It's good to pause, momentarily, and thank God (or whomever you think is responsible) for the good things in your life. I've got a loving, caring, beautiful wife, who is one of the two great cooks in my life (the other, of course, being Mom). They're pretty much tied for top spot in my mind. Mom is generous with her recipies - at least with us. The other day, she e-mailed me a recipie for chicken enchiladas that we'd had when we were in Idaho for Christmas. Reeta immediately made it with some turkey from the freezer, but the recipie was actually pretty big - so we made two pans - one to eat that night, and the other to eat tonight. It's sitting in the fridge right now, waiting to be called into action at a moment's notice. I'm thankful for enchiladas.
I've got a great, wonderful, smart little girl, who picks up on everything I do. For example, this morning I was playing a couple of quick rounds of UT2k4, when I let slip a "dammit". Claire, who was nearby, asked what that meant. I quickly explained that it was a bad word. "Is that the F word?" she asked? To her, everything is the F-word. "No, honey. It's not as bad as the F word. Which you shall never use. Except perhaps under the most dire of circumstances, which at this point are so dire and so unfathomable as to defy description, so you will never use the F word." Which summed that up. The other day, at the behest of a friend, she cut the hair off some of her Barbies. Now we have a couple of Annie Lennox dolls. She knew what she did was wrong, so that she hid the dolls, and when we were looking for something later that evening, she wouldn't let me look in the little dollhouse she keeps them in. I'm grateful for a smart child, even if her friend isn't so high on my list right now, though ;-).
I have physically survived yet another year of law school. Just one semester yet to go. I'm grateful to have survived, not so sure I'm grateful for impending graduation. I'm also thankful that I've had such great professors who have helped prepare me for the life ahead.
We have health and a roof over our heads (Thanks to Reeta managing apartments). We have food to eat, clean water, and friends. I'm grateful for my friends. In particular, I'm grateful for those people who have supported me and befriended me throughout my law school career. A special mention goes to "The Firm". A very special mention goes to my blogparents - Mellow Drama, who has helped me with template formatting, comments, writing, etc., and The Menagerie, who has helped me by being a great example, and a wonderful blogger besides. I'm grateful for all my friends.
I'm grateful for the country we live in. How many times do we hear "Only in America"?
But everyone's grateful for their friends, and their family. When do we get to hear the unique stuff? Okay. I'm grateful that this year I finally wore Reeta down enough that she allowed me to get a 'Cube. I'm also grateful for my GBA:SP. And Pokémon. And FFT:A. Both of them have been a ton of fun. And I'm exceedingly grateful that Naruto the animé series hasn't been licensed yet. I'm grateful for Netflix, and if the post is running today, I'll have three new discs sitting in my box - RahXephon, Samurai Jack, and The Day After Tomorrow (nothing says New Year's like the end of the world, baby!) I'm grateful for eBay. And for the Star Wars figures my Mom bought us for Christmas. I haven't opened them yet, but it's only a matter of time. And I'm thankful for the MPAA and the RIAA. After all, suing the end user means one thing: job security for the lawyers.
Happy New Year!
Friday
Wednesday
Radio Report 2
Several Technical Difficulties tonight. But I think I got most of the bugs worked out. Tonight I had two listeners for most of the time, my wife, and someone else. Thanks to you both! Here is where you can download JetAudio, which allows for real time IRC chat during the broadcast, requests, etc. Although I'm looking for something else, JetCast is free, and comes bundled with the JetAudio. It's got a lot of nice features, (chiefly, it allows me to broadcast, and it's free), although I wouldn't recommend it as a normal audio player - try Winamp for that.
Radio Report
Had one listener last night, for about 1 minute. A little disappointing, but better than none. Played some good tunes. I'll be broadcasting again tonight. Maybe I'll just be doing this til New Year.
Tuesday
Tonight's project
So, I've decided that over the break, I'd try to do a couple of hobbies. Tonight, I'm broadcasting over internet radio. Go to JetAudio between 9:00 and 10:00 PM, Pacific time, and select Original Sound Track. You should be able to find Mad Poet Radio there.
Tonight, and for the next couple of nights, I'll be playing the song list I listened to while I was taking finals. A lot of animé music, some other things. And I'm also looking for some good public domain stuff. I only wish I could find "The Gnats!" from BYU. (Man, that takes me back - "Psycho on the Loose with a Wiffle Ball Bat", and "Cruisin' for Beehives in Josh's Volvo" were particularly good.)
UPDATE: If you download JetAudio, and use that for the broadcast, you'll also get to join in on real time chat while you listen, but Winamp, Windows Media Player, etc., should all work.
Tonight, and for the next couple of nights, I'll be playing the song list I listened to while I was taking finals. A lot of animé music, some other things. And I'm also looking for some good public domain stuff. I only wish I could find "The Gnats!" from BYU. (Man, that takes me back - "Psycho on the Loose with a Wiffle Ball Bat", and "Cruisin' for Beehives in Josh's Volvo" were particularly good.)
UPDATE: If you download JetAudio, and use that for the broadcast, you'll also get to join in on real time chat while you listen, but Winamp, Windows Media Player, etc., should all work.
Friday
Friday Animé Sampler: news and Gankutsuo
AnimeSuki recently got a letter from a Tokyo law firm indicating that all animé from a certain producer needed to be removed - a Cease and Desist, despite the fact that the series are not licensed for distribution here in the states. Animesuki has complied with those demands.
In the meantime, Suprnova has disappeared, and the MPAA has started suing people who run Bit Torrent trackers. Is this the end of fansubbed animé being distributed through the net?
The landscape has certainly changed in the last two years. With the success of various animé series on Cartoon Network's adult swim, the increase in manga distribution here in the States, Animé Network, etc., etc., etc., we're seeing manga and animé distributed here in the States faster and more broadly. That doesn't mean this weekly primer will change, though. If anything, with the flood of stuff that's out there for people to watch, it's more important to direct people to quality anim&eacte and manga.
With that in mind, one of the series that was removed from AnimeSuki is a recent discovery of mine - "Gankutsuo", a sci-fi animé re-telling of The Count of Monte Cristo. Trippy. Trippy as all get out.
Currently up to episode ten. It's not available on AnimeSuki, and who knows if the fansub groups will be continuing to distribute it. There's some heavy implication that the Count is a Vampire (different color skin, pointy ears, fangs, you never see him eating...), but nothing confirmed yet. The story actually starts after the Chateau d'If, at the point where the Count saves young Albert from kidnapping during Carnival. Told primarily from Albert's point of view, Gankutsuo is not appropriate for children.
The animation style is really, really interesting also. Almost impressionistic. Keep your eyes open, hopefully this will be available here in the States soon.
In the meantime, Suprnova has disappeared, and the MPAA has started suing people who run Bit Torrent trackers. Is this the end of fansubbed animé being distributed through the net?
The landscape has certainly changed in the last two years. With the success of various animé series on Cartoon Network's adult swim, the increase in manga distribution here in the States, Animé Network, etc., etc., etc., we're seeing manga and animé distributed here in the States faster and more broadly. That doesn't mean this weekly primer will change, though. If anything, with the flood of stuff that's out there for people to watch, it's more important to direct people to quality anim&eacte and manga.
With that in mind, one of the series that was removed from AnimeSuki is a recent discovery of mine - "Gankutsuo", a sci-fi animé re-telling of The Count of Monte Cristo. Trippy. Trippy as all get out.
Currently up to episode ten. It's not available on AnimeSuki, and who knows if the fansub groups will be continuing to distribute it. There's some heavy implication that the Count is a Vampire (different color skin, pointy ears, fangs, you never see him eating...), but nothing confirmed yet. The story actually starts after the Chateau d'If, at the point where the Count saves young Albert from kidnapping during Carnival. Told primarily from Albert's point of view, Gankutsuo is not appropriate for children.
The animation style is really, really interesting also. Almost impressionistic. Keep your eyes open, hopefully this will be available here in the States soon.
The Annual Great Holiday Migration
was a success. Even though we didn't get out of Portland until much, much later than I thought we would, we made record time.
Only stopping twice for fuel and biological needs probably helped speed us on our way. As it is, we made it in less than 11 hours, over 700 miles. Wah-hoo. And the car we're renting is sa-weet. Until about hour 8, when you really need to just GET OUT!
Only stopping twice for fuel and biological needs probably helped speed us on our way. As it is, we made it in less than 11 hours, over 700 miles. Wah-hoo. And the car we're renting is sa-weet. Until about hour 8, when you really need to just GET OUT!
Wednesday
Explosive Decompression
All done.
Now I can relax. Play some 'Cube and GBA. With no guilt. At least, very little guilt. Maybe I can finish Cryptonomicon. And get through The Count of Monte Cristo (unabridged). And I'll get some much-needed exercise.
And I've got plans for something during the break. I'm not sure how many people will be interested in it, but it'll be a little break-hobby for me. Watch this space. But not tomorrow, as my head has probably already exploded, and I'm too tired to notice right now.
Now I can relax. Play some 'Cube and GBA. With no guilt. At least, very little guilt. Maybe I can finish Cryptonomicon. And get through The Count of Monte Cristo (unabridged). And I'll get some much-needed exercise.
And I've got plans for something during the break. I'm not sure how many people will be interested in it, but it'll be a little break-hobby for me. Watch this space. But not tomorrow, as my head has probably already exploded, and I'm too tired to notice right now.
Tuesday
I'm ready to finish this out.
It's tempting, though it would be ultimately self-destructive, to just take the Entertainment final tonight. You know, get it over with. Of course, I haven't reviewed, it's closed book, closed notes. I haven't looked at the material for two weeks. So it's not a very good idea.
But it's very, VERY tempting. Ethics went all right. Just the one left, and that's it for this year.
But it's very, VERY tempting. Ethics went all right. Just the one left, and that's it for this year.
In the Thick of It
Two down, two left, two days to take them in. Ethics (finally) today, and Entertainment tomorrow. Just found out that Entertainment is closed book, closed notes. That shouldn't be a huge problem, because it's mostly stuff I've covered in other classes (copyright, contract, trademark). But I do need to review.
Meanwhile, a friend of mine told me about a new series he said I need to watch. Talk about Fatal Distractions! Less than 48 hours... and I can watch all the anime I want... less than 48 hours...
Meanwhile, a friend of mine told me about a new series he said I need to watch. Talk about Fatal Distractions! Less than 48 hours... and I can watch all the anime I want... less than 48 hours...
Saturday
Homespun Symposium V
Every week, Homespun Bloggers posts a new question, and solicits responses from its members. I've been late on this one because of finals, and it's a hard question for me to really tackle.
What do you believe is necessarry for true racial reconciliation to take place in American society?
Does your solution involve coercive governmental remedies?
Do you believe that Churches have an important role to play in this process?
I really can't respond to this. I grew up in rural Idaho, and there wasn't a person much darker than a good tan for miles in any direction. The African-American people I know are smart, capable individuals. They should be - they're going to law school. I spent two years in some pretty rural areas of the Philippines, where the people I met were loving, kind, generous, and smart. Some of them were poor as dirt, but they had a real zest for life - something I don't mind admitting I'm a little envious of. I don't know, maybe there's a race war going on that I don't know of.
But as for Churches having an important role to play in the process of racial reconciliation? I'd say that the service of individuals, rendered lovingly and without expectation of reward, regardless of the organization behind it, is uplifting and edifying to both the server and the served. Churches can do things that bring people together in a community - get people side by side. Maybe they'll paint a widow's house. Maybe they're weeding and gardening the lawns of their respective churches. Maybe they're helping with the local Special Olympics. Service of those in need, regardless of their skin color, will help bring our communities and our country together, build tolerance and love, heal differences, and create the kind of national unity that has made us strong in the past, and will serve us well into the future.
And it doesn't have to be a Church involved. Community service groups of course can be non-denominational. But the involvement of a Church implies that there are other things going on. Most churches teach that God loves everyone. That we are all equal in the eyes of our Deity. They teach that we should "Do unto others" as we would have done to ourselves. The involvement of a church leads an individual to a rich spiritual life - a source of strength that the individual can rely upon as they're reaching out in service to others.
Homespun Bloggers have consistently given good responses to these questions, and I'm sure that this will be no exception.
Dagney's Rant
Mud and Phud
A Physicist's Perspective
Bunker Mulligan
Weapons of Mass Distraction
Ogre's Politics and Views
Slarrow
The Commons at Paulie's World - Paulie
Major Dad 1984
Little Red Blog
Redhunter
What do you believe is necessarry for true racial reconciliation to take place in American society?
Does your solution involve coercive governmental remedies?
Do you believe that Churches have an important role to play in this process?
I really can't respond to this. I grew up in rural Idaho, and there wasn't a person much darker than a good tan for miles in any direction. The African-American people I know are smart, capable individuals. They should be - they're going to law school. I spent two years in some pretty rural areas of the Philippines, where the people I met were loving, kind, generous, and smart. Some of them were poor as dirt, but they had a real zest for life - something I don't mind admitting I'm a little envious of. I don't know, maybe there's a race war going on that I don't know of.
But as for Churches having an important role to play in the process of racial reconciliation? I'd say that the service of individuals, rendered lovingly and without expectation of reward, regardless of the organization behind it, is uplifting and edifying to both the server and the served. Churches can do things that bring people together in a community - get people side by side. Maybe they'll paint a widow's house. Maybe they're weeding and gardening the lawns of their respective churches. Maybe they're helping with the local Special Olympics. Service of those in need, regardless of their skin color, will help bring our communities and our country together, build tolerance and love, heal differences, and create the kind of national unity that has made us strong in the past, and will serve us well into the future.
And it doesn't have to be a Church involved. Community service groups of course can be non-denominational. But the involvement of a Church implies that there are other things going on. Most churches teach that God loves everyone. That we are all equal in the eyes of our Deity. They teach that we should "Do unto others" as we would have done to ourselves. The involvement of a church leads an individual to a rich spiritual life - a source of strength that the individual can rely upon as they're reaching out in service to others.
Homespun Bloggers have consistently given good responses to these questions, and I'm sure that this will be no exception.
Dagney's Rant
Mud and Phud
A Physicist's Perspective
Bunker Mulligan
Weapons of Mass Distraction
Ogre's Politics and Views
Slarrow
The Commons at Paulie's World - Paulie
Major Dad 1984
Little Red Blog
Redhunter
[Listening to: Brothers - Michiru Oshima, BEPA - Fullmetal Alchemist OST 1 (4:05)]
Krauthammer pounds one home.
Just Leave Christmas Alone (washingtonpost.com) Registration required, but Krauthammer is worth it. This is one I couldn't have said better myself.
FINALS UPDATE: ADR tonight at 6:00 pm. Comfortably optimistic. Ethics Monday, probably 1:00 PM, and Entertainment Law Tuesday at 6:00PM or Wednesday at 1:00, and then you can stick a fork in me, baby, 'cause I will be DONE!
UPDATE: Link fixed, thanks!
FINALS UPDATE: ADR tonight at 6:00 pm. Comfortably optimistic. Ethics Monday, probably 1:00 PM, and Entertainment Law Tuesday at 6:00PM or Wednesday at 1:00, and then you can stick a fork in me, baby, 'cause I will be DONE!
UPDATE: Link fixed, thanks!
Thursday
Double Standards
The L.A. Times (registration required to get the full story) reports that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will introduce legislature today to regulate the sale of violent and graphic video games to minors. The bills would make it a misdemeanor to sell or rent sexually graphic or violent games to anyone younger than 18, punishable by as much as one year in prison and a $5,000 fine per offense. Retailers would have to label the games in a similar way to the "Parental Advisory" warning and stores would have to post signs explaining the video game rating system.
I'm frustrated by this. The ESRB has gotten awards on its rating system, and there's a lot of literature out there that seeks to educate parents on what things are rated. Video games had descriptors long before movies did, explaining why games were rated the way they were. Treating games differently than movies is wrong. If you want to block sales to minors, have the same kind of system in place for R-rated movies.
Plus, what ten-year old kid has $50.00 to go plunk down for GTA:San Andreas? Really?
Video games are getting more mature as the playing audience gets more mature, which is natural. I agree that I don't want Claire watching, much less playing, a game like Hitman, but I don't want her watching Assassins either.
More on this later - I've got stuff to study.
I'm frustrated by this. The ESRB has gotten awards on its rating system, and there's a lot of literature out there that seeks to educate parents on what things are rated. Video games had descriptors long before movies did, explaining why games were rated the way they were. Treating games differently than movies is wrong. If you want to block sales to minors, have the same kind of system in place for R-rated movies.
Plus, what ten-year old kid has $50.00 to go plunk down for GTA:San Andreas? Really?
Video games are getting more mature as the playing audience gets more mature, which is natural. I agree that I don't want Claire watching, much less playing, a game like Hitman, but I don't want her watching Assassins either.
More on this later - I've got stuff to study.
Wednesday
I am one sick puppy
Took the cyberlaw final tonight, and I have to say I think it's the most fun I've ever had in an exam. Good questions, and the ability to look stuff up during the exam on the internet. I could actually pull up statutes and do an analysis! Yee-haw! Can't say anything about it until after finals period is over (Christmas Eve), but I had a good time. I may go ahead and take ethics tomorrow afternoon, it depends on when I wake up tomorrow.
In the meantime, ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNO-TOAD!
In the meantime, ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNO-TOAD!
Taking the oh-so-precious time to explain...
See, it's not like I have a choice about freaking out. At this point in my life, I've been worrying so much and so long that if I don't have anything to worry about, it worries me.
Freaks Reeta out.
Yes, I'm living my life in a state of near-constant panic. At least for the next week.
Freaks Reeta out.
Yes, I'm living my life in a state of near-constant panic. At least for the next week.
One... More... Lecture...
I've been recording all my lectures for the last month. I really need to get through one more tonight, but maybe I'll just go to bed.
For those of you who are interested, I've just updated my PGP key, so you may need to get the new one, maybe not. I just updated the underlying subkey for encryption. I've uploaded new versions to various keyservers, but I don't know if they communicate with each other to update themselves, and how often they might do that. But now it's a 4096-bit key that's attached to my gmail, hotmail, and school e-mail addresses. One key fits all. Or perhaps it's one key to rule them all.
UPDATE: What this means is, my signature is still good, but if you're sending me something encrypted with my PGP key, you need to get the new one.
For those of you who are interested, I've just updated my PGP key, so you may need to get the new one, maybe not. I just updated the underlying subkey for encryption. I've uploaded new versions to various keyservers, but I don't know if they communicate with each other to update themselves, and how often they might do that. But now it's a 4096-bit key that's attached to my gmail, hotmail, and school e-mail addresses. One key fits all. Or perhaps it's one key to rule them all.
UPDATE: What this means is, my signature is still good, but if you're sending me something encrypted with my PGP key, you need to get the new one.
Tuesday
A quick breath, then back into it.
Putting off ethics until next week. I have no idea why I'm freaked about it, it's not like I can possibly fail the course even if I totally, completely, 100% bomb the exam. Maybe I'll take it Thursday. But tomorrow - Cyberlaw! And ADR at the end of the week, leaving Entertainment law for next week - probably Tuesday.
Note to self - next semester, sit closer to front of class to aid in getting good quality recordings. And review said recordings earlier than day before exam.
Also, the study reward that doesn't slow me down, but doesn't make me feel deprived is... Wario Ware Mega Micro Games for the GBA or GBA:SP. Five minutes of saving circus performers from certain destruction, and matching bricks in a pyramid, and I'm ready to head back into the tangles of cyberlaw. Excellent!
Note to self - next semester, sit closer to front of class to aid in getting good quality recordings. And review said recordings earlier than day before exam.
Also, the study reward that doesn't slow me down, but doesn't make me feel deprived is... Wario Ware Mega Micro Games for the GBA or GBA:SP. Five minutes of saving circus performers from certain destruction, and matching bricks in a pyramid, and I'm ready to head back into the tangles of cyberlaw. Excellent!
Saturday
Gmail, PGP, and the End to End Solution
Yeah, I should be studying. But before I head to the library to piece together my responses to the other two possible questions on the ethics exam I'll be taking tomorrow, I thought I'd perform a public service by explaining briefly how to get PGP working with Gmail using free tools. That's right. You can protect your privacy using free tools with Gmail.
WHAT I'M USING:
Windows XP
Thunderbird 1.0, available for download at www.mozilla.org.
Windows Privacy Tools, available for download at SourceForge. WinPT comes with an open source encryption program, GPG, which is compatible with PGP-style encryption.
Enigmail - an extension for Thunderbird that allows it to work with GPG. It's available at enigmail.mozdev.org.
Gmail. Let me know if you need an invitation. I've got a couple.
Download and install Thunderbird, and WinPT. WinPT will walk you through the process of creating a PGP compatible key for your gmail account. Instructions for setting up Thunderbird to read gmail (because it's pop3 compatible) are at gmail, under "Settings", "Forwarding and POP". Enable POP, and click on the Configuration instructions link.
Now download and install Enigmail. You'll probably have to download Enigmail to your hard drive, then open Thunderbird and go to "Tools"->"Extensions". Select the "install" button. Point it to the location where you saved Enigmail, and let it install Enigmail. Now restart Thunderbird.
When Thunderbird re-installs, you'll need to configure Enigmail. If it doesn't pull up a wizard to walk you through that, you can configure it through the new "Enigmail" menu. Select "Preferences". Enigmail needs to know where the GPG executable is. It should be in the same folder where WinPT was installed, in the GnuPG folder. If you installed it with default settings in a windows system, that's "c:\program files\Windows Privacy Tools\GnuPG\gpg.exe"
And that's it. You have an e-mail program that handles PGP compatible keys (Thunderbird and Enigmail), set to send and receive gmail.
UPDATE 1/17/05. This is by far the most popular post on this site. I'd like to know how useful these ideas and tools are. If you use this process, please let me know what you thought of it by sending me a quick email to zach *dot* ricks *at* gmail *dot* com. Likewise if you found this process difficult/impractical/non-functional. Thanks!
WHAT I'M USING:
Windows XP
Thunderbird 1.0, available for download at www.mozilla.org.
Windows Privacy Tools, available for download at SourceForge. WinPT comes with an open source encryption program, GPG, which is compatible with PGP-style encryption.
Enigmail - an extension for Thunderbird that allows it to work with GPG. It's available at enigmail.mozdev.org.
Gmail. Let me know if you need an invitation. I've got a couple.
Download and install Thunderbird, and WinPT. WinPT will walk you through the process of creating a PGP compatible key for your gmail account. Instructions for setting up Thunderbird to read gmail (because it's pop3 compatible) are at gmail, under "Settings", "Forwarding and POP". Enable POP, and click on the Configuration instructions link.
Now download and install Enigmail. You'll probably have to download Enigmail to your hard drive, then open Thunderbird and go to "Tools"->"Extensions". Select the "install" button. Point it to the location where you saved Enigmail, and let it install Enigmail. Now restart Thunderbird.
When Thunderbird re-installs, you'll need to configure Enigmail. If it doesn't pull up a wizard to walk you through that, you can configure it through the new "Enigmail" menu. Select "Preferences". Enigmail needs to know where the GPG executable is. It should be in the same folder where WinPT was installed, in the GnuPG folder. If you installed it with default settings in a windows system, that's "c:\program files\Windows Privacy Tools\GnuPG\gpg.exe"
And that's it. You have an e-mail program that handles PGP compatible keys (Thunderbird and Enigmail), set to send and receive gmail.
UPDATE 1/17/05. This is by far the most popular post on this site. I'd like to know how useful these ideas and tools are. If you use this process, please let me know what you thought of it by sending me a quick email to zach *dot* ricks *at* gmail *dot* com. Likewise if you found this process difficult/impractical/non-functional. Thanks!
Roaring Party
Had a great time last night. Steak was, unfortunately, about on a par with the chicken - crusted with black pepper and herbs. Garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans. Then, créme brulée. That was really good. I turned to my wife and told her I felt like I was on the Iron Chef. Then I launched into critique.
"The bitterness of the burnt sugar contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the underlying custard."
That had a guy at the table laughing out loud. "That is spot on!"
There was a raffle, based on beads around the wine glasses. (If you had a letter, you won). Neither of us won. But then the owner of the company came by, saying that she had a winning glass, and wanted to trade. Done and Done. $20.00 gift certificate to Fred Meyers. (I was hoping for the Kitchen-Aid mixer. Oh well.) Off we went to Freddie's to buy my parents' Christmas present. They read this, so I can't say what it is here.
So, it was a great time. Claire spent the night at a friend's house, so we came home to an empty house (except for the kitty). Then we walked over to Hollywood Video, and rented a couple of videos. And... I saw Returner for sale for $10.00. Yee-haw!
Expect a review later of the movie we rented. In between now and then, we're going to the show for Claire's B-day, and I'm gonna study somewhere in there.
"The bitterness of the burnt sugar contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the underlying custard."
That had a guy at the table laughing out loud. "That is spot on!"
There was a raffle, based on beads around the wine glasses. (If you had a letter, you won). Neither of us won. But then the owner of the company came by, saying that she had a winning glass, and wanted to trade. Done and Done. $20.00 gift certificate to Fred Meyers. (I was hoping for the Kitchen-Aid mixer. Oh well.) Off we went to Freddie's to buy my parents' Christmas present. They read this, so I can't say what it is here.
So, it was a great time. Claire spent the night at a friend's house, so we came home to an empty house (except for the kitty). Then we walked over to Hollywood Video, and rented a couple of videos. And... I saw Returner for sale for $10.00. Yee-haw!
Expect a review later of the movie we rented. In between now and then, we're going to the show for Claire's B-day, and I'm gonna study somewhere in there.
Friday
Friday Anime Primer: DBZ and Rah Xephon
Fridays are for fun (even in law school, and even during finals). So, without further ado, here's today's Anime Primer.
First, Son Goku, from Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT are the work of Akira Toriyama, world-renowned mangaka. (Manga writer/artist). The anime of Dragon Ball spans three series (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT). The original series features our Hero, Goku, as a kid searching for the magic Dragon Balls, which will grant the user one wish, once a year. But once the balls are used, they're spread throughout the earth, so you have to find them again. Goku turns out to be an alien sent from a civilization that wants to conquer the earth, we find out in the episodes, and he becomes the universe's greatest fighter ever. Goku himself is cheerful, enjoys a good fight almost as much as he enjoys a big dinner. A great big dinner. DragonBall, DragonBall Z and Dragonball GT videos and DVDs are available at your local retailer. DragonBall and DragonBall Z graphic novels are published here in the states by Shonen Jump.
Second, Rah Xephon
Rah Xephon is (described by one of my friends here at the school) what Neon Genesis: Evangelion COULD and SHOULD have been. Ayato is a boy living in Tokyo. He believes that civilization was destroyed in a great war some years past, leaving only the area immediately around Tokyo intact. When the city is attacked by strange looking jet fighters, and a super-weapon appears to destroy them, a strange girl leads him to an underground temple where a giant robot-like thing emerges from an egg, and the adventure goes on. Suffice to say, everything is not as it seems. Currently airing on The Anime Network (I see it on Comcast On Demand), and they're currently up to episode 5.
BTW, Anime Network is showing some pretty good stuff - there'll be future samplers on things I'm watching there, like Azumanga Daioh, and Chrono Crusade when it starts up. They're even running old Battle of the Planets episodes starting in January. Time to pass the popcorn... (after finals!)
First, Son Goku, from Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT are the work of Akira Toriyama, world-renowned mangaka. (Manga writer/artist). The anime of Dragon Ball spans three series (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT). The original series features our Hero, Goku, as a kid searching for the magic Dragon Balls, which will grant the user one wish, once a year. But once the balls are used, they're spread throughout the earth, so you have to find them again. Goku turns out to be an alien sent from a civilization that wants to conquer the earth, we find out in the episodes, and he becomes the universe's greatest fighter ever. Goku himself is cheerful, enjoys a good fight almost as much as he enjoys a big dinner. A great big dinner. DragonBall, DragonBall Z and Dragonball GT videos and DVDs are available at your local retailer. DragonBall and DragonBall Z graphic novels are published here in the states by Shonen Jump.
Second, Rah Xephon
Rah Xephon is (described by one of my friends here at the school) what Neon Genesis: Evangelion COULD and SHOULD have been. Ayato is a boy living in Tokyo. He believes that civilization was destroyed in a great war some years past, leaving only the area immediately around Tokyo intact. When the city is attacked by strange looking jet fighters, and a super-weapon appears to destroy them, a strange girl leads him to an underground temple where a giant robot-like thing emerges from an egg, and the adventure goes on. Suffice to say, everything is not as it seems. Currently airing on The Anime Network (I see it on Comcast On Demand), and they're currently up to episode 5.
BTW, Anime Network is showing some pretty good stuff - there'll be future samplers on things I'm watching there, like Azumanga Daioh, and Chrono Crusade when it starts up. They're even running old Battle of the Planets episodes starting in January. Time to pass the popcorn... (after finals!)
Reading Days
Had a nice walk with Reeta yesterday, up to the Post Office (uphill) and to Albertson's for butter (downhill - much nicer). Got to exercise tonight. And STUDY. But Reeta's company is doing their annual holiday banquet tonight - with S-T-E-A-K. And the possibility of big prizes. Reeta said that they gave her the choice of steak or chicken, and she thought "What? Why would someone choose Chicken when they could have Steak?" It just makes me wonder if the two are actually comparable in quality. You can have really bad steak (and I've had really bad steak), and you can have really good chicken (I'm thinking a roasted quarter with some garlic, herbs, and just a little butter would equate to at least a mid-grade steak - maybe even better).
I don't know - any thoughts?
And I swear I was going to study today. I had the best of intentions. Alas, now it appears that I am, indeed, on the road to hell. Good intentions actually give a nice ride, and the playlist (heavy on the Van Halen) is providing a nice soundtrack to the rolling countryside. It's been pretty steady here in the computer lab with people with computer problems. Not easy problems, most of them, but at least I was able to help a couple of people with their connections. Tomorrow - I'm going to the library to study cyberlaw.
I still have fudge, so if you can get here by 6:00 PM... Otherwise I'll have to take it home with me, and just wind up eating all of it myself, and gain even more weight. Ugh!
I don't know - any thoughts?
And I swear I was going to study today. I had the best of intentions. Alas, now it appears that I am, indeed, on the road to hell. Good intentions actually give a nice ride, and the playlist (heavy on the Van Halen) is providing a nice soundtrack to the rolling countryside. It's been pretty steady here in the computer lab with people with computer problems. Not easy problems, most of them, but at least I was able to help a couple of people with their connections. Tomorrow - I'm going to the library to study cyberlaw.
I still have fudge, so if you can get here by 6:00 PM... Otherwise I'll have to take it home with me, and just wind up eating all of it myself, and gain even more weight. Ugh!
The Mighty Chicken!
I don't know why my confidence is low on this exam, but I decided to wait until Monday for the ethics exam. That puts ethics on Monday, probably Cyberlaw on Tuesday, and one more on Friday, either Entertainment law or ADR, leaving one last exam for Tuesday of next week.
Still, I do have fudge. Everything's better with fudge.
Still, I do have fudge. Everything's better with fudge.
Thursday
Take your lumps
Citizen Smash has a great letter to Pablo Paredes, a young man who refused to board ship for his deployment. I've got a brother who will be graduating from medic training in Texas, then he'll be shipped out. We don't know where yet, though. He's got a wife and kid, but no matter where he's sent, I can't imagine him doing something like this.
Good luck, and God speed, Steve!
Good luck, and God speed, Steve!
Beware of Fans!
ABC News: Gunman Kills 4 at Ohio Heavy Metal Show
The first guy killed was the former Pantera guitarist, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. The gunman himself climbed on stage during the first song, apparently screamed something, and shot Abbott several times at close range. Then he shot a bouncer, and started shooting into the crowd, killing two. He had a hostage in a headlock, and looked like he was going to shoot that guy when he was himself shot by local police.
Think this will change the way concerts and venues operate? I can't help but think that this is another case of someone off his meds. My heart goes out to the families of the deceased, and the survivors, who may think twice before going to a concert in a small venue like the nightclub mentioned above. I wonder what the lawyers will do with this one.
h/t Google News
The first guy killed was the former Pantera guitarist, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. The gunman himself climbed on stage during the first song, apparently screamed something, and shot Abbott several times at close range. Then he shot a bouncer, and started shooting into the crowd, killing two. He had a hostage in a headlock, and looked like he was going to shoot that guy when he was himself shot by local police.
Think this will change the way concerts and venues operate? I can't help but think that this is another case of someone off his meds. My heart goes out to the families of the deceased, and the survivors, who may think twice before going to a concert in a small venue like the nightclub mentioned above. I wonder what the lawyers will do with this one.
h/t Google News
Fudge Alert!
Reeta is making fudge for a church function.
That means I'll have fudge on Friday.
I'm taking an ethics final that morning, and in the afternoon, I'll be in the computer lab. If you feel the need for finals fudge come on by. I'll take donations. (Send my family to the movies for Claire's Birthday!)
That means I'll have fudge on Friday.
I'm taking an ethics final that morning, and in the afternoon, I'll be in the computer lab. If you feel the need for finals fudge come on by. I'll take donations. (Send my family to the movies for Claire's Birthday!)
Tuesday
Fractured Lenses
Homespun Bloggers question for this week comes from Arthur Chrenkoff.
The difference is one of perspective. Most people have seen the picture of the old lady/young woman, and how the picture changes for you depending on your point of view. I think that the current war on terror is an exercise in that same vein on a global scale. Keep in mind that countries, governments, etc., are made up of people, and everyone has their own read on a situation.
I think what they're looking at, what is driving this schism in politics is NOT, in fact, the war on terror.
I think it's the U.S.
To some, the U.S. is a largely benevolent culture. We've got a thriving economy, out of which we pay millions in foreign aid. Our universities and educational institutions are, by and large, the envy of the world, and centers of invention and innovation. Our military strength is unquestioned. We allow our citizens a huge amount of freedom to do what they want, and go where they want. To these people, the U.S. is good, and its way of life should be defended.
To others, the U.S. is a parasite - a sinkhole of consumerism. We take up more resources, our citizens are viewed as uncaring about other countries and peoples. Our culture spreads like a virus - we spawned McDonald's and let it and all its commercial brethren loose on an unsuspecting world. Our military is seen as a possible tool of aggressive imperialistic expansion. To these people, the U.S. is evil, and it was only a matter of time until something happened.
That something being 9/11. When the towers came down, there was a tremendous outpouring of sympathy from all sides. Of course there was. For pro-Americans, it was a time of horrible loss. For anti-Americans, perhaps it was an unfortunate price tag on humbling the Americans. And people saw that as a coming together. And when we attacked Afghanistan, that was on the one hand, just retribution for an act of war, and on the other, it was part of that price tag. Someone had to take the fall.
When we decided to invade Iraq, and actually make this a war on terror, anti-Americans realized that we hadn't been cowed or humbled. We'd been incensed. And when they realized that the U.S. was going to continue to pursue an anti-terror war, they were even more convinced that we were pure, unadulterated evil. Hence the division we see today, and the effort of anti-Americans to remove the justifications for the war in Iraq - the lack of reporting on the Iraq Oil-For-Food scandal, the lack of mention of Saddam's funding of Palestinian terror, and the lack of reminding the people of the U.S. that Saddam was just waiting for the sanctions to be lifted so he could become a nuclear power. And instead, we get Abu Ghraib reporting for months on end, and shots of Marines in combat situations taken out of context.
This schism will only be rectified when the U.S. finally drowns in a sea of self-loathing, and we withdraw from the world stage in a flurry of placation. Here's hoping that day never comes.
I try to make a point not to read others' responses before putting my own down, it'll be interesting to see how my ideas compare. Here's the other responses so far:
Mud and Phud
Dagney's Rant
A Physicist's Perspective
Bunker Mulligan
Chrenkoff
Nathan Hale at Paulie's World
Radical Centrist
Redhunter
Litle Red Blog
The war on terror and the war in Iraq have caused deep fissures through the international political landscape, but arguably not simply and predictably "left" versus "right"; after all, President Bush is allied with a social democrat Tony Blair and ex-communists of Eastern Europe, while the anti-war coalition is also a motley crew of American and British paleo-conservatives, European right (France) and left (Germany) and many others.
So what does it all mean? What is the new divide in international politics? And will it last?
The difference is one of perspective. Most people have seen the picture of the old lady/young woman, and how the picture changes for you depending on your point of view. I think that the current war on terror is an exercise in that same vein on a global scale. Keep in mind that countries, governments, etc., are made up of people, and everyone has their own read on a situation.
I think what they're looking at, what is driving this schism in politics is NOT, in fact, the war on terror.
I think it's the U.S.
To some, the U.S. is a largely benevolent culture. We've got a thriving economy, out of which we pay millions in foreign aid. Our universities and educational institutions are, by and large, the envy of the world, and centers of invention and innovation. Our military strength is unquestioned. We allow our citizens a huge amount of freedom to do what they want, and go where they want. To these people, the U.S. is good, and its way of life should be defended.
To others, the U.S. is a parasite - a sinkhole of consumerism. We take up more resources, our citizens are viewed as uncaring about other countries and peoples. Our culture spreads like a virus - we spawned McDonald's and let it and all its commercial brethren loose on an unsuspecting world. Our military is seen as a possible tool of aggressive imperialistic expansion. To these people, the U.S. is evil, and it was only a matter of time until something happened.
That something being 9/11. When the towers came down, there was a tremendous outpouring of sympathy from all sides. Of course there was. For pro-Americans, it was a time of horrible loss. For anti-Americans, perhaps it was an unfortunate price tag on humbling the Americans. And people saw that as a coming together. And when we attacked Afghanistan, that was on the one hand, just retribution for an act of war, and on the other, it was part of that price tag. Someone had to take the fall.
When we decided to invade Iraq, and actually make this a war on terror, anti-Americans realized that we hadn't been cowed or humbled. We'd been incensed. And when they realized that the U.S. was going to continue to pursue an anti-terror war, they were even more convinced that we were pure, unadulterated evil. Hence the division we see today, and the effort of anti-Americans to remove the justifications for the war in Iraq - the lack of reporting on the Iraq Oil-For-Food scandal, the lack of mention of Saddam's funding of Palestinian terror, and the lack of reminding the people of the U.S. that Saddam was just waiting for the sanctions to be lifted so he could become a nuclear power. And instead, we get Abu Ghraib reporting for months on end, and shots of Marines in combat situations taken out of context.
This schism will only be rectified when the U.S. finally drowns in a sea of self-loathing, and we withdraw from the world stage in a flurry of placation. Here's hoping that day never comes.
I try to make a point not to read others' responses before putting my own down, it'll be interesting to see how my ideas compare. Here's the other responses so far:
Mud and Phud
Dagney's Rant
A Physicist's Perspective
Bunker Mulligan
Chrenkoff
Nathan Hale at Paulie's World
Radical Centrist
Redhunter
Litle Red Blog
Personal Best
Posting here will be light over the next few weeks: finals. But I was doing some reading today, and listening to OCRemix versions of one of my favorite games ever: Square's classic SNES RPG, Chrono Trigger. There are so many great moments in that game it's impossible to list all of them. But I can at least mention a few of my favorite gaming moments. Not a long list, not complete, and not based on anything but my own personal experience/taste/whathaveyou.
Chrono Trigger: The first Lavos battle in the Kingdom of Zeal, 12,000 BC. That fight, and its surprising ending was a huge shock. The resolution of that situation is absolutely awesome. Likewise, there's a moment in Chrono Cross that's foreshadowed in the opening sequence which, when you see it in the gameplay, makes the ominous feeling you get from the foreshadow pay off in a big way. Still waiting for Chrono Trigger to come to the GBA.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Ah yes, the infamous twist. Who would have thought? And the cutscene that goes back to earlier conversations you had just makes sense as all the pieces fit together.
Soul Calibur 2: Playing this with Claire is just a lot of fun. Usually, betting is an integral part of our SC2 play. "If I win, I get to eat your ice cream sandwich!" "No!" "If you win, then you can stay up as late as you want." "Ummmm..." I always end up letting her have the ice cream sandwich anyway.
I'll update this as more come to mind.
Chrono Trigger: The first Lavos battle in the Kingdom of Zeal, 12,000 BC. That fight, and its surprising ending was a huge shock. The resolution of that situation is absolutely awesome. Likewise, there's a moment in Chrono Cross that's foreshadowed in the opening sequence which, when you see it in the gameplay, makes the ominous feeling you get from the foreshadow pay off in a big way. Still waiting for Chrono Trigger to come to the GBA.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Ah yes, the infamous twist. Who would have thought? And the cutscene that goes back to earlier conversations you had just makes sense as all the pieces fit together.
Soul Calibur 2: Playing this with Claire is just a lot of fun. Usually, betting is an integral part of our SC2 play. "If I win, I get to eat your ice cream sandwich!" "No!" "If you win, then you can stay up as late as you want." "Ummmm..." I always end up letting her have the ice cream sandwich anyway.
I'll update this as more come to mind.
Monday
A Grand Time was Had By All
Last night was the annual Law School staff holiday Party. It's the first time I've ever been invited to it, and it was fun. I got to interact with a couple of profs in a more social environment, see their families, and talk gaming with a couple of people. Good turkey, and the salad wasn't bad, but the rest of dinner was fairly regrettable. Except for the Tillamook ice cream. Awful hard to screw up Tillamook ice cream. I mean, sure, it's no Magnolia (Ice Cream of the Philippines! Try the Corn Cream flavor! Or the Surprisingly Good Purple Sweet Potato), nor is it Bluebell (a nod to the Texans in the crowd), but it's a good ice cream.
Claire and Reeta got their faces painted. And though Reeta tried really really hard to get me to do the same thing, I was able to successfully emerge with my face unpainted. In the process, I realized that I really do know what my Indian name is: Stick-in-Mud. (Trust me, it's better than my college roommate's name, "Screams-Like-A-Woman").
Just prior to the event, I got a huge distraction out of the way. I finished Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Took me about a week of good hard game play to get that done. And I'll admit I had to go through one scene a couple of times to get the ending I wanted. The one annoying thing about the ending was, unfortunately, the end sequence when they pinned a medal on my character. They kept going on about me being "the savior of the galaxy", and telling my story from the "Core to the Outer Rim". And I kept saying, out loud to the computer, "Oh, that's really not necessary".
"We'll tell the story of the Prodigal Knight"...
"Oh, I'd really rather you didn't."
"Here's the Cross of Glory"
"I assume this comes with a large cash prize...? What? No check? Okay, well, I'm taking the ship, then. And don't come knocking on the ramp next time you need the Universe saved unless you've got one of those great big cardboard checks with a lot of zeros on it. I mean, a LOT of zeros".
Jedi's gotta pay the bills, too. Know what I mean?
UPDATE: Name of Texan ice cream fixed.
Claire and Reeta got their faces painted. And though Reeta tried really really hard to get me to do the same thing, I was able to successfully emerge with my face unpainted. In the process, I realized that I really do know what my Indian name is: Stick-in-Mud. (Trust me, it's better than my college roommate's name, "Screams-Like-A-Woman").
Just prior to the event, I got a huge distraction out of the way. I finished Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Took me about a week of good hard game play to get that done. And I'll admit I had to go through one scene a couple of times to get the ending I wanted. The one annoying thing about the ending was, unfortunately, the end sequence when they pinned a medal on my character. They kept going on about me being "the savior of the galaxy", and telling my story from the "Core to the Outer Rim". And I kept saying, out loud to the computer, "Oh, that's really not necessary".
"We'll tell the story of the Prodigal Knight"...
"Oh, I'd really rather you didn't."
"Here's the Cross of Glory"
"I assume this comes with a large cash prize...? What? No check? Okay, well, I'm taking the ship, then. And don't come knocking on the ramp next time you need the Universe saved unless you've got one of those great big cardboard checks with a lot of zeros on it. I mean, a LOT of zeros".
Jedi's gotta pay the bills, too. Know what I mean?
UPDATE: Name of Texan ice cream fixed.
Friday
Note to sensitive readers
Yeah, I know the robot picture below is too big.
So?
UPDATE: Okay, so it wasn't showing the blog correctly with IE. Robot picture has now been fixed.
So?
UPDATE: Okay, so it wasn't showing the blog correctly with IE. Robot picture has now been fixed.
Friday Animé Sampler: Samples A-Go-Go
Fridays are for fun, and because I missed last week's Friday Animé Sampler, I thought I'd make up for it today by doing an authentic sampler.
It's honestly been a while since I had time to sit down and watch some animé (I'm in law school!).
From Gundam Seed, and Gundam Seed: Destiny, Athrun Zala - friend of Kira Yamato, the hero of the series, Athrun is actually fighting against Kira in the original series, after having pledged never to go to war. That changed, however, when the Earth military killed his mother in a brutal nuclear strike on an orbiting space colony. That attack sparked the war Kira gets involved with in Gundam Seed. When Kira kills one of Athrun's friends in a battle (in self-defence), Athrun goes a little nuts, rams Kira's Gundam with his own, and hits the self-destruct - ejecting just in time to save himself. Later, though, they make up. Gundam is like that.
From GitS:SAC, Aramaki. He's the head honcho of Section 9, and probably one of the most formidable minds in fiction. The two lessons you take away from GitS:SAC are typically, don't mess with the Major, and BTW, don't mess with Aramaki either. A strict sense of honor, a sharp mind, the unswerving loyalty of a group of largely amoral cyborgs, Aramaki's got a lot going for him, and he can get the dirt on just about anyone.
From Naruto, Sakura. Naruto has a crush on her, she has a crush on Sasuke, and Sasuke has a crush on... well... killing his brother. Long story. Reeta's consistently frustrated by the fact that she seems so much weaker than the other two members of her team, but immediately following this picture (from ep 103), she turns around and rips the mast out of the floor of the boat, and uses it to swat five or six bad guys. Heretofore unknown legendary strength. Probably a +4 modifier on D&D stats at least. Also arguably the most intelligent member of her team.
And for you old schoolers out there.
Here's a Destroid from Robotech. I used to have one of these as a kid. I believe it's an "Excalibur". Unfortunately, they're not as mobile or as useful as a Veritech Fighter, but just look at the size of those guns. This was one of several models used by FASA when they did their "Battletech" series. They were then sued by the makers of Robotech, and were forced to come up with some new designs of their own. (I believe the Vulture and MadCat models are also modified Robotech robots. See them here.)
It's honestly been a while since I had time to sit down and watch some animé (I'm in law school!).
From Gundam Seed, and Gundam Seed: Destiny, Athrun Zala - friend of Kira Yamato, the hero of the series, Athrun is actually fighting against Kira in the original series, after having pledged never to go to war. That changed, however, when the Earth military killed his mother in a brutal nuclear strike on an orbiting space colony. That attack sparked the war Kira gets involved with in Gundam Seed. When Kira kills one of Athrun's friends in a battle (in self-defence), Athrun goes a little nuts, rams Kira's Gundam with his own, and hits the self-destruct - ejecting just in time to save himself. Later, though, they make up. Gundam is like that.
From GitS:SAC, Aramaki. He's the head honcho of Section 9, and probably one of the most formidable minds in fiction. The two lessons you take away from GitS:SAC are typically, don't mess with the Major, and BTW, don't mess with Aramaki either. A strict sense of honor, a sharp mind, the unswerving loyalty of a group of largely amoral cyborgs, Aramaki's got a lot going for him, and he can get the dirt on just about anyone.
From Naruto, Sakura. Naruto has a crush on her, she has a crush on Sasuke, and Sasuke has a crush on... well... killing his brother. Long story. Reeta's consistently frustrated by the fact that she seems so much weaker than the other two members of her team, but immediately following this picture (from ep 103), she turns around and rips the mast out of the floor of the boat, and uses it to swat five or six bad guys. Heretofore unknown legendary strength. Probably a +4 modifier on D&D stats at least. Also arguably the most intelligent member of her team.
And for you old schoolers out there.
Here's a Destroid from Robotech. I used to have one of these as a kid. I believe it's an "Excalibur". Unfortunately, they're not as mobile or as useful as a Veritech Fighter, but just look at the size of those guns. This was one of several models used by FASA when they did their "Battletech" series. They were then sued by the makers of Robotech, and were forced to come up with some new designs of their own. (I believe the Vulture and MadCat models are also modified Robotech robots. See them here.)
Thursday
Response
Taranto has a great comment in today's Best of the Web responding to the piece I commented on yesterday re: Democrats feeling like battered wives. The comment is from David Bricker, who says that he's a "psychologist who specializes in marital therapy". Since there isn't a link to it, I'm reposting here what Taranto has.
Gilles takes the position that the Democrats are looking a lot like a battered wife, and there is something to this. Some of the behaviors do overlap. But the logic breaks down immediately. Gilles sets it up so that the partner in this analogy is the Republicans, who defeated them. And she suggests that the 56 million Kerry voters form a kind of really big support group to get by. But where does this lead? And specifically what are they going to do about the next election? Is Gilles suggesting that they secede and only deal with good folks like themselves? Because if they come back to contest the next election, they are going back to the abusive spouse, something that no one in the domestic violence field is ever going to feel too good about.
A better analogy is that the partner is the country as a whole. The marital analogy is a good one if we see the Democrats as the rejected spouse and the U.S. as the rejecter. This makes much more sense. The insistence on recounts is like the husband who stalks his ex-wife, who doesn't understand what "no" means. The denial, the rationalizations, the vilification, the aimless depression are all typical of someone who's in the early stages of rejection and can't figure out what to do next. Likewise, Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton experimenting with finding religion look a lot like someone trying anything to get the partner back. "Maybe if I get a hairpiece, she'll come home."
Gilles also errs in assuming that since the Democrats are acting battered that someone must be battering them. It doesn't work that way. As the saying goes, "If you walk around with a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail." Closer to home, if you walk around with control issues everyone looks like a bully.
Wednesday
Not in the Face!
Taranto's Best of the Web turned my attention to this article, where we're told that Democrats are like the beaten wives in an abusive marriage. That they have a mandate to be as radical, liberal, and steadfast as they want to. That there is nothing wrong with them, and that they are... well... right.
"You must admit you are a victim" claims this article. And that is, bar none, the biggest, stuipdest, outright shameful excuse of a lie that I have ever heard. You fought hard, you fought well. You lost. There's another game in a couple of years. Pick yourselves up, dust yourselves off, and fight again. But to claim that you are a victim casts yourselves in a position where you have no power. "We didn't lose, someone did this to us!" That's a cop out. It's a lie. It's giving up. And it's totally wrong.
If I'm playing a game with someone and I lose (something that happens with amazing regularity when playing MtG:Online), it's easy to get discouraged. But you can't do that. You can go back, and see how you were beaten. Maybe it wasn't in the cards. Maybe the other person just had a better hand. Maybe you made a stupid mistake. Maybe the other guy made a mistake, and you failed to pick up on it. Figure it out. Build a better deck. Get back in the game.
And enjoy the game. Life's too short not to love what you're doing. Who loves being a victim? Nobody. At least, no healthy person I know. Who enjoys running around filled with rage and hate all the time? Again, no healthy person I know does that. Winning and losing both require a measure of dignity, respect, and grace. Show that you have them, and you'll do better next time. On the other hand, wrap yourself in the victim title long enough, and people will start to believe it. Is that what you really want?
"You must admit you are a victim" claims this article. And that is, bar none, the biggest, stuipdest, outright shameful excuse of a lie that I have ever heard. You fought hard, you fought well. You lost. There's another game in a couple of years. Pick yourselves up, dust yourselves off, and fight again. But to claim that you are a victim casts yourselves in a position where you have no power. "We didn't lose, someone did this to us!" That's a cop out. It's a lie. It's giving up. And it's totally wrong.
If I'm playing a game with someone and I lose (something that happens with amazing regularity when playing MtG:Online), it's easy to get discouraged. But you can't do that. You can go back, and see how you were beaten. Maybe it wasn't in the cards. Maybe the other person just had a better hand. Maybe you made a stupid mistake. Maybe the other guy made a mistake, and you failed to pick up on it. Figure it out. Build a better deck. Get back in the game.
And enjoy the game. Life's too short not to love what you're doing. Who loves being a victim? Nobody. At least, no healthy person I know. Who enjoys running around filled with rage and hate all the time? Again, no healthy person I know does that. Winning and losing both require a measure of dignity, respect, and grace. Show that you have them, and you'll do better next time. On the other hand, wrap yourself in the victim title long enough, and people will start to believe it. Is that what you really want?
Barbarians at the Gates
This week's question from Homespun bloggers comes from Bill's Big Bloviating Blog. The question is "What, in your mind, represents the single greatest long-term threat to the United States of America, and what should be done about it?"
The single greatest threat to the United States is the corruption of our ideals. Moral relativism makes it extremely difficult to argue against things like terrorism. "Oh", say the moral relativists, "from their point of view, blowing up that bus full of civilians was justified." Moral relativism has become the ultimate goal. It has replaced, for some, any sense of right and wrong. In fact, it becomes the measure of right and wrong. Now, the "right" view is the one that rejects "old-fashioned" ideas of right and wrong. And anyone who holds to those ideals is wrong, dangerous, a radical. Or a bigoted redneck. Or a brainless idiot on the intellectual level with paramecium. Take your pick.
My favorite poem of all time is Rudyard Kipling's "The Gods of the Copybook Headings". With what I regard as amazing prescience, Kipling attacks the "religions" of pacifism, sexual revolution, and socialism/entitlement. My fear for this country is that we're heading into a moral morass which will rob us of our will to defend ourselves. And, to quote the last bit of Kipling,
"And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return."
What do we do about this? It seems that the forces that are pushing us toward relativism are well organized. They're in our schools. They're lobbying Washington. They're holding protests and rallies. Do we organize? Do we fight protest with protest? Can we even protest if we're in the majority (as I think people generally don't ascribe to views of moral relativism)?
I don't know. But I think talking about it (both here and in realspace) is a good place to start.
Read the other answers listed here. Lots of great thoughts on this question.
The single greatest threat to the United States is the corruption of our ideals. Moral relativism makes it extremely difficult to argue against things like terrorism. "Oh", say the moral relativists, "from their point of view, blowing up that bus full of civilians was justified." Moral relativism has become the ultimate goal. It has replaced, for some, any sense of right and wrong. In fact, it becomes the measure of right and wrong. Now, the "right" view is the one that rejects "old-fashioned" ideas of right and wrong. And anyone who holds to those ideals is wrong, dangerous, a radical. Or a bigoted redneck. Or a brainless idiot on the intellectual level with paramecium. Take your pick.
My favorite poem of all time is Rudyard Kipling's "The Gods of the Copybook Headings". With what I regard as amazing prescience, Kipling attacks the "religions" of pacifism, sexual revolution, and socialism/entitlement. My fear for this country is that we're heading into a moral morass which will rob us of our will to defend ourselves. And, to quote the last bit of Kipling,
"And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return."
What do we do about this? It seems that the forces that are pushing us toward relativism are well organized. They're in our schools. They're lobbying Washington. They're holding protests and rallies. Do we organize? Do we fight protest with protest? Can we even protest if we're in the majority (as I think people generally don't ascribe to views of moral relativism)?
I don't know. But I think talking about it (both here and in realspace) is a good place to start.
Read the other answers listed here. Lots of great thoughts on this question.
Monday
Art
Claire just brought me a book of pictures! It was really cute. I opened the book, and she told me what each one is. "Flower"... "Princess"... "Princess"... "Alcoholic"...
?!?!?!?!
"Alcoholic?"
"Yeah, remember when that guy got chopped up?"
?!!?!!?!!?!!
After a little investigation, it was a picture of someone whose cells were being destroyed by alcohol. Reeta told her that alcohol kills brain cells, and she thought it destroyed ALL your cells. Understanding has been clarified (I hope).
?!?!?!?!
"Alcoholic?"
"Yeah, remember when that guy got chopped up?"
?!!?!!?!!?!!
After a little investigation, it was a picture of someone whose cells were being destroyed by alcohol. Reeta told her that alcohol kills brain cells, and she thought it destroyed ALL your cells. Understanding has been clarified (I hope).
O'Reilley comes to Rather's defense
Bill O'Reilley says some things about Dan Rather's fall, ascribing it in a large degree to bloggers and blogging. While I agree that the smear machine is alive and well on the 'Net, and maybe the bloggers were harshly critical of Dan Rather, but what SHOULD be the outcome of this fiasco?
Dan Rather stepping down may be the most public part of the fallout, but the producers behind him, those who had more responsibility, and failed miserably at their posts, need to be removed also.
And saying that this is unfair freedom of speech is also wrong. I don't know if Rather knowingly approved what he knew to be false documents. He probably didn't. My understanding is, though, that he later personally vouched for their authenticity. When they were shown to be forgeries, his credibility became critically ill. Moreover, where is the fairness in allowing forgeries to be broadcast to the world as fact without a response? Unfair freedom of speech? Hardly. The more you read and write in this online world, I think the better you get at telling the rabid vitriolic rumor mongers from the thoughtful commentators.
Not that I think that Bill is a rabid, vitriolic rumor monger for his assertions.
I just think that in this case, he's wrong.
h/t Drudge.
Dan Rather stepping down may be the most public part of the fallout, but the producers behind him, those who had more responsibility, and failed miserably at their posts, need to be removed also.
And saying that this is unfair freedom of speech is also wrong. I don't know if Rather knowingly approved what he knew to be false documents. He probably didn't. My understanding is, though, that he later personally vouched for their authenticity. When they were shown to be forgeries, his credibility became critically ill. Moreover, where is the fairness in allowing forgeries to be broadcast to the world as fact without a response? Unfair freedom of speech? Hardly. The more you read and write in this online world, I think the better you get at telling the rabid vitriolic rumor mongers from the thoughtful commentators.
Not that I think that Bill is a rabid, vitriolic rumor monger for his assertions.
I just think that in this case, he's wrong.
h/t Drudge.
Evolution Retraction
Looks like N.Z. Bear got my e-mail, and my blog is no longer linking to itself. (Accursed mirror pages!) So, where I was once a Large Mammal (an extremely self-referencing one), now I am back to being an Adorable Little Rodent. Which is fine. It just wasn't sitting right with me that I was higher in the evolutionary chain than Mellow-Drama, who's been doing this for years, when I've only been around about nine months.
Okay, so maybe Adorable Rodent IS higher than Flappy Bird. But not much.
Okay, so maybe Adorable Rodent IS higher than Flappy Bird. But not much.
On the idea of a Republic...
The in-laws have been here for almost the whole weekend, they're all leaving tomorrow. They've been watching a lot of Star Wars. We got the DVD set a while ago, and they've been watching the different documentaries, and whatnot. We also opened Christmas presents, because we won't be able to get together to do it in December. Corbin got a Darth Vader Voice Changing Helmet. When he saw it, he tackled his Mom while professing his love profusely.
I got a copy of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Sort of dangerous to have this close to finals, but... what the hey. Suffice it to say I've been marinating in a galaxy far, far away. And I've got to say, I love all of the Star Wars movies. Always have, always will. People joke about Jar-Jar. I just ignore him, mostly. I loved The Pantom Menace, because it let you see how Sidious pulled the wool over everyone's eyes. People walked out of that movie thinking the good guys won. And they couldn't have been more wrong. I loved Attack of the Clones. I enjoyed seeing the foundation of the Empire start to appear. I've been listening to the music, I was up late the last couple nights playing KOTOR, it's been a fun weekend.
Interestng thing about KotOR; as you travel from area to area, a loading screen will pop up, and an interesting factoid about the characters, or about the Star Wars Universe in general. One in particular that I found interesting was its claim that the Republic is just a loose alliance of worlds who use an agreed upon currency, and trade laws. Sounds a little familiar, doesn't it? (Implied winking and nodding in the general direction of the EU inserted here). It struck me as a really bad way to run things, at least on a galactic scale, because the currency doesn't necessarily reflect the strength of the economy underneath it. There's no exchange rate - no market in currency. (Yes, I am quite possibly one of the world's biggest nerds).
Of course, we all know how well that Republic thing worked out, right? Internecine warfare, over thousands of years, occasional Sith Lords, blockades, etc., etc., etc.
UPDATE: Okay, maybe there were alternative currencies. Recall Phantom Menace, where Watto was asking for something more "real" than Republic credits - and also said that mind tricks didn't work on him, only money. There's also the cost of a lizard treat at the store - measured in "wupiupi", or something like that. So, perhaps there were alternative currencies used in areas where the Republic had less influence, like Hutt-dominated Tatooine. (Nerd sense tingling...)
I got a copy of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Sort of dangerous to have this close to finals, but... what the hey. Suffice it to say I've been marinating in a galaxy far, far away. And I've got to say, I love all of the Star Wars movies. Always have, always will. People joke about Jar-Jar. I just ignore him, mostly. I loved The Pantom Menace, because it let you see how Sidious pulled the wool over everyone's eyes. People walked out of that movie thinking the good guys won. And they couldn't have been more wrong. I loved Attack of the Clones. I enjoyed seeing the foundation of the Empire start to appear. I've been listening to the music, I was up late the last couple nights playing KOTOR, it's been a fun weekend.
Interestng thing about KotOR; as you travel from area to area, a loading screen will pop up, and an interesting factoid about the characters, or about the Star Wars Universe in general. One in particular that I found interesting was its claim that the Republic is just a loose alliance of worlds who use an agreed upon currency, and trade laws. Sounds a little familiar, doesn't it? (Implied winking and nodding in the general direction of the EU inserted here). It struck me as a really bad way to run things, at least on a galactic scale, because the currency doesn't necessarily reflect the strength of the economy underneath it. There's no exchange rate - no market in currency. (Yes, I am quite possibly one of the world's biggest nerds).
Of course, we all know how well that Republic thing worked out, right? Internecine warfare, over thousands of years, occasional Sith Lords, blockades, etc., etc., etc.
UPDATE: Okay, maybe there were alternative currencies. Recall Phantom Menace, where Watto was asking for something more "real" than Republic credits - and also said that mind tricks didn't work on him, only money. There's also the cost of a lizard treat at the store - measured in "wupiupi", or something like that. So, perhaps there were alternative currencies used in areas where the Republic had less influence, like Hutt-dominated Tatooine. (Nerd sense tingling...)
Where I come from, we call that "Divine Providence"
MSNBC - Dolphins protect swimmers from shark
Someone had to be looking after that little family.
h/t Mellow-Drama.
Someone had to be looking after that little family.
h/t Mellow-Drama.
Saturday
Teenage Daughters are Dangerous
USATODAY.com - Father arrested after attempt to discipline daughter backfires.
Apparently, when his 16-yr old daughter showed up at the house drunk and disorderly, Dad called the cops. When the cops showed up, the teen said she was scared for her life because Dad kept guns and drugs in the house. She led them to a hiding place where there were four semiautomatic weapons (pistols?) and over 600 vials of cocaine.
(That's not a good way to pay for your kids' college education, BTW).
Apparently, when his 16-yr old daughter showed up at the house drunk and disorderly, Dad called the cops. When the cops showed up, the teen said she was scared for her life because Dad kept guns and drugs in the house. She led them to a hiding place where there were four semiautomatic weapons (pistols?) and over 600 vials of cocaine.
(That's not a good way to pay for your kids' college education, BTW).
Friday
Odd fun
Through kind of a twisted chain, I've happened on a program that allows me to (apparently) broadcast through the internet. Jet Audio allows me to broadcast music or voice (!) via internet. I wonder if this kind of thing might become more popular among bloggers. Now I can impose not just my written word on the web, but I can also impose my spoken voice and musical tastes on the unsuspecting masses!
Of course, there's always the copyright issues to worry about. There are licensing fees that need to be paid to do this legally, etc., but the possibility alone is enough to get me excited! I've got a microphone I don't use... hmmmmm...
Of course, there's always the copyright issues to worry about. There are licensing fees that need to be paid to do this legally, etc., but the possibility alone is enough to get me excited! I've got a microphone I don't use... hmmmmm...
Pokédex update
Current Fire Red Pokédex statuts:
Seen: 122
Owned: 72
Badges: 6
Over the Thanksgiving Holiday. I managed to catch about 7 new types of Pokémon, including Seel, Dewgong, Golbat, and two legendary Pokémon, Zapdos, and Articuno. Making my way through the Seafoam Islands, towards Cinnabar Island, a gym fight with Blaine, (specializing in Fire Pokémon - two can play that game!) and perhaps the third Legendary Poémon, Moltres.
Seen: 122
Owned: 72
Badges: 6
Over the Thanksgiving Holiday. I managed to catch about 7 new types of Pokémon, including Seel, Dewgong, Golbat, and two legendary Pokémon, Zapdos, and Articuno. Making my way through the Seafoam Islands, towards Cinnabar Island, a gym fight with Blaine, (specializing in Fire Pokémon - two can play that game!) and perhaps the third Legendary Poémon, Moltres.
Apology accepted?
This is just a great picture. It's from the apologies accepted site.
h/t James Taranto's Best of the Web
h/t James Taranto's Best of the Web
Thursday
Thanks
Today, on this holiday, I want to say how thankful I am. I've got a great family, we've got a roof over our head, clothes to wear, and good food to eat. We live in a country where we're free to move about, free to do in large measure what we want to. We're free to exercise our rights to worship (or not) how we want to, speak (or not), and choose our leaders. I'm grateful for my faith, for the scriptures, and for the guidance I receive on a daily basis. I'm thankful for the opportunity I've been given to go to law school, and for the wonderful friends I've made here. And I'm grateful for this forum for me to express myself. A special thanks goes out to my blog parents at Mellow-Drama and The Menagerie, for their patience and help in keeping me writing regularly. Thanks for the friends I've made through blogging. It's made me aware of things around me in a new way. I'm thankful for the people whose blogs I read, for their insights, for their humor, and for their wonderful writing. I've been doing this pretty regularly since February, and if anything it's getting more and more fun.
Expect light updates through Sunday as this weekend marks the return of make up story time, and a new pre-teen obsession takes hold (Corbin's in town, and he's big into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - something I liked as a kid too). Also, a report on the Turkey, and how well Reeta's use of Emeril's marination technique works (chicken broth, apple cider, that's all I know).
Expect light updates through Sunday as this weekend marks the return of make up story time, and a new pre-teen obsession takes hold (Corbin's in town, and he's big into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - something I liked as a kid too). Also, a report on the Turkey, and how well Reeta's use of Emeril's marination technique works (chicken broth, apple cider, that's all I know).
It begins...again...
The bulk of Reeta's family just arrived. Her sister, a brother-in-law, and a cute nephew arrived earlier by plane from Texas, and the rest of them drove all day from Utah. This should be fun. We'll exchange Christmas gifts, because we're pretty sure we won't be able to see them over the holiday. And the kitchen here is decent sized, so cooking the turkey, etc., should be all right.
Yay!
Yay!
Wednesday
Sleep, Gaming, and Song!
Got my blogging article in, and my movie review. I cheated a little on the review, submitting a review I'd already written on the site for... what else? "Returner." I also got my professionalism paper done. I met my obligations to work, and to school, now it's time to relax. And how better to relax? First, a pre-class nap. Then, Pokémon!
Let's sing it all together...
I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was.
To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause.
I will travel across the land, searching far and wide...
Teach Pokémon to understand the power that's inside.
Pokémon! Gotta catch 'em all...It's you and me. I know it's my destiny
Pokémon!
Oh, you're my best friend in a world we must defend
Pokémon! Gotta catch 'em all...
A heart so true, our courage will pull us through.
You teach me, and I'll teach you,
Pokémon! Gotta catch 'em all
Gotta catch 'em all.
Every challenge along the way, with courage I will face.
I will battle every day to claim my rightful place.
Come with me, the time is right, there's no better team.
Arm in arm, we'll win the fight, it's always been our dream.
(Repeat Chorus)
Pokémon!
Can you tell I've been under a LOT of stress lately? Phew! I sure can. It's a good thing Reeta's sister is a massage therapist (no kidding!) A nice massage will help me relax for the massive influx of people into the small space of our apartment. Pray for me!
Let's sing it all together...
I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was.
To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause.
I will travel across the land, searching far and wide...
Teach Pokémon to understand the power that's inside.
Pokémon! Gotta catch 'em all...It's you and me. I know it's my destiny
Pokémon!
Oh, you're my best friend in a world we must defend
Pokémon! Gotta catch 'em all...
A heart so true, our courage will pull us through.
You teach me, and I'll teach you,
Pokémon! Gotta catch 'em all
Gotta catch 'em all.
Every challenge along the way, with courage I will face.
I will battle every day to claim my rightful place.
Come with me, the time is right, there's no better team.
Arm in arm, we'll win the fight, it's always been our dream.
(Repeat Chorus)
Pokémon!
Can you tell I've been under a LOT of stress lately? Phew! I sure can. It's a good thing Reeta's sister is a massage therapist (no kidding!) A nice massage will help me relax for the massive influx of people into the small space of our apartment. Pray for me!
Tuesday
ABC News: Rather to Step Down From 'CBS Evening News'
ABC News: Rather to Step Down From 'CBS Evening News'
Well, no mention of this being connected to forged documents, and no mention of anyone else stepping down, retiring, getting fired, etc., so at this point, I'm not too encouraged. It's possible that getting rid of Dan was more of a move to preserve market share and re-establish some credibility, more than anything else. We'll see.
Well, no mention of this being connected to forged documents, and no mention of anyone else stepping down, retiring, getting fired, etc., so at this point, I'm not too encouraged. It's possible that getting rid of Dan was more of a move to preserve market share and re-establish some credibility, more than anything else. We'll see.
Long Division, and the lonely remainder
This week's Homespun Symposium Topic is something I've discussed before, here, and here, and here, and here, but once more into the breach, dear friends!
Is the division in America important to you? What will be necessary to heal it? What part do you see Bloggers playing in that discussion and how will you personally contribute to it?
Obviously the division in America is important to me, and should be important to everyone interested in America. In some regards, disagreement is healthy. Debate, honest discussion, and a marketplace of competing ideas help keep us honest, help keep us engaged, and help keep us at least a little skeptical of our own position - all healthy things. Judge Learned Hand said that the spirit of liberty is not too sure that it is right, seeks to understand the mind of other men and women, and weighs others' interest alongside its own without bias. We see too little of that kind of discussion in today's discourse, as everyone becomes more and more entrenched in their respective positions.
What's required to cure this division? Is it too late to call for a return to civility and fairness in public discourse? I hope not. I think not. More honest discussion, leading away from unquestioned acceptance of the media machine's viewpoint (including the idea that we are so fundamentally divided), and toward a working understanding - a basis, a common framework. We have more in common than we think. Let's build on that.
And blogs enable that discussion in a way that is absolutely unprecedented in human history. We now have the ability, for the price of a cheap computer, and a cheap internet connection, to publish our thoughts to the world. We can update on the fly, link to outside reports, and let people judge for themselves. Bloggers can respond to criticism quickly. We operate in a low trust environment, so it's necessary for us to back up what we say, or people will realize that we're just some yahoos typing away in our pajamas, like the MSM wants to say we are.
It's not the President's job to unite the country. Anyone saying that is, IMHO, an idiot. He can't unite the country any more than he can make pigs fly (actually, pigs might be a lot more feasible, given the right military defense contracts). It's my job to unite the country. It's your job to unite the country. It's our job as Americans to keep our republic together. We can't allow our petty differences to become our defining characteristics. A lot of what I post here is light hearted, fun, and hopefully uncontroversial. It's not all politics, it's not all battles in the culture war, and it's important to me that this space stay that way. This space is the place where I can interact with the world (maybe that's a little grandiose for someone only getting about 40 hits a day). Sometimes, I feel the need to tell everyone how incredible Full Metal Alchemist is, and sometimes I feel a need to strike a blow for truth and righteousness. Even though a lot of people I know don't agree with my political views, some of them like my taste in animé. Some of them like my views on games and gaming. And if we can build a conversation on the things we share, we unite ourselves naturally.
Outside this space, in law school, I try to keep my political and controversial diatribes to a bare minimum. In fact, today, someone told me I have a way of smiling and nodding politely even when I totally disagree with what they're saying. Two years as a proselyting missionary will do that. I'm much more interested in building friendships and working relationships in school than I am with beating someone over the head with my admittedly biased opinions. Some people feel that the point is more important than the relationship, and it's those people who will have the hardest time coming together. Because if the point is more important than the person, if you're so on to something that you absolutely have to be right, at any cost, then good luck with that. It's a long, lonely road that lies ahead of you. Learning to work with people, even respect people that we don't agree with is part of growing up. I'm not 100% there yet, but at least I'm working on it.
Let the healing continue!
Is the division in America important to you? What will be necessary to heal it? What part do you see Bloggers playing in that discussion and how will you personally contribute to it?
Obviously the division in America is important to me, and should be important to everyone interested in America. In some regards, disagreement is healthy. Debate, honest discussion, and a marketplace of competing ideas help keep us honest, help keep us engaged, and help keep us at least a little skeptical of our own position - all healthy things. Judge Learned Hand said that the spirit of liberty is not too sure that it is right, seeks to understand the mind of other men and women, and weighs others' interest alongside its own without bias. We see too little of that kind of discussion in today's discourse, as everyone becomes more and more entrenched in their respective positions.
What's required to cure this division? Is it too late to call for a return to civility and fairness in public discourse? I hope not. I think not. More honest discussion, leading away from unquestioned acceptance of the media machine's viewpoint (including the idea that we are so fundamentally divided), and toward a working understanding - a basis, a common framework. We have more in common than we think. Let's build on that.
And blogs enable that discussion in a way that is absolutely unprecedented in human history. We now have the ability, for the price of a cheap computer, and a cheap internet connection, to publish our thoughts to the world. We can update on the fly, link to outside reports, and let people judge for themselves. Bloggers can respond to criticism quickly. We operate in a low trust environment, so it's necessary for us to back up what we say, or people will realize that we're just some yahoos typing away in our pajamas, like the MSM wants to say we are.
It's not the President's job to unite the country. Anyone saying that is, IMHO, an idiot. He can't unite the country any more than he can make pigs fly (actually, pigs might be a lot more feasible, given the right military defense contracts). It's my job to unite the country. It's your job to unite the country. It's our job as Americans to keep our republic together. We can't allow our petty differences to become our defining characteristics. A lot of what I post here is light hearted, fun, and hopefully uncontroversial. It's not all politics, it's not all battles in the culture war, and it's important to me that this space stay that way. This space is the place where I can interact with the world (maybe that's a little grandiose for someone only getting about 40 hits a day). Sometimes, I feel the need to tell everyone how incredible Full Metal Alchemist is, and sometimes I feel a need to strike a blow for truth and righteousness. Even though a lot of people I know don't agree with my political views, some of them like my taste in animé. Some of them like my views on games and gaming. And if we can build a conversation on the things we share, we unite ourselves naturally.
Outside this space, in law school, I try to keep my political and controversial diatribes to a bare minimum. In fact, today, someone told me I have a way of smiling and nodding politely even when I totally disagree with what they're saying. Two years as a proselyting missionary will do that. I'm much more interested in building friendships and working relationships in school than I am with beating someone over the head with my admittedly biased opinions. Some people feel that the point is more important than the relationship, and it's those people who will have the hardest time coming together. Because if the point is more important than the person, if you're so on to something that you absolutely have to be right, at any cost, then good luck with that. It's a long, lonely road that lies ahead of you. Learning to work with people, even respect people that we don't agree with is part of growing up. I'm not 100% there yet, but at least I'm working on it.
Let the healing continue!
Monday
Rose Colored Contacts
"I want to be kind to everyone, for that is right, you see.
So I say to myself, remember this, kindness begins with me"
Or so the song goes. I have a habit of thinking the best of everyone. I want to be as complimentary to everyone as I can. Unfortunately, sometimes I'm just plain wrong. For example, there's a personal project I'm involved with that on Friday I thought was making some good progress. Unfortunately, that's not necessarily the case, I found out today. I have no desire to embarass the people involved, so suffice it to say that my interpretation on a situation was ultimately incorrect. Sigh. I'll know better next time.
In other news, being a missionary in the Philippines for two years, I learned the art of pleasantly disagreeing with someone you think is wrong. You don't get red-faced. You don't get mad. I usually don't argue because I feel that argument is unproductive. Let me clarify: a healthy discussion is good. Exploring other people's viewpoints is good. Argument, in particular contentious argument, is bad. It leads people to emotionally invest even more in their own side, and ultimately convinces no one. No matter how good your argument is, if you're arguing, you've already lost. And you gain no one's support. You may strengthen your base a little, but that's about it.
Having said that, and thinking the best of everyone in general, there are a couple of exceptions. Ted Rall, for instance, who was chastised on air by... Alan Colmes! The liberal half of Hannity and Colmes chastised Ted Rall for alienating people from the Democratic party! Hannity (who for some reason reminds me of Napoleon - can't really say why) called him a despicable human being, which wasn't surprising, but to see Alan Colmes jumping on Ted Rall, well, that just reinforced my belief that Ted deserves this rare exception to my usual policy of thinking the best of everyone. ^.^
So I say to myself, remember this, kindness begins with me"
Or so the song goes. I have a habit of thinking the best of everyone. I want to be as complimentary to everyone as I can. Unfortunately, sometimes I'm just plain wrong. For example, there's a personal project I'm involved with that on Friday I thought was making some good progress. Unfortunately, that's not necessarily the case, I found out today. I have no desire to embarass the people involved, so suffice it to say that my interpretation on a situation was ultimately incorrect. Sigh. I'll know better next time.
In other news, being a missionary in the Philippines for two years, I learned the art of pleasantly disagreeing with someone you think is wrong. You don't get red-faced. You don't get mad. I usually don't argue because I feel that argument is unproductive. Let me clarify: a healthy discussion is good. Exploring other people's viewpoints is good. Argument, in particular contentious argument, is bad. It leads people to emotionally invest even more in their own side, and ultimately convinces no one. No matter how good your argument is, if you're arguing, you've already lost. And you gain no one's support. You may strengthen your base a little, but that's about it.
Having said that, and thinking the best of everyone in general, there are a couple of exceptions. Ted Rall, for instance, who was chastised on air by... Alan Colmes! The liberal half of Hannity and Colmes chastised Ted Rall for alienating people from the Democratic party! Hannity (who for some reason reminds me of Napoleon - can't really say why) called him a despicable human being, which wasn't surprising, but to see Alan Colmes jumping on Ted Rall, well, that just reinforced my belief that Ted deserves this rare exception to my usual policy of thinking the best of everyone. ^.^
Faith that moves mountains
Is the kind of faith that Judge Learned Hand spoke of in an address he gave on May 21, 1944. My words just don't even come close to the eloquence of Judge Hand. I don't think we'd see anything like it in public discourse today.
Read the whole thing.
Read the whole thing.
Floridian: Iraq 'n' roll
Floridian: Iraq 'n' roll
This is so awesome, though I have to admit, Taranto (who gets the h/t for this article) makes a good point - it'd be poetic justice if they played "Born in the USA" by Springsteen, switching it up with a little Dixie Chicks (I'm thinkin' "Earl Had to Die").
But AC/DC is a very appropriate soundtrack to kicking a little "insurgent" hiney. What can I say, other than...
Rock On, man. Rock On.
This is so awesome, though I have to admit, Taranto (who gets the h/t for this article) makes a good point - it'd be poetic justice if they played "Born in the USA" by Springsteen, switching it up with a little Dixie Chicks (I'm thinkin' "Earl Had to Die").
But AC/DC is a very appropriate soundtrack to kicking a little "insurgent" hiney. What can I say, other than...
Rock On, man. Rock On.
Saturday
Hot Rod
Went to the library tonight to switch the monitors from Kensington Easy-Bic © locks to padlocks and dongles. On the way home, Reeta said we needed to stop by the store to get something for dinner tomorrow night. Claire wanted me to carry her in the store, and I was just a little too tired for that, so I told her we'd go for a cart. On the way to the carts, I pointed to the electric rider cart, and jokingly suggested "Hey, maybe we could ride that?"
The Albertson's employee standing there said "go ahead".
So, Claire and I motored around Albertson's on one of their motorized carts. I've always joked about doing that, and it was a lot of fun, mostly because I kept on yelling "Yee-ha!"
Then Reeta saw that if you spent $25.00, and you had an Albertson's card, your turkey was $0.19 per lb. So, we grabbed some Lunchables, and some cereal (Honeycomb's big. Yeah, yeah, yeah!), and wound up getting a 22 lb. turkey for $4.13. Yee-ha indeed!
The Albertson's employee standing there said "go ahead".
So, Claire and I motored around Albertson's on one of their motorized carts. I've always joked about doing that, and it was a lot of fun, mostly because I kept on yelling "Yee-ha!"
Then Reeta saw that if you spent $25.00, and you had an Albertson's card, your turkey was $0.19 per lb. So, we grabbed some Lunchables, and some cereal (Honeycomb's big. Yeah, yeah, yeah!), and wound up getting a 22 lb. turkey for $4.13. Yee-ha indeed!
The Most Dangerous Place on Earth
A resident asked us if we'd drive her to CostCo tonight. She doesn't have a car, and we don't have a membership, so it worked out nicely. The sheer amount of things to see and buy was overwhelming, to put it mildly. But we wound up with two big shopping carts of stuff between our stuff and the resident's stuff. Reeta put her amazing packing skills to work. She still wound up with a giant box on her lap that stretched up to her head.
Morning was nice - walked out to get some milk, and found that the farmer's market was running. And THAT was dangerous too - in a good way. I tried a banger for the first time, with some really amazing pasta sauce on it. And fresh, made-right-in-front-of-you hot donuts dredged in cinnamon and sugar, and powdered sugar. Mmmmm. So, I picked up a half dozen for our collective breakfast, and a small pie (sour cream marionberry). Yum! (Mad Poets Anonymous hereby officially endorses hot donuts, dredged in cinnamon and sugar. Also steamed milk with vanilla syrup, and a squirt of whipped cream on top.)
Morning was nice - walked out to get some milk, and found that the farmer's market was running. And THAT was dangerous too - in a good way. I tried a banger for the first time, with some really amazing pasta sauce on it. And fresh, made-right-in-front-of-you hot donuts dredged in cinnamon and sugar, and powdered sugar. Mmmmm. So, I picked up a half dozen for our collective breakfast, and a small pie (sour cream marionberry). Yum! (Mad Poets Anonymous hereby officially endorses hot donuts, dredged in cinnamon and sugar. Also steamed milk with vanilla syrup, and a squirt of whipped cream on top.)
Friday
You cannot resist...
the power of the BURGER.
h/t Instapundit, who alleges it's a Karl Rovian plot to get rid of Michael Moore.
Cue evil laughter...
h/t Instapundit, who alleges it's a Karl Rovian plot to get rid of Michael Moore.
Cue evil laughter...
Blogging v. Writing
So, I'm writing an article about blogging. It's due on Wednesday of next week. I'm not sure how long this should be. I think I'm going to shoot for about three or four double spaced pages, and then we can trim that down. But I'm still going to ask. And this is going to be a busy weekend. I've got a lot of work to do here at the school, and I've got to get to the optometrist, and work a negotiation exercise, and interview a practicing attorney on ethics, etc., etc., etc. Phew! And STUDY.
It should be a fun weekend. I'm going to enjoy it.
It should be a fun weekend. I'm going to enjoy it.
Friday Animé sampler: Hayao Miyazaki
If you ever meet someone that doesn't like animé, or thinks that cartoons are stupid, after squelching the impulse to backhand that person, sit them down in front of a Miyazaki film.
Miyazaki-san is occasionally called the Japanese Walt Disney. Both had a talent for bringing great animation to the screen, but while Mr. Disney had a talent for increasing technical expertise, and adding occasional story, Miyazaki-san has a talent for bringing exceptional characters and images to the screen. It was a film of his that I saw as a kid which was poorly edited (so I hear - I have yet to see the original version of Nausicaä) which made me a fan of Japanese animation. Some of his films are available now on DVD here in the States, with more to be released (they've already been delayed at least once, so I'm not holding my breath) in Spring of 2005.
His work includes
My Neighbor Totoro
Totoro was a big hit with Claire - about two young girls who move to the countryside, and have adventures with a forest spirit. Cute, fun, and wonderfully animated.
Princess Mononoke
Called the "Star Wars" of anime, this picture is for a more mature audience, and tells the story of Ashitaka, a young prince who is cursed by an evil god for defending his village. He's forced to leave in an attempt to break the curse, and meets a wolf princess, San. (That's her with the painted cheeks). Voices in the Disney/Miramax English Dub include Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Minnie Driver, and Billy Bob Thornton. The music (by long-time Miyazaki Collaborator Joe Hisaishi) is absolutely gorgeous, perfectly complementing the incredible animation of Miyazaki-san.
Spirited Away
Winner of the Best Animated Film Oscar in 2002. Highest grossing Japanese film of all time. And an awesome story. Chihiro and her family are moving to a new town, when they make a wrong turn and wind up at an abandoned amusement park. When her parents eat food there meant for the gods, they're turned into pigs by a greedy witch. With the help of a dragon, a spider-like boiler tender, and a reluctant bath-house worked, Chihiro tries to save her family. Reeta says that at points during this, she forgot she was watching a cartoon - it's that engaging. It also has a beautiful musical score (except for the song at the end credits, which I didn't care for - other than that, another Joe Hisaishi success).
Miyazaki's next film, Howl's Moving Castle, is opening in Japan tomorrow. Here's hoping his success is continued. He's got quite a legacy to live up to.
Miyazaki-san is occasionally called the Japanese Walt Disney. Both had a talent for bringing great animation to the screen, but while Mr. Disney had a talent for increasing technical expertise, and adding occasional story, Miyazaki-san has a talent for bringing exceptional characters and images to the screen. It was a film of his that I saw as a kid which was poorly edited (so I hear - I have yet to see the original version of Nausicaä) which made me a fan of Japanese animation. Some of his films are available now on DVD here in the States, with more to be released (they've already been delayed at least once, so I'm not holding my breath) in Spring of 2005.
His work includes
My Neighbor Totoro
Totoro was a big hit with Claire - about two young girls who move to the countryside, and have adventures with a forest spirit. Cute, fun, and wonderfully animated.
Princess Mononoke
Called the "Star Wars" of anime, this picture is for a more mature audience, and tells the story of Ashitaka, a young prince who is cursed by an evil god for defending his village. He's forced to leave in an attempt to break the curse, and meets a wolf princess, San. (That's her with the painted cheeks). Voices in the Disney/Miramax English Dub include Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Minnie Driver, and Billy Bob Thornton. The music (by long-time Miyazaki Collaborator Joe Hisaishi) is absolutely gorgeous, perfectly complementing the incredible animation of Miyazaki-san.
Spirited Away
Winner of the Best Animated Film Oscar in 2002. Highest grossing Japanese film of all time. And an awesome story. Chihiro and her family are moving to a new town, when they make a wrong turn and wind up at an abandoned amusement park. When her parents eat food there meant for the gods, they're turned into pigs by a greedy witch. With the help of a dragon, a spider-like boiler tender, and a reluctant bath-house worked, Chihiro tries to save her family. Reeta says that at points during this, she forgot she was watching a cartoon - it's that engaging. It also has a beautiful musical score (except for the song at the end credits, which I didn't care for - other than that, another Joe Hisaishi success).
Miyazaki's next film, Howl's Moving Castle, is opening in Japan tomorrow. Here's hoping his success is continued. He's got quite a legacy to live up to.
Thursday
Letter of the Law
I'm going to be writing an article on law school and blogging for the school's publication this semester. It's due by Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving). If you're a L&C blogger or you know someone who is, and you'd like to get a L&C blog mentioned in LOTL, drop me a note at the e-mail link there to the side (right under my picture). And if anyone has funny blogging stories they'd like to send (I have no idea what that would look like), send 'em.
Wednesday
I thought I was going to law school?
In Ethics class today, someone started talking about whether or not there was such a thing as absolute truth. I opined that the question was probably beyond the scope of this course. A reference to Rashomon was thrown out.
Is there absolute truth? And if there is, what does that say about the system?
Is there absolute truth? And if there is, what does that say about the system?
Crossing the line
So, the MPAA has started suing people. Now they're going one better - they're offering free software that people can use to rid themselves of copyrighted material on their computer. The software is supposed to identify movies, music, and p2p software, so they can be removed. Further, they claim that the information will not be shared with anyone or reported back to it.
Shenanigans! SHENANIGANS!
A couple of things come to mind. 1) p2p software is legal, and having software that points it out implies otherwise. 2) How easy would it be to modify the program so that things were reported back? 3) There are all kinds of legal reasons (Fair Use, etc) to have copyrighted movies and music on your computer. I have a friend who copies all of his DVD's (all legally obtained) to hard disk, because he uses his computer to play movies, and the DVD drive in a computer slows way, WAY down when it hits a fingerprint or a scratch, but they play silky smooth off the hard drive. 4) (And the really scary one in my mind) If spyware and viruses can be installed on your computer just from browsing the web with Microsoft's IE, then it's possible that this kind of software could be installed too? Software that did not announce itself, and did report back to the MPAA, who could then bring suit. And the evidence they got from your computer would not be blocked by the lack of a warrant, because the MPAA isn't a government actor.
Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I'm suddenly very glad that I've got my home connection firewalled. Understand - whether you have copyrighted music on your computer isn't the point. The fact that the MPAA has a program that snoops around your harddrive looking for stuff strikes me as being very dangerous, and a potentially HUGE invasion of privacy.
h/t wired.
UPDATE: At lunch today, a friend reminded me that running this program removes the defense that you didn't know it was there. Not a hugh difference in a strict liability setting, but unsetlling, nonetheless.
Shenanigans! SHENANIGANS!
A couple of things come to mind. 1) p2p software is legal, and having software that points it out implies otherwise. 2) How easy would it be to modify the program so that things were reported back? 3) There are all kinds of legal reasons (Fair Use, etc) to have copyrighted movies and music on your computer. I have a friend who copies all of his DVD's (all legally obtained) to hard disk, because he uses his computer to play movies, and the DVD drive in a computer slows way, WAY down when it hits a fingerprint or a scratch, but they play silky smooth off the hard drive. 4) (And the really scary one in my mind) If spyware and viruses can be installed on your computer just from browsing the web with Microsoft's IE, then it's possible that this kind of software could be installed too? Software that did not announce itself, and did report back to the MPAA, who could then bring suit. And the evidence they got from your computer would not be blocked by the lack of a warrant, because the MPAA isn't a government actor.
Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I'm suddenly very glad that I've got my home connection firewalled. Understand - whether you have copyrighted music on your computer isn't the point. The fact that the MPAA has a program that snoops around your harddrive looking for stuff strikes me as being very dangerous, and a potentially HUGE invasion of privacy.
h/t wired.
UPDATE: At lunch today, a friend reminded me that running this program removes the defense that you didn't know it was there. Not a hugh difference in a strict liability setting, but unsetlling, nonetheless.
Gordon Freeman's Second Coming
Or, why Johnny isn't coming in to work today.
First, let's talk about movies. The Incredibles, in its opening weekend, pulled in $70,467,623, according to imdb.com, showing on almost 4,000 screens nationwide. The budget for the film was about $92,000,000. I've no doubt they'll make a profit. Probably a pretty good one. That was a weekend.
Now let's talk about video games. Halo 2, in its first 24 hours of sale, sold 340,000 copies, and made about $125 million. That was one day. The gaming business is big time. Trailers for Halo 2 and Everquest 2 are showing in movie theaters.
Half-Life 2 went live today. So if some of the people you know and love drop off the face of the earth for a day or two, it's possible that they're off to City 17, crowbar in hand, to fight the forces of evil. Me, I'm keeping a low profile because I've got a cold.
Honest.
First, let's talk about movies. The Incredibles, in its opening weekend, pulled in $70,467,623, according to imdb.com, showing on almost 4,000 screens nationwide. The budget for the film was about $92,000,000. I've no doubt they'll make a profit. Probably a pretty good one. That was a weekend.
Now let's talk about video games. Halo 2, in its first 24 hours of sale, sold 340,000 copies, and made about $125 million. That was one day. The gaming business is big time. Trailers for Halo 2 and Everquest 2 are showing in movie theaters.
Half-Life 2 went live today. So if some of the people you know and love drop off the face of the earth for a day or two, it's possible that they're off to City 17, crowbar in hand, to fight the forces of evil. Me, I'm keeping a low profile because I've got a cold.
Honest.
Tuesday
On My Honor...
I will do my best to do my duy to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
to help other people at all times;
to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
"DUTY TO GOD AND COUNTRY: Your FAMILY and religious leaders teach you to know and serve God. By following these teachings, you do your duty to God." - from www.usscouts.org. Click here.
I am an Eagle Scout, a fact that I attribute to the interest and hard work of a lot of people, including Scout leaders, my parents, and church leaders, and a little effort on my part. I remember when at my Eagle Board of Review, one of the board members (who happened to live down the road from me - a cousin of my Dad's) told me that the local troop provided either a jacket or an engraved knife for each and every one of the boys that made Eagle. He then proceeded to ask me my jacket size, telling me that they just assumed I'd take the jacket.
"Are you kidding?" I asked incredulously. "I want the knife!" The look on his face was, in a word, priceless. (But what can you expect? I was a 17 year old boy, and I had a lot more use for a knife than I did for a red felt jacket any day of the week.)
It actually took a year from the time of the Board of Review to the day I got my Eagle badge, because about a week after I made Eagle I left home to go to college. I'm proud of the fact that I'm an Eagle scout. It was a near thing. I actually had my Board of Review the day before I turned 18, and the last possible day that I could make the rank.
It is my experience that the Boy Scouts of America are an uplifting, character building organization. To hear them being challenged on their practices and decisions strikes me as particularly odd, considering the good they do in the world. They teach tolerance. They teach self-reliance. And they teach morals. And maybe that's the problem. People, for whatever reason, have a hard time in this day and age with people professing to teach morals. And it's even worse if God is mentioned anywhere near morals. Religious morals are so... medieval. So... intolerant. The ACLU believes that we can't allow such intolerance to continue.
Let's call a spade a spade, shall we? The challenges to the Boy Scouts of America's tax exempt status are an attempt to undermine the Scouts' continuing financial stability, and perhaps undermine their ability to effectively continue as an organization. It places them at an economic disadvantage to other groups (WHAT other groups are there for kids that age? Nothing so well-known or well-respected). It gives them a public black eye, sullying their reputation, when you drag them through the courts. It's tantamount to blackmail. I find it especially ironic that the Boy Scouts are being attacked in the name of religious freedom, when it's their ability to be religious that's being questioned. (See paragraph 3).
I'm sure there are those who will continue to contribute time and money to the Scouts because they believe in their purpose and mission. But I'm also sure the Scouts benefit more as a tax-exempt entity than they would otherwise, and that's just the way it is. Now, I'm not sure what kind of confrontation sparked the controversy here in Portland (I've read the news stories, but not much in the way of details really emerge from that - and I'm sure there's a healthy dose of boneheaded idiocy on both sides involved). I don't believe the Scouts will back away from this fight, nor will they change their values. But with the very vocal ACLU piling on, Scouting needs all the friends it can get.
Count me in.
to help other people at all times;
to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
"DUTY TO GOD AND COUNTRY: Your FAMILY and religious leaders teach you to know and serve God. By following these teachings, you do your duty to God." - from www.usscouts.org. Click here.
I am an Eagle Scout, a fact that I attribute to the interest and hard work of a lot of people, including Scout leaders, my parents, and church leaders, and a little effort on my part. I remember when at my Eagle Board of Review, one of the board members (who happened to live down the road from me - a cousin of my Dad's) told me that the local troop provided either a jacket or an engraved knife for each and every one of the boys that made Eagle. He then proceeded to ask me my jacket size, telling me that they just assumed I'd take the jacket.
"Are you kidding?" I asked incredulously. "I want the knife!" The look on his face was, in a word, priceless. (But what can you expect? I was a 17 year old boy, and I had a lot more use for a knife than I did for a red felt jacket any day of the week.)
It actually took a year from the time of the Board of Review to the day I got my Eagle badge, because about a week after I made Eagle I left home to go to college. I'm proud of the fact that I'm an Eagle scout. It was a near thing. I actually had my Board of Review the day before I turned 18, and the last possible day that I could make the rank.
It is my experience that the Boy Scouts of America are an uplifting, character building organization. To hear them being challenged on their practices and decisions strikes me as particularly odd, considering the good they do in the world. They teach tolerance. They teach self-reliance. And they teach morals. And maybe that's the problem. People, for whatever reason, have a hard time in this day and age with people professing to teach morals. And it's even worse if God is mentioned anywhere near morals. Religious morals are so... medieval. So... intolerant. The ACLU believes that we can't allow such intolerance to continue.
Let's call a spade a spade, shall we? The challenges to the Boy Scouts of America's tax exempt status are an attempt to undermine the Scouts' continuing financial stability, and perhaps undermine their ability to effectively continue as an organization. It places them at an economic disadvantage to other groups (WHAT other groups are there for kids that age? Nothing so well-known or well-respected). It gives them a public black eye, sullying their reputation, when you drag them through the courts. It's tantamount to blackmail. I find it especially ironic that the Boy Scouts are being attacked in the name of religious freedom, when it's their ability to be religious that's being questioned. (See paragraph 3).
I'm sure there are those who will continue to contribute time and money to the Scouts because they believe in their purpose and mission. But I'm also sure the Scouts benefit more as a tax-exempt entity than they would otherwise, and that's just the way it is. Now, I'm not sure what kind of confrontation sparked the controversy here in Portland (I've read the news stories, but not much in the way of details really emerge from that - and I'm sure there's a healthy dose of boneheaded idiocy on both sides involved). I don't believe the Scouts will back away from this fight, nor will they change their values. But with the very vocal ACLU piling on, Scouting needs all the friends it can get.
Count me in.
[Listening to: Zelda 3 TheDarknessAndTheLight OC ReMix - McVaffe]
Sunday
Adult Swim tonight
FMA Ep II - Body of the Sanctioned. SPOILER ALERT. Ed and Alphonse confront Cornello, the high priest using the Philosopher's Stone to create "miracles". Ed and Alphonse need the Philosopher's Stone to fix their bodies. But how can they fight a man who can bring the dead to life? Good writing. Again, I'm impressed by the voice acting for the series. I'm used to everyone's voice being kind of the same in dubbed animé no matter what series it is, and this has been a pleasant surprise to see the voices changed up. Today's moral: walk on your own two legs. Notable lack of Major Hughes, which will eventually become a permanent lack of Major Hughes. My favorite character, but don't get too attached. Also, they seem to have gone with the second opening theme, "Ready Steady Go", by L'Arc en Ciel, not the original opening, but they're going with the first ending theme. (sigh - I would've preferred the first opening and the second closing, but whatever - Ready Steady Go is a pretty good song).
GitS:SAC Ep II - SPOILER ALERT. Batou gives his Tachikoma natural oil. This will eventually freak everyone in Public Peace Section Nine out. Also, it will wind up saving Batou's life. In the meantime, the team has to stop a tank running amok with no pilot. Or at least, no living pilot...! Skating tanks with high pitched schoolgirl voices. One honkin' huge sniper rifle. Good tunes. Glue-shooting bazookas. Aramaki rules. And once again, the lesson for today is... thou shalt not screw with "The Major".
Ah, the joys of late night Cartoon Network. I'm tired, but I've got a bunch of cookies to make for Primary in the morning. Courtney's Chocolate Chip Cookies. Mmmmmmmm. Reeta reminded me what an eventful week this has been newswise. Fallujah. Arafat. Scott Peterson. Ashcroft. Local problem situations are wrapping up nicely. Christmas shopping continues apace. Claire and I went to the Incredibles again, just as good the second time. Pokédex sitting at 94 Pokémon seen, 50 captured or owned. 4 badges. Review of law school topics is commencing. In other news, I just found out that everyone coming for Thanksgiving is planning on staying here, giving rise to some minor logistical problems. And my quest for a milk steamer continues. I don't drink coffee, but hot, steamed, vanilla milk? Bring. It. On. WIth a little whipped cream. That can't be healthy for the body, but it's sure good for the soul.
Tomorrow night, Seafood chowder, and Reeta is going all out. She got shrimp, scallops, imitation shrimp and lobster, and heavy cream. Envy Me!
GitS:SAC Ep II - SPOILER ALERT. Batou gives his Tachikoma natural oil. This will eventually freak everyone in Public Peace Section Nine out. Also, it will wind up saving Batou's life. In the meantime, the team has to stop a tank running amok with no pilot. Or at least, no living pilot...! Skating tanks with high pitched schoolgirl voices. One honkin' huge sniper rifle. Good tunes. Glue-shooting bazookas. Aramaki rules. And once again, the lesson for today is... thou shalt not screw with "The Major".
Ah, the joys of late night Cartoon Network. I'm tired, but I've got a bunch of cookies to make for Primary in the morning. Courtney's Chocolate Chip Cookies. Mmmmmmmm. Reeta reminded me what an eventful week this has been newswise. Fallujah. Arafat. Scott Peterson. Ashcroft. Local problem situations are wrapping up nicely. Christmas shopping continues apace. Claire and I went to the Incredibles again, just as good the second time. Pokédex sitting at 94 Pokémon seen, 50 captured or owned. 4 badges. Review of law school topics is commencing. In other news, I just found out that everyone coming for Thanksgiving is planning on staying here, giving rise to some minor logistical problems. And my quest for a milk steamer continues. I don't drink coffee, but hot, steamed, vanilla milk? Bring. It. On. WIth a little whipped cream. That can't be healthy for the body, but it's sure good for the soul.
Tomorrow night, Seafood chowder, and Reeta is going all out. She got shrimp, scallops, imitation shrimp and lobster, and heavy cream. Envy Me!
Friday
Friday Anime Sampler: Pokémon!
Yes, Bane of My Existence, Sucker of All My Dollars, the Reason I Bought a GameBoy Advance SP...
Pokémon.
Let me tell you a story of crippling addiction, broken hearts, sleepless nights, and Balls. So many balls!
A few years ago, before I decided to go to law school, I was working two jobs - as a customer service supervisor for DirecTV, and as an extended care Kindergarten teacher at a private school downtown. I enjoyed the teaching job immensely. And it was just at the time that two big fads were coming into their own.
One of those fads was Harry Potter. I still remember seeing kids lugging around three-inch thick books, and telling me how great they were. (And I remember how long I waited for Order of the Phoenix. CURSE THE DELAYS THAT KEPT ME FROM THAT BOOK!)
The other was Pokémon. And if there was one sure-fire way to get into the hearts and minds of those kids, it was to know your Pokémon. So I bought a book. The book listed all the Pokémon, and how they would evolve into other types, and their attacks, and strengths and weaknesses. I was soon the most popular part-time teacher on the Campus. Then Reeta bought me Pokémon Yellow:Pikachu edition for the Game Boy.
Ever since, I've played every single English Pokemon game for the GameBoy with the exception of the Original Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon blue, and Pokémon Leaf Green. That means I've played Red, Yellow, Silver, Gold, Ruby, Sapphire, Pinball R/S, and Fire Red. I've played Pokémon Stadium (1), and am considering getting Pokémon Colloseum when the price comes down. I have completed Pokédexs for Yellow, (Original Series), Silver, and Sapphire, and am now working on a complete Pokédex for Fire Red/Leaf Green. Why? Why do I play Pokémon?
Because the game is a ton of fun. Ignore the anime if you must (and it's easy enough to do that - it ranks about a +/- 0.0 Cokes out of a possible +/- 2), the GAME of Pokémon is compelling, deceptively simple, and just a lot of fun. It's FUN seeing your little monsters grow and progress. It's FUN sending them out to do glorious battle. In fact, there are some I'm convinced have developed personality quirks. For example: My Favorite Ruby/Sapphire Pokémon is Banette. Here's a picture.
It's a possessed rag doll. I believe my personal Banette is just a little psychotic. I mean, look at that smile.
It's also fun battling Pokémon with Claire. The game is set up so that you cannot win (complete the collection,) unless you have a friend who has the other color of game. Or you buy an extra original GameBoy for $5.00, a cable, and then buy your own freakin' copy of the other color, because everyone else thinks you're a huge nerd. At least, that works until they switch to the GBA, then you have to get both colors of game, and borrow your wife's brother's GBA, and buy a cable so you can trade and THAT works until the little brother moves to freakin' Utah, so THEN you get a bunch of Lexis points so you can get a GameBoy player for the 'Cube and you didn't pay anything for it so your wife doesn't give you the LOOK - I mean, we all know the look, right - so THEN...
Okay. I'm a Pokémaniac. What can I say?
I just gotta catch 'em all.
Pokémon.
Let me tell you a story of crippling addiction, broken hearts, sleepless nights, and Balls. So many balls!
A few years ago, before I decided to go to law school, I was working two jobs - as a customer service supervisor for DirecTV, and as an extended care Kindergarten teacher at a private school downtown. I enjoyed the teaching job immensely. And it was just at the time that two big fads were coming into their own.
One of those fads was Harry Potter. I still remember seeing kids lugging around three-inch thick books, and telling me how great they were. (And I remember how long I waited for Order of the Phoenix. CURSE THE DELAYS THAT KEPT ME FROM THAT BOOK!)
The other was Pokémon. And if there was one sure-fire way to get into the hearts and minds of those kids, it was to know your Pokémon. So I bought a book. The book listed all the Pokémon, and how they would evolve into other types, and their attacks, and strengths and weaknesses. I was soon the most popular part-time teacher on the Campus. Then Reeta bought me Pokémon Yellow:Pikachu edition for the Game Boy.
Ever since, I've played every single English Pokemon game for the GameBoy with the exception of the Original Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon blue, and Pokémon Leaf Green. That means I've played Red, Yellow, Silver, Gold, Ruby, Sapphire, Pinball R/S, and Fire Red. I've played Pokémon Stadium (1), and am considering getting Pokémon Colloseum when the price comes down. I have completed Pokédexs for Yellow, (Original Series), Silver, and Sapphire, and am now working on a complete Pokédex for Fire Red/Leaf Green. Why? Why do I play Pokémon?
Because the game is a ton of fun. Ignore the anime if you must (and it's easy enough to do that - it ranks about a +/- 0.0 Cokes out of a possible +/- 2), the GAME of Pokémon is compelling, deceptively simple, and just a lot of fun. It's FUN seeing your little monsters grow and progress. It's FUN sending them out to do glorious battle. In fact, there are some I'm convinced have developed personality quirks. For example: My Favorite Ruby/Sapphire Pokémon is Banette. Here's a picture.
It's a possessed rag doll. I believe my personal Banette is just a little psychotic. I mean, look at that smile.
It's also fun battling Pokémon with Claire. The game is set up so that you cannot win (complete the collection,) unless you have a friend who has the other color of game. Or you buy an extra original GameBoy for $5.00, a cable, and then buy your own freakin' copy of the other color, because everyone else thinks you're a huge nerd. At least, that works until they switch to the GBA, then you have to get both colors of game, and borrow your wife's brother's GBA, and buy a cable so you can trade and THAT works until the little brother moves to freakin' Utah, so THEN you get a bunch of Lexis points so you can get a GameBoy player for the 'Cube and you didn't pay anything for it so your wife doesn't give you the LOOK - I mean, we all know the look, right - so THEN...
Okay. I'm a Pokémaniac. What can I say?
I just gotta catch 'em all.
Time for prayer?
I've got friends taking the MPRE today. Most all of my friends are very ethical, so I'm not particularly worried about them, but here's hoping they all do well.
Wednesday
Cleanup
Removed some pictures from the site - I've been posting to this site since February, and I'm starting to see the limits of my webspace. So, I'm thinking that sometime soon here I may be moving to new digs. Anyone know where I can get reasonably inexpensive hosting?
It's too bad I can't somehow blog to my gmail or hotmail space - seeing as how my Hotmail just jumped to 250 megs. (Woot!)
It's too bad I can't somehow blog to my gmail or hotmail space - seeing as how my Hotmail just jumped to 250 megs. (Woot!)
AG nomination
Fox News is reporting that President Bush has announced his pick for Ashcroft's replacement - White House counsel, Alberto Gonzalez.
Tuesday
Pick your battles, not your war.
Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 58:27 - 28)
It's difficult to tell if anyone is really serious about this recent discussion of secession. I think not. Still, it sounds a lot like the whine of "I don't want to play this game any more" when someone's had a losing streak. Maybe the Bushies have been a little hard on the Kerry supporters, but I really can't blame them. For four years it's been "selected, not elected". For four years it's been "He's an idiot!" For four years it's been "Bushitler!" And when somebody finally stomps the spoiled little name-calling brat in a game, it's "I don't want to play any more". Seriously, I'm fed up.
I'm fed up with people saying that America isn't sensitive to the needs of other countries, and automatically ascribing the worst possible motives to everything we do. We pay more in foreign aid than any other country on the face of the Earth. Were we truly the greedy bastards we're made out to be in the media and abroad, such largesse would be seriously curtailed, if not cut off altogether.
I'm fed up with people saying that Bush isn't a statesman. There are times for the nuanced phrase, for a boot to have a "dapper strap." And there are times to talk straight and plunge into the fire. In the words of Dr. Seuss, "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, and an elephant's faithful, One Hundred Percent". We're currently engaged in two military actions, one in Afghanistan, and one in Iraq, with a coalition of dozens of nations. Discounting building that coalition as being somehow not the work of a statesman is disheartening. In fact, I think it's intellectually dishonest.
To those of you who are disappointed, disheartened, or disturbed over the election, I say - quit your whining. Pouting, complaining, and cynical snarky comments will not make you feel any better. Nor will they allow the unity you seem to think Bush should be magically bringing to the land. (Oh, wave your magical pixie wand, Mr. Bush, and make us like each other!). Get up, get out, get busy. Participate in the process.
To those of you who are taking the opportunity to rub some faces in it, here's an idea. Quit it. This is America. Show the tolerance the left says you're so devoid of. Show that you are willing to accept people of any political stripe - even Deaniacs. Take this opportunity as a sign - your efforts aren't wasted, people will respond. Get up, get out, get busy. Resting on your laurels here will lead to a rash, and you getting your butts kicked next time around.
On both sides, listen. Listen for understanding. There's always the chance that someone will make a good point that will change your thinking about one issue or other. There is always the possibility that you are wrong. Understand that. Embrace it. And don't let it stop you from participating. Listen, so you can respond intelligently to earnest questions raised by those who don't agree with you, and by those who aren't sure who they agree with.
Ready...
Set...
Go!!!
For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 58:27 - 28)
It's difficult to tell if anyone is really serious about this recent discussion of secession. I think not. Still, it sounds a lot like the whine of "I don't want to play this game any more" when someone's had a losing streak. Maybe the Bushies have been a little hard on the Kerry supporters, but I really can't blame them. For four years it's been "selected, not elected". For four years it's been "He's an idiot!" For four years it's been "Bushitler!" And when somebody finally stomps the spoiled little name-calling brat in a game, it's "I don't want to play any more". Seriously, I'm fed up.
I'm fed up with people saying that America isn't sensitive to the needs of other countries, and automatically ascribing the worst possible motives to everything we do. We pay more in foreign aid than any other country on the face of the Earth. Were we truly the greedy bastards we're made out to be in the media and abroad, such largesse would be seriously curtailed, if not cut off altogether.
I'm fed up with people saying that Bush isn't a statesman. There are times for the nuanced phrase, for a boot to have a "dapper strap." And there are times to talk straight and plunge into the fire. In the words of Dr. Seuss, "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, and an elephant's faithful, One Hundred Percent". We're currently engaged in two military actions, one in Afghanistan, and one in Iraq, with a coalition of dozens of nations. Discounting building that coalition as being somehow not the work of a statesman is disheartening. In fact, I think it's intellectually dishonest.
To those of you who are disappointed, disheartened, or disturbed over the election, I say - quit your whining. Pouting, complaining, and cynical snarky comments will not make you feel any better. Nor will they allow the unity you seem to think Bush should be magically bringing to the land. (Oh, wave your magical pixie wand, Mr. Bush, and make us like each other!). Get up, get out, get busy. Participate in the process.
To those of you who are taking the opportunity to rub some faces in it, here's an idea. Quit it. This is America. Show the tolerance the left says you're so devoid of. Show that you are willing to accept people of any political stripe - even Deaniacs. Take this opportunity as a sign - your efforts aren't wasted, people will respond. Get up, get out, get busy. Resting on your laurels here will lead to a rash, and you getting your butts kicked next time around.
On both sides, listen. Listen for understanding. There's always the chance that someone will make a good point that will change your thinking about one issue or other. There is always the possibility that you are wrong. Understand that. Embrace it. And don't let it stop you from participating. Listen, so you can respond intelligently to earnest questions raised by those who don't agree with you, and by those who aren't sure who they agree with.
Ready...
Set...
Go!!!
Squelching Dissent
The Volokh Conspiracy has a very interesting post up today by Eugene Volokh, talking about the right for student groups to criticize each other. Long story short, if it happens at the University of Tulsa law school, the group engaging in criticism faces the possible loss of funding, and possible loss of their "recognition as a legitimate law school organization".
As a law student myself, it seems that criticism, conflict, and debate would go to the heart of what the law school is supposed to teach. Discouraging frank discussion and criticism goes against the heart of what a University, and in particular a law school, is supposed to provide - a good education, and the necessary preparation to practice the profession of law.
As a law student myself, it seems that criticism, conflict, and debate would go to the heart of what the law school is supposed to teach. Discouraging frank discussion and criticism goes against the heart of what a University, and in particular a law school, is supposed to provide - a good education, and the necessary preparation to practice the profession of law.
Monday
I'm not a pusher, I swear.
You know, I told her she could post here all she wanted. But n-o-o-o-o-o-o.
Reeta had to get her own blog.
I'm proud of her (on a lot of levels), and hope she really enjoys blogging.
Reeta had to get her own blog.
I'm proud of her (on a lot of levels), and hope she really enjoys blogging.
Upgrades
Life is good.
I got contact lenses over the weekend. The optometrist was very nice, and said that after I get out of law school, I should consider getting laser eye surgery. That's an exciting prospect. But seeing my face without glasses again is odd. It's been a few years since I've worn contacts. So, disposable lenses will be fun. I'm still working up to wearing them for a full day at a time.
And thanks to a good friend here at the law school, who just happened to have an extra PC CPU lying around, my desktop computer at home has undergone an almost miraculous transformation. Going from a 700 Mhz Duron chip to a 2000 Barton is a bit of a jump. I upgraded the heatsink/fan combo, which was relatively cheap. Now I have to see if it'll run that Doom 3 demo I have on CD. And I can't wait to run a session of Neverwinter Nights on it.
But not until the weekend. This is the point in the semester when I have to really buckle down and get serious about finals - they're coming up fast!
I got contact lenses over the weekend. The optometrist was very nice, and said that after I get out of law school, I should consider getting laser eye surgery. That's an exciting prospect. But seeing my face without glasses again is odd. It's been a few years since I've worn contacts. So, disposable lenses will be fun. I'm still working up to wearing them for a full day at a time.
And thanks to a good friend here at the law school, who just happened to have an extra PC CPU lying around, my desktop computer at home has undergone an almost miraculous transformation. Going from a 700 Mhz Duron chip to a 2000 Barton is a bit of a jump. I upgraded the heatsink/fan combo, which was relatively cheap. Now I have to see if it'll run that Doom 3 demo I have on CD. And I can't wait to run a session of Neverwinter Nights on it.
But not until the weekend. This is the point in the semester when I have to really buckle down and get serious about finals - they're coming up fast!
[Listening to: Into The Fire - Douglas Sills, & Percey's Men ]
Saturday
Absolutely Incredible
Reeta, Claire and I had a busy day today. An eye exam, lunch, a trip to the movies, a baptism at the church, a trip to Fryes, an upgrade to the processor in my home computer... It's been busy!
Yup, we saw the Incredibles, and without hesitation, I'm saying that this is the best movie I've seen all year. Reeta and I agree, this movie requires a heretofore unprecedented score: a +2 Cokes, +1 more. Absolutely brilliant. It's gorgeous, stylish, fun. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't review the plot, but let me tell you, it gives fanboys a bad name. (I'm still geeking out over it!)
Easily Brad Bird's best work ever. In fact, IMHO, this is Pixar's best work yet. A much better film than "A Bug's Life" or "Finding Nemo", the only Pixar film I think is on a par with this is the second Toy Story. Reeta and I were close to heading back to the theater tonight and watching it again, something that hasn't happened to me in years. Beg, borrow, do what you have to in order to see this (except downloading it, because that would be WRONG). Despite my usual disclaimers, (IRLR), this one is one I feel confident that everyone who's ever played superhero as a kid will totally love. And that should be everybody.
I think it's a shame that this is going for the Oscar in Best Animated. It'll easily win. I think they should be shooting for the Best Film honors, personally.
Yup, we saw the Incredibles, and without hesitation, I'm saying that this is the best movie I've seen all year. Reeta and I agree, this movie requires a heretofore unprecedented score: a +2 Cokes, +1 more. Absolutely brilliant. It's gorgeous, stylish, fun. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't review the plot, but let me tell you, it gives fanboys a bad name. (I'm still geeking out over it!)
Easily Brad Bird's best work ever. In fact, IMHO, this is Pixar's best work yet. A much better film than "A Bug's Life" or "Finding Nemo", the only Pixar film I think is on a par with this is the second Toy Story. Reeta and I were close to heading back to the theater tonight and watching it again, something that hasn't happened to me in years. Beg, borrow, do what you have to in order to see this (except downloading it, because that would be WRONG). Despite my usual disclaimers, (IRLR), this one is one I feel confident that everyone who's ever played superhero as a kid will totally love. And that should be everybody.
I think it's a shame that this is going for the Oscar in Best Animated. It'll easily win. I think they should be shooting for the Best Film honors, personally.
My apology
Well, I suppose it's inevitable that we'd have a site that allows people to apologize for re-electing Bush. h/t Bojack.
And really, doesn't that seem kind of backwards? It's more like a site for people who voted for Kerry to apologize when you think about it. People who voted for Bush are still too close to the event to have buyers' remorse. It's more like a place where Kerry supporters to apologize for having failed to oust the incumbent. And it's only a matter of time until the Photoshoppers come out.
I guess I'm just a simple Idaho farm boy at heart. If I were to forced to make some sort of apology, it would be something like this.
Dear world,
I'm sorry that so many of you don't agree with my choice for President. I'm going to try not to take it personally, though, even though there's a lot of hurt feelings and name calling going around. I'd suggest you try not to take it so personally either.
Love,
Zach
All kidding aside. It's time to start working to unite the country. As John Edwards said, The Battle Rages On. Perhaps the battle I see is a different one than the one he does, but it's a battle all the same. It will require faith, hope, love, and courage to bind up the wounds, to soothe the hurts, and to unite this country. It's a beautiful day to fight for the hearts and minds of my countrymen. I shall be anxiously engaged in the good cause of uniting the country. Or at least trying to.
Let the healing begin!
And really, doesn't that seem kind of backwards? It's more like a site for people who voted for Kerry to apologize when you think about it. People who voted for Bush are still too close to the event to have buyers' remorse. It's more like a place where Kerry supporters to apologize for having failed to oust the incumbent. And it's only a matter of time until the Photoshoppers come out.
I guess I'm just a simple Idaho farm boy at heart. If I were to forced to make some sort of apology, it would be something like this.
Dear world,
I'm sorry that so many of you don't agree with my choice for President. I'm going to try not to take it personally, though, even though there's a lot of hurt feelings and name calling going around. I'd suggest you try not to take it so personally either.
Love,
Zach
All kidding aside. It's time to start working to unite the country. As John Edwards said, The Battle Rages On. Perhaps the battle I see is a different one than the one he does, but it's a battle all the same. It will require faith, hope, love, and courage to bind up the wounds, to soothe the hurts, and to unite this country. It's a beautiful day to fight for the hearts and minds of my countrymen. I shall be anxiously engaged in the good cause of uniting the country. Or at least trying to.
Let the healing begin!
Anime/Kung Fu movie report
Not a lot of people showed up, which may or may not have been a good thing. MPRE is today for some of my friends, and so they were studying. (I'm taking it in the Spring). We saw the first episode of Naruto, Netflix provided Episode 4 of Trigun (Hard Puncher) and the Jet Li movie "Fist of Legend". By the end of it, people were feeling comfortable enough to make comments. Then we saw an ep of Full Metal Alchemist (broadcast premiere at midnight tonight on Cartoon Network), and an episode of GitS:SAC 2nd Gig. A good discussion of the copyright implications of fansubbing was had, with one really smart guy calling it a de facto non-compete agreement btwn the fansubbers and US Distributors of anime.
JB brought sushi and Reese's sticks. Mmmmmm. Claire crawled under the chairs in the room while we were watching. Reeta and Claire and I really enjoyed it. A fun time was had by all, (I hope). We'll probably do this again a couple of times next semester. And maybe we'll do a little more in the way of promotion.
JB brought sushi and Reese's sticks. Mmmmmm. Claire crawled under the chairs in the room while we were watching. Reeta and Claire and I really enjoyed it. A fun time was had by all, (I hope). We'll probably do this again a couple of times next semester. And maybe we'll do a little more in the way of promotion.
[Listening to: Vivez! - Christine Andreas & Company]
Friday
Guy Fawkes Day!
Remember, Remember, the 5th of November.
Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot!
I can see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Don't have a Guy Fawkes doll to (hang? burn?) in effigy. Instead, it's the Kung-Fu/Anime Film Festival tonight. That'll be fun. I'll post a report on that tomorrow (as it should run pretty late tonight). Wish me luck!
Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot!
I can see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Don't have a Guy Fawkes doll to (hang? burn?) in effigy. Instead, it's the Kung-Fu/Anime Film Festival tonight. That'll be fun. I'll post a report on that tomorrow (as it should run pretty late tonight). Wish me luck!
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