| annual summer review |
[Sep. 7th, 2006|10:23 pm] |
This summer was unique. It wasn't anything special.
I grew a lot mentally during this past summer. No dramatic highs or lows, and no skuzzy girlfriends for the 2nd year running. Depression and elation are only moods and not ways of life, which is why I believe they interchange so often. People who are oddly happy the whole time are usually ignoring the truths. People who are oddly depressed all the time are over evaluating reality.
I don't have to go month by month to review this summer.
I worked, watched the Phillies games, missed Dixon and Govz, and thought about life in my general boredom.
Overall Grade: F+
F because it downright sucked. The plus because I didn't die. |
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| radical! |
[Feb. 9th, 2006|02:47 pm] |
short and sweet.
muslims are always trying to convince us that true islam is all about peace and harmony. i believe it, even though i haven't seen it. i would have to blame the media... good muslims just arent good tv.
there are tons of people burning embassies and killing just about anyone with lighter skin-tone "over there" because of this silly cartoon. i know if hamas illustrated came out with a cartoon of jesus in army fatigues the christian faith and all its sub-faiths would disapprove. but i doubt they would cause the violence the people over there have.
im not calling non-muslims more human then muslims. i just think for such a peaceful religon islam is very bi-polar.
then again. muslim nations and anything-else nations are very different. muslim nations eat, sleep, walk, and shower islam. every aspect, school, work, bridge-building, is all based around islam. while most other places are relatively "heres my cheez-its, heres my jesus", not "heres my jeezits". im guessing, and my guess has been proved, that even a little cartoon of muhammed sporting a volatile turbon can piss a bunch of people off.
id normally say grow up, but i wont. ill be fair. im sure if my life revolved around judiasm id be pretty pissed everyday, since i have to face it, no one likes jews. hardly any jews like jews. if you've ever been to a bar/bat mitzvah youd know what i mean.
im surprised to hear that hamas has decided to help with the calming of these enraged people. but i think they see this as their one and only shot to appeal to the good side of western civilization. they must face the fact that they will have to heavily rely on the EU and America to live basically. not being militant for a day or two will put them in good graces for an hour or so.
this wasnt short at all... not even sweet.
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[Jan. 14th, 2006|12:55 pm] |
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| random survey stolen from govz |
[Dec. 29th, 2005|01:07 am] |
In 2005 have you..
Got drunk? yes
Got high? yes
Done drugs? yes
Had a girlfriend? no
Had more then 5? no
Passed out in public? yes
Gotten into a fight? no
Went to the hospital? yes
Broken any bones? yes
Played hard to get? yes
Asked someone out? no
Discovered a new band? yes
Been somewhere you've never been? yes
Kissed someone? yes
Made out with someone? yes
Had sex with someone? yes
Hosted a party? yes
Been to a party? yes
Met someone new? yes
Had a crush on someone you never did? no
Had any life altering experiences? yes
Been envious of a friend? no
Thought of killing someone? no
Gotten ridiculed? no
Hid a secret from someone? no
Kept a secret? no
Broken up with someone? no
Got dumped? no
Drove a car? yes
Almost lost your life? yes
Tried to commit suicide? no
Witnessed a crime? yes
Been in court? no
Met someone famous? no
Became embarassed to the point where you cried? no
What was your biggest regret from 2005? none
If you could take away one time from 2005, it would be... 1:34
If you could have excluded one person from 2005, it would be... paris hilton
What was your biggest mistake of 2005? not sure
What are your greatest memories? alkaline trio, the mangled foot, buttercup
In 2006 are you going to/planning on..
Falling in love? ???
Repairing an old relationship/friendship? no bad ones
Meeting new people? yes
Doing something you've never done before? yes
Getting drunk? yes, kyles 21st
Getting high? nahh
Having sex? you never know
Asking out someone? i make em come to me
Hooking up? would be nice
Commiting to a relationship? sure, why not
Going to church? whats church?
Having a party? january 1st
Going to parties? yes
Going on a diet? fuck that my body rules
Confessing to someone how you really feel about them? this isnt UPN
Cusing someone out? yes
Being asked out? they started it
Becoming famous? cant help that happening
Making a first move? leading off is against the rules in little league
Changing who you are? who am i?
Opening up to people more easily? never
Hanging out with a different crowd? never
In 2006...
who/what's going to be..
Your first kiss? not sure
Your first hug? not sure
Your first love? who plans these things?
Your first friend? already send out too many christmas cards
Your first make out? no clue
Your first movie watched? probably some homemade porn i find at whoevers house i go to for new years
Your first scent breathed? blood
Your first complaint? im old
Your first clothes wore? either a hoodie or a flyers jersey
What would you want to accomplish? end of tryanny
Who do you want to spend that year with? stacie worden
What do you want to avoid doing? public trans in west bank
What do you want to get from this new year? sex, money, r&r |
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| white supremacists |
[Dec. 23rd, 2005|04:34 pm] |
from time to time i get curious and go to some white supremacist forums to see what they're spouting about. the christmas season is the best time to get a laugh.
after reading a couple random threads i came to the conclusion that those people are just really paranoid.
and to my surprise they hate george w. bush.
believe it or not, the threads i read, the people posting were more central then right-winged. they see themselves at so right wing they might fall off, but if they read what the were really writing they are really more democrat then they think.
most of the ill-feelings are directed toward jews. which i guess is normal. but for white supremacists they werent really derogatory against black people.
but back to the paranoia. they feel that the jews are behind everything. even our very christian president. they are scared shitless of immigration. why? well the only thing i could come up with is that they believe in white supremacy, and with more people emmigrating to the US that aren't white, the numbers are starting to level out.
well... get over it. i dont think they realize that more then half the jews in america are indeed white. im trying to find a name that they could call themselves to cover all the bases. being a white supremacist just means you believe in white supremacy, it doesnt mention their christian beliefs. you have to really read and hear the dialogue to get the hate in there.
one post included some story about jews hating christmas or something. i dont know... using a story off another nazi website isnt going to really prove a point.
i must digress... believe it or not white supremacy, aryan, and nazi arent exactly eggs in the same basket. there are differences, though hard to see. and if you wish to make the trip to mississippi to get a clear cut reason from them, be my guest.
so anyway... being a political hopeful, how do i view these groups?
they don't bother me. its their constitutional right to say whatever they say. its their constitutional right to hate. i can't take that away from them and i won't every try to. they're such a miniscule amount compared to the rest of the nation. they're kind of like pin prick. which doesn't mean you should ignore them. people with extreme views can go to the extremes to get their point across.
do i believe they're wrong? hard question to answer. from my perspective id have to say yes. if i were one of them id definately think no. they complain about everyone being in the center when it comes to issues, well they make it that way. you spout hate and no one will want to completely side with you. they'll just accept who you are and thats it.
just like what i just did.
the national ku klux klan website portrays love, not hate.
they don't give any clear cut reasoning.
i think they are trying to clean their image, while its a lost cause. theres nothing they can do to clean up the image that has been spit out by them since the early 20th century.
i have to leave... but ill continue this later tonight. |
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| outside |
[Dec. 21st, 2005|09:32 pm] |
after the sixers game i decided to go outside for 10 mins or so, get some fresh air. ive had the fireplace on most of the day while i watched tv and read, so i needed to get something fresh in my lungs.
i stood at the top of my driveway, by the side of the house. i looked out towards the woods past the flag pole and saw christmas lights. what a shameful site.
i remember being a kid back in the day. there were two hills we'd slide down with our sleds back when it snowed. it usually took you about 20 minutes to get there. it would be beautiful with nothing but trees surrounding you, outlined in white. for anyone not knowledgable of the terrain you could easily get lost. i did in my day only to walk out of the woods in someones backyard. having to look around once i got to the street to figure out where the hell i was. you couldnt get lost in those woods anymore.
where our hills were now stand about 20 $600,000 homes. built the past two summers, this being the first winter they've really had occupants. occupants with deep pockets; and they showed it in their christmas spirit. you would think there was a town across the woods.
before the houses were built the area was bulldozed for about 3 years. before when you went to the hills you looked south and saw nothing but trees for another quarter-mile until fries mill road. before the houses went up me and kyle went to the hills and saw nothing but fries mill road. a little depressing but what can you do?
back in the day we used to scare the shit out of the other kids. we'd hide up in the hunting platforms that were built about 20-30 feet up in the air in the trees. before my development was built people hunted deer in my woods. thats what my driving instructor told me at least. those platforms had to be over 30 years old. im surprised after 30+ years of weather we didnt fall right through. we'd hide up there with snowballs, or later paintball guns, and terrify.
i havent been deep into the woods in years. im sure the trails have grown over with lack of usage. the good news is that the rest of the woods is covered by new jersey green acres, and wont be touched by building developers.
things sure have gotten quiet throughout the years as well. not many cars going by nowadays. probably because it was a school night. also because most of the kids that grew up together, with me, have grown up. back in the day you could always see 2 or 3 groups of teenagers roaming the developments streets until 1AM. now you could deliver a baby in the middle of the street and maybe have to worry about 2 cars driving around you.
the growing up hasnt happened just to the kids either. the parents got older... naturally. this is apparent with the christmas decorations you see... or lack thereof.
hell 3 years ago my next door neighbor would have those multicolored lights outlining the whole house. now all they got are those window lights. a couple houses around the development had their whole houses outlined in lights, whether they be white or colored. its a lot darker here around christmas.
its like seeing your development turn slowly into bellmawr. nothing against bellmawr but the towns population is pretty old. my dad is considered the last of the youngings... and hes 54.
as soon as youre out of high school time starts driving in the fast lane. i remember like it was yesterday that we left work early from the fumes of the cleaning solutions the custodians were using to clean all the desks during the summer. the halls were quiet, almost like the shining. a second later theyre filled with students. a second later their dead again, except this time is 70 degrees colder.
my favorite time of the year at work is interterm. interterm is the time between new years and whenever spring semester starts. its usually around 2 weeks or so. we dont do jack shit. there are classes, but theyre mostly those G.E.D. classes that go on all year. im pretty sure the college has some naturalization courses held there all year round; for the people hoping to become US citizens.
i remember last year we watched movies on the big screens we have in the office using one of the video projector carts.
i guess what ive been rambling about the past 20 or minutes is that ive accepted the fact that life is going on and theres no stopping it. something i didnt accept a year ago. instead of lamenting now i must try to embrace it. what i do to embrace it i guess i figure out after that.
sometimes i wish id win the powerball. and have all my legal obligations to the government all set for the rest of my life. with hundreds of millions of dollars i might not be happy, but ill be able to fully enjoy life to its fullest, if thats possible. id still go to school and have my little job at the college. but i wouldnt have to worry about paying car insurances and other heating and energy bills.
im not relying on a lottery to solve my life problems, and i never will. but it would always be nice to have the mattress to fall on. living with hundreds of millions of dollars in a bank would without a doubt be reasonably easier then without. thats a fact.
i guess up until that point you just have hunker down and suck it up.
ive ruled out a military career by any sort in my life. well... not really. god forbid everyone close to me dies. then id join the military, knowing i probably wouldnt have a home or a real reason to live. id most likely then join the military. but that isnt likely to happen so i dont think ill be joining the military... for the darndest reasons to.
i admit i have a problem when it comes to trends. when a bunch of people like something all of a sudden i find myself trying not to link myself to that in every way possible. this happens the most when it comes to music. its a big reason why i dont like coheed, brand new, bright eyes, etc etc. when a lot of people make a really big fuss about something i tend to stray away from it.
its a horrible trait of mine and i know.
same thing happened with the military.
i was making plans to join the army reserves. all of a sudden everyone starting joining the marines, army, air force, hell even the coast guard.
im starting to think its because i secretly dont want to be one of the threads in the quilt. maybe i try my hardest to be an individual. i feel like if i did joing the reserves now id just be the kid following everyone elses footsteps. ive done that a lot throughout my life and well im sick of it. id rather blaze my own trail.
i admit its a really childish and stupid reason to do things or not do things, but we all have problems and thats one of mine.
needless to say its the greatest news my mother has ever heard. |
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| sports |
[Dec. 21st, 2005|12:49 am] |
im not that naieve. i know what fuels athletes. money. it all comes down to money. i see it time and time again, and im sure i will in the future.
just this past spring we saw it with terrell owens. only in hockey have i heard about an athlete accepting a pay cut to stay on a team.
the recent news of johnny damon going to the yankees stressed this "money over tradition" trend.
as long as ive known of johnny damon he's been a boston red sox. and i know for a fact he said at one time or another a derogatory statement regarding the yankees. if you are unaware, the rivalry between the red sox and yankees is probably the best in sports (not counting british football (soccer)).
it boggles my mind how damon could turn his back on a great red sox tradition of hating the yankees and join them. money was obviously the ultimate factor in this. 52 million dollars i believe is the deal. steinbrenner, the owner of the yankees is by no means cheap when it comes to his team.
when he hears the boo-s in boston the next couple of years im sure he'll have 52 million reasons why to ignore it.
most americans, not being millionaires, don't see damon's reasoning for this. he's obviously a famous baseball star, has won a championship in one of the greatest baseball cities of america, and isnt necessarily in the poor house either.
most americans live in middle-class 3-5 bedroom homes with 2 cars, etc etc and see even a million dollars being enough to last them for quite awhile. they dont see why athletes cant be happy with what they have, and stay on the team.
1. you make 10 million dollars a year, you pay income tax on 10 million dollars. like it or not. not doing that gives you a nice vacation at a federal pen.
2. you make 10 million dollars a year, 9 out of 10 times youll live in a house thats a bit bigger then needed, have a few more cars then needed, and live more comfortably then you could. this is human nature. why live in a one bedroom apartment in kensington when you can easily afford a 7 bedroom mansion to raise a family in?
3. 88% of all athletes give to charities. thats a 2000 estimate. they might make 10 million a year, but they give a lot more then you'd think.
4. you have to remember, athletes dont play sports until the average retirement age (68). average major league athelete plays about 10-12 years. the idea is to work 10-12 years of your life and be able to live off that and support a family and your kids education with whatever you make in that time-frame. sure, i dont think damon has to worry anymore making 52 mill. but not every player is making that kind of money. you look at the regular run-of-the-mill utility player, they have to go wherever the money is.
in a game like hockey... which doesn't pay its players nearly as much as any other professional sport... why do you think one out of every broadcasting team is an ex player? |
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| Philadelphia Flyers - 1 |
[Nov. 4th, 2005|09:38 am] |
After a lackluster by expectation start, the Flyers are finally starting to get in the swing of things, even with a more then modest injury list.
After last night's 8-1 slaughter of Washington, coach Ken Hitchcock was quoted as saying, "We’re starting to build. Our team is starting to gel, hopefully."
The last thing any team in the NHL wants is the Flyers gelling.
Even in the preseason the Flyers showed the league just how great they can be. Journeyman Jon Sim had 2 hat-tricks and 9 goals overall, not to mention the rookie duo of Richards and Carter.
If you are to look at the standings you would notice the Flyers at an odd place, 6th in the Eastern Conference and 2nd in the Atlantic Division. You will also notice that the Flyers have played the least amount of games out of all the teams. A reason for this is a computer glitch that gave the Flyers a whole week between games in October. I'm guessing if the Flyers had played as many games as the rest of the teams in the league we would be atop many standings.
The part that surprizes, and enlightens me the most however, is how well they've been playing with a growing injured list. They're even starting to play better as the list grows! So far Kapanen, Stevenson, Primeau, Johnsson, and now Desjardins are out for the Flyers. To any normal team that would look disastrous. The Flyers however have arguably the best front office and scouting in all of sports. R.J. Umberger, called up from the reigning Calder Cup Champion Philadelphia Phantoms has performed very well in the shadow of no other then Keith Primeau. Rookies Mike Richard and Jeff Carter are explosive and scoring left and right. While at the same time a breakout year for Simon Gagne, thanks to Peter Forsberg, has catapulted Gagne to 12 goals so far this season; in only 11 games. In 2003-2004 it took Gagne 54 games to reach the 12 goal mark.
Peter Forsberg who isn't used to single digits in the goal column has only three in his 11 games so far, but has 19 assists. He leads the league in assists. Forsberg has shown amazing unselfishness on his stellar line with Simon Gagne. The great part about this team though, is that the Forsberg-Gagne line isn't the scoring backbone of this team. The scoring on this Flyers team is spread out between everyone besides Hitchcock and the goaltenders. In 11 games, every player on the roster has more then 2 points. That's not bad. Not bad at all.
It seems like the gelling is starting. And it's good. |
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| bird flu |
[Oct. 17th, 2005|08:20 pm] |
is it quite possible humanity will be at its knees in the coming months or year to some apocalyptic pandemic?
while the scaremongering starts, fear is growing in everyone.
some people just find it best to just not read about it or listen about it and try to live through the winter like they normally would, and when spring is here they'll just look back and say, "see?".
with the disease spreading into the european union its like watching a band of severe thunderstorms coming at you ever so slowly and knowing you have no way to stop it.
right now a lot of writers on websites, like WebMD, have played down the capability of this flu spreading into humans killing an estimated 200 million worldwide.
while the words make me feel a little better.. they could just be playing with our legs to have that effect.
some people just don't understand the capabilities of this strain of flu.
a white house report curdled my blood the most.
in the worst case possible the outbreak would last roughly a year. 100 million americans will get sick, one million americans will die. schools, sports franchises, the economy will be practically shut down. people will walk the streets wearing surgical masks, like those pictures of asia during SARS. it won't be safe to go outside.
scary? thats the worst case scenario.
the best case scenario is easy. it just doesn't happen. another scare. but never out of trouble. they all agree the pandemic will occur. just don't know when.
two things have to happen in order for the chaos to start.
a person must contract the bird flu while already having the flu. that way the two flus and basically fuck (i forget the $10 word for it) and make a human-"friendly" strain to be easily passed from person to person.
a pig must contract the bird flu while already having a flu. pigs and humans are very close when it comes to all this shit. apparently a pig flu and a human flu arent far from the same.
as im watching what could be our doomed fates starting to sweep into europe i wonder where ill be, if ill be, and what itll be like in exactly a year from now.
will the world be 200 million less people? will there be pictures of major cities deserted for the safety of ones own home? will tamiflu be the next world hero?
or will i be sitting here writing in my deadjournal about how we all had a good laugh about that old bird flu scare back in '05... |
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| surveys! |
[Oct. 12th, 2005|11:28 pm] |
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| survey stolen from sarge |
[Oct. 9th, 2005|09:19 pm] |
1) First Grade Teacher: Mrs. Camiolo
2) Last word you said: flagrant
3) Last song you sang: Bouncing Souls - True Believers
4) Last person you hugged: Aunt Ellen
5) Last thing you laughed at: Govz
6) Last time you said 'I love you': last night
7) Last time you cried: when the white man took my land
8) What's in your CD player: matt skiba kevin seconds split
9) What color socks are you wearing: white
10) What's under your bed: old college books and porn
11) What time did you wake up today: 11am
12) Current taste: turkish and domestic blends
13) Current hair: 1/2 between emo and hockey player long
14) Current clothes: jeans, hurley t-shirt
15) Current annoyance: the fact i missed my pol-sci exam
16) Current longing: a blowjob
17) Current desktop picture: peter forsberg wall paper w/schedule
18) Current worry: how im going to take that fucking pol-sci exam
19) Current hate: eagles defense
20) Story behind your livejournal username: deadjournal. its my name
21) Current favourite article of clothing: 30+ flyers jerseys
22) Favourite physical features of the opposite sex/same sex: eyes
23) Last CD that you bought: alkaline trio
24) Favourite place to be: favourite? are you canadian? my room.
25) Least favourite place: city
26) Time you wake up in the morning: sometimes 7am sometimes 11am
27) If you could play an instrument, what would it be: i play them all.
28) Favorite color: blue
29) Do you believe in an afterlife: yes
30) How tall are you: 6'1"
31) Current favourite word/saying: just put sm infront of smeverything.
32) Favorite book: ehh.
33) Favorite season: autumn and winter
34) One person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to: my moms parents i never got to meet
35) Favorite day: saturday
36) Where do you want to go: im content
37) What is your career going to be like? who knows.
38) How many kids do you want?: 3
39) What kind of car will you have: delorean
40) Type a line you remember from any book: ehh.
41) A random lyric: hello hello. hola.
42) Identify some things surrounding your computer: nude pics of marilu henner |
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| suppose... |
[Oct. 8th, 2005|01:08 am] |
for awhile it looked as if the republican and democratic parties were becoming more like each other. the end result were states like new jersey and ohio becoming swing states in the 2004 election.
but recent executive decisions and comments have caused stirs in both parties.
one thing that could happen is the emergence of a third party not based on one single issue, or interest group.
republicans are fighting republicans and democrats are fighting democrats. some democrats are inching closer to bush just to get the job done and over with, i.e. passing bills to help the war. the country is fed up with the war and with bush, as we can see from his record approval rating. the republicans are starting to second guess. and finally realize that this man just isn't fit for the job.
im really starting to wish rehnquist could've held on for 3 more years. its sad that for the next 30 or 40 years, barring a resignation, we're going to have a bush-appointed cheif justice. even sadder is that during bush's reign (we will look back on these 8 years and shake our head) that he got the oppurtunity to shape the nation's highest court for decades to come.
interestingly enough, not all republicans were gung-ho for roberts, and this new girl, who's never been a judge in her life, isn't necessarily popular in either party.
im sorry george, but you can't appoint good friends to the high court and get away with it.. like you almost did with fema.
if trends like this continue after bush's 3 more years then i can see a rift in the american political system.
the parties are slowly pulling apart. liberal-republicans (i use liberal loosely) are starting to distance themselves with the more "moral-based" republicans. and the super liberal democrats are starting to scare away the modest democrats.
believe it or not those liberal-republicans and modest democrats are pretty similar. i can see a very large third party resulting from the two sides.. and many offices filled by them.
instead of the democrats = abortion and republicans = no abortion (very broad statement, sorry) you now have the parties split in half on the issue. america as a whole is more "in the middle".
having a third party completely infused with "in the middle" politics would persuade more then enough votes. while leaving the bleeding-heart liberals and super conservatives by themselves.
could this possibly third party (republicats) dominate american politics for years to come?
eh, probably wont even happen.
im in an extreme mood tonight. |
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| i <3 conspiracy theorists |
[Sep. 26th, 2005|08:46 pm] |
two posts in one day! wow.
for some reason, people are linking the poor black democratic city of new orleans and the middle-class white republican texas with what ive termed "hurricane racism".
after katrina hit new orleans the world saw pictures of poor black families who were unable to evacuate the city stranded on rooftops, floating dead in flood waters, and living in the 9th dimension of hell known as the superdome.
while after rita, people didnt hear the stories of 12 foot floodwaters and stranded storm victims.
some people say they meant to do that.
sure it seems like a suspicious link.. with "bush hating black people" and all.
but id have to back bush on this one.
he didn't purposely leave thousands of families stranded in new orleans. he didnt purposely leave people to die the next days after katrina.
america and hurricanes have co-existed for centuries. when i heard about katrina it didnt phase me. yet every tropical swirl in the eastern atlantic attracts national attention now-a-days.
after seeing the modern-day-apocalypse in new orleans, im not surprised. hurricanes are big news now.
the main reason is because for decades we've only seen pictures of trailer parks completely blown away. nothing that plucks the emotional strings of the average middle-class tv news watcher. but this past august and into september we saw a whole city.. and not some no name city like philadelphia, mississippi, but a REAL city that 1/5 of everyone who watched the destruction visited in their lives.
do you know how many times miami has been hit by hurricanes? miami is a little bit bigger then new orleans too. thats because new orleans is a problem in itself.
its no secret that a nice downpour could sink the already below-sea-level city. it's bowl shaped, with the outer edges being a bit more above sea level, and the middle of the city being anywhere to 8ft below sea level. it has a system of levees to keep both the gulf of mexico and lake ponchatrain(sp) from wrecking the place.
the levee situation reminded me of those california earthquake doomsdayers. if you've ever watched tv in your life you've had to hear someone talk about the huge massive earthquake that will hit the california area, and that we're not ready for it. nor are we getting ready for it.
the same could be said for the levees. except it has happened now and we werent ready and thousands of people have died because of the countries reluctance to do anything about it.
the worst part about it is... we could've done something.
it an earthquake off the chart hits los angeles and the city sinks into a underground cavern of molten lava there's nothing you can do about it. thats mother nature at her worst. same goes for here. you couldnt stop that hurricane, but you could stop that flooding if you updated the levee system.
HEY IM WANDERING WAY OFF TARGET!
back to the hurricane racism.
hurricane katrina was another blemish on the almost completely black and blue 5 years of george bush's presidency. one of the reasons was him being on vacation as katrina was heading towards the US mainland.
well, when ISNT he on vacation to begin with?
and secondly, hes from texas! texas has been a very historical deathbed for hurricanes. just like i said i wasn't phased by it, neither was he! america and hurricanes have co-existed for centuries. bush had his faith in the new orleans local government that they had their levee situation under control, and rightfully so. its not bush's job to make sure every low-lying area in the united states is safe from devastating flood waters. the local government has to do something.
the united states government dropped the ball after katrina. yes they did. fema was begging the gods for another hurricane so they could show their stuff.
it makes perfect sense people. if you fail at doing anything good after hurricane katrina, you have to do better the next time around. and thats just what they did. pure coincidence that the next hurricane hit bush's home texas.
you have to remember also that a cat 4 hurricane hitting texas and a cat 4 hurricane hitting new orleans are two completely different situations.
beaumont, tx is primarily white, middle-classed, and republican.** new orleans is primarily black, poor, and democratic.**
**Areas affected the worst were like this, not the whole city.
and once again new orleans is more prone to flooding.
im sure if rita hit north carolina or even new jersey the same amount of work and effort to get everyone out and safe would've happened.
but dont think george bush intentionally let katrina do her dirty work to the poor african-americans in new orleans.
its a bad way to sway democratic votes.
and although i wouldnt put racism past bush, i dont think he'd intentionally do all that. |
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| angry somalians boil my oil. |
[Sep. 26th, 2005|04:46 pm] |
"I hate the Americans," she says, her eyes maintaining their empty sadness rather than shifting to anger. "I hate them for what happened to my daughter. If I saw one I would cut them up into so many pieces." - maria osman quote from a kevin sites essay on somalia.
i wish i could understand her thinking.
i dont like how the united states military, and its actions, are the base for what some people view all americans as.
if we were exact replicas of the military, we'd all be carrying assault rifles and driving around in trucks equipped with anti-aircraft guns.
hey wait! that sounds like somalia!
but anyway... i cant do a thing about how other countries view american people. but its sad they use our military to base their opinions on our people.
i wasnt old enough to remember, but im sure there were people who were against the military action in somalia, just like there are people who are against the military action in iraq and afghanistan right now.
the biggest difference between america and every african/middle-eastern country is that we're a huge melting pot. (i hate the cliche but whatever)
in america we have whites, blacks, mexicans, cubans, japanese, chinese, koreans, phillipinos, arabs, europeans... and with them their religons and their customs.
in african/middle-eastern countries you basically have middle-eastern people who follow the muslim religon.
no where in america would you ever hear muslim prayers during the afternoon over loudspeakers in public. you wouldnt hear christian or jewish prayers either, etc etc.
most people just don't understand that. they don't understand how religon isn't the basic point of life for most americans.
its these misunderstandings, and sometimes ignorance, that makes the divisions between peace.
its also the lack of education.
that girl from the beginning of the entry. she is married and had 4 kids... one daughter being killed when a blackhawk helicopter crashed, same one from "black hawk down."
she has 3 kids, and husband, and they dont have jobs. they are very poor. and they blame the american agression on their country for them being poor.
after a year or 4 i'd probably feel bad... but after 12?
you've had 12 years to get your life back in some kind of order. do anything.
somalian life is hard. very hard. the country has been run by warlords since the somalian conflict. ad hoc roadblocks take 4-6 dollars at a time (a fortune in somalia). the average ANNUAL income is 600 dollars.
yet even after 12 years they blame america for their lack of life quality. and i don't understand why.
in 12 years i would of hoped someone would've spoken up. gathered the somalian people together and tried to form whatever they wanted to on their own. but it hasn't happened.
whether or not someone has tried i dont know. ill admit i havent read much on somalia and im ignorant to their current situation in general.
but to let the warlords just control your life for 12 years and live miserably. i wouldnt blame a conflict that happened 12 years ago. by now you should've done something about it.
maybe they have, i dont know. failed attempts to run coups over warlords, im not sure.
but what im saying is, you shouldn't blame america. ill take all the blame for the shit thats going on iraq, but thats because that has happened and is still happening now.
and to hate the american people for your daughters death doesnt make sense to me. hate the american military, but dont hate me, the person who donates money every year to charities so you can get food drops.
if you want me to get vulgar... hate the dude who shot down the helicopter that fell on your daughter and crushed her into unrecognizable mush that you couldn't even bury.
if you want me to get concise... hate the russians.. who milled the iron and metals that were eventually made into the anti-aircraft shell that was put into that anti-aircraft gun and shot at that helicopter.
if you want me to get mean... hate yourself for letting your daughter outside during a gun battle.
but dont hate the average 9-5 american who had nothing at all to do with those shell metals, or the khat-crazed somalian with the bazooka, or a little girl wandering outside during a gunfight.
and dont hate the average 9-5 american who has nothing to do with your people's inability to stand up for itself 12 years after the fact.
-----
although ive been pretty mean throughout this entry. i hope you the best. i want to see your life get better. i want to see your children and their children educated, become doctors or teachers and drive nice cars and have expensive head dresses. id love to see your country have hope again. and we can help, and we do. and we won't stop. we won't stop whether you hate us or not, because we're good that way whether you believe we are or not. |
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| annual summer review |
[Sep. 6th, 2005|08:45 am] |
this was the first collegiate summer. it starts a lot earlier and ends a teeny bit sooner.
the month of may was by far the busiest of the summer months. more lows then highs, but the highs were pretty damn high if you ask me.
as opposed to listing dates like i used to, ill sort them out by month. only because im not as much of a dork as i used to be and cant remember all the dates.
MAY
I forget the last day of school. Even the last day of school itself. It's probably because I work here all through the summer so I didn't really have any gap between school and work.
- Mid May - 50 cent bowling when the idea of seeing Alkaline Trio at Conan comes up. Being my usual self I say sure, intent on never actually going.
- Mid May - I see that Alkaline Trio is having a cd signing the night before Conan in Jersey. I fish out the idea to JD and he bites. Once again the intention of doing any of this definately wasn't there.
- Mid May - Dixon's leg catches on fire.
- Next Day - Govz leaves for boot camp.
- Late May - From my complete surprise, i bite the bullet and go on the road trip. I meet Alkaline Trio.
- Late May - Have a sleepless night in majestic Mahwah, North Jersey, then go to stand in line at a very cold and very rainy manhattan for 3 hours only to end up getting very sick, and having no place to go for 7 hours until the Conan taping. We later find out I was dehydrated and I drank some NYC water and became a superhero. Odd?
- Same Day - I find out I have a sixth sense... a Skiba sense. I can tell when Matt Skiba is around me... and surely enough we "bumped" into him a couple of times throughout Times Square while waiting for the Conan taping. So far the greatest two days of my life. We see them play Time To Waste on Conan, and see Conan of course. Nothing to could kill this high....
- Drive Home - I go over this time and time again. The drive out of NYC, the turnpike before the rest stop. I had no clue. Not a single clue. The healthy chunk of flesh was comfortable and safely in my foot, not having a problem.
- Rest Stop - I hurt my foot. For a pic go here.
- Same Night - Spent about 7 hours in ER, stitches, funness.
- Late May - My cousin Jaimie's bat mitzvah. The first time ive seen a lot of my mother's side of the family in 10 years. It was interesting. Visgil can tell you, i wish i weren't their cousins.
JUNE
June is a blur, the smeared ink with the remnants on the side of your palm. you can never really resemble what it was at first. To be frank, I dont remember June.
JULY
- July 4th - Always a fun time. This time we had full use of the pool. Mostly my father's side of the family i never envisioned seeing my uncle larry in a pool, since he can barely walk. He had this sort of bouy way of swimming. He just floated there. It was hilarious. He also cant really jump or anything either, so hed just go up a few steps in the ladder then fall back. Cute. I watched the fireworks from my pool in the chaise lounge. First time in 2 years I wasn't holding anyones hand during them.
AUGUST
- Early August - Dad's birthday. Relatively quiet, but nonetheless a good time.
- Kyle's Birthday - We finally got a new playstation 2. Too bad it had to happen within the year PS3 was coming out. But still fun to be able to play games we couldnt with the old system.
- Late August - Parents and brother down the shore. Me and Stefan had the house to ourselves. It was very nice just being able to hang around and not have to worry about stuff. Although i dearly missed Brigantine.
- Late August - Govz comes back. We party, and it was good.
SEPTEMBER
- 9.1.05 - The first day of school was very hectic. It was my 8AM-9PM day. Not one I'd like to remember, but nonetheless good to have under the belt.
- 9.2.05 - The second day of school. It was nice. I started to get back into the swing of things school-wise. Youre so used to doing absolutely nothing the first couple of days of doing everything kinda knocks you off your feet.
- 9.4.05 - Last hurrah with extended family by the pool. It was nice. I actually stayed in the pool for more then an hour.
- Labor Day - Me my Dad and Mom just lounging in the pool. It was nice. Then later in the night I went to Pat's to end summer being around friends. It was sweet.
--
Overall Grade: A-
It was horrifically boring, pretty painful in the beginning, and a sobering slap of maturity to the face. I missed going to brigantine, but I feared for my wallet... thanks to US foreign policy and Katrina.
The only thing keeping the summer up there was meeting in person. shaking hands. with Alkaline Trio then seeing the Conan O'Brien show live.
The lack of girlfriend wasn't really a drag. It probably helped more then anything. I had a sense of freedom knowing I could really do whatever I wanted with no consequences.
But its always nice to have someone to kiss. |
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| the tour de france rant |
[Aug. 27th, 2005|01:38 am] |
an american gets cancer spread all over his body. he fights it and wins.
already the man is a hero and a warrior. facing this generations worst disease, and death, in the eyes and destroying it.
oh yea, then he goes on to win 7 straight tour de frances.
if lance armstrong was using anything to help him win all of those tours, it was only pure human spirit.
earlier this week a french newspaper published an investigation saying armstrong had used an illegal performance-enhancing drug called EPO. the drug increases red blood cells for stamina. something you should probably have if your going to bike in the prestigous tour.
my views are extreme, but im biased. <- thats the disclaimer.
the french media has always been trying to get something on armstrong ever since he won the 1999 tour, which is the topic of this drug debate.
i dont blame them really. i wouldnt feel too great if some foreigner, god forbid an american, came to MY country's biggest sports event and swept it SEVEN times in a row. putting the great french bicyclists on the backburners of history.
but you know what? suck it up.
what pisses me off more is that the tour director said, "lance fooled us all."
to me this frenchman looks like the kinda guy who would see the end of the world advertised on a supermarket tabloid and immediately invest in a fallout shelter.
i must admit, im not certain on all the facts, this is just me blowing steam on some news reports i skimmed through.
apparently the newspaper claims it has evidence of urine samples of armstrongs during the 1999 tour. six of them, all that contained EPO.
if that was enough evidence for the french... then the CIA aint the worst afterall.
what im sure the french forgot to read was that theres no proof those were armstrongs urine samples. all they have is a medical letter signed by armstrong that he took the drug tests. whether those 6 samples are his have to be proved.
how many people bike in that competition every year?
and what scientific laboratory gives urine samples to the media?
do the clocks in france go clockwise or counterclockwise? because im not too sure anymore.
alright, so they find EPO in his urine, why not say something in 1999? because youd feel bad killing a mans 2nd greatest accomplishment after beating cancer?
thats a tough decision, ill admit.
and did they find anything in his peepee in the next 6 tours?
this newspaper found urine with EPO in it and just stopped the presses. then scrambled to find a lance armstrong autograph to connect it as some kind of evidence.
ill say it. i think theyre jealous.
i think theyre pissed some american waltzed into the french countryside and won their tour 7 years in a row. breaking records and becoming a better cyclist in history then their greats.
then again, you see the same thing in sports today. especially baseball.
i bet you were wondering when id mention baseball.
whos the best baseball player of all time? think quick!
you said babe ruth.
i personally say hank aaron. but lets work with babe.
babe ruth makes the homerun record. then roger maris hits his 61st homer and well, theres our old friend the asterisk. lotsa years later mark mcgwire surpasses maris... wait for the asterisk.
later on barry bonds surpasses mcgwire. the asterisk is just waiting to be branded next to that.
what im getting at, is that some people are afriad to let go of tradition. baseball had its homerun king babe ruth, and france has their cyclists.
i kinda find it sad that some people arent willing to let go of the past and start new traditions and records.
the other side to that being - well, if the hitters are getting bigger unnaturally we'd have a better homerun hitter every season.
that might be true. but if MLB had any idea how to investigate and enforce steroids then barry bonds and mark mcgwire would've never had the chance to even come close to breaking maris' record.
and they banned pete rose for betting... tsk tsk tsk
i doubt lance used performance enhancing drugs to win those tours. but if factual evidence or even an admittance to this comes from armstrong, then im wrong. wrong and very disappointed.
this is truly a time for asterisks next to every major acheivement in sports. |
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| suicide! tour de france? |
[Aug. 26th, 2005|11:08 pm] |
suicide girls.
fun website.
but the girls are a drag sometimes.
whenever i find a girl without multi-colored hair and doesnt look like a natural art exhibit i find out they are the freakiest vags ever to lay foot on earth.
one girl was very pretty, very mysterious and never wore makeup, she didnt need it. but her main hobbies and interests were taxidermy, 19th century russian lit and giant squids.
no joke either.
she does seem cool though.
oddly enough the pierced, tattoed, hairy under-armed chicks have run-of-the-mill interests like becoming elementary school teachers and shit. i find it hilarious.
im trying to gather all the thoughts in my head for a future rant/bash on the tour de france organizers, and probably france in general.
those are legendary in this deadjournal.
with all the performance enhancing hoopla going on around the united states im surprised it took 7 wins for someone to actually come out and say something about lance armstrong.
i dont want to get started. we'll leave it for the next post. |
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| mindless rambling |
[Aug. 22nd, 2005|09:03 am] |
i had to get up early this morning because im working 8-3 today. i had to switch so i could help my aunt later in the day. i don't mind a whole lot but its definately a drag waking up at 7AM.
when i went outside to go to my car it reminded me of the first day of school. it seems like every first day of school there wasnt a cloud in the sky and the sun was out. it was in like high 60s with low humidity. very early september. when was the last time the first day of school was a rain event?
im seeing more and more people at the college. its nice to gradually get busy as opposed to september 1st coming around and having 1400 kids automatically rush you.
im not sad summer is over. i consider this my first summer actually working, even though i was working at blockbuster this time last year. seeing the summer months go by in a school/office setting really puts life in perspective. the full-timers around me have grown numb to the specialness of seasons changing, and im starting to as well.
late spring around may is when i would normally get excited for the coming of summer vacation, yet to me its just when i get more hours here. i used to have my seven signs of school coming. seven events during the summer that would eventually end with the new school year, but now that im a full-time student worker its an obsolete practice.
i no longer spend my summers chilling at home all day basking in laziness or go to the shore "just because".
i think it helps that im not a thrill-seeker by nature. this conversion from a 180-day student to a "grown-up" has been easy. of course there were times when i was down about my dwindling childhood. mostly because of the lack of a band that played out a lot, "like the good ole days." at times i would in a second go back to sophomore year in high school.
other times i just miss highschool. i miss the constant contact with 5,000 kids... most i don't know, but all i recognize. i miss the teachers who treated us like adults when we were far from them. but at the same time they were sympathetic to our needs, whereas college professors dont want or need a student/professor relationship. theyre strictly business. and i think thats why a lot of people get down when they start their first semester at a college, especially universities.
in high school you had 30 kids to a class and the teacher always wanted to make sure each kid was doing alright. in community colleges there are about 30 kids to a class as well, but the professor couldn't give two shits about what you do. they do their end of the bargain and whether or not you do yours isnt their problem. its even worse at universities when you have almost 100 kids to a class and the professor has assistants that do most of the work.
some students like the college approach better.
i personally cant wait until school starts again. i actually need to get out of this summer funk of me sleeping until 1230 in the afternoon and the only thing really exciting my days are poker games with kyle - who i miss dearly btw - . im in need for a fresh start. dont get me wrong, this summer has been great... to the point it actually could be. i just like having something to do besides working. something that requires real work and thought. i like having needs to get up at 8AM and getting a daily grind going. sure i work 10-5 everyday except wednesday and 8-4 on friday, but there isn't much grinding working at GCC. i want to be able to get up at 8AM and feel refreshed, not tired. i want to go back to the days when i would get up at 8AM on the weekends because i was so used to it.
i guess i just want to live life, and not sleep through it.
funny enough though, throughout all this inner brain-hurricane of thoughts and emotions and feelings... a girl doesnt even come into the picture. sure its been a year yesterday since i was in any type of relationship. and sure its bothered me before, but now it doesnt. its like my priorities have taken control and its something i just dont need anymore. something tells this emo kid its only temporary, but im enjoying it.
well i kinda lied. i do have someone i feel very strongly for. she lives in maine.
shes cute <3
i got an email from "J" the other day complimenting me on my journal.
i dont get a lot of these emails, but i do get some every now and then. im not sure why. i never really practice good grammar or punctuation. its not very artsy.
the one point that stuck out in my head was "blue-collar-commentary."
hehe, well thanks!
apparently this dude goes from journal to journal and blog to blog; i havent found a difference yet; and reads them. mostly on their political views.
well i have to commend anyone who has ever read every single one of my entries. i think this thing might go back to either 2003 or 2002, im not quite sure. and if you ever do decide to read every entry you will have noticed my 180 degree spin from warhawk imperialist to the dove hugging vegetarian.
referring back to the blue-collar-commentary he praised me for spreading my views about the world in a 10th grade reading level. he said how some people who go on about politics have the good heart but they fill their entries with long and confusing words to, "make them sound important". whereas i get my point across at a level that people can understand, but not easy enough to insult people's intelligence.
i appreciate all my "fan-mail" even though i haven't really blurted anything political in awhile. im sure i could go on about stuff, but at the moment im in philadelphia sports mode. the flyers are a stick of dynamite waiting to explode, and the eagles look like they can be back in the super bowl. the phillies are actually making some sort of run for the post-season... it would be the first time since they went to the world series in 1993. |
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| child vegetarians |
[Aug. 14th, 2005|02:10 am] |
ive been a vegetarian for a couple months. and it's a lot easier then first thought.
ive always thought about becoming a vegetarian, but not until this year did i really consider it and eventually put it into action.
i was a big fan of meat products, so it was hard at first. i was used to getting things that included meat and i had to be corrected a couple times by friends and family before eating.
but now i completely overlook meat when i rummage through the refigerator or when ordering food. its a habit now.
stacie sent me some stickers, cute ones too.
they advertised a website where kids can go to learn about the lifestyle and i'm guessing become vegetarians.
without sounding like a hypocrite that kinda urked me.
kids, as early as age 6, or right from birth being vegetarians.
its proven man and woman can live without eating meat, or very scarce amounts if the morning star investigations are correct.
after 3 months of constant animal planet watching, plus seeing meat that still resembled the animal, it hit me like a freight train.
the way i kinda saw it, my steaks and burgers and hot dogs coulda came from anywhere really, it was just seeing the recognizable animal being cooked that brought me over the edge.
but when it comes to kids i'm just not certain a vegetarian lifestyle is good just yet.
until your 16 or 17 your still in a constant growth, one main part of that growing process is protein, which a meatless diet tends to carve a lot out.
while cheese and milk and most dairy products have protein in them, cheese is one of the "worst" foods for you. cheese as a secondary part of a diet is fine, but if you rely on cheese as an essential source for your protein and calcium then you can have problems later.
at the same time red meat and all that fun stuff isnt necessarily fun for the arteries either, but for fat content the meat wins.
i also wouldnt want to have to see kids taking protein supplements before getting on the bus to their elementary school, not to mention i doubt more then 3 elementary schools in the united states has a student-vegetarian meal. its required by law for middle schools and high schools to have a vegetarian alternative, but not for elementary schools (for students anyways).
i could be completely wrong and ignorant about this whole thing, i just feel kids need their vitamins and minerals to grow strong etc etc (im going to save you the mother-riot). i dont believe a vegetarian lifestyle at such an early age can help a child.
and im not trying to say slaughtering animals is alright if kids are eating them, but there's no middle area.
i might be right and i might be wrong totally. |
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| clarke has a salary cap to deal with... no problem! |
[Aug. 7th, 2005|01:46 pm] |
during a time when the league's elite are suppose to spread throughout the league, bob clarke has managed to do the opposite.
he started off strong, picking up derian hatcher from the detroit red wings and mike rathje from the san jose sharks. oh yea, and chris therien from the dallas stars... who has only played 11 games in his whole nhl career without the flyers.
therien signed a 1 year, 500 grand deal.
after these aquisitions the flyers were already stamped the stanley cup favorites, 9 months before the stanley cup will be awarded.
then clarke closed down the free agency shop and called it a summer.
then at around noon two days later he gets a call from mr. baizley, the agent of one peter forsberg.
flyers chairman ed snider said having the chance to get a player like forsberg is a once in a lifetime thing. and he's right. by 4 that afternoon peter forsberg was a philadelphia flyer.
the nhl's tectonic plates shook violently for a couple hours.
the only problem that concerned the flyers with the biggest free agent signing in flyers history is that it brought them over the salary cap by 5 million.
someone good had to go.
sadly it was jeremy roenick.
without his 5 million dollars the flyers would be slightly under the salary cap...
but we would also be under the cap if we traded michal handzus.
dont call me a conspiracy theorist, but i do feel there were untold reasons for his departure.
- despite being a fan favorite, jeremy had some run-ins with hitchcock and clarke. also his tongue was wilder with his hair.
- the acquisition of hatcher. if two people ever hated each other, it was roenick and hatcher. hatcher has broken roenicks jaw before and intentionally clipped him in the knees.
but ofcourse, roenick living in scottsdale, arizona was completely the reason for him being traded to the west coast.
he will be missed. just as brind'amour has.
with the acquisitions of hatcher, rathje, and forsberg, we have many division rivals complaining.
i recently went to a devils fan page, and checked out their forums. they have tried to find every way to play down these blockbuster signings, but you can tell they're scared shitless.
beast of the east.
the best part is that throughout the short but frenzied free agent signings so far devils gm lou lamarillo has been hung out to dry. they lost niedermayer, and did little to resign vladimir malakhov and brian rafalski.
i hope this starts a long downfall for the devils. not making the playoffs would cause my sides to explode from laughter and finger pointing.
but ofcourse. EVERY fan whos on the shitty end of something uses their excuse of winning the cup since we've last won it 30 years ago.
that never holds any ground. it doesnt matter whos BEEN better, it matters whos better NOW.
besides... you guys play in a fucking swamp.
your all fucking idiots and to be honest, i hope your team sucks to the point it needs to fold and move to NEW ORLEANS.
what are you guys going to do when brodeur and stevens retires?
think that alaskan moose-head gomez will carry you to glory?
you can call my team the phailures all you want, but we always seem to beat you guys.
ANYWAY....
theres a ton of common sense in signing peter forsberg.
the new rule changes are going to increase scoring tremendously.
so they got the best scorer in the world.
easy said and done. |
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