its not because of a chemistry issue…its just that they’re not lesbians!  Apparently they are both female.  Wouldn’t that be one of the first things you would check if there was a problem?! Hmmm…

Advice…If your pet dies, dont pick up a knife take it out on the politicians, no matter how enticing that may be.  A Japanese man did just that and now is facing the justice system…ps…the bureaucrat had nothing to do with the pet dying.

Need a job?  Look like Santa? Move to Germany!  They are facing a Santa shortage!

 Wow! I blogged earlier about how there are some Psych patients who believe that they are living in a TV show…well they have officially named it the Truman Syndrome.  Im betting that even Jim Carey didn’t see this as coming after making that movie!

And more on the news of the Malaysian government and the Yoga ban…they’ve backed down on the ban.  Next you’ll be telling me that the Russians are not drinking Vodka!  Wait….What?  They aren’t? Seriously?! Um…apparently the Russians and their Vodka consumption have been taking an economic hit, and those cold winter nights are no longer being warmed by Vodka in many homes!

Later!

The price of friendship and the failure of the Packers November 24, 2008

Well tonight was awful…there are a lot of reasons, but one of them that stick out in my head is the drubbing that the Packers took, and how horribly they played!  Ahhh! I cant even bring myself to reveal the score it was that bad.  And I missed part of it of course thanks to class( which was boring).  PS…Jessie you arent the greatest at updating me on the games!

I have discovered I have some really good friends out here, well at least one.  Hes helping bring me out of a funk, and hopefully I’ll be back to my ole’ “cheerful” self soon.

Not sure what Im going to do for Thanksgiving yet, but there are several options, and I will of course be watching football!

Well Im off to write a paper and read…not much fun…but after this only 3 more papers to go!!!

Enjoy the Cartoon, Thanksgiving comic to come all week long!

Later!

Football updates and the mystery piano November 23, 2008

Well incase some of you missed Sunday NFL football, Tennessee is no loner undefeated.  The Jets pulled off a dominating win. And then in more important NFl news, both Chicago and Minnesota won, so in other words, this means that my Pack must win tomorrow in order to keep pace in the division.  Stress is setting in…ahh…(and for once its not school related!).

Well a mysterious paino showed up in the middle of the woods in Massachusetts.  A jogger noticed it on a morning run and called it in to the police.  They are currently investigating how it got there, but im wondering what crime the piano committed!  Maybe the owner just wanted to make some beautiful music for the trees!?!

Well its a really short blog update tonight obviously…enjoy the comic!

The top 5 things I learned today… November 22, 2008

John Oliver-The Buccaneer Stops Here

Things Ive learned today…

1)Pandas do not want hugs. Now I could understand this story a little better if it was a little kid that did this, but noooo….Apparently in Beijing a college student broke into a Panda’s cage wanting a hug from the bear. Instead he got a bite, and not a love bite, but an attack bite on several body parts. Apparently this is not the first person the bear has attacked, but you can hardly fault the bear when people keep breaking into his home!  If I had some strange person walk into my place wanting to give me a hug, I probably wouldnt bite them, but id sure as heck probably punch them!

2) Yoga is no for Muslims. Malaysias top Islamic body ruled against yoga stating that it had other elements of religion that would corrupt Muslims.  Hmm…so much for the exerecise.  Im betting they havent seen the athiests who practice Yoga…the Hindu “chants” can be left out people!

3) That apparently Peace Deals aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.  After agreeing to a cease fire inthe Congo, the rebels decided that it wasn”t for  them after all, and continued the fighting.  Well after much international (UN) hoopla on the ordeal, they’ve stopped, but now have staged a rally in a town to show their strength…and Nkunda states “do not be afraid of me”.  Hmm…a little hard when youve been going town to town killing, maiming, and kicking people out of their houses….and more of course.

4) That apparently some people are good at math! Einsteins equation E=MC2 has been proven, finally. Now thats dedication!  My mind sees 2+2 and freezes. (ok Im not that bad, but you know what I mean)

5)Spiders have space legs.  Apparently spiders sent to the International Space Station for an educational project have gotten the hang of weightlessness.  Umm…is anyone else concerned about spiderwebbs overtaking the station, or giant space spiders coming down to earth and stringing us all up? Ok Im being stupid now.

Enjoy the link…a little more John Oliver fun

Later!

Indicted and Indicting, cross-dressers, and a little dead guy ale November 21, 2008

Well, tonight I sat in class bored and listened to presentations and not really caring. Its kinda hard to focus on the topics when you know little about them!  Instead I was there for moral support for Erik and Russ, who presented tonight.  Afterwards, the boys and I went to Du Vin for beer/wine (of course I wasnt a wine drinker in the group) and talked. ( ihad the Rogue Dead Guy Ale…I love that stuff).

Ohio has made the news again, and this time its for some guy from Cincy thereatening to blow up the airport, both the stadiums, the bridge, and more.  I knew immediately upon seeing the title of the article that it wasn’t someone who had their mental faculties completely there, but the FBI of course is waiting on a psych exam…by the way no explosives were found, and the guy has a history of mental illness.  I really hope the feds pursue that alley before considering charging him for his rants.

Well it looks like the Cheney indictment wont stand for much longer since the prosecutor himself has been indicted on charges that he extorted money and wasn’t re-elected!  And another one escapes the grasps of the justice system due to stupidity!

Well, Im thinking Jessie’s days with the crossdressers on the phone at Victorias Secret is only going to increase with this announcement.  Apparently a Japanese lingerie company is selling a bra for cross-dressing menand its become one of the best sellers for the company…I wonder if Victorias Secret will take a page from this company and start marketing to that audience…somehow Im gonna say not anytime soon!

I would like to thank Stella for her lovely suggestion on having a Hawaiian Christmas in Ohio, upon my return because it has led to an interesting google search that has led to my blog…”tropical christmas drinks”.  I now think I need to google that myself and see if any good recipes are out there!

Later!

The missing belly button, you inside Bush’s head, and a rant on propaganda via diplomats November 20, 2008

Great…thank you Victorias Secret!  Because of your runway show we now get the enlightening and irrelevant question posed to us…”Who doesn’t have a belly button?”  Apparently model Karolina Kurkova doesnt have one, and now its leading to all kinds of wonderment on if its due to her being a problem child from birth or due to cosmetic surgery.  Apparently those low rider jeans and the crop tops are leading a trend in plastic surgery to have those belly buttons altered.  I for one, have more to worry about than my belly button…take student loans for one! Whats the media coming to if this is news?!

And if this wasn’t worrisome enough, apparently the US state dept has lost their minds too… Ken Griffey JR has become a diplomat.  Now, I know, most of you are probably thinking…”who cares”, but since this is what Im getting my MA in, its a little disconcerting that a baseball player will be a diplomat.  Luckily, after reading more than the articles heading(and my heart returned to a normal rhythm), I discovered he won’t actually be in charge of anything but meets and greets, and basically being a propaganda tool for the government by …how was it put…”talk to young people and to spark their interest in America and in our culture.” Basically, Im thinking Griffey should give up his baseball player status and become a Peace Corps volunteer!  Im still disillusioned from class when I put two and two together that the PCV was basically a propaganda tool too…stupid propaganda!

Well today was World Philosophy Day.  And I had class tonight…philosophy class that is. Although on my Thursday night blogs I usually post the funnies from class, but tonight was a rather disturbing and dark class, so Im not.  We talked about killing people, using the dead bodies in war for barricades, bombs, and influencing public sentiment, and then of course, how there is no morals in politics!  So instead, Im gonna blow peoples minds by reposting one of the thought provoking questions from an article I read…

ARE YOU THE SAME PERSON WHO STARTED READING THIS ARTICLE (or BLOG)?…

Consider a photo of someone you think is you eight years ago. What makes that person you? You might say he she was composed of the same cells as you now. But most of your cells are replaced every seven years. You might instead say you’re an organism, a particular human being, and that organisms can survive cell replacement – this oak being the same tree as the sapling I planted last year. But are you really an entire human being? If surgeons swapped George Bush’s brain for yours, surely the Bush look-alike, recovering from the operation in the White House, would be you. Hence it is tempting to say that you are a human brain, not a human being. So the view is that even if the surgeons didn’t implant your brain in Bush’s skull, but merely scanned it, wiped it, and then imprinted its states on to Bush’s pre-wiped brain, the Bush look-alike recovering in the White House would again be you. What if surgeons imprinted your mental states on two pre-wiped brains: George Bush’s and Gordon Brown’s? Would you be in the White House or in Downing Street? There’s nothing on which to base a sensible choice. Yet one person cannot be in two places at once.

In the end, then, no attempt to make sense of your continued existence over time works. You are not the person who started reading this article.

Now that Ive blown your mind, Ill leave you alone…

If you want to blow your mind more, here’s the link to the article from above…Four Philosophical Questions to Make Your Head Hurt.

Later!