iSoldier

About Me #1

2009-03-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

I have an unexplainable need to run up stairs whenever I find myself at the bottom of a set of them.

I have never seen Citizen Kane.

I still have every book given to me for "required" reading for English and Literature classes in high school. I have never finished any of them because I could never bring myself to read any of the "classics" after I read the first chapter of Catcher in the Rye.

I didn't eat meat of my own volition until I was 19.

If I have a weakness, it's my sweat tooth. If I have two, the second is buying electronics.

I love geometry almost as much as I love Secret of Mana.

I shot a bow and arrow on a weekly basis for two years.

I can remember my kindergarden gym teacher's name.

I think stereotypes are hilarious especially when they apply to me.

Not so deep down inside, I want to be James Bond.

Who Doesn't Watch the Watchmen?

2009-03-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this with the following: I have in fact read the graphic novel, and I believe that contributed heavily to my understanding and enjoyment of the film.

Ok, now that that's out of the way...

I loved the movie. It currently stands as one of my most favorite films (up there with Terminator 2, Juno, Iron Man, and the Godfather Parts 1 and 2). The Watchmen is a culmination of everything I look for in a movie: Solid performances from multiple cast members (not everyone played their parts equally well, but there was certainly no Sofia Coppola ala Godfather Part 3), gripping/well-thought-out story line, and a perfect soundtrack...perfect in that it could not have been any better in my opinion. The music fit the irony of the entire story. Perfect.

That all being said, as I mentioned up top, I do think that in order to get a solid appreciation for the brilliance of the movie, you really really need to read the graphic novel ahead of time. The "characters" in the background (*wink*), the excellent and wise change to the ending, and the overall feel for the world of the Watchmen have to first be experienced in their original form. I had a ton of friends go into the theater expecting Spiderman even after I explained to them over many in depth conversations the significant depth and lack of "Hollywood epicness" of the graphic novel.

So to summarize: Unbelievably brilliant movie...read it first.

New Workout Routine

2009-03-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

I've started running through a 30 minute, focused workout routine at lunch 3 times a week. Chest/triceps for Mondays, biceps/shoulders for Wednesdays, and back/legs on Fridays. The whole routine is based around doing 4 sets of 10 reps on 3/3 exercises for each muscle group. There's supposed to be very little down time in between, so my two buddies and I rotate between 2 or 3 different exercises at the same time. So far, it's kicking my butt...but I feel great afterward.

I run twice a week with the team on T/Th (sprints and long run respectively)...overall, I think I've got fitness down as much as I can for now. I like feeling healthy (and not guilty about the occasional pizza...heh).

PT Test the first week of April...hopefully this all pays off!

Peace.

Rifle Marksmanship

2009-03-05T13:51:00.000-08:00

Part of our company went to the rifle range this weekend. I shot 37/40 which qualified me for Expert which made me really excited especially considering the disaster that was my BCT qualificiation (broken rifle, first round no go, minimum qualify...bleh)

We've got a Class A inspection tomorrow so I had to get my new marksmanship pin...and they really needed to be resized as well. The jacket I was issued at BCT was waaaay too big for me...hilariously oversized.

Kind of an off-day tomorrow and some fun volunteering on Saturday. More on that later!

Peace.

Movie Theaters

2009-02-16T20:57:00.000-08:00

It's official, movie theaters have been ruined by the rudeness and thoughtlessness of bad parents and stupid teenagers.

I'm giving up on theaters.

That's all for now.

Observation

2009-02-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

The other day I went to "Panda Express" for dinner. There were mostly men and women of Latin American ancestory working behind the counter. There was a man of Eastern Asian origins behind me in line.

It took 10 minutes of broken English (on both sides of the conversation) to get that man a to-go box of Chicken Fried rice. After it was all said and done, my friends and I shared a good laugh. From a strictly linguistics perspective, the fact that a (presumably) Chinese man can't order "Chinese" food from a (presumably) Mexican man in America because both have a limited grasp on the English language is hilarious!

*Important Note* This is not meant to come off as condescending, bigotous, or mean. It was just a really funny, SNL-esque situation I wanted to share...

That's all for now.

Tech Review

2009-02-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

Here's what promises to be a significant posting...

MacBook Pro
My Macbook Pro is one of the greatest purchases I have ever made. Finally giving into my younger brother's persistant nagging, after I got to my current station post-Basic, I dove headfirst into the glorious Mac subculture.

My initial elf-justification came from the full support of BootCamp, and the ability to flawlessly install Windows. However, until I recently installed a Beta of Windows 7 (a review for a later date), there hadn't been a copy of a Windows OS on my laptop for at least 8 months. Most of the gaming I do now is on the PS3 or PSP, so there's not really a need for me to use Windows for anything. I've got copies of the necessary Office software, I use superior video software, and OSX is much easier to use than XP (and of course, the steaming pile of freshman-level programming garbage that it Vista).

I do have a few issues with my MacBook Pro. I don't understand the obsession with shiny coatings for electronics (be it the Mac's shiny-silver, or the PS3's Piano Black), but if it gets used, it scratches. I wish the coating was of a different texture. The bottom is scratched much more than it should be for as young as the computer still is, though I have managed to avoid messing up the top, keyboard, or palm-rests by using a cheap-external keyboard and mouse.

The only other problem I occasionally run into is a compatability issue with OSX, but only with open-source and shareware programs.

Oh, and it runs Windows 7 almost flawlessly so far...having some trouble with the sound, but I'm not concerned as I haven't spent a great deal of time trying to figure it out yet.

Hands down, if you can afford one, buy one.

Sony Playstation 3

My PS3 is a beast. I was a little reluctant to get one for a long time because of the significant differences in quality and size of its game library when compared specifically to te XBox 360. However, I have had such success with my PSP that I decided to drop some money down and give it a try. I managed to snag one of the last models with 4 USB ports, card-slots, and (most importantly) PS2 backwards compatibility. It has an 80 GB hard drive and came with a copy of Metal Gear Solid 4. I have not regretted the purchase for a second.

The backwards compatability works incredibly well. It's a shame they have since removed it.

My initial worries about the game library were quickly put to rest. Sony's exclusives are top-notch. MGS4, Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, and LittleBigPlanet are each by themselves more than enough reason to buy a PS3. Their combined level of fun, innovation, and general "awesomeness" is explosive particularly LittleBigPlanet.

I actually use the PS3's media center functionality more than the gaming. The USB ports and DivX/XviD codecs make watching the mountain of TV shows I have on portable HD a snap...a little more compatability on the file extension side of things would e nice, but for the most part, I've not had any major issues. Also of course, the BluRay player works perfectly fine and supports all the necessities like BDLive and whatnot.

I recently picked up a nice 40in LCD 1080p TV and barebones Sony 5.1 sound system to complete my HD experience, and I have not been disappointed. For anyone still settling for standard definition and trying to pass it off as, "There's no difference!", I have but one word for you, "WRONG!"

HD even in 720p brings in a crystal clear picture, and true 5.1 Dolby Digital sound is glorious...Do it! Make the switch! The end of SD is near, and you are being left in the dark...Search your feelings! You know it to be true!

That's all I got. Man, it feels good to be doing this again. I miss writing...Maybe I'll revisit my story blog too...if I can find the time...

Peace

The Past Year: A Summary

2009-02-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

So, it's been over a year...but I think it's time to bring this back...

Here's a summary of what's been happening:
Army Stuff-
I graduated with High PT Score for my Basic Training Company (325 with the extended scale!); my platoon won the Honor Platoon award as well. I loved my Drill Sergeants and made some really good friends, one of whom followed me out to my next station.

I'm currently on my Unit's Run Team, and I've gotten my 2 miles time down to sub-twelve minutes which is very awesome...My squad is also fantastic.

Politics-
While I didn't vote for Obama, his policies so far have been pretty good. Not too terribly excited about his cabinet members, but I do approve of his appreciation for technology. Choosing an "internet czar" that actually understands what the internet is (and plays WoW) was a much-needed step in the proper direction. Also, I bought a MacBook Pro (I'll post a review of sorts later...) a while back...Obama's apparently a Mac user...I approve. All kidding aside (and most importantly of all given the current political climate of the world) the Middle East loves Obama (because most of them think he's a Muslim), and that has the potential to make my life easier for the next few years...

Technology-
I already mentioned that I bought a MacBook Pro...I've also managed to acquire a 40in toshiba LCD 1080p TV, a Sony 5.1 barebones sound system, and a PS3...I love all of them (many thanks to the floundering Circuit City and their ridiculously low prices!) More reviews to follow...

Thats all for now...Peace out

PS: 2008 coldest of the decade? Hmmmm

My Triumphant Return...

2007-12-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

Hello...it has been too long, my friends.

A lot has gone on over the past month...mostly me trying to buckle down on classes so I can graduate...which I'm going to be doing tomorrow! How exciting is that? Four and a half years are gone tomorrow.

A lot of Army stuff has gone down as well...I'm having some trouble with the University giving my proof of graduation by January 2nd...which would be awful...ruin all of the plans I've laid so far. So keep your fingers crossed for me on that issue.

ROTC stuff finished up wonderfully...didn't end up with a 300 on the last pt test, but I wasn't expecting too...we lost too many days of PT to special events and such. I actually haven't done much exercise at all over the past month...woops...oh well, it's all been about passing, heh.

I was worried about my databases class, but turns out there wasn't anything to worry about...ended up with a B, which is wonderful.

Ok, I've got to run and start packing for Sunday...I've got a lot of stuff.

Hooah.

Range Shooting

2007-11-14T13:20:00.000-08:00

My military science class shot M16s today. I did surprisingly well. All those hours of Call of Duty and Battlefield 2 have payed off. Last year's class was an embarrassing disaster for me...so it was nice to be at the front of the group.

Anyways, that's all. Felt like a badass today...nothing else going on outside of classes and tests. In fact, I'm off to one right now.

Hooah.

No Go

2007-11-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

I will not be going on the field training exercise this weekend. A bit of a disappointment, but I'll use the time to get ahead on my homework so I won't be doing any over Thanksgiving Break.

It turns out that there are a bunch of us not going...we're going to have a get together on Saturday, so that should be fun.

For better or worse I still have to attend all of the prep-stuff this week...early-morning battle drills tomorrow, PT Wednesday, and something...can't remember what...probably more battle drills...on Thursday.

The good news is no PT Friday, no PT Monday, and Break starts Tuesday after classes.

I'm probably going to have to do some personal PT over the break though, seeing as how we really haven't even had PT in over a week prior to this morning...

That's all I've got...fairly easy week other wise, minus the Graphics test I have on Thursday.

Hooah.

Obama, Taxes, and Social Security

2007-11-12T05:12:00.000-08:00

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama apparently thinks that the answer to our social security problem in this country is a tax increase. That's right, despite the fact that we're already giving an enormous chunk of our hard-earned green, the Senator believes that if we give up...nay, if he takes away even more of our money, the problem might just go away.

I can't believe anyone would ever buy into this...I don't understand it. I'm no economist, but I'm pretty sure that more money I have in my hands the better off I am. More money means more control...

Also, another thing that bothers me about this issue. You can't say that "it's for the aged and the shut-ins" because a good porition of them never see any of the social security money taken from them in their younger years anyway...and I almost certainly won't be seeing any of it. Privative it and let us handle our own damn money.

That felt good...haven't done one of those in a while.

Hooah.

Hell Weeks

2007-11-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

It's been a crazy couple of weeks here...

Two very significant programming assignments were due this week (in Computer Graphics and Database Management I respectively), pushed back from last week...I had a test in another CPS course (in Software Engineering) yesterday. And I've got fraternity ritual this Friday, family and friends visiting, my final marching band game was last weekend...just...crazy.

Fortunately, the last big school-related fiascos are due today...so at least I'll be done with those for a few days.

We had swim PT this morning, which is always a nice change of pace, though now between the workout and a near-complete lack of consistent sleep for the past ten days I am completely exhausted.

We've got battle drills in the morning for our lead lab, which ought to be fun...unfortunately, I might not get the chance to use them with the battalion on STX. Because I'm not actually with ROTC, there are restrictions as to what I'm actually allowed to do...the plan was originally for me to participate in all field training events this semester...but I got news yesterday night that plans might have changed.

So, whatever...it's really no big deal. I've got plenty of field training coming up in a few months, heh.

That's all I've got. Arabic homework and more database project stuff to do.

Hooah.

October APFT

2007-10-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

It's been an awful week...

I've had two major programs due in two different classes between yesterday and this afternoon...they've been sucking up all of my free time...

To top it all off, I had an APFT this morning. I went to bed around midnight, crabby and ticked off because I was so frustrated with my program for today.

I woke up expecting the worst. As it turns out, I should take more APFTs pissed off...I ended up 1 pushup short of a 300...if I had only been two years younger, I would have had it...

Pushups : 74(gah!) up from 57.
Situps : 90(w00t!) up from 84.
2MileRun: 12:34 up from 12:28 (but my first lap/one mile time was under 6 minutes!)

I found that the key to kicking butt on pushups is just to not stop...your first full set is what matters the most. I did 30 on the first test, 40 this time, so I'll shoot for 50 on the next one.

Thanks to my APFT scores, I'm in a fairly good mood...despite the fact that in a little under 5 hours, I have to turn in a 100 point program that isn't going to completely work...

Anyways, I just wanted to post my good/frustrating news...one friggin pushup...

Hooah.

Military Appreciation Day

2007-10-29T05:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend, two of my favorite things (Army and the marching band...) came together in a big way. At the football game this past Saturday, in addition to the normal Parents' Weekend festivities, the University thought it would be appropriate to hold a military appreciation day. Our ROTC battalion was at the heart of the festivities. We wore our ACUs and marched onto the field with the band for pregame and the Star Spangled Banner.

The MS4s got us really into the game...we split up half-and-half in each endzone and did push-ups for points which the crowd seemed to really enjoy.

At halftime, a few of the cadets helped the dance/flag line hold open a giant flag in front of the band, which got a stading ovation...very cool.

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend...and unfortunately, the week itself is going to be atrocious...2 major programming projects due T/W respectively for Software Engineering and Database Management...Java and Perl...And I've got an SE test this Thursday in addition to the normal homework and whatnot.

So, I'm gunna head out...No political rants...I'm overdue for one of those...

Hooah.

Birthday Weekend

2007-10-22T05:09:00.000-07:00

I just had one of the greatest weekends ever. Period.

Ever year the marching band takes a trip to one away game. This year, it fell to a University a stone's throw from Chicago. What made this trip even better was the fact that it fell on the weekend smack dab before my birthday...which is today!

The greatness really began on Friday morning. Because we weren't going to leave until 10:00am, I didn't have an excuse not to go to PT at 6:00, which if you know how much I love to run was actually ok with me. The route was the 6 mile trek that I screwed up the last time I led it, so I was a little nervous, but it really couldn't have gone better. We kept an 8 minute (or better) mile pace through almost the entire route, and by the end, I felt fantastic. After a quick breakfast, I through my weekend bag together, unplugged the video camera charger, and headed with my house mate over to the music building to wait for the buses.

The ride was great. My house mate is the band's CEO and one of only three fifth year seniors in the group (myself included); he had previously warned that those wishing to sleep and/or study en route to our first performance (4-5 hour trip) really needed to grab a ride on the second bus because of the loud, obnoxious songs we were going to sing and the fantastically crude stories we were planning to share with the newer members. We stood by our warning.

After checking into our hotel, we drove to a local high school to play with their band. This turned out to be the only truly disappointing part of the whole weekend. The students, both band and fan alike, were fairly rude to us and the atmosphere was fairly bland. In the end, it was the few who got into our cheers, jeers, and powerful half-time show made it worth while. The buses rolled into the hotel around 11:00pm or so after we left the game. I hit the pillow and was out.

The next morning, we grabbed some breakfast and drove to the college game. It was a tiny stadium, and we dwarfed the home team's band which was more of a pep squad then a marching band (they didn't take the field, but they were pretty cool people. A few of us met with them after half time and they were incredibly gracious hosts). The energy was great. A boat load of our fans showed up to the game. The tiny stadium made cheering so much more fun because it was possible to get shouted messages back and forth across the field without any real problems. Our team ended up winning by quite a bit.

After the game, the buses drove us into downtown Chicago. Our band announcer took all of the seniors to dinner as is tradition on the trip. We got authentic Chicago-style pizza and watched the Cleveland Indians get stomped in the sixth game of the ALCS. After dinner, most of us just walked around the city until the buses came back to get us.

Sunday, we went back to Chicago. We spent the day on the Magnificent Mile and Navy Pier, shopping and walking. Chicago's just a neat city to be in for a while. It was cool having been there before because I could help figure out where we needed to go and all that good stuff. We left around 4:00pm. A quick stop at a flustered, but friendly Arby's filled us up at the halfway point. The last few hours of the bus trip made the initial trip pale in comparrison. Song after song...games...the whole back of the bus was glowing.

Got in bed around midnight just in time to get a few text messages from my friends wishing my a happy birthday. PT was great this morning, but I'm going to really be draggin' my feet and smacking my face to try and stay awake...

We're going to my favorite place to eat tonight...about as authentic as an Irish pub can get in middle America. Good times, good potato soup!

Hooah.

Fall Break

2007-10-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

I'm going on Fall Break after classes today...but there's a football game on Saturday, so like any good marching band videographer, I've got to stick around campus. I'm actually very much looking forward to it. I was just very recently at home, and this will give me some much-needed, actual downtime (as much as I love being at home with my family, they, like me, hate to sit in one place for very long, so my breaks at home tend to fill up with activities very quickly).

PT was excellent this morning. We had a nice long run. I led this morning without any significant incident, which was nice. One of our lieutenants, a graduate of the program, ran with us and offered some really good suggestions on marching and handling road guards.

I've been spending more time on the Army Knowledge Online forums lately. It's a pretty cool place. Lots of interesting people talking about a whole lot of things...I've met some people who are supposed to be heading to Ft. Leonard Wood around the same time I do. It'd be great to at least know some names before I get there.

Work's almost over, so I'm out.

Hooah.

Zonk!

2007-10-08T05:25:00.000-07:00

We got zonked at PT this morning...we showed up and went home. Excellent times...I've been sick for a few days, and a zonk is exactly what Dr. Spot ordered.

Working on Arabic homework right now...when I finish, I suppose I'll look at the news and post s'more.

Hooah.

An Inconvenient Bias

2007-10-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

A judge in the UK has ruled that before secondary school students are shown Al Gore's Academy Award winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, they must first be informed of the film's "...inaccuracies, exaggerations and statements about global warming for which there is currently insufficient scientific evidence."

This ruling comes just a few short months after then Education Secretary Alan Johnson announced that copies of the film and other global warming paraphenalia would be distributed to every secondary school in England.

For those of you who would believe the debate on global climate change (and more importantly its cause) is over, here's evidence to the contrary.
And don't give me any of that, "This is a judiciary ruling, not science" garbage...Al Gore's no more of a scientist than this judge, and the judge looked at the same evidence as Mr. Gore, viewed the film, and came to an entirely different conclusion.

Hooah.

Civl War II: This Time We Mean It

2007-10-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

Apparently there are still people who think their states would be better off if they seceeded from the US. A Vermont secessionist group has been conducting talks with the League of the South (mostly comprised of Civil War vets, I hear...heh) to see if they can't bring some plans to fruition.

I can't even begin to take this seriously.

Yes yes yes yes yes...

2007-10-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

I'm not a terribly huge Radiohead fan, but this is exactly the direction the music industry needs to be turning...

The Kingdom

2007-10-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

One last post before I get back to work (awful awful week ahead).

I saw The Kingdom Saturday night with my youngest brother and a good friend. Fantastic movie. Anything you read about the movie's political stand point is irrelevant. I viewed it as more of a career advisement film, personally...

It's split half-and-half thriller and action and the majority of both sides is very believeable.

All the performances are spectacular, particularly those given by Jamie Foxx and Ashraf Barhorn the film's two male leads.

The Kingdom gives a very down-to-earth look at how the West and Middle-East interact on both friendly terms and unfriendly terms, specifically how the Islamic way of living greatly conflicts with the Western understanding of the world.

Brilliant film.
Hooah.

PT Test from Friday

2007-10-01T06:11:00.000-07:00

I was very satisfied with my results from Friday:

52 pushups
85 situps
12 min 28 (I swear it was 24) seconds

Run was an improvement (eitherway), situps were consistent and maxed, and the pushups were down from the spring, but much higher than last winter, and I wasn't terribly beat after I had finished them, which means I'm capable of more.

Max by December 15th is the goal for the semester...Here's to hoping I make it!

Troubles in Running

2007-10-01T06:07:00.000-07:00

So last Wednesday, I really screwed up a run...crossing streets as a leader with a group of like 20 people is a lot tougher than I would have thought...I felt pretty stupid, but fortunately the MS4s are a lot more forgiving than any drill seargent will ever be.

I was apprehensive about taking up the position again this morning, but I certainly wasn't going to turn it down. The route was much more manageable today, and in light of the situation last week, the cadet cadre opted for the use of road guards this morning, which was an enormous help. Other than a pacing problem, things went much much smoother, which made me very happy.

Learn all I can now, so I'll be less likely to screw up later...not a bad philosophy.

Hooah.

Lying to Children

2007-09-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Read this article on a book that passes itself off as a guide to global warming for children...

When I was in kindergarten, my class took a trip to the health museum where, while getting instructions how to brush our teeth properly, the woman from the museum said, "And be sure to wave goodbye to the water as it goes down the sink boys and girls because no one will ever see that water ever again because the earth's water was disappearing."

I remember asking my father about that later in the evening; it's my earliest memory of the term "liberal nut" being used. He then explained to me how plumbing and water purification works, and how the level of water on the planet stays constant.

I also remember holding up class for a good half an hour while I tried to explain to my teacher why the health-museum-lady was wrong.

Needless to say, this story hit close to home. GET EDUCATED! FIGHT THE CHURCH OF GLOBAL WARMING!

Hooah.

PS: if you want to read a better blog then mine, head over to Chanman's blog, "Buckhorn Road," in my Friends section. I read about this book there.

Long Slow Run

2007-09-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

I've got one of those in the morning...Last PT before our test on Friday.

I predict the following for my test:
1. Low 50s for pushups
2. High 60s to Mid 70s for situps
3. Low 12 minute two mile

Let's see if they hold up. It won't be a max, but it's certain to be a better start then last semester.

G'night all.
Hooah.

Climate Change Polls

2007-09-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Recently, a poll was conducted across a number of nations to try and determine what the average world citizen thought about global warming...how to cope? Should we change things? That kind of thing.

The results were fairly interesting.

Apparently the Russians have been left out in the cold about global warming, as only a mere 5% polled had any real knowledge of the debate and concern surrounding global warming. Those that understood it were fairly unconcerned, and some were even glad. The melting permafrost (what a stupid name...how can it be permafrost if it's melting...heh) is opening up land to possibility of agricultural expansion.

The scary number for me was 73...According to this poll, 73% of the people polled (United States, Spain, France, Australia, Brazil, China, Russia, Nigeria, Turkey, and India) believe that developing nations "should limit their emissions in return for financial aid and technological transfer from developed nations."

I'm pretty sure that developing nations aren't going to be able to develop on expensive, inefficient alternative energy sources. The world already supports and nurtures developing nations, so I'm pretty sure the fact that the "in exchange for" stipulation above is meaningless.

To complicate things a tad further, current alternative energy sources don't work well enough or cheaply enough for the dirt-poor third world to live on, let alone thrive on. Solar panels and windwills will not work at their current capability, and I'd be willing to bet that the "curb your emissions now, and in 10 years, we'll get back to you on the solar power thing" argument won't work.

If you think America's a polluting, fossil-fuel-guzzling, hog, did you know that China "builds a coal-fired power station every five days to feed its booming economy..."

Who the hell are we to tell the third world that they can't make better lives for themselves? Yes, it is going to cause more pollution, but at a fraction of what the rest of us already put out there.

Bloody hypocrites...

Hooah.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

2007-09-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

So, a number of Conservatives including myself should unfortunately be eating their words today.

The President of Iran spoke at Columbia University to a surprisingly abrasive crowd. The President of the University, who had received a large amount of criticism for inviting the Iranian despot to speak on campus, actually began the talk with a series of brutal human rights questions for Ahmadinejad.

"'Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator,' Bollinger said, to loud applause."

Wonderful.

Throughout the question and answer session, Ahmadinejad was presented with various queries related to Jewish/Palestinian relations and his claims that the Holocaust did not actually take place. By the end of the session, his demeanor had apparently changed from smiling and happy to stressed and slightly irked.

The most ridiculous claim made during the President's ramblings nearly made me fall out of my chair with laughter.

"He provoked derisive laughter by responding to a question about Iran's execution of homosexuals by saying: 'In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country ... I don't know who's told you that we have this.'"

That's downright scary stuff, my friends...scary.

I'm happy that this session finished up as well as it did in our favor. No riots, a few nutzy protesters on both sides, but nothing too serious...and Ahmadinejad got his butt handed to him! Fantastic.

Read the articles...they're laughable....scary, but laughable...

First morning of sleeping-in in a week-and-a-half...g'night all.
Hooah.

Streaming Television

2007-09-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

So, I think this is a fantastic idea. It seems that major television stations are finally starting to embrace the Internet and all the possibilities it holds.

I am a huge fan of Lost, but my schedule doesn't always allow me to see it at the official time. Thank goodness ABC starting putting those episodes online for streaming and viewing. I also started watching Heroes recently online on CBS'website (correct me if I got the station wrong...).

Up to this point, the only way to "catch up" on these shows was to download them illegally (or grab selected shows from iTunes). Shows that eventually make it to DVD tend to be ridiculously overpriced (*cough* Star Trek: Voyager...), which is unfortunate.

I hope that someday, older programs like TMNT, Darkwing Duck, and Eureka's Castle get put up on a server somewhere for people to stream them so that someday my children can catch a glimpse at some of the greatest television ever made...or something like that.

G'night all.
Hooah.

This week...

2007-09-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Busy week ahead in school...I've got a fairly substantial project due, a few tests to take, and the first PT test of the semester on Friday. Wish me luck...I'm going to need it!

Where's Alllll?

2007-09-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of the case of the Jena Six, take a look here before you read the rest of my post.

I've got problems with both sides here...I'll start with the prosecutos. Was this really attempted murder? The victim was beaten, bloodied, and left unconscious...but he attended a school function later in the evening after being manhandled. And the fact that he was left unconscious indicates to me that the six could have easily killed the boy if that had been their true intent, which is in fact required for attempted murder. I'm glad the court agreed with me. Whether this is a case of overzealous prosecuting attorneys or actual racism is not a question I'm capable of answering. Either way, it's wrong.

As for the prosecutors...the Jena Six did in fact assault a fellow human being. That is a against the law! How dare they trivialize the suffering of the victim and demand that the "Jena Six be freed." Al Sharpton is an idiot.

As far as the nooses hanging from the tree and prosecuting the other boys, if there isn't a law on the books, they can't get into trouble. It's a disgusting and horrific act, but no law means no trial, so to even consider using that as an example of a disparity in our system of justice is idiotic because it isn't covered by the justice system. Want a change? Start a petition, get it into the law, and then wait for it to happen again.

I'm off to get new glasses...these contacts are killing my eyes.
Hooah.

Ruck it Up

2007-09-18T05:14:00.000-07:00

We had a road march this morning. Those are always fun. 4 and a third of a mile or so. Not bad at all.

Our first APFT is next Friday. Gotta do some extra pushups to prep...

More to come later.

Hooah.

Nothing Short of Despicable

2007-09-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hobbton High School in North Carolina prevented students from wearing American flags on their clothing yesterday.

Apparently the actual rule is that no national flags of any kind may be worn at any time.

What in God's name has gotten into their heads?

As if that pathetic attempt at an excuse makes everything it ok. Words cannot describe the anger and sorrow this makes me feel. So I'll just leave it at this...

I hope these bastards and the people that changed Superman's catchphrase rot.

Hooah.

September Day

2007-09-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

I should have found the time to do this yesterday.
It's hard to believe it's been 6 years...

I was in AP American History when the first plane hit.

Where were you?

Run Leader

2007-09-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

We were short on MS3s (and MS2s apparently) today, so I got to lead the fast-group on our run. That's a whole different world, but I'm certainly glad I got the chance.

4 miles nearly all uphill today...got lost once right before we got back to UD, so it wasn't a big deal, heh.

No one complained too much, so I think I did ok, heh...The MS4s running with us suggested I memorize a few cadences and the marching commands (which I ought to know anyway...woops) so that if I get put into the position again, I can be a little better prepared.

Here's a few of the cadence I've started looking at:
The Baby Seals
Way up north where the air gets cold
We're running out of money and we're running out of gold
So now I earn my living
Killing the baby seals

You can hit `em with a bat you can hit `em with a brick
You can poke `em in th eye with your eye pokin stick
That's how I earn my living
Killing the baby seals

You can slash `em in the head you can slash `em in the throat
Then throw `em in the back of your fishing boat
That's how I earn my living
Killing the baby seals.

Yellow Bird
A yellow bird
with a yellow bill
sat up upon
my windowsill
i lured him in
with a piece of bread
and then i smashed
his yellow head

A little bird
with little feet
sat up upon
my toilet seat
i pushed him in
and flushed him down
and that little bird
went round and round

I grabbed these from here. Pretty cool stuff.

That's all I've got right now...gotta get back to work.

Fast Leadership Reaction Course

2007-09-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

I think I got that right...

This past Saturday, our ROTC battalion had the opportunity to get on a big blue bus, drive out to our local Airforce base, and participate in a squad-based obstacle course-of-sorts.

The course consisted of four individual obstacles with an accompanying scenario (ie: A pilot is down in our area. We need to get him across this river with "these" supplies and "this" pole). Squad Leader and Team Leaders changed each time. The true objective is to judge how the squad leaders reacted physically, emotionally, etc. to the challenge and how they delegated movement and security to their two team leaders.

Our squad did exceptionally well, and all of the MS3s scored highly.

I got to be a team leader for one scenario. We didn't finish that particular objective in time, but the squad leader still scored well because of the solid plan he had developed and the effective way he communicated the plan to us (the team leaders).

Overall, a really effective exercise.

After the challenges came to an end, the MS4s performed a "lane" (one of the four individual objectives) as an example for us. They skirted a few corners here or there, but the point was to see how well these experienced cadets worked together; they finished the lane with time to spare, despite one or two time penalties.

After the demonstration, the battalion changed into civis and fell into line under one of the picnic pavillions for a cookout. Hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, cookies...the MS4s and cadre brought everything. The food was excellent, though that could have been because we were all so incredibly starving, heh.

We played volleyball, soccer, and football after the food for about an hour and a half or so and then came back to school.

Overall, it was a great learning experience and a really fun afternoon. Though it'll be entirely different, I'm now really looking forward to STYX in another month or so. Hopefully the rain stays away like it did this weekend.

Hooah.

Run Run as Fast as You Can!

2007-09-10T07:15:00.000-07:00

Well PT has made me eat the words from a few posts ago about running.

The rest of this past week we've spent the great majority of our time running. 5.25 miles uphill Friday and 5 round-the-parking-lot-sprints/hill leg drills today. I love it. And we did the long run in ability groups, which was wonderful. We finished the long run in about 45 minutes, which I was very happy with.

We've also put a huge emphasis on upper and lower body workouts the past few days. Lots and lots of pushups and flutter kicks...*shudder*...painful, but necessary.

FLRC was this weekend as well, but I'm going to dedicate a whole second post for that.

Hooah.

President Bush

2007-09-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting article. It outlines the new Bush biography written by Robert Draper, I believe.

It sounds as if the book paints Bush in a very human light. I like that because he always seemed very human to me...down to Earth and all that.

Hooah.

Inner Outer Monologue

2007-09-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

This morning is the only time I've ever been really frustrated with anything army-related, outside of MEPS, heh...

We went on a 5 mile run this morning which would normally make me smile. Unfortunately, we were not set up in ability groups; squads were the choice this morning. I love my squad, but I am faster than most of them (and I don't mean anything written here in a "look how good I am" way...they can all bury me on pushups).

It took us nearly the entire time alloted for PT to finish the run, so by the time we returned home, we got to do one set of pushups and no situps. This was particularly disappointing for me because as I mentioned before, I could really use all the pushup practice I can get.

The idea was to keep a slow and steady pace...unfortunately for those runners in the groups, that meant a walking pace at some points along the route. Last year when there was an obvious difference in the abilities of certain runners in the group, they were allowed to break off into a separate group so that they could keep their own pace. That was not the case this morning.

I think the cadet cadre and the staff cadre are both doing wonderful jobs so far this semester...this was nothing more than a hiccup.

About halfway through the run, I realized that the exercise was more about the team as a whole; a "chain-is-only-as-strong-as-its-weakest-link" sort of thing...So rather than grumble in self-pity, I tried to encourage the rest of the squad to keep the pace up. Better to get these bouts of self-centeredness out now before BCT.

Hooah.

PT, hooah

2007-08-31T06:20:00.001-07:00

I fell asleep at 1800 last night...11 hours of sleep is apparently exactly what the doctor ordered, heh.

We had our first LeadLab of the year yesterday...on proper uniform wear and hot/cold injuries and treatment. Very well done.

I got a set of ACUs from Supply on Wednesday...they're so much nicer than the BDUs, but unfortunately, I had to order my own nametapes, so I didn't get to wear them Thursday. Hopefully they'll be here by Tuesday when I get back from Labor Day weekend, so I can don them for the road march.

That's all I've got for today. Going to see my little brother play Varsity football tomorrow and an Air show on Sunday...good times.

Enjoy your long weekend, hooah.

Evolution...

2007-08-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

Fossils recently uncovered in Ethiopia are casting doubt on current conceptions on exactly when men and apes split apart in the evolutionary time line. New estimates are placing the split at 20 million years or so (hear that creationists? 20 million with an 'm' not 10 thousand with a 'th').

Interesting article to be sure.

Hooah.

Simply fantastic

2007-08-27T06:32:00.000-07:00

Recently a Japanese whaling ship killed a whale and dragged it on board right in front of a whale-watching boat.

Of course, a lot of the whale watchers were offended (the article specifically mentions a French woman which I personally took a lot of satisfaction in, heh), but the whaling ship stepped it up a knotch and filed a complaint against the whale-watcher company stating that "The passenger boat approached us, which was extremely dangerous. We think this could be considered dangerous sailing, and we want you to issue a warning."

Take a closer look here for the full article.

The War

2007-08-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to get back into the politics of the war this week, now that I'm back at school and surrounded by my soldier friends...but, it's very hard to get any unbiased news at all on the subject, and I find that incredibly disheartening.

Stories like this make claims like the "body count has doubled" and are littered with pictures of bodies, hospitalized civilians, and the like. How about pictures of the hospitals themselves? They've been rebuilt? How about waterlines and some basic infrastructure rebuilding articles?

Seriously...Everyone's talking about how the morale of the troops isn't so hot right now...and I'm certainly not in Iraq right now...but it sure is disheartening to constantly hear about all the things we're doing wrong...maybe it would help to stop selling the news and just report it instead?

Hooah.

Green Street Hooligans

2007-08-25T16:56:00.000-07:00

If you haven't this this movie, do so...my brother made me watch it over the weekend of the Fourth this summer, and I can't get enough of it now.

Elijah Wood, a kick-ass soundtrack, and rowdy, English football fans. Unbelievably good.

More PSP

2007-08-25T11:34:00.001-07:00

**Shameless plug warning**

So, recently, a universal "unbricker/downgrader" was released by a psp-hacker-dream team via the internet.

If you're more-or-less up to date on my thoughts on the psp, you might be aware that I think the psp is an amazing piece of technology and own one. If you do not own one, I highly recommend you look into at the very least trying one out.

The universal downgrader makes it possible for any psp to be made homebrew-capable for free. Emulators (to be used legally), homebrewed applications and software, legally-ripped UMDs run from the memory card for increased loading speeds, Playstation 1 titles...the list of benefits goes on and on and on...

It's truly a miraculous work of ingenuity and reverse-engineering...check out the article here or the forum thread here for the whole story.

Hooah.

School Begins

2007-08-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened over the past month or so...

The end of my summer break was really nice. I love that I had the opportunity to spend so much time with my family, especially my youngest brother. I'm going home over Labor Day so I can watch him play football (just made varsity), something I've not been able to do since he was in...6th grade, if I remember correctly (he's now a sophomore in high school).

Classes won't be too terrible this semester. Software Engineering, Computer Graphics, and Database Management...all three are semi-to-fully-project-based, which kind of blows, but I do have a lot of free time, so I've just got to be sure to maximize my time-efficiency.
I'm also taking MSL 101 with our new Master Sergeant, who is very cool, and Beginning Arabic which starts this Monday. I'll definitely be sure to keep updates on that here.

Speaking of new cadre, our new Lieutenant Colonel is really intense. He's a West Point-football player grad, combat ranger. Our first actual PT yesterday almost had me throwing up in post-formation. First time that's ever happened...too cool! I'm really looking forward to the rest of the semester; road marching every two weeks, four mile runs, hill runs...too cool.

Speaking of exercise, I'm also going to get a chance to "return" to the world of rock climbing this semester thanks to my quitting my job at the university rock gym, heh...once again, I'll be hitting the panels 3 times a week...I plan on bouldering myself sick this semester.

Videography for the marching band has been going...ok, heh. I really need to start putting more effort into the video or I'll never get it done before December...

Ok...more to come now that I'm back in school.

New school year...time for a new end-line...

Hooah.

My Take on Miracles...

2007-07-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

I had a very interesting conversation with my family while driving around Atlanta a few days ago, and I just remembered that I wanted to post about it.

My immediate family members are all practicing Catholics. My two younger brothers and I went to a convent-grade school/junior high, a Franciscan high school, and my middle brother and I are currently attending a Catholic college. I've studied my faith, its history and traditions, and the Bible fairly extensively. I'm certainly not the best Christian or Catholic ever to walk the face of the planet...but I know my stuff and I practice what I preach.

However, my family also raised me to use my brain...this sometimes can catch my mother off guard when it comes to matters of faith. She is a wonderful woman and easily one of the most truly Christian women I have ever or will ever know.

I have begun to label myself a Deist Catholic. Deism is a philosophical interpretation of God and faith applied to religion...Deism.com defines deism as such:

Deism is the recognition of a universal creative force greater than that demonstrated by mankind, supported by personal observation of laws and designs in nature and the universe, perpetuated and validated by the innate ability of human reason coupled with the rejection of claims made by individuals and organized religions of having received special divine revelation.

While I don't buy into the deist philosophy one hundred percent, I very much appreciate its emphasis on using one's own brain to figure things out.

With the background set up now, I can get to the conversation.

My mother is intrigued by miracle stories, both modern and Biblical. I...am skeptical. The topic of conversation in the car on this particular day was the multiplying of loaves and fish (...the story would have first appeared in Mark, as it was the earliest Gospel written, so I'm going to refer to this particular version...Chapter 6 verses 34-44). Mark writes that Jesus went out to a deserted place; this means of course that he probably was out in the desert. Some 5,000 people followed him in the hopes that he would preach to them.

I don't even like to drive around for work each day without a bottle of water and an apple in the car...the idea that 5,000 people picked up and ran headfirst into the desert and then many hours later said to themselves, "CRAP! We didn't bring any food!" is one hundred percent ridiculous. The solution is somewhat less miraculous and awe-inspiring but just as important to Jesus' message.

When the people in the front of the crowd with food saw that Jesus was instructing his Apostles to share their food with those people who maybe hadn't realized how long they would be outside and hadn't brought enough sustenance, they acted in accordance with the instructions and began to pass around their own food. These acts of goodwill made their way among all the people present until all 5,000 people had enough to eat. I mean...they followed him to learn, right? The miracle story isn't about Jesus' power...it's about his revealing man's capacity and willingness to help himself, which is a great message!

My mom did concede this particular argument to me, which is always nice.

I won't claim to have a realistic interpretation of every miracle story or a logical explanation for every religious phenomena. And I'm certainly not an authority on all things Christian...but I would implore all Christians to think for themselves once in a while. God gave you a brain so you could use it.

That's all I've got.
Peace out.

Cosmic Rays

2007-07-10T20:29:00.001-07:00

A new study has been published that says the sun no longer causes warming...

Ok, that's not exactly a fair statement...but it is fishy-sounding

"This paper re-enforces the fact that the warming in the last 20 to 40 years can't have been caused by solar activity"
- Dr Piers Forster

You'll have to read it to get the full idea, but essentially, these scientists have taken measurements of the sun's activity over the past 30 years or so, and have concluded that the activity has no effects on modern warming...

If we can't predict the weather on a daily basis, how can we possibly figure this garbage out?

Bah...that's all I've got.
Peace out.

He's Alive

2007-07-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone.

It has been too long. I hope you all had a magnificent Fourth of July.

I've been up to quite a bit lately. I spent the last week in Atlanta, GA for a wedding. I also wanted to spend some time with my mother's side of the family, as I will not get to see a lot of them for a significant amount of time. While in Atlanta, I was fortunate enough to see two very excellent movies, Live Free or Die Hard and Transformers.

Both are full of action and witty dialog. I've seen both three times already...so trust me, they are worth the price of admission.

Die Hard focuses once again on Bruce Willis' character, Detective John McClane. Both Willis and McClane are starting to show their ages...but that's ok. It makes the action scenes, most of which are of course completely over the top, even more badass...The film is as full of hilarious dialog as it is explosions...it is as good as the first movie, if not better.

Transfomers pays perfect homage to the television series. It is goofy, unbelievable, and chock full of ridiculous action. After seeing this film, my cousins and I got into our car and proceeded to look for the "turn into a giant robot button." I guarantee you'll want to do the same.

I've also been spending a lot of time with my psp lately. Final Fantasy: Dawn of Souls is a Gameboy Advance title (which I own legally for that particular system) that I have been playing on my psp. It's a remake of both FF1 and 2...tons of stuff to do, simple and enjoyable combat system...but way too many random battles. It's almost enough to detract from the game.

That's all I've got.
Peace out.

The Results

2007-06-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

I passed! I scored very well, and was exceptionally pleased with the results. I won't receive my language until just prior to BTC is over, but I can live with that. All four of us that took it on Friday passed, which was nice.

After the test, I spent some time going over my contract and the Delayed Enlistment Program rules with my recruiter. Apparently, there's going to be a class-of-sorts every couple of Saturdays once school starts up. That'll be nice...good refreshers for the material I've got to start studying...alphabet, marching, drill, rank structure...thanks to ROTC, I know a good chunk of it already, but practice will certainly make it more clear and in the forefront of my memory.

So the last hurdle, other than BCT and DLI of course, will be the security clearance check, which ought to be no problem...I'm a good kid with a clean record, heh.

That's all for tonight.
Peace out.

DLAB

2007-06-21T20:29:00.001-07:00

I'm taking the Defense Language Aptitude Battery in the morning...this will determine what languages I qualify to learn out in Monterey...

I need to score a 95 out of 176...

According to About.com not a whole lot of people who take it actually pass the DLAB...I won't lie and say I'm not nervous, but I am pretty confident I will do ok...I hope, heh.
The only part that really concerns me is the audio-rules part...the most difficult part.

When I return, I'll post a full update of the results. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow.

That's all I've got.
Peace out.

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-17T12:47:00.001-07:00

It's a scorcher here today...thank goodness for air conditioning and cool-basements.

This week, I was fortunate enough to be able to get to two baseball games in two days! I'm not an enormous sports fan, but who in their right mind would pass up opportunities to attend games of any kind? Certainly not this guy.

At yesterday's game, to celebrate the Army's anniversary, a group of young men and women received their oath of enlistment on the field before the game in front of the 30,000+ people in attendance. How cool is that? All I got was a tiny room with some flags, heh. Good for them.

Some unexpected news coming out of the BBC today. Apparently, the Iranian government has been cracking down on political activism among its university-level students and professors. According to the article, "29 have been arrested in the last two months for political activism and 207 were taken before disciplinary committees in the last 40 days alone." Under the previous regime, only four were taken per month on average.

The campaign to rid the schools of "liberal" ideas and practices all began in December when the students of Amirkabir University called President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a dictator to his face.

I will never understand why prominent liberal groups in America don't take a strong, vocal stance against radical Islam and oppressive regimes like Iran's current government. These people enforce laws based entirely on one interpretation of one religion...where's the ACLU when you actually need it? If these people truly stood by their principles, we'd have a lot more support for our current leaders' policies in the Middle East.

Maybe things are changing for the better in the media...the story did come out of the BBC afterall.

Enjoy the rest of your day!
That's all I've got.
Peace out.

Thank You for Smoking

2007-06-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

A brilliant movie...

One of my room mates introduced me to the film over Spring Break while we were in Florida. A few friends and I came across it tonight in a local video store and decided to give it another watch. It was even more fun the second time around.

Thank You for Smoking follows Nick Naylor, a lobbyist for Big Tobacco, on his journey to further his industry's agenda while coming to grips with his role as a father. Aaron Eckhart is marvelous as the silver-tongued hero of the smoking industry. You will laugh until your sides split...and not once does it feel like an anti or pro-smoking advertisement...no one is safe! Rather than radically defending one side or the other, it presents the issues as they are in real life, and then stands by its message of free choice, allowing the viewer to make his or her own decisions.

I also saw Knocked Up last night. This movie is also wonderful. I went into the experience with fairly low expectations...a movie about an unwanted pregnancy has to be about abortion...well, much to my surprise and delight, the issue only arose twice for less than a minute each time.

Knocked Up addresses parental responsibility and facing the consequences of the choices we make, for better or worse. The chemistry among the cast members is marvelous, and it was fantastically written. Language and adult-content make it fairly un-kid-friendly, but for anyone old enough looking for a good way to spend an evening, go and see this one.

In other news, it's nice to see France's conservatives are doing so well in the elections, as it's been a fairly uphill battle for them to this point.

One more thing...This is older news, but if you haven't seen Global Warming: The Great Swindle, watch this series of videos:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

I think the best part of this video comes in the form of the debates that spring up in the comments below...really...check it out. You can read about people like srfurchick88 who believe that (and I quote) "...whatever the FACTS are might be different or similar to my point of view, but no matter wat the facts are it still does not change my POINT OF VIEW.. I BELIEV WHAT I BELIEVE."

Debate needs to be reintroduced into mainstream education. Way too many people today confuse fact with opinion (or "POINT OF VIEW" as srfurchick88 might call it). The fact (pun intended) of the matter is that in the end, science is what it is...and politics, public opinion, and political agendas won't be able to change anything.

In other words, to reference yesterday's posting, no matter how many pretty pictures you paint of a velociraptor munching lettuce, given the chance, one would still eat your face.

That's all I've got.
Peace out.

Creationism Museum

2007-06-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, a creationist-themed "natural" (I use the term loosely) museum opened in Kentucky. I could not be more disgusted.

Religion and science can indeed happily coexist...I am a Christian, and I believe that God sparked the start of the evolutionary process. There you go.

The problem is that religion cannot and should never be substituted for science (or vice-versa). To just throw existing, accepted science out the window and replace it with conjectured garbage based on religious texts is hogwash and irresponsible especially when the garbage is being force-fed to children without the wherewithal to know better.

Jonathan M. Gitlin of Ars Technica recently took a visit to the Creation Museum. I highly recommend reading the article.

Some of the pictures are laughable. Eve standing fully-clothed in a Victorian-era gown next to a velociraptor that is eating vegetation...yeah, the dinosaur with the razor-sharp-teeth was a vegetarian before the Adam's Fall...

That's all I've got for now.
Enjoy your evenings, everyone!
Peace out

American Soldier

2007-06-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

After months of anticipation, I am now officially a sworn member of the United States military. Admittedly, I still have a long way to go, but I'm proud to have made it this far.

I'll give you the run down.

I arrived back at MEPS at 0800 Thursday morning. I waited for a few hours to get my eye sight waiver finalized with the doctors, and then headed to the career counselors. They were extremely helpful. I decided on the 35-W MOS (formerly 98-X) and will be attending language school in Monterey after BTC which will be at Ft. Leonard Wood.

The swear-in ceremony was brief and to-the-point. THe officer entered the room, we were called to attention, and she swore us into service. Very cool.

The only things left at this point for me to worry about are the security clearance check and the DLAB. I'm really hoping to take care of the later next Friday...so fingers crossed for that one...I need a 95 or better to get Arabic, Korean, or Mandarin.

Ok, it's time for some political posts...
Peace out!

Waiver's signed

2007-06-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

My recruiter called me today and informed me that the Army has given me a permanent waiver for my eyes! I'm going back to MEPS Thursday to talk to the career counselors, sign my contract, and get sworn into the Army!

Thank goodness it's finally going to get finished.

More to come!

Peace out.

Memorial Day Weekend 2007

2007-05-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day!

It has been a very busy weekend. MEPs was interesting, and didn't go exactly as I had planned, but nothing ever does. Here's the run down:

Thursday around 1:00, I left for the capital. I arrived at MEPS around 3:45 or so, and after a few minutes of processing paperwork, I was pointed to the testing lab. The SSgt in charge set me up on an open computer. The ASVAB consists of 10 sections covering everything from science, english, and math to car parts and basic computer/electronic studies. Some parts of it were pretty rough, but fortunately, I pulled out a 98 on it. Needless to say, I was very pleased.

After the test, I drove to the hotel where all of the to-be military people stay. The accommodations were beyond everything I had expected, and the people were very nice.

My room mate for the night was an old pro, having already gone through with the process for the Navy before changing his mind at the last minute to go for the Army. Dinner was provided, and we spent the rest of the night (light's out at 2200) watching TV, playing PSP, and just talking.

The next morning, we got in line for breakfast around 5:00 and were served bacon, hashbrowns, and other continental-breakfast-type-foods. They were all great. When the shuttle call came, I headed to my car and followed the bus back to MEPS.

Everything you read about MEPS medical people is true. Their jobs are to disqualify people from getting into the military. It's nothing personal, but it's what they do. The second day at MEPS was long and full of hurry-up-and-wait scenarios. Blood-drawn, medical histories, hearing tests, orthopedics...I got through it all...and then came the eye exam.

I ended up with a PDQ because my left eye was at .75 below the lower limit for military allowance. They sent me home, but the recruiting Sergeant assured me that I would end up with a waiver. My recruiter from school told me the same when I called him. Regardless, it means another trip to Columbus (hopefully this week...) and 60 bucks more for gas.

So, as it stands right now, I am not yet a sworn member of the Armed Services. Once again, MEPS told me they would hear from Fort Knox on the waiver decision by Wednesday at the latest, so I expect to get an answer Tuesday or Wednesday.

Until then, that's all I've got. I hope you all had a magnificent Memorial Day and were able to keep those who have fallen defending our nation close at heart today.

Peace out.

MEPS Today!

2007-05-24T05:38:00.000-07:00

It has begun...

I'm headed to the capital today to start MEPS. ASVAB today, and exams/everything else tomorrow.

Wish me luck! I'll have a lengthy post about it when I get home tomorrow.

MEPS

2007-05-20T19:52:00.001-07:00

Thursday and Friday are the days...

That's all for now. Just wanted everyone to know I had finally reached the point of making a decision.

More news to come.

Air strikes in the Gaza Strip & Iraq: How the Cookie Might Crumble

2007-05-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

Two Middle Eastern stories today...

Apparently, infighting between Palestinian factions in the Gaza strip has resulted in an a series of Israeli bombing raids in an effort to take out key leaders of one of the two factions currently fighting. Rocket were shot into Israel in an effort "to draw it into an internal Palestinian conflict." Interesting. Doesn't really have any immediate effects on the US, but interesting nonetheless.

Also, the Chatham House think tank in Britain apparently has postulated that do to the large number of localized civil wars currently taking place in Iraq (as opposed to one big one), the country is moving closer and closer to the breaking point...as in, it will be broken up into smaller countries. I don't think I would be too opposed to this if it could really cool things down. When Iraq was originally formed, little-to-no attention was given to the local populations and how well (or poorly) that could coexist. Obviously, there have been some problems over the years. I think if we got a "do-over," so to speak, peace might be able to be found.

Of course, there would be nothing easy about this solution. It's just an interesting thought. Maybe the world should give it a closer look.

That's all I've got for now. Half-day at work, so I'm going to lift, run, and reinstall my operating system!

Peace out.

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

Something really cool happened this Friday...

I was in the car with my younger brother (just got his temporary permit), and we were on our way a friend's house. We were getting close, and he looked into the mirror and said, "That Army car's been behind us for a while."

I looked behind us and sure enough, there was a car covered in US Army paraphernalia. Jokingly, I looked at my brother and said that it was probably my recruiter trying to get me to pick a day to go to MEPS.

Well, the Army car pulled onto the street where we were headed and after both of our cars had stopped, two fully-uniformed soldiers exited the vehicle and approached us.

"That's a great sticker you have on the back of your car there!" a Staff Sergeant told my brother. (The bumper he was referring to reads, "Kick their ass and take their gas!")

Sure enough, the two men were recruiters for the county we live in, but they live in the neighborhood in which my brother's friend lives...

So we chatted with them for a few minutes and then I went home.

In our few minutes together though, the soldiers told me something that just about made my stomach turn. Apparently, on a recent trip to the area high school to get permission to talk to students at lunch for recruiting purposes, the principle asked them the following question:

"What's the difference between you and the Neo-Nazis?"

I can't even begin to address the ignorance behind this statement...and it's a high school principle for crying out loud!

In some follow-up news, I got some homebrew apps working on my new PSP. Absolutely fantastic! I highly recommend purchasing one if you're at all into old-school gaming. The platform itself has some decent titles, but the WiFi internet, music player, and homebrew capacity really make the system great.

That's all I've got for now. I'm going to try to keep up with the news a little better from now on so I can make some comments about current events this week.

Enjoy your mother's day!
Peace out.

MEPS Coming Up

2007-05-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

The time to finalize a day for MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) is closely approaching...I'm thinking I'm gunna go late next week. The Army apparently works on a 15th to 15th monthly schedule, so my recruiter has encouraged me to avoid the middle of next week because a lot of other recruiters will be trying to jam people in to make the monthly deadline. I'll be sure to post as soon as a date is set.

My early-morning routine has been hampered slightly because I've started taking my younger brother to school on my way to work. I've been making up for it in the afternoons, but it's getting excruciatingly humid as of late so I'd really like to get back into a morning schedule to avoid late afternoons (plus, I come home exhausted from work...I work for a general contracting company...manual labor, construction, deliveries, and the like...Been doing it every summer for years. I really like it.)

That's all for now...bed time for this guy.

Peace out.

End of the world

2007-05-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

Good run...

This is something I've been meaning to post about since I got home.

Last Friday, I was watching the History Channel, and I saw the most wonderfully ridiculous program. The show talked about the signs of the "coming Apocalypse" centered around a strict, Christian interpretation of the Bible. Now, for those of you out of the loop, I wag my finger at strict-Christian-fanatics as much as I do for the Left-Wing-lunatics; needless to say, I had a good laugh.

"Experts on the Apocalypse" (I'm not sure exactly how that works...Biblical scholars probably, but that was the term the History Channel used...) say that "the signs are all around us." Death, natural disasters, plagues, starvation, and loose morals all point to the Second Coming and the end of the world.

Now, I'm no scholar or historian, but I'm fairly certain that all of those things have always existed (some in fact have actually decreased significantly since the time of Jesus...don't see too much leprosy today).

So, I watched for the hour it was on, and enjoyed a few chuckles. But the biggest laugh came just a few minutes before the end of the program.
After the Bible-thumping session ended, the narrator's voice became even more ominous. He said , "Maybe the end of the earth won't take a supernatural form. We humans in fact may be bringing about our own demise..."

You guessed it! Apocalypse-by-Global-Warming has made it all the way to the Right of the political spectrum...all the way.

This bizarre union of Right and Left made me start to think. Man as a species has been obsessed with Armageddon since well before the birth of Christianity; it's become a sort of religious-necessity...man expects the world to end, but only in the way he envisions it. Christians think the Second Coming will bring about man's true end...

(aside: I always wonder what will happen to the Earth when man's all dead...and the animals...will Earth just be a rock floating through space with some animals on it? ...maybe that's all it is now...oooo...deep)

So, this train of thought eventually brought me back to Global Warming. Weeks ago, one of my room mates put forth the idea that Global Warming was a religion for atheists...There are rituals (neurotic recycling), congregations (protests and rallies), and there is a system of beliefs (the world is getting warmer, SUVs are evil). There are even different sects (those that lump in anti-globalization and anti-corporatism) and hypocrites (celebrities who travel the world in private-jets preaching against SUVs)

And of course, Global Warming, just like the Second Coming, will bring about the end of the mankind's reign on this planet...it is very much like a religion in many ways, and mankind's need for a belief in the end of the world explains why it has spread like wildfire.

Food for thought...thanks to the Macrocosm's author for his thoughts...check his blog out in my "Friends" section...if he would ever update it.

That's all for now...next post will probably be on censorship.

EDIT: It has been recently been pointed out to me that the idea of Global Warming as a religion was originally put forth by Rush Limbaugh. So, I thought I might give him some credit for it too. Thanks Rush.

He's back!

2007-05-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

Finals are done, I'm on summer break, and work has started.

I've got lots of stuff on my mind to post, so I'm going to break them down into a couple of posts that should hit the site throughout this evening.

The first thought stems from the Sony PSP I bought a few days ago. It's wonderful. I do have one particular problem with it; it's not so much an issue with the system itself.

The rant should begin with an explanation. I have a problem with our country's current intellectual property laws. I don't like DRM (digital rights management) or the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. That being said (and all music, movie, and software related arguments aside), I would love to play old-school and homebrew games on my PSP.

The current laws are set up to allow anyone with a legitimate hard copy of a video game to own one soft copy for backup purposes. Reasonable...if it were easy to utilize or create those backups. There are ways to obtain emulators and get them to work with the PSP, but it is tedious and borderline illegal.

I understand holding the rights to older games that are being (or certainly warrant) remade (Final Fantasy series, Megaman series...etc). Those games, despite their age, are still making money for those companies. However, titles like Mickey Mania barely made money while they were out, but are still a blast to play. Why hold onto the rights for games like that?

That being said, I actually own copies of the games I would like to play on the PSP...so I should be allowed to make/obtain soft copies...but changing my PSP to be able to do so could permanently damage the system and make it unusable. How in the world does Sony benefit from my not being able to modify this console as I see fit when I stay well within my legal rights?

Emulation is a wonderful way to preserve the classic games and keep "old school" gameplay alive. I wish the big game companies would wake up and think about whether or not older games are really making them that much money anymore...

On a more fun note, there is a website that keeps track of thousands of older games that are now in public domain for one reason or another. Check out The Underdogs for more info.

That's post one...not terribly well-written or thought-out, but it's something...more to come after I get back from my run...

Peace out.

Update on Finals week

2007-05-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hello friends.

Well, the last week of the semester is upon me. I've got 6 finals plus a take-home exam and a final JAVA program, for a grand total of 8 end-of-semester-things...
3 are down, two more today, none tomorrow, 2 wednesday, and 1 friday.

Full load, to be sure

Last week the University gave us Thursday and Friday off and called them "study days," but they really became "sit-around-and-not-study" days. The last week of actual school was awful, so the two breathing days were welcome.

Not much has been going on in the way of PT since our battalion run to end the semester last wednesday...I've swam a couple of times, but my time has mostly consisted of finding my graduating friends to say goodbye and studying (after friday had passed, of course).

Haven't been paying much attention to politics, games, or books either...but it'll all be over soon.

3 more days!

Peace out.

Dining-Out

2007-04-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

We had Dining-Out last night. That was fun. Good food, good friends, good ceremony. I felt a little out of place because the whole thing is geared to honoring the contracted cadets who are sooner or later going to become Officers...they all had Class-A's too...not me...I had a suit, heh.

I got a bunch of congratulations from my ROTC peers on my PT test results at the ceremony...that made me feel great, especially when one of the MS4s who got a 385 (yeah...that's 3-8-5) commented on how fast I was...good stuff.

I've got a Leadership analysis paper to do now...gotta read up on General George S. Patton. Have a good weekend, all.

Peace out.

Record APFT

2007-04-20T04:28:00.000-07:00

Our last PT test for the semester was this morning...I improved on all accounts!

69 push-ups...personal best and just six away from a max. Up from 56 on the last test.
86 sit-ups...another personal best. That's up from 75.
12 min 31 sec two-mile time...also a personal best! That's down 7 seconds.

Overall score of 293...6 stupid push-ups and I could have maxed. Oh well. I can most assuredly get those in by the start of the fall. I've just really got to stay on top of fitness this summer.

Speaking of staying on top of things, the end of the school year is here...and that means mountains of work to be done...
Posting may be slight over the next 5 days...but have no fear...summer will be here soon.

Peace out.

Final PT / End of the school year

2007-04-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

I was planning on posting about VT, gun-law ranters, and related topics...but I think enough has been said on these particular subjects lately. The families of the victims deserve time to heal, and who am I to judge the situation surrounding the University and its police one way or the other.

The MS4s took their record PT Test today. My housemates did fairly well by their own accounts, so congratulations to them. The rest of us take our final test on Friday. I think the swimming and extra workouts that I've been undertaking recently are going to go a long way...The test won't really matter for me no matter how well or poorly I do, but it's certainly a matter of pride. One of the MS3s I pace with tested with the MS4s today...so my run group of 3 is down to 2...we should be able to keep a good pace regardless...I ate up the run route today, so I'm hoping the same thing will happen Friday.

As always, I'm concerned about push-ups...but today, I did 50 without-rest for the first time ever...that made me proud...here's to hoping I can repeat that performance Friday.

Ok...I'm done.
Peace out.

Quick Update

2007-04-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Computer's back up and running...thank you, Travis.

If you haven't heard, there were two shootings at Virginia Tech this morning. ABC estimates 25-29 people dead so far and another 20 or so wounded. I'll post more details and some thoughts about the tragedy tonight after class and work.

Keep the victims in your thoughts and prayers.
Peace out.

Man down!

2007-04-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

Actually...it's my computer that's down. Something must have recently gotten screwed up on the Linux half because I can't boot into either side...grub's giving me troubles.

Needless to say, posting might be limited until I can figure out what's wrong with it. I'm praying it doesn't come to a HD wipe. I like to do that every six months anyway, but I was sort've hoping I could make it all the way to summer break first...which is just over two weeks away...oh well, these things happen.

Wish me luck. I'm stuck in the school's computer labs until I figure something out.
Peace out.

Rutgers Controversy and Words from a Fellow Soldier

2007-04-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, Im jumping on the band wagon. I'm going to write about Don Imus and the Rutgers basketball women...but something needs to be said.

Don Imus' comment, joke or not, was out of line. No questions. It really wasn't funny, and I'm not sure what he was trying to prove...ok, that's settled.

Do I really think the women of the team suffered physically because of being called "nappy-headed hoes?" Absolutely not. My room mates and I greet each other every morning with harsher insults than that, and I certainly don't get sick on a regular basis.

I understand the difference of course. Imus' joke was mean-spirited, our greetings are not...but my point is simply that you can't let things get to you. What does it matter what an old white-dude has to say about the black women on a Rutgers basketball team? Nothing...it doesn't matter. Should he have been fired? It's not my decision, and I really couldn't care less. All I know is that I'm sick of reading about how insult is making them suffer...bah.

Imus has handled the aftermath as best as he should...he's apologized again and again for his behavior...on Al Sharpton's show! (possibly a mistake to try that...) But no one will let it go...he deserves some punishment...but think about it: If soldiers had taken Kerry's slip-of-the-tongue as seriously as everyone is currently taking Imus', MA might be out of a senator.

I received this next piece in an email from my recruiter who received it from a friend of his. It's good...really good.

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll
data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source,
right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy
with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country
is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3 of the
citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What are we
so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7
days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning
in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.6 percent
of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into
a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has
seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the
Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we
move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe
motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?
I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around
the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck
our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and
even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.
You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a
group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch
equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your
belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen
TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a
bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack
or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or
militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90
percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we
enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what
has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the
world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a
great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most
blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we
don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the
good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and
has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent
approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in
the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an
economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been
called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled
ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of
an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you
hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news
affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around
for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it.....are you upset at the President because he
actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you
he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful ass every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have
volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom.
There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.
They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general''
discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case
scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent
of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it
bleeds, it leads and they specialize in bad news.

Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will
watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and
media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and
when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one
way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J.
Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did
he would have done it this way..... Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed every day by the media. Shut
off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of
your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country.
There is exponentially more good than bad.

Fantastic. That's all I've got. Back to work.
Peace out.

Swimming and PT

2007-04-13T06:26:00.000-07:00

Pretty solid workout this morning. I'm finding that the swimming my two room mates and I have been doing since our return from break is already going a long way. I'm constantly tired and worn-out...but when I exercise, the feeling stays the same (as bad as it always is), and I'm doing more pushups more quickly, and I've stayed close to the head of the pack for run times. Pretty good stuff. I'm going to have to think about joining a pool or rec center this summer...only two weeks away...wow.

Nothing political from me today; I just wanted to make this observation.

Enjoy your Friday-the-13s everyone.
Peace out.

Lead Lab and Duke Rape Case

2007-04-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

We had a Lead Lab early this morning. The topic was Combat Medical Care. Lead Labs always make me feel useless because I don't have nearly the experience of any of the other cadets, including the freshmen. I was put on my platoon's secondary Aid & Litter team (taking care of fallen or wounded comrades). When one of my squad members took an imaginary wound to the leg via an injury-simulation-card, I didn't know how to deal with it because I had never seen a card like that before (because I was not allowed to participate in the Field Training Exercise a few weeks ago). In a real combat situation, my squad member and I would have been in serious trouble.

I'm certainly not upset or anything. The MS4s do a good job of explaining and are very patient with anyone (including myself) who's lost or confused. Lead Labs are supposed to be learning experiences, and I sure as heck know what to do for the next time. I always feel like I'm letting people down when I screw up though. I suppose it's better to do that now when it doesn't matter versus going to BTC and blowing it there.

In other news, Crystal Gail Mangum has dropped all charges against the three former members of the Duke lacrosse team. Apparently somebody missed the fact that of all four the DNA samples found in or on her clothes at the time of the initial investigation, not one match could be made to any of the lacrosse team members. This of course is coupled with the fact that her story changed on a regular basis, and the only member of the team she identified in each of the line ups presented to her had a solid alibi; he was not even at the University on the day of the party.

How can injustices like this happen? I certainly understand with making sure the victims get justice, but how about making sure that victims are what they claim to be in the first place? The severity of the screw ups in this case are astronomical. Crystal's allegations will follow those three boys for the rest of their lives, and they were completely baseless from the start! Testimonies from multiple people, a complete lack of DNA evidence, and numerous inconsistencies on the part of the accuser should have gotten the charges dismissed a year ago when this case first came to fruition.

That's all I've got. Peace out.

EDIT: Anyone who has a problem with the validity of using Wikipedia as a source for news and the like ought to take a look at the sources cited on the bottom of the "2006 Duke University lacrosse team scandal" article to which I link above. One-hundred-and-sixty-seven independent articles. Not bad...

British Article on Global Warming Hypocrites

2007-04-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is a well-written article. You must read it!

Film recommendations

2007-04-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, if you've been under a rock for the past few weeks and haven't had a chance to see 300, do it.

The movie is fantastic. It's amazing how Frank Miller and Zach Snyder could take a fairly straight forward story and transform it into a cinematic masterpiece. While certainly a miraculous tale, the Battle of Themopylae was not exactly plot-central. For anyone familiar with the comic, the movie parallels it sufficiently to do justice to Frank Miller's original creation.

Do not expect one hundred percent historical accuracy, for you will be sorely disappointed. 300 is derived from a graphic novel which is based roughly on the Battle of Thermopylae. Of course King Leonidas, the Spartans, and the miraculous battle with the Persians are all central, but the story Miller weaves delves so much deeper. Speculation and fiction? Of course, but it sure makes for excellent cinema.

And the gratuitous violence, blood, and gore are all here...but it's an ancient world battle! Even movies like Braveheart, one of the greatest films of all time in my opinion, did not do old-world combat justice in the ways of sheer gore. There was nothing pretty about the pitched battles of the old world...and even they were an improvement on the ancient world. Spear + chest = blood. Fact.

A lot of people grilled Snyder and Miller about whether or not the movie was meant to mirror our current conflict in Middle East...and if it did, which side it supported. Both sides found evidence in their favor and tried to justify their opinions on such things...but when questioned, both director and writer laughed and simply said something to the effect of, "Make of it whatever you want. We're not going to say anything. Why on Earth would we alienate half our audience either way?" I whole-heartedly both respect and appreciate that.

The Prestige is also a fantastic movie. I rented it over Easter Break, and made an afternoon out of it. According to every other person I have talked to recently who has seen the movie, it was the most unpredictable film in history...I swear I had it pegged from very early in my viewing experience. That certainly did not stop me from enjoying it though. The entire film will probably keep you guessing. Give it a rent and then buy it!

My room mate and I have decided we're going to swim everyday to get in really good shape for the record APFT at the end of the month. So far so good...very sleepy. We'll see how PT goes in the morning, heh.

Ok, time to get to work. Peace out.

Torture

2007-04-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

I had a very long and interesting conversation about torture, the death penalty, and radical Islamic terrorists the other night...I'm finally getting around the post about it; thank goodness for Easter Break.

I have a close friend with whom I argue for the sake of arguing on what amounts to a daily basis. On this particular occasion, one of my house mates and I were discussing the legitimacy of US "torture" on the terrorists they had captured when my friend chimed in and vehemently condemned any torture of any kind. He argued that as human beings, even the terrorists had inalienable rights (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? heh) that we have no right to take away from them. I did (and will continue to) put forth this argument: When men or women act inhumanely and without responsibility towards the rights of others, they give up their own rights as human beings.

No one will ever be able to convince me under any circumstances that Timothy McVeigh, Saddamn Hussein, or Osama bin-Laden had (or have?) a right to live. These men acted with the sole purpose of killing hundreds to thousands of innocent men, women, and children. They have forfeited their rights as human beings.

The torture we use to obtain information from terrorist detainees will not kill them. We do not shove bamboo into their finger nails. Waterboarding (which I do believe happens at Gitmo, despite what our fearless leaders say) can cause death, but hasn't resulted in any that we've heard of...and yes, I do think we'd hear about it eventually.

Many people, including my friend, say torture doesn't work because you can't rely on the information that comes from it...but I disagree...Don't you think that eventually if we got bad information again and again they would stop using torture as a means to obtain intelligence? The reason "torture" is used is because it does work.

And, just so that no legitimate comparisons can be drawn between US torture and the beheadings, etc. of the US and Allied Forces by the Islamic terrorists: There is a difference between us and them, and there's no denying it. We fight to make peace and prevent mass murder. They fight to kill us...all of us. When we harm or coerce others for information, we're doing it to save others. The terrorists capture civilians and gruesomely kill them in cold blood to maximize the body count in order to get civilians back on US soil riled up enough to fight against the war at home.

There has got to be some objectivity. You cannot just say, "We fight for freedom, and that's how they feel too, so everyone's right (...or no one is)." For better or worse, there are evil men and women on this planet who have to be kept in check or killed by any means necessary. And as long as we're not intentionally blowing up hospitals , Universities , and neighborhoods , I'm behind our government one hundred percent.

More trouble with Iran...PT Test

2007-04-02T04:21:00.000-07:00

My PT test was sub-par this morning. 269/300...down from ~285 from the last test. I lost 7 pushups and 7 situps...bad form. Don't know where my head was this morning. I did drop a second off my run time, but I was already at 100 there, so it didn't exactly do me any good. Oh well, this summer is going to be dedicated to getting into the best shape I've ever been in with the help of my football-playing younger brother, so I've just got to look to the future I suppose.

So, apparently, the Iranians tried to pull the same garbage with American soldiers that they've done with the British. Late last week, a group of US troops was surrounded by a force of Iranians who went across the border into Iraq (these claims like those of the British are in fact supported by GPS data from the encounter) and told the US troops to hold their position and prepare for capture.

While the Americans began to respond, the Iranians opened fire on our boys. Fortunately, no American troops were lost, though I believe I read that some 10 Iraqis who were traveling alongside the Americans are now missing.

The larger Iranian force eventually broke off and went back across the border. Rules of Engagement prevented our guys from actually fighting back, but apparently they don't do anything to prevent the illegal capture (attempted or otherwise) of our guys and our allies.

I had to dig to find this one...and I can't currently find it online...why isn't this being actively reported on major news networks?

In addition to this infraction, Iranians are pointing more fingers at American forces, claiming they entered Iranian airspace . No data to support it...again...seeing the pattern here?

The Iranians are acting like children...They see trouble coming for them, so rather than try to resolve it like grown-ups, they're lashing out spitefully in an effort to attract attention...garbage...

Ok, I suppose I better start working on homework. Quick week because of Easter Break. Let's hope it's a good one.
Peace out.

Trouble in Iran

2007-03-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Before I give an update on the happenings in my life, I'd like to write a little about the current situation in Iran involving the detaining of 15 British Naval personnel.

There have now been two confessions released on Iranian TV, one by Nathan Summers, a crewman, and the other from the group's sole female member. I'm no expert on these sort of things, but my guess, and the speculation world-wide, is that they were scripted at the least, and forced by threat of bodily harm at the worst.

The real question is whether or not an international crime has even been committed. If in fact the British did not pass into Iranian waters, then no crime exists, and the Iranians have a lot of explaining to do. The global positioning satellite data is pretty conclusive; the boats never once strayed from Iraqi waters. Without an actual crime, the confessions are of course completely invalid.

If it turns out the Brits did steer into Iranian waters, yeah, there ought to be repercussions...but there has to be proof to support the confessions...

I'm really interested to see how this pans out...if Iran can't produce any real evidence, they could be in for some real trouble.

In personal news, field training apparently went well this weekend for the battalion. I'm bummed I miss out, but there'll be plenty of time for that sort of thing in BTC, heh. We've got a PT Test on Monday...I'm fairly confident I can bring my run time down a little more, though there wouldn't be any real gain in it. Always concerned about pushups of course, but I'm getting more and more confident in them as well...I can crank out 30+ now without any real slowdown, so that's certainly an improvement from the beginning of the semester when it took me nearly all two minutes to bust out 40...

I need to get a hold of my recruiter as well and see how my pre-application is panning/panned out. I've got to talk about bonuses too and get some hard numbers down.

The Dragonbone Chair keeps getting better and better...And I'm getting close to the rank of Sergeant in Battlefield 2. Once again, I really recommend both.

EDIT: Battlefield 2's price has dropped to $5.00 on Amazon...how can anyone possibly say no to a price like that?

That's all for now. Busy weekend ahead of me, but Easter Break starts next Wednesday, so at least there's a shortened week ahead.

Peace.

Post-Spring Break Report

2007-03-22T07:19:00.000-07:00

Last week was excellent...75+ degree weather in Jacksonville, no rain. Wonderful.

A couple of days on the beach, a couple days shopping...just what I needed. I picked up the four books in the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series by Tad Williams. I'm about halfway through the first book, The Dragonbone Chair, and so far, it is doing a marvelous job of keeping my attention. Some of the writing has been a tad (pun not necessarily intended) repetative; no reason to leave this intriguing story by the wayside though.

I also picked up Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, a turn-based strategy game for the Gameboy Advanced for $9.99 at Best Buy...excellent game. I've logged in some 5-hours into it so far (thank goodness for 14 hour car rides), and I've had a devil of a time ignoring it for the tests I've had this week.

One last plug. Battlefield 2 for the PC is possibly the best value game I've ever purchased. The game costs around $10.00 on Amazon.com. The game is an excellent battlefield simulater...it pits the USMC (not quite Army...but I'll survive) against the Chinese against the Middle-Eastern Coalition in the possible-not-so-distant-future. Every match you complete online earns you points based on your kills and flag-captures in addition to other things. These points allow you to unlock various weapons and specials as you increase in rank.

There are also medals, honors, and ribbons awarded for accomplishing in-game tasks. For instance, I recently earned an ariborne ribbon for jumping out of a helicoptor and successfully landing after 10+ seconds.

Everyone in my house has purchased Battlefield 2 within the past couple of weeks and we just can't get enough. I've even comtemplated purchasing the expansion packs...

So anyway, now we're back into the swing of things with school and the Army.

PT has been successful so far this week. My room mate and I have decided to start putting serious supplement time into our PT, so I've started lifting and running on off days. A little more hurt, but the results are going to be good.

The battalion is going on FTX this weekend (field training exercise). It's patrolling stuffs and whatnot. I unfortunately will not be attending because I am technically not a part of the program nor will I be training to be an officer which is of course the purpose of the ROTC program. I would have liked to have had the experience, but no big deal. I'm doing to try to catch the second one this semester or both next fall before basic.

Now for a rant. Apparently, a polar bear cub recently born in a German zoo is causing quite a fuss. Apparently, Knut's (the bear cub) mother and brother ignored him after he was born. So the zoo officials have decided to raise the cub themselves. According to animal rights activist Frank Albrecht via the Bild Daily "Feeding by hand is not species-appropriate but a gross violation of animal protection laws...The zoo must kill the bear."

Now, I could be wrong, but aren't animal protection laws in place to...I dunno save animals from death-by-humans? Apparently not.

Polar bears are near extinction according to all the environmentalist reports that I've heard as of late...something about carbon dioxide building in the atmosphere causing their habitats to melt away or some bogus science like that...

In all seriousness, this story did make me laugh. Albrecht's logic is that if the mother ignores the baby, the zoo ought to obey nature's laws and put the cub down, completely ignoring the fact that this is a great opportunity for breeding the cub can provide down the road.

"They cannot domesticate a wild animal," Ruediger Schmiedel, head of the Foundation for Bears, told Der Spiegel Weekly in its Monday edition.
Um, how about the fact that it was going to be raised in a zoo anyway? How do you think most zoos feed their bears (or any of the animals for that rate)? They toss them the food at feeding time! I've watched it happen...fact.

Ok, enough said. I hold you all have a great weekend.
Peace out.

EDIT: Read my good friend's posting on the economy over at the Common Virtue. The link to the site is over in "Friends."

Pre-Spring Break

2007-03-09T10:30:00.000-08:00

I guess I never got around to posting my sources for the Creationism-rant...oh well, if you've got a really big beef with my rant, leave a comment.

PT was a breeze this morning...it's the last day of school before Spring Break, so naturally, we were missing a very large portion of the battalion. Our Cadet Sgt. Maj proposed a Game Day, and it went through. Basketball, Soccer, and Dodgeball...our group did well in basketball and dodgeball...not so well in soccer. It was a really good send-off for break though.

Speaking of which, I will be spending mine in Florida. The family of one of my housemates recently moved to Jacksonville, and we as a collective decided to spend some time there, given that none of us has ever gone on a "road trip" over break, discounting family trips. It should be fun and relaxing...I can't wait to hit the beach.

I finally turned in my pre-qualification application for the Army. Big, long form...lots of trick lines of question...ie: 1) Have you ever had a headache 2) Have you ever had frequent or excrutiating headaches? 3) Have you ever suffered serious
head trama? 4) Have you ever had brain cancer? ...crazy stuff like that. Pretty entertaining though...and I did get to carry around my entire existence in a plastic bag for a short time (social security card, high school diploma, college transcripts, birth certificate...)

So the next step is waiting for registration for the fall, so I can get a letter from the University stating that I can't be shipped off to basic in the middle of the term because I will in fact be a student. After that, MEPS...I can't wait!

That's all for now. Exspect something political tonight after I finish packing.
Peace out.

Nice weekend...and Creationism

2007-03-05T17:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a whole lot of fun...climbed, hung out with close friends, and just had a good time over all. And only one week until Spring Break.

We had a game day in PT this morning as we do after every Friday APFT. We played the Air Force guys in War Ball...it's like dodge ball but with more people and more fun.

So, my political rant for today will be about something close to a great many Conservative's hearts...Creationism.

I'm just going to say it up front. Creationism is not science.

I consider myself a good Christian. I believe in God, and I believe that He plays as much of a part in our world today as he did eons ago when time began. I am very open to the fact that the Big Bang was probably God turning on the lights...

However, the idea that every species that our world has ever seen was in fact around at the time our world came to be is ridiculous...even laughable.

Fossils are age-tested to a very particular degree...are they 100 percent accurate? No...but we can be absolutely sure that they are older than 10,000 years. And what about the stars? We know that light travels at precisely 299,792,458 metres per second. That is a definition, not a measurement. If the universe is only 10,000 years old, how can we see the stars? It can indeed take millenia for star light to travel to our planet.

The theory of evolution is indeed a "theory." So is gravity...

Problems with linguistics and our understanding of the meanings of words are not ample justifications for dismissing all of the observations scientists have accumulated pointing to the truth behind evolution.

The science behind Intelligent Design is anything but intelligent. In a very important legal battle, Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (2005), Michael Behe testified that "no scientific evidence in support of the intelligent design hypothesis has been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals." Michael Behe is an advocate for intelligent design. Apparently, they bury themselves.

How does creationism account for vestigle organs? I for one no longer have an appendix...did God really just shove an organ into humans who's sole purpose was to burst and cause pain? NO! The appendix is an organ that was at one time used in the digestion of cellulose; humans don't need it anymore because we have evolved. "Old world" monkeys still use theirs, though it has a different name, cecum. There are people born without appendices...and wisdom teeth! I actually personally know of at least three people who come from familes who simply do not grow wisdom teeth...they are what we would call "higher life forms," heh.

Creationists are entitled to their opinion that God created the world...but to deny the evidence that is right in front of their faces is ignorant.

God and science don't have to be separate. Many people like myself neither deny the existence of God or evolution. We believe that a process as complex and far-sighted as evolution could only be have originally thought-up by the big-guy. Why are you so close-minded?

I don't mind religion class...believe me...I've been attending it since I was 6...but keep it out of my science classes please.

I didn't cite any sources tonight...I'm at work without a whole lot of time...at some point tonight, I'll try my best to throw up a second post with links to evolution and creationist stuff.

Time to close...peace out

APFT #2 - March 2, 2007

2007-03-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

I've got to say I'm pretty proud of myself today. I managed to improve my push up count and my run time significantly.

This time around, I scored a 286 out of a possible 300.
86 points on the pushups (63 total...up from 45 on my last test).
100 points on the situps (82 total...same as the last test).
100 points on the two-mile run (12 min 40 sec...down from a 13 min 25 sec time last time!)

I'm excited about the pushups because I'm always the most worried about them...I didn't fall this time before the two-minutes were up, so that was great too.
I'm most proud of the run time...I kept a much better pace this time around thanks to two friends of mine in the program.

Still a long way from basic training...I think I can bring those pushups up to 75 to reach the max before next January...

I never got my record check done this week...I absolutely have to do that before break next week so I can meet with my recruiter. My anticipation of my trip to MEPS is nearly unbearable...enough school! Bring on the ARMY!

Ok, I'm at work, so it's time to get some work accomplished.
Peace out.

Hypocrisy

2007-02-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

Ok boys and girls...today, we're going to learn something about hypocrisy.

hy·poc·ri·sy /hɪˈpɒkrəsi/ hi-pok-ruh-see] –noun, plural -sies.
1. a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.
2. a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.
3. an act or instance of hypocrisy.

Al Gore managed to reach Left Wing Nirvana today through justification of his over-the-top energy usage. Gore, like the rest of the elite-Lefts from which he spawned, believes that he can save the world by shoveling money at any problems that cross his path...and also like most elite-Lefts, he will never practice what he so vehemently preaches.

Just to re-emphasize my point, Google tells us that "Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh — guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359."

He justifies his ridiculous consumptions at his Nashville residence (one of a number of houses he owns...) by paying for "green power."

Apparently, there are companies that allow you to give money so that other people will use alternative energy so that you won't be inconvenienced. "Guilt free..." is what I'm told they say.

Does it measure up? No.

According to Google News, "Gore has been purchasing green power for $432 a month since November. Gore purchases 108 such blocks every month at $4 per block, covering 16,200 kilowatt-hours and helping subsidise renewable energy sources."

So, that's a pretty good amount of energy...much more than the average American uses per year...trouble is that Mr. Gore is still in the red by 6419 kWh...and of course< all the money in the world won't change the fact that he's doing exactly the opposite of what he's telling other people to do. *sigh* and people defend this guy...

My second example comes from my school's student-run newspaper. A letter to the editor in this week's issue was laughable in it's finger-wagging at the American way of life.

The author is a "Scholar" at the school...meaning he is in the upper-echelon of the honor's system...it also means that in all likelihood he received some hefty scholarship.

This young man believes that because there are simply not enough resources on this planet to bring the rest of the world up to America's standard of living, we as a people do not have the right to live at the standard we do. Throughout his article, he makes arguments, but never offers a solution.

This argument is belched out time and time again by people of all shapes and sizes, but the fact that a well-to-do, college scholar is telling the rest of America that it is too well-off is pretty...sad.

First of all, not everyone falls into wealth. A lot of people work extremely hard to get far in life. Who is this author to tell legitimate people that built private companies through their own sweat, blood, and tears that somewhere, there is a child going hungry, so he doesn't have a right to his own hard-earned successes?

We don't have a right to the freedoms our fathers fought for to ensure our futures? We students don't have a right to the education we pay for with our own money?

Sorry son, that's not how we do it here in America...

I would say that rather than working hard to limit our own capabilities, we should strive to remain the world's foremost supplier of humanitarian aid, food, services, and education to foreign nations without the means to better themselves.

This author really needs to stop taking preaching lessons from the likes of Al Gore.

If you're going to get up on a soap box, make sure you can back up your fiery words with action, not just cash or finger-wagging. So Al Gore...let's see you cut that bill by 19/20ths...and author, go spend a year or two in a real third world nation...or better yet, downtown L.A. ...and then tell me that you still want your nation to give up its hard-earned successes.

Lead lab on company formations tomorrow...count down to APFT: one day.
Peace out.

Morning workout

2007-02-28T08:41:00.000-08:00

PT went ok this morning...could have been better.

I climbed pretty hard yesterday night...I knew it'd bite me in the ass this morning.
Push ups and situps were a chore. Way subpar...I hope that's not an early indication of how the test of Friday's going to go.
I ran with the "fast" group for the first time ever today. I'm going to make a regular habit of that from now on. Best way to get the run time down another 25 seconds or so...

The MS4s had their APFT today. They ran inside on the track, though I hear we're going to be outside, which will be a glorious change of pace, despite the fact that I despise running outside in the elements...we've been inside for just under 2 solid months now...bleh

I had two classes canceled today so that my professor (same for both...back-to-back classes in the same room...ick...he's good though, so it's not so bad) could attend a presentation/Q&A given by Justice Thomas in Washington D.C. A couple students were attending too. It's got to be a great experience.

So, in light of the two extra hours I have today, I've decided to use the time to take care of some things I need to get done for my pre-qualification application...namely, scheduling an appointment with my adviser to get a letter from the University stating that I am in fact on track to graduate in December, and getting a copy of my transcripts...after that, I only need my police record and HS diploma...fun times.

Alright, that's all I've got time for now. News to come later today.
Peace out.

Follow up

2007-02-27T18:45:00.000-08:00

It's a day old, but apparently Al Gore's private home runs up a utility bill 20X that of the average home owner. Thank you, Drudge Report.

So, we're gunna invite Iran to the party...Let's hope all goes well.

That's all for now...leaving work soon.
Peace out.

This morning in PT

2007-02-26T18:37:00.000-08:00

PT went well this morning. We did a three-station-rotation...lower body, upper body, and track...based on run-ability. I always feel like I get a solid workout when we do this.

No running outside yet...too much ice apparently. Maybe wednesday...it'd be nice to get a chance to do so before the PT test on Friday....we shall see.

I'm turning in my military science midterm tomorrow morning...it wasn't bad at all. Took me about an hour to do. Suprisingly interesting stuff, even if I never get the chance to apply it as an officer. The patrolling and OP Order stuff will certainly help when I get to basic.

I've got a lot of homework to do tonight for other classes, so I'm gone.
Peace out.

In Other News...

2007-02-26T18:21:00.000-08:00

On Monday, U.S. officers discovered a factory for making roadside bombs, explosively formed projectiles (EFPs), and other weapons out of Iranian-made components.

...Iran denied any link between themselves and the Shiite insurgents.

Take a look here for the whole article.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's another good example of how bad news sells...
Greenspan has predicted that there will be a recession...soon. Apparently, the US economy has been expanding since 2001, and "When you get this far away from a recession invariably forces build up for the next recession..." .

The "U.S. budget deficit...for 2006 fell to $247.7 billion, the lowest in four years..." and "The U.S. economy grew at a surprisingly strong 3.5 percent rate in the fourth quarter of 2006, up from a 2 percent rate in the third quarter.

I don't know about you...but I think that's all pretty good news...I'm certainly not trying to contradict Mr. Greenspan because I have little-to-no grasp of how the economy actually works...but once again, maybe we aren't really going to hell in a hand basket.

An Inconvenient Truth?

2007-02-26T17:39:00.000-08:00

Global warming is a pretty hot topic right now...pun most definitely intended.

I'm just going to go ahead and ask the question that really needs to be asked...why are so many people determined to convince everyone else that the world is going to hell in a hand basket?

Bad news will always sell.

So this international conference has come out and said that it is 90 percent likely that mankind has played a role in global warming...if someone could tell me how great a role that these people estimate we play, I'd be happy to hear it...because all the data I can find points to the contrary.

The truth of the matter is, mankind has very little to do with the overall CO2 content of the atmosphere. Of the estimated 186 billion tons of CO2 that enter the atmosphere annually, mankind contributes about 6 billion...Active volcanoes and decaying plant matter contribute about 90 billion...and the final 90 billion come from volcanoes and naturally-occuring vents. So even if CO2 has a strong negative effect on global warming, we aren't responsible!

If you're looking for a interesting perspective on global warming, take a look here.... Or better yet, read Michael Crichton's State of Fear. Clearlight.com offers an immense collection of data presented in a very thorough and straightforward manner. State of Fear is incredibly-well researched, and turns global warming and its champions on their heads. It's fiction...but it certainly makes you wonder.

Many alarmists are very quick to site hurricane Katrina as evidence of more extreme weather conditions...but how much do they really know about the weather and or even hurricanes for that matter? For instance, I bet most of them don't know that Katrina is only the third most intense storm (based on barametric pressure readings) in United States' history, falling behind "The Labor Day Hurricane" of 1935 and Camille from 1969. Hurricane Andrew which hit land in 1992 comes in fourth...and all three were actually of higher category (5) than Katrina (4) due to higher wind speed, according to

a 2005 USA TODAY articletake a look here.... Don't ever be quick to forget that bad weather happens! The reason Katrina was so devastating was not because of the storm itself; rather the people of Louisiana were unprepared t deal with it...a lack of effective evacuations and poor state and local (not federal) planning.

Did you hear that a conference on global warming was cancelled a few weeks ago due to the blizzard that rocked the Mid-West? I know...I know...supposedly global warming can cause extreme temperatures on both ends of the spectrum...boy, I'd say that's a pretty darn convenient truth if you ask me...

Iran: US in No Position to Make Threats

2007-02-25T16:56:00.000-08:00

The Iranian foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, spoke out Saturday against the United States, saying that we are not in a position to start another war. Apparently, he was responding to VP Cheney's warnings of how "all options" were on the table if Iran continued to ignore the UN's demands that Iran halt its nuclear enrichment program.

I found a couple articles outlining this situtation today...and I feel compelled to address some issues...

First of all, let me just say that I think it's ridiculous that the foreign minister of Iran is telling us that we're in no position to go to war with his country...you think there might be some extra motives here?

Mr. Mottaki is also very big on negotiations...he's said that negotiations are the only way to resolve the conflict. I'm pretty sure that Iran's blatant brushing aside of the UN's repeated demands that they cease and desist all uranium refinment is a pretty good indication that negotiations aren't going to get us anywhere.

The reason that they can brush aside the UN is simple...they don't ever follow through with anything. When the UN demands Iran to halt nuclear activity, no one says anything, but as soon as America steps in and backs up what the UN has already said, we're the bad guys. Why? It's because we follow through with our deadlines and keep our promises, and that scares the rest of the world.

A lot of people don't think that we (or the UN) have any right to interfere with Iran's nuclear progression. If we have the technology, why shouldn't they be allowed to develop it? There is a very simple, logical answer to that one too...

The government in Iran has been saying for years that given the chance, they would use nuclear weapons to wipe Israel off the map...don't believe me?

Take a look here, Iran Press Service (2001). Or for a more recent view... The Boston Globe (2005)

Another important distinction lies in Western beliefs versus radical Islam. The majority of westerner soldiers and civilians would not be willing to strap a nuclear device to our bodies and walk into a Mosque. For better or worse, this is a strategy we see again and again from the radical Muslims we are currently fighting. Why would we ever allow a nuclear device to fall into the hands of government that relies on a belief system that perpetually expresses a great disregard for human life both away and on the home front?

I am by no means saying that all Muslims are suicidal...no more than I would say all Catholics are child molesters. But giving radical Muslims (which is exactly who composes the majority of Iran's government) the opportunity to construct a nuclear weapon (excuse the analogy) would be ignorant...there's really not a more eloquent way to put it. Just plain ignorant.

This cuts a little close to home. I don't expect to be in Iraq when I get out of language school (~2009). I'll be in Iran. Something is eventually going to have to give. Do I want there to be war in Iran (or anywhere for that matter)? No, of course not; but we (as a world...not just as a country) have an obligation to keep nut jobs in check...and sometimes that means a little rolling around in the sand.

Ok...homework and early bed for PT.
Peace out.

APFT and other news

2007-02-25T10:32:00.000-08:00

We've got an APFT on Friday. I did much better than I expected to do on the first test this semester (my first test ever)...45 push-ups, 82 sit-ups, and a 13.25 2 mile run. I'm really hoping to pull those pushups to 50 or more...I should have a better run time too, given that last time I really didn't have a true pace in mind.

In less exciting news, a suicide bomber killed 40+ people at a college in Baghdad today. I don't understand the mentality at all. 40 students...40 young people trying to better themselves...40 people that had nothing to do with the war.
Just last month, a car bomb (if I remember correctly) killed 60-odd people at a university in Iraq...Why? Why is that necessary? Soldiers fighting soldiers...even insurgents fighting soldiers...makes sense to me. Blowing up those innocent college students does not.

How could anyone possibly justify that? I guess when you kill yourself in an attack, you don't have to own up to (or feel guilty about) it later.

Fortunately, the initial reports from Iraq are saying that the crackdown is having a positive effect on the number of death squad killings. I'll be interested to see what they have to say on the evening news about any of this...

Peace out.

Soldier Blog

2007-02-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

I've been considering starting a soldier blog for some time...and here it finally is.

Ok, you got me...I'm technically not a soldier yet, but I soon will be. I plan to use this blog to post interesting things I learn while training with the ROTC cadets at my school, as well as my views on anything political or military-related that I deem important.

Here is some very basic information about me...
I am 22 years old and a senior at a university in middle-America. I am a "Computer Information Systems" major with minors in "Music Technology" and "Criminal Justice."
Post graduation, I am enlisting in the US Army as a MOS 98-x ("Cryptologic Linguist" or "Signals Intelligence Analyst").

Any other relevant information will reveal itself through my posts, I'm sure.

That's all for now.
Peace out.