"Oops."
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
I thought Republicans were supposed to be the party of fiscal responsibility
President Bush has borrowed MORE money from foreign sources than the previous 42 Presidents combined!!
I hope all of you who voted for this damaged little man are happy now: thanks to you, your children and your grandchildren - and probably THEIR grandchildren - will be in hoc to overseas governments and banks until the new moon turns to gold.
See, it's times like this that the evil little "id" part of me thinks that the grown-ups in America should denounce as subhuman all the "elites": the hard-line Democrats and Republicans, everyone who's gotten us into this mess. Then there should be a signal given like in that movie Hotel Rwanda: "Squash the cockroaches! Cut the tall trees!" Upon which we kill every single one of them to a man (and when necessary to a woman). There's no rehabilitation possible for them. Exterminate them all. Let the streets flow red with the blood of politicians and sycophants.
You tell me if that idea doesn't at least have some merit.
Once again, I am a teacher
Well, THIS is ironic, considering that a day and a half ago I wrote about being a student again. Earlier today I accepted a teaching position. I'll be doing that in addition to the freelance work I've been doing for the past year or so. I taught computers and Internet skills to middle-school students at a private school about three years ago and really enjoyed it. I'm really looking forward to getting back into the classroom as an instructor.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Just finished watching National Treasure
The latest to come in from Netflix. I really liked this movie. Enough that I may have to spring for the DVD to add to my personal collection. For a history buff like me, National Treasure is like hardcore porno. Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicholas Cage) has spent his entire life pursuing the family obsession: a treasure stash beyond imagination, hidden away by George Washington and the other Founding Fathers. It's an insane romp to just about every major location of colonial America, with everything from the Freemasons to a treasure map hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence thrown into the mix. It also stars Sean Bean and Harvey Keitel. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.
EDIT: I should make note of something that I happened to notice about National Treasure. There is not one word of profanity to be found anywhere in this film. Nor were there any situations showing or even hinting at lewdness. Other than Star Wars Episode III this is about the most wholesome blockbuster movie that I can think of that's come out recently. If you want some solid entertainment that's suitable for the entire family, without having to worry about what the kiddies see or hear, you can't go wrong with National Treasure.
Would rather it be the energy sword or fuel-rod cannon
New Scientist has a story about a new weapon the U.S. military has developed: a "non-lethal" laser based device called PHASR. I think it looks too much like many of the Covenant weapons in the Halo games, particularly the carbine from Halo 2:
Monday, November 07, 2005
Once again, I am a student
Tonight marked the first time I've been a student in a classroom in over six years. I started taking a class on creative writing that I'm hoping will help me tap into my creative impulse more. See, people have told me for years that I'm a good writer, and I like to think that I am... at non-fiction stuff. It's fiction that I've never been able to really master. Whatever you want to call it: writer's block, thoughts scattered all over the place, even a bit of fear... I've gotten it. I really want to be able to cross genres with my writing: nonfiction, fiction, screenwriting, heck maybe even a little poetry or songwriting.
So, for really the first time in my life, I'm examining what it really means to cultivate my creativity, and in the very first class tonight I learned a lot of things that are probably going to help me. One thing I'm gonna try sometime - even though this is gonna absolutely drive me crazy news junkie that I am - is spend a week in media deprivation: no television, books, or Internet. Will report on how that goes if/when I undertake that.
I'm quite impressed with the instructor we've got: on her website there's a picture of her wielding a rapier. She's only the second teacher I've had in my life who apparently possesses a personal arsenal of swords :-)
Weird medicine: "Bio-printing"
I'm still trying to figure out how this works exactly. Here, read it for yourself and see if it makes sense to you. Sounds hella cool though.
