Friday, October 31, 2008

Note to Self (And Everyone Else)

Do not write on your Twitter account, "I officially hate my roommate, and I hope he reads this," because he might actually read it...Trust me it can make things awkward.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Frequent Boredom

I am starting to become bored more and more often. As proof of this I am looking and writing in m y blog during my Computer in Management class. I know that everyone gets bored, but the extent to how often I get bored or distracted is beginning to detract from my school work. The internet is one of the most distracting places. I would unplug my internet if I did not need it so often for my homework. I always have more than 5+ tabs on my web browser at any moment. I almost feel like it is starting to get worse. Hopefully, it isn't ADD.

I need to get disconnected.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Re: Anonymous

I recently got a comment from "Anonymous" on my blog entry "Amazing what a minute can do...". The post was downright vulgar, and crossed the line. So I deleted it right away. But afterward I realized that I should not have deleted it, but rather post it here to show what a fool this person sounded like (I'm guessing this person came from Antsmarching.org, which is a Dave Matthews Band fan site I am a part of...but I also have a feeling it could be another person I know...but I won't say who). Instead I'm going to go over this person's post to demonstrate this.

1. "Anonymous" first began with calling my post stupid and a waste of time. The poster said "anything can happen in a minute", which is the exact message of the post, so thanks for pointing that out I really needed it.

2. "Anonymous" told me to not "waste my life" listing everything that can happen in a minute. Well genius, it only took ten minutes. Amazing what copying and pasting can do.

3. "Anonymous" said I "sound like an emo pussy". Well, I guess you did not care to read any other blog entries. For example, my "Eagle Eye" posts where I try to be satirical, or any other posts where I discuss the economy. If you met me you would not even think of me as emo at all...my favorite band is DMB anyway (obviously from the post you are criticizing you should know that). I didn't even know what emo really was until my senior year of high school, when a self-described emo girl made sure I knew what it meant.

4. "Anonymous" told me to "take dave matthews dick out of my mouth". Just because I wrote one post about him doesn't mean he is the only band I listen to...just my favorite. I also love Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jay-Z, Nas, Jack Johnson, U2, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Radiohead, Coldplay, and Talib Kweli. I have my own wide range of artists that I enjoy so don't worry.

5. "Anonymous" told me that I should stop acting like I "have life all figured out". This part I laughed at. My next post that I am working on is to be titled "Blackhole of Confusion", and this is before saw the reply "Anonymous" put up. I openly admit that this world confuses me so much, and I would never try to act like I have it all figured out.

6. "Anonymous" made a second comment to follow his first to say that "without carter that song sucks anyway. The "carter" the poster is referring to is Carter Beauford, DMB's drummer, and one of the best in music today. He is not on the original song of "So Damn Lucky" because the original was on the solo album that Dave Mattews wrote "Some Devil". But if this poster had any sense or knowledge of the band they would know that this song was played full band throughout the summer tour, and is widely considered one of the highlights of the tour with the extended outro, which my original post was referring to.

7. "Anonymous" used the word "cock" so often in his post that it makes me just think that they were just upset that this did not turn out to be a gay porn site.

8. "Anonymous" obviously only feels comfortable replying and saying stupid things under a name where I do not know who that person is. If you really want to talk like that on this blog then next time why don't you be a grown up, and tell me who you are so we can have a real argument. It would be much appreciated asshole.

"Anonymous" I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

My First Time

Today I officially voted for my first time ever. I mailed my absentee ballot, and now have officially become responsible, along with the rest of the nation, in the politics of my local and national communities. I am not going to say who I voted for, but I bet if either you know me or if we talked about the election for just 5 minutes you could make a pretty good guess.

During this election cycle, I have been paying very close attention to both the primaries and the national election. I not only was interested from a point of fascination, but also because I wanted to be informed. I wanted to be informed because for the first time ever I would be participating in one of the most important elections of this nation's history. I firmly believe that the out come of this election will greatly decide which path our nation takes. All this in the first election that I have a chance to participate in.

From my constant eye on this election over the past two years I believe in the choice I made. Nobody can tell me I made my choice from being young and gullible, or from being biased. I consider myself an independent (though I believe there is some hypocrisy in labeling myself as such), but I will admit I lean left. I do not vote for a specific party. I vote for the candidate who I agree with on issues and policies. I voted for the person who I believe can make America better, and protect it. I may not be the most informed...it's impossible to say that. But I informed myself to the point where I know I made the right decision.

I have now completed my civic duty for this election. And I have done so in an informed manner.

I just wish all of America would do the same.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Eagle Eye

India Sends First Shuttle to Take Half of Their Population to the Moon
Main Question: "If the moon is made up of cheese does that mean there are cows up there that we can worship?"




P.S. Sorry the posts have been coming a little slow lately...I have been busy with mid-terms and lacking any inspiration.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

"Amazing what a minute can do..."

One of my favorite lyrics of a song is from the Dave Matthews Band song "So Damn Lucky". I just cannot get the lyric, "Amazing what a minute can do..." out of my head. It is a lyric that rings true in so many ways. I attempt to list many of those ways:

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can eat a snack.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can lose a loved one.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can fail a test.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can lose a friend.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can get drunk.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can meet someone new.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can learn you have cancer.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can learn a friend is going to Iraq.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can become pregnant.

Amazing what a minute can do...

Ina minute the world can change.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can meet the love of your life.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can break up.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute your parents could divorce.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can lose a band member.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can die.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute a candidate could win an election.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can write a song lyric.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can leave never to come back.

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can become a parent.

In a minute you can say "Hello".

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute you can have to say "Goodbye".

Amazing what a minute can do...

In a minute your life could change forever.


Feel free to add your own in the comment section. Please be respectful.

Running Low on Everything

Now it seems as if we are running low on digits. According to a Yahoo News story the National Debt Clock has run out of digits...can anything get any worse? I take that back I already know the answer.

This just highlights even further how the structure of we as a nation must change in order for us to survive...we can't just keep ringing this kind of debt up. Its not going to just be fixed by adding more digits.

Eagle Eye

Alright so I'm also going to use my blog to unleash the massive stream of sarcasm that goes through my head constantly throughout the day. I plan to do this in random bouts of satirical fake news headlines (I love The Onion and if you don't know what The Onion is you are going to hell...see that was sarcasm for those people who have trouble picking up on it...John Harrison...cough mom cough), but basically my dream job is to be a writer for The Onion, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, etc. So what will follow under each post with the headline "Eagle Eye" (where we spot the "REAL" news) is anything that a student from Boston College originally from Wisconsin would find funny and like to make funny. Here is one that goes WAY back and makes fun of the democratic presidential primaries:

Eagle Eye
"Where We Spot the Real News"

Clinton to Obama: "You try to pull off this pantsuit"
Obama Does With a Flourish: "I know how to accessorize with the best of them"



Another that goes back a little:

Favre Traded; Hell Freezes Over
Wait...That's Just Lambeau During the Winter Season and in an Economic Downturn

I have been wanting to put those out for awhile. From now on I will be in with the more recent news.

Shift to What?

I just read an article in the New York Times that the government is looking into seizing control of certain banks so they can manage them, and attempt to stop the financial crisis. This information is simply stunning. The Republican party seizing control of banks. The party that supports deregulation and the free market. This goes against their platform entirely, and shows just how bad our economy is.

The basic plan would be that the Treasury can use the bailout money to give cash to banks who request it, and then the Treasury can take ownership positions in these companies to try to alleviate any concern about the economy. This is turning out to be an option being favored by many of those on Wall Street, but to me the whole idea is scary.

The fact that the free market can no longer work on its own any more, and the governments admission of that (admission through their action at least) is frightening, and probably the reason why so many investors are skeptical. What the government would be doing is an act and a policy bordering on socialism. I would also like to mention that the British have also nationalized a part of the banking system, and the country of Iceland is on the border of bankruptcy (or was I believe they are receiving a loan from the Russians) and if Iceland's economy were to become bankrupt it would have massive repercussions throughout Europe as many of Iceland's banks are invested in European companies. Also because of this current crisis Iceland has declared a national emergency and seized control of the banks in order to maintain stability.

All of this news piled up onto each other is increasingly surprising and scary. And once again the most surprising thing to me is the fact that all of these socialist-like policies are occurring under a Republican presidency. I better not hear the president ever accuse Senator Obama's tax plan as socialist (as many conservative thinkers have).

All of this is happening faster than I can take in...these events not only show how bad the economy is, but also how desperate the government is. We are going to look back on this day...week...month...year...in history and realize how significant this all is. This is as big as 9/11. The landscape of the world has shifted. For better or for worse no one knows. Are we moving as a world to the unified Socialist ideas of Marxism? His "prophecy" was that the whole world together was going to need to be operated by socialism in order for it to work...and that all the events in history lead up to a point where everyone together turns to Socialism. No one knows. I'm guessing the answer is no. If I'm right according to Marx we are only delaying the inevitable. I'm not saying I agree with Marx...just saying that the events in the world are bring up the thoughts and ideas he once preached.

The only thing I do know is that this world has changed. And that the next president is going to inherit a big problem, and I severely doubt that our economy will be back to normal by their first term.

Just so you know I saw you crying

I sat next to a cute girl who I noticed was crying on the bus today.

I didn't say a word.

The end.

Should I have said something? Why? Why not?

I never know what to do...

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

"W" is Wrong

This post is being spurred by my recent viewing of the trailer for Oliver Stone's new controversial film "W". Let me first start by saying that I love most of the Oliver Stone movies that I have seen with my favorite being "JFK", which is one of my favorite movies of all-time (hmmm...don't think I have it listed on my Facebook page...I need to change...fixed).

With all that said I just saw the trailer for his new film "W", which is an unofficial biographical account of President George W. Bush's years before and during office (or at least so can I tell from the trailer). The trailer, and if the movie represents anything similar to the trailer, is a downright disgrace to film making.

The movie stars Josh Brolin ("No Country for Old Men") plays the current President, and from the trailer does a decent job of looking and acting like the President. So acting is not what I am criticizing this film for. The trailer shows a relentless barrage of Bush-isms, moments where Bush stumbles or says something ridiculous. For example, the trailer shows a scene where Vice President Dick Cheney is telling the current President about all of the threats of America coming together in a "perfect storm" and the Bush in the movie replies in his southern accent, "I don't know why you are bringing this up over lunch."

To me a movie's trailer should demonstrate how the full movie will be presented...and this trailer only provides a relentless bashing of President Bush based on little fact, and just the interpretation of events.

I would like to state that I do not support President Bush's policies in any way. His presidency on the whole can be seen as a failure, and he has left this country in a worse state then when he arrived. Once again the point that I am criticizing is the type of film making that Mr. Stone is going for. We all know Oliver Stone loves to make controversial movies and he seems to love the spotlight of controversy. His movies are usually still well made, but from the looks of this trailer he has gone too far to grab controversy.

Throughout the entire trailer there is not one scene where Mr. stone presents the president as anything but a bumbling idiot...even in his interactions (as shown in my previous examples) with his staff behind closed doors. I agree that Bush is not a great speaker at all. He is not the smartest president to ever reside in the Oval Office. But to create conversations and based on little fact is misleading to the public, who may flock to watch such a film that bashes a president whose approval rating is as low as any presidents since they began taking such a poll. What Oliver Stone does in this film is make and fit the dialogue and story to the caricatures of all those involved in the administration. For example the trailer even shows the depictions of Colin Powell with the text (and Bush nickname) "General"; Condoleezza Rice as "Condi", and Donald Rumsfeld as "Rummy". I know Bush actually gave these people these nicknames, but what Oliver Stone is doing is a whole other thing. Rather than telling the story through facts and without bias, Mr. Stone chooses to uphold the caricatures of President Bush and his staff by creating these characters to fit exactly what the media and public have painted them to be. I agree that these caricatures are not necessarily false, especially publicly, but behind closed doors who knows how any of these people act? And to create these characters in that bias makes this film too biased to be worthy of any honor in film making.

Oliver Stone's main crime in all of this is that he breaks in my mind the most important rule of film making. As a director he should show not tell the story. He instead tells the story through his filter of bias, and tells the public what he thinks they should know and what they want to see. If Mr. Stone had instead made a film with little bias then left the decision for the audience to judge the Bush presidency then I would be much more agreeable with the film.

I realize that most of what I am saying comes from a single trailer. But a trailer is lie a presidential ad and should convince me why I should go see it. This trailer showed me that unless the film is a whole lot different then the sample scenes it gave me it will be a sickeningly biased movie. I say this as a young person who loves movies, not as young person who follows politics.

Unless this movie get a fabulous film review describing how unbiased and fascinating it is, I refuse to see this film, and I hope others agree. If you want to look at the Bush presidency I suggest you read the numerous books that have been written about it, and read from both sides of the aisle so as not to have much bias and leave yourself to make your own decision.

But for Oliver Stone if you want me to see this movie pray to the God of Film Reviewing for generous praise.