Australian serial killer, the next Oscar nominated film, and a little OchoCinco drama July 15, 2009

Oh god damn it OchoCinco…I thought that after ast seasons horrible record, you were trying to be a team player(well verbally be one at least).  After all, you announced that yu were planning on living with the Palmer family to tighten that realtionship between QB and WR…and now you have to open youre big ole’ mouth and start blabbing about how you are planning to defy the NFL. Seriously? Why bite the hand that feeds you?! And for those of you who havent heard or read about his latest antics, he is wanting to Tweet during games, and the NFL said no. Seriously? Who cares either way…while I think it would be fun to see player tweets, its not necesssary or pertinent. What this all tells me is that 1) Twitter has officially become something truly obsessive and addictive (especially after we heard about Twitter going to space with the new NASA crew) and 2) that Chad needs to grow up!

Well I know what I want to see next in the movie theatres…Kim Jong Ils biopic…yep thats right…cause you know that North Korea will  just glamorize his every action, and whats more fun then watching some fun propaganda? Somehow i doubt I will ever see it, let alone in a movie theatre here in the US…but hey, maybe..a girl can dream cant she? (and yes I know im insane, but you have to admit it woud be freakin hilarious)…Oscars here it comes!

Australia has a serial killer on the loose..and so far 9 are dead…all had their stomachs slashed open…and for all of those around Sydney Harbor, it is a nightmare. The Penguins are being killed….but by what?!  Yes I know Im a dork, but when I read about these animal attack and the reactions of those around I couldnt help but play the comedic stupid drama card. After all, parks services actually hired 2 snipers to kill any foxes or other possible predator. Yes snipers. Extreme? Not so much. This is, after all, a country that’s considering building fences across chunks of Tasmania to help prevent endangered Tasmanian Devils with a contagious cancer from infecting the healthy population. And so now the enitre population is out to save these penguins, including telling the Mayor to do what ever was necessary…which obviously translates to snipers in Australian speak.

Later!

Iranian elections, gecko wrestling, and some good news on Bemba June 15, 2009

Ive been watching all the media coverage over the Iranian elections the past several days and am amazed at all of it. First, the both candidates declare victory (remind anyone of 2000?) and then the elections are called faulty/rigged, etc(remember the chads and supposed vote tampering?), and then there was rioting…ok well maybe the last one didnt happen so much back in the 2000 election, but it did lead to some heated cross country politics in the US.  Im also amazed that we are actually getting as much media coverage of the events as we are knowing that Iran isnt a country where the world gets easy media access (although anything is better then North Korea!). I am actually proud of the protesters, because they are taking to heart the Howard Zinn quote…”Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” Without differing views, beliefs, and personalities, a culture, and a country at that, will fail to continue and thrive. So for me, these protests over the election are a sign that the Iranian people are wanting to ensure the survival of their culture, customs, and country…even if they disagree with the outcome. While the violent nature is sad, in many ways violence is inevitable when you have such heated debate and such a passionate belief on what has transpired.  Now we just have to wait and see how the recount goes…

And if following all the madness in Iran wasnt enough, Im forced back into the NFL drama known as Brett Favre. He has announced that in a few weeks he will know whether his arm will be repaired enough to un-retire…again…Im kinda sick of all this drama, and if he does go to MN then have fun Vikings. I cant wait to watch the rollercoaster ride of a season and then the even more tumultuous offseason!

And in another bit of world news…Jean-Pierre Bemba will be standing trial at the ICC! The former DRC militia leader and VP is accused of 5 counts of war crimes for murder, rape, and pillaging. Its nice to see that his pretrial investigation yielded that they had enough evidence to proceed to trial…i only hope that the trial is covered by the media…and I mean the US media, cause BBC and Le Monde are all over it already. It would be nice to see the ICC be successful in convictions fo crimes against humanity becuase it would re-enforce the fact that if you act against others, regardless of the justification, it can haunt you!

Off to watch some Travel Channel…oh and some Gecko wrestling that is currently going on on my window. (4 geckos are fighting each other)

Later!

Post Draft Update, Fox v. Obama, and the newest form of economic protest April 27, 2009

Well for a Post Draft update…my beloved Packers actually did well!  I am happy with the overall draft, although I do admit to a minor heart attack when Thompson traded up for a 2nd 1st round pick!  I thought hell had frozen over cause that was certainly unexpected…after all his trademark draft policy is trade down for more picks…oh well.  It was fun to listen to all my friends panic when Cleveland kept trading down…and then of course there was the perpetual name pronunciations which just got even funnier when Bobby got a little drunk and couldnt say any name…so I sent him and Jessie some nice long Hawaiian names to try, which was even funnier! Oh well, overall the draft was kinda odd but still predictable…Oakland was crazy, Minnesota hasnt truly learned the lesson that talent doesnt outway personal issues, and the Patriots continued to master the trade down tactics and manipulate their way into multiple draft picks in this year and next years draft. 

Wow! Can Fox get anymore partison? Oh yes they can…Fox Broadcasting Company announced Monday it will not carry President Barack Obama’s prime time press conference marking his first 100 days in office, the first time a broadcast network has refused an Obama administration request for that valuable airtime. Yes it may be May Sweeps, but to have one of the big 4 media outlets decide not to air the coverage is kinda shocking…maybe Fox should become a CW, and do away with news all together…that wouldnt be a bad thing in my eyes!

Well its nice to see that the community is coming together in the trying times in Mexico…wait…you mean those people wearing surgical masks arent just protecting themselves and helping others? Wait…they robbed a watch store?! Oh well, guess humanity still has its issues…With a rise in the population of Mexico wearing surgical masks to help prevent against the Swine Flu, thief’s are taking advantage of the situation by robbing stores wearing the masks…thus disguising their appearance without looking conspicuous…Its not like merchants can tell the police…there in the blue surgical mask…cause the thief’s can just disappear into the masses..genius!

Wow, I knew the economy was tough, but in Serbia a union worker cut off his own finger in protest over overdue and unpaid wages. The worst part wasnt the cutting off of the finger…in demonstration as to how desperate he and others are, he ate his finger. Um…protest cannibalism as a way to show economic frustration? Have we really resorted to that drastic of measures?! Even I, who find cannibalism fascinating, am slightly disturbed by this new tactic…lets just hope it doesnt get picked up by the mainstream, or there will be alot of fingerless people running around.

Later!

Pre draft day happiness, gecko flu, and the great pirate debate April 24, 2009

Although I have class tomorrow (yes on a saturday…morning nonetheless)this weekend should be relaxing…as long as the Packers draft the players they need and dont do something stupid like draft a QB, then I will be relaxed. So until I get home tomorrow to watch the draft, I will be following it on my cell…not as fun or relaxing, but it should go unnoticed tomorrow since we only have presentations and I am done!

In case you live under a rock (or on one like me), there is a swine flu waging in Mexico…and according to Anderson Cooper in NYC.  And here in Hawaii we are worried abou H5N1 (aka Bird Flu)…no one ever thought about swine.  Hmm…maybe we should be worried about gecko flu too because we have a lot of those out here!  All joking aside, any kind of pandemic sucks!  Especially since its a relative shock and not completely expected from what I can grasp. Mexico did the right thing by shutting down schools an dpublic buildings, but there needs to be more and soon…Bates would be so proud of seeing me use my NIMS training and disaster management mindseet to analyze the problem!

Ha..my classroom pirate debates have gone to Petraeus…Jared have you been talking?! Since I am in a program with many military people, it is common to end up in discussions about random military things…like arming boats with cannons or massive gun turrets to prevent Somali pirate attacks…yes…we have those discussions.  I always fell on the side that arming the crew is a bad idea cause handing people with little training guns could lead to bad situations…But it looks like Petraeus and the military ae looking at such options…but they seem ot be leaning toward trained gaurds rather than the crew…maybe they see the same problem as me.  Should be interesting to see if any country recommends this approach to their shippers…and what the outcome will be!

Aww I want to adopt a wild mustang!  Can I?!?!  Please!!!!  A fedral agency is offering stipends to people who adopt the older wild mustangs from the range and offer them new homes…all to help combat the population boom that is occuring in the wild.  Eventually one day I will get me a house and I will be happy! Yes it only takes getting a horse to make me happy…ok…i tend to be easily appeased by small things like gum but a horse sounds good too!

Well Im off to help Stella set up the IloveStella.org website she just bought…check it out sometime in the future when she actually gets it operational!

Later!

Iowa joins the Rainbow, death by toothpaste, and some NFL updates April 3, 2009

Well I never thought Id see the day when the Chicago Bears would actually pay for a decent quarterback…but that day has come, and the NFC North will be even more competetive now…I hope my Packers can hang in there…especially with the new defense and a need for the offensive line to gel…we’ll see!

In more football news…Burress is no longer a Giant…It will be interesting to see how they draft…they need a new WR for sure. And Im happy to see the judge reject Vicks plan for repaying his debts…someone in the system is smart enough to ecognize that Vick may never play football again…although that doesnt seem to be the case for Vick himself….Maybe Oakland will take him…they sure are stupid enough to pay him the big bucks if they did!

Well…gay marriage is now allowed in Iowa…well as of the 24th it will be.  Im actually happy to see this happen…but am shocked that it actually occuring in Iowa of all places here in the US…maybe the American heartland isnt as Red as I thought it was…hmmm….having to reconsider my belief system…hmmm….

Well stupidity seems to continue in the world. A thief in Germany stole 68 tubes of toothpaste. Now Ive been mulling it over, trying to think why someone would need that much toothpaste…Ive come up with the obvious bad breath and dental hygiene issues, but Ive also taken the slightly more disturbing route of poisoning someone to death with flourine (although according to CSI 2 tubes would do the job…so mass killing with toothpaste?) and the ever fun toothpaste minty slip and slide…yes I know Im random and weird.

Well Im still sick, and so Im off to bed! 

Later!

Crazy Bashir and his propaganda moves, Obama getting novel, and how to fight drug war March 7, 2009

Well my brain is frozen, numb, about to explode…any way you put it my brain is dead.  My Friday, Saturday, and most of Sunday will be shot from spending way too much time on reading, writing, and disaster group project. Stupid grad school…well at least thats how I feel right now.

Well Bashir is back in the news. He is making a trip to Drfur after being accused of war crimes and and ICC arrest warrant was issued. He told a rally in the capital, Khartoum, that if anyone wanted to fight him, they should come to Sudan instead of issuing arrest warrants. He continued, stating that the aid agencies he kicked out of the country following the ICC verdict were thieves and accused them of taking 99% of the budget for humanitarian work for themselves and only giving 1% to the people of Darfur.  Meanwhile, the United Nations says the expulsion puts more than a million lives at risk.  Bashir discounts the ICCs ability to try him since stating that it cant be impartial, since it has no jurisdiction over US citizens…and thus the US was dragged into the crisis…not exactly how i pictured it, but definately as I feared would happen.  Hwile his move is one of propaganda, it is still valid. Now the administration must decide whether to respond or ignore the comment. If they respond, they walk a dangerous line of self imposed justice versus international legal oversight. Should be intersting.

Hmmm…is Obama taking a section out of counterinsurgency knowledge? Reaching out to the moderates within the Taliban?!  Hmmm….how novel!  Not!  This is something that should have been done from the beginning!  In fact, doing so now may be too late, but its not Obamas fault that diplomacy was forgotten under Bush. (Well at least diplomatic talks). Any insurgent should reach out to those who he may be able to ally or befriend, regardless of ideological beleifs…its all strategy.  This is ringing back to Algeria versus the French…dont alienate the moderates!!! They are yur most likely partner for information…but I fear its too late!

And we’re off and running…Obama was briefed on the Mexican Drug War…and of course asked the old adage…”How can we help.”  Gee…how about curbing the demand on this side o f the border…if you do that then cartel operations dwindle due to lack of supply and stability can be restored….Not likely though. Its just too easy for the US to send, logistical and strategic support to Mexico, while curbing the USs drug addiction problem is too complex of a problem to fix. So in reality this move wsa nothing but face time with Mexico to show moral support and concern for their growing counterinsurgency…which has already spread over borders (violence in CA, GA, etc) and in to Canada even (cocaine supplies are low and have resulted in violence between dealers). How stupid is this all!!

Wow…the impossible happened.  TO found a new home…and with Buffalo?  Seriously? Hmm hope they dont live to regret that decision!

Well off to watch some Cpt. Jack with the boys…

Later!

Win a private Island, Sci-fi becomes reality, and crazy football days March 5, 2009

I blogged a few nights ago about locing one of my buddies, and tonight was a bitter sweet night, in that Xavier beat UD…he would have been so happy!

I just found out that Flogging Molly is coming to Pipeline Cafe in April!! I so want to go…and have some Drunken Lullabies…

Ive been following the offseason of football, and its craziness!  The Pats let Cassle go for a 2nd round pick?  TJ left Cincy?  The Brownies sent Kellen to Parcells?  Wow…but the oddest off season moves so far has to be with Dallas.  I can understand releasing TO…I mean he is drama filled, whiner, who wants it his way and not the teams way, but releasing Williams?!  Seriously!?  I know he wanted out but you just lost a good safety!  Im so confused by this offseasons tradings and team decisions..we’ll have to see how it all pans out after draft day.

I just found out today that there was a military coup in Bangladesh i which soldiers turned on the officers and dismembered them, stuffint the remains in sewers and manholes.  One of my classmates works at PAYCOM and is dealing with the situation, but it took some digging to find any published news on the crisis…thats just sad…over 70 are dead.

Looks like my concern over the Sudanese President ordering all aid agencies to leave Sudan and the potential fall out was right on target.  Im not the only one who is seeing the crisis worsen before it gets better.  The ICC better come up with some might behind all the talk…so to speak.

Is the age of Battlestar Gallactica coming faster then we thought?  Are we looking for another place to live?  NASA has a telescope that will be looking for more Earth-like Planets in the universe. This is kinda cool, but its ringing total sci-fi right now too!  A little BSG, Firefly, and even Stargate…wow…I knew I loved sci-fi, but the reality is kinda cool too!

LOL..you gotta love Taipei. In a move to increase economic spending and travel, they held a raffle for the right to use an uninhabited tropical island. Sounds sweet right!  I wouldnt mind having my on island to relax on…for awhile anyways (id prob get more island fever). The funny thing is that the winner is a 4 year old boy! How is a 4 year old suppose to boost the economy, let alone understand that he won an island!? Oh well…

Well im off to twitter…im addicted to that too…

Later!

In loving memory of a friend…. February 28, 2009

Ocho Cino and one of his antics

Well its been a long week, and it ended on a rough note.  I found out my football APSI buddy passed away from cancer, and now im sad.  We wont be able to have another Packer/Cincy party and thats depressing.  I wish I was able to go home for the funeral, but alas its too far and too expensive, and grad school is getting in the way, so ill mourn from afar. The sad thing is that I will never get to hear him say that “we should move Chad Johnson to Dayton…we should move the Cincinnati Bengals to Dayton” and I will never get to say “I dont thing Daytons ready for Chad.”  So in memory of him, tonights picture is of the problem causing, outlandish Ocho Cinco.

Tonight blog will be short and sweet.  I dont have much to say after this, sorry I havent blogged lately, but Ill step it up!

Later!

 

 

The loss of a Colt, a city I wouldnt live in, and women rule! February 23, 2009

My roomie Erik and his jumping obsession

Josh and Erik practicing their DUI skills

Josh and Erik practicing their DUI skills

Well the monotony of grad school has sunk in, but I am slowly dragging myself out of the lack of desire to do anything and am actually catching up on reading…which is a good thing!  Class went smooth today, and I am officially Mao’d out…any more reading on COIN (cointerinsurgency) theory this week and my head may explode, but some how I have to find a way to read about the Algerian War by monday.  My weekend was a little relaxing, but it was also full of reading and paper writing.  It could have been worse.  I spent some time hanging with the roomies, and I have included pics of them being goofballs…enjoy.

I have to love Obama for his naive simplistic views on things sometimes.  Apparently McCain approached Obama about the rising cost of some military expenditures, mainly the creation of a new wave of  Marine One helicopters from Lockhead Martin that will cost more than Air Force 1.  In response to the apparent need for a new helicopter Obama stated, ‘”the helicopter he has now seems adequate, adding that he never had a helicopter before and ‘maybe I’ve been deprived and I didn’t know it.’”   I would be the same way.  If I had one helicopter and never had one before I would be ecstatic…forget building me a new one!

Well women are once again superior to the males of this species!  When processing beauty, men use the right side of their brain, while us women use our entire brain! Apparently we  link beauty to all kinds of other aspects like sensory, linguistics, etc…while men see it as an object.  I have decided that women are just further along on the evolutionary process then men…it explains alot!

In football news…all you fantasy players out there…Marvin Harrison is no longer and Indy Colt…he has been listed as free agent after he refused to take a pay cut and no contract deals were struck.  Poor Jessie…her team is losing a great player!

After reading about some places in the world, I have  list, albeit small, of places I wouldnt like to live.  I have added the city of  Zhengzhou, China to the list.  Apparently public servants have been forbidden to wear bright colored clothes, and must match.  However, the real problem for me is that hairstyle must be simple and natural color.  I dont know if I could live somewhere I couldnt let my freak flag fly even a little!  I mean, I may decide I want my hair hot pink, purple, or black again….and I want that option to do it!

I know sometimes restaurants can give diners headaches, especially when there is lousy service or your bill is wrong, but taking it to the extent that a patron of a diner in Cyprus did may be extreme.  He apparently was angry at the bill and doused the place in Petrol, fired a shotgun, and threatened to t burn the place down (maybe not in that exact order). I think anger management may be in order for him otherwise his anger might kill him…literally.  A new study was done stating that anger can kill…cause  it leads to heart defects from stress.  So maybe burning a diner down over a bill isnt the best idea if it could potentially lead to a coronary heart attack!

Well Im off to watch some tv, and slowly fry my brain from watching Family Guy…

Later!

Contact Tvs, digital tattoos, and my irrational fear of tsunamis February 11, 2009

Did you miss your favorite tv show last night?  Dont have a DVR?  No where near a TV?  How about tv thats a contact!  Researchers have been working on a contact lens that is a tv.  Apparently it is powered off of your own body heat and will beam shows right before your eye…literally. As if this wasn’t futuristic enough, how about digital tattoos?! I know what you are thinking.  Why would anyone get a digitial tattoo instad of a real one with ink?  Or at least that was my thought.  But apparently digital tattoo is just a phrase, it really would allow wearers to literally feel the emotions that the move, music, etc wants you to feel. It is like a sensory manipulation chip….that may or  may not have a cool desgin! Alhough not in the manufacturing phase, some believe that in less then 10 years both option will be available.  I for one want a contact lens tv so that while in class I can watch Life and zone out on my professor.  J/K…kinda.

You know, I never really paid close attention to the earthquakes in Asia until I moved to Hawaii.  I mean I did read about them but there was no immediate concern flashing through my head as there is now.  Maybe its the Disaster class im currently taking, or maybe its knowing im on a tiny Island smaller than 1/2 the state of Ohio, but whenever I see or hear about an earthquake like the one in Indonesia my immediate thoughts flash to tsunami….Im not sure I would appreciate geting hit by a tsunami.  I may be higher up in the mountains and not on the beach, but it would still suck cause Honolulu airport is on the harbor and that would mean I would have no way off the island.  Im already getting island fever, and a tsunami wouldnt help.  Ok…i need to get off the tsunami thought train.

Gotta love Hawai’is addiction to the internet.  Not only can you have a doctors visit online now, but apparently the Honolulu City Council recently proposed the possibility of voting online.  Curently there is an investigation into reliability, and practicality of the voting options….i for one wouldn’t be surprised to see the option become a reality.   After all it would save money, trees, and be super cool!

As if the stuck Navy ship in the harbor isnt drama enough. In case you missed it, a naval cruise, Port Royal,  ran onto the reef in the Pearl Harbor area and got stuck.  No amount of unloading of materials helped re-float the ship and it is still stuck after multiple attempts to free it. The ships captain has been relieved of duties, and now the drama continues. Apparently the same cruiser failed to notify state officials that over 5000 gallons of raw sewage was released into the water. All I can say is that surfers may want to shower extra long and hard.

Sweet!  Cotton Candy is being used by scientists to regrow replacement tissue for people.  Missing skin, nerves, etc?  No problem!  Would you like bubble gum or fruit punch flavored replacements?

In case you missed the news.  Brett Favre has decided to retire..again.  Sorry Jets.  When you bought out the contract, you also bought the offseason drama.  We’ll see if in June he regrets his decision again.

Later!