Interesting Sports Story

I have been very distracted at work today. I can read online stuff all day. No joke. In fact, I'm pretty close to doing it today.

I came across this article on the ESPN website. The story goes...a few years ago a college basketball player was killed by a teammate during the summer at Baylor University. When the murder had occurred, nobody had known that the teammate who had been killed had also been the recipient of some improper tuition payments made on his behalf by the coach. Upon hearing news of the murder, the head coach had decided that with the increased attention on the player that he would float a story about it being drug related as a smokescreen, so as to avoid any potential unsavory news surfacing about his NCAA violations. The article covers the travails of the assistant coach who alerted the NCAA about what the head coach had planned on doing, and the resulting blacklisting that he suffered because of his whistle-blowing. I thought these quotes were quite significant:

"I'm thousands of dollars in debt, no longer in the profession I went to school to pursue," said Rouse, whose $42,000 annual salary at Baylor was the most he'd ever made coaching basketball. "And I can tell you right now, five years later, working nightshift at a factory, making barely the minimum to survive, I don't regret it for one second. I wake up every day knowing that principles mean something..."

"I do believe. I do have hope," Rouse said. "I have faith in not only my God but in the goodness of people. There's no event in my life that could turn me into a cynic. None. I would have a hard time convincing young men to do the impossible if I let this situation make me a negative person. It won't happen."

So Much Good Stuff

I just wanted to say thanks for your comments and suggestions. Jared, I love that I Will Teach You To Be Rich blog. Through that blog I also found this blog, Get Rich Slowly. What I think is so great about both of those is that they are well written sites that teach practical principles in simple terms. It's the kind of general, broad-ranging advice that everyone should listen to. I think I spent most of my morning perusing those two sites.

And thanks in general for all of your comments here and there. I seriously love to hear feedback, even if it's a putdown, Laura (I sure as hell did come up with that phrase. You know you'd be doing the same thing too if it were your blog. I think you're just jealous that I'm more black than you are now, admit it!). It really is nice to get your words of encouragement, well wishes, input, or anything else you might have to say. I live for it, so thank you.

I found this site, Blogcritics, and I love the concept of it because it was something that I was talking about with a friend not too long about developing ourselves. Essentially it's an online magazine and they have many different authors contributing to a number of different topics. I've actually been looking for something that maybe I could contribute to myself without too big of a commitment, but that would be a forum where I could be more widely read, and have some feedback on my writing. Now that I'm considering it more seriously, I'm a little bit intimidated by it. I'm not a real writer, I don't have a real portfolio except for this blog, so would my little tidbits be of any worth to them? Can I write to an audience wider than my little circle of friends and random people that pop up here and there? I'm really hoping so. I think what I'll do is over the next several weeks come up with 3-5 original articles on different topics and post them here, and reference them when I ask for their consideration. I'm really excited, and slightly nervous, about it. So if you have any input as to what subjects I write best about, what I speak most knowledgeably about, or even just other things I can do to improve my writing, I'd love to hear it.

I feel like there are 10,000 different things I want to do and there just aren't enough hours in the day to do it all. I'm running four days a week now, playing soccer one day, but I still want to incorporate weightlifting and jump rope into my exercise routine; I want to attend church activities as much as I can, but I also want to see my brother and my dad on a regular basis; I want a night for TV-palooza, but then I also want to hit one game in every Angels homestand; I want to blog consistently, but I also want to write seriously in a different kind of forum. And read my scriptures, go to the temple, see my friends, enjoy myself, but then have 4 hours every once in a while to look at a shady Russian music website that I pay with currency units. And go to the beach every Saturday. Thankfully, I have yet to reach the Jesse-Spano-defcon-level.



And I just like this song right now. It's happy. Happy.

My Own Busted Tee

How many of your blogs have a t-shirt dedicated to it? Didn't think so. Booyah! I like the caption on the site.

Just Some Stuff

Do you guys use all the other Google applications? They're so great - Reader, the IGoogle homepage, everything. I've been using those a little bit more lately and they're fantastic.

So Karen has been utilizing a foreign download service for music and I've been hesitant to jump on board...until this past Saturday, at which time I proceeded to spend about 3-4 hours looking up music, purchasing and downloading a lot of it. For about $15 I got about 80 songs. I couldn't stop myself, I just got so excited about it. I was seriously like the lab monkey who figures out which button it is that sends the electric pulses into the pleasure areas in his brain and keeps pushing the button until he dies of hunger. Luckily for me, the beach was calling me on Saturday. I'm almost afraid to go back to it because I know I'll get sucked in for another several hours the next time I go on. This is one of the gems that I came across. Can you believe I like this crap? And I don't just like it...I love it.




Does anyone know of any relevant art critics? I'm looking for a blog or something that is worth reading. And finance websites or blogs that would be interesting also. Something enjoyable enough for someone with a basic knowledge of each, but looking to get more immersed. Send me anything my way that you might know of.

This week I'm tranisitioning into exclusively running as my workout routine in anticipation of the marathon in Chicago. Well at least not relying on the gym until the marathon. I can't believe you are bailing on me. You know who you are. I've thought about using this resource at this website, Stickk. It's an interesting concept. A Yale professor formulated the idea behind it, essentially being that having a known public contract can greatly aid in people fulfilling their goals. You can even pay money and they hold onto it until you say that you actually completed the task.

There is so often a gap between the things we say we want to do, and then the things that we actually do. Sometimes I think I thrive off that challenge of not just talking, but doing and I really hope that's true when it comes to finishing that marathon come October 12th. We're really doing it Harry!

What Recession?

I don't remember if it was last week or the week before, but with the recent first quarter reports in it looks like we're already coming out of the recession that we never got into in the first place. I think the simplest measure of whether or not we're actually in a recession is if GDP goes through two straight declines. For the first quarter of this year it grew at a modest 0.6%, and prior to that the GDP had yet to show any kind of decline. I've recently been reading more of Larry Kudlow's stuff on NRO and he wrote about this subject in this article here. He has a blog that he regularly updates here. And here's one more article for good measure.

With the Democratic campaign turning into the war of attrition that it has become, the party as a whole is trying to portray the economy as being in the worst possible shape. The way Obama and his wife talk about it, you'd think that we're going through another depression. The crazy thing is, with unemployment being just under 5%, it's historically low. If you look at times when the country actually was suffering through real economic downturns, those numbers range from 7-10%. For a fifteen year period from the mid-70's to the last 80's, the number never dropped below 5%, hovering mostly in that range I just mentioned. In fact, for the last 5 years that rate has remained remarkably static. Again, this is an attempt by the left to paint the GOP presidency as a failure. Even the Dow crept up over the 13,000 mark a few days ago for the first time since January. It's been hit pretty hard with the rising cost of oil the last few days, but the economy has been very resilient as of late.

This is an excerpt from Kudlow's article:

President George W. Bush may turn out to be the top economic forecaster in the country.

About a month ago he told reporters, “We’re not in a recession, we’re in a slowdown.” At a White House news conference a few weeks later, despite the fact that reporters pressed him to use the “R” word, Mr. Bush refused. And on Friday, after the most recent jobs report — which produced a much-smaller-than-expected decline in corporate payrolls, a huge 362,000 increase in the more entrepreneurial household survey (the best gain in five months), and a historically low 5 percent unemployment rate (4.95 percent, to be precise) — the president told reporters: “This economy is going to come on. I’m confident it will.”

We’re in the midst of the most widely predicted and heralded recession in history. Problem is, so far it’s a non-recession recession. Score one for President Bush. In an election year, it could be a big one.

First-quarter GDP growth came in at 0.6 percent. It wasn’t the widely predicted decline, and economists expect that number to be revised up. GDP growth for the fourth quarter of 2007 was also up slightly, while the prior two quarters averaged over 4 percent growth.

My pal Jimmy Pethokoukis quotes Stanford professor Robert Hall, who heads the recession-dating committee at the National Bureau of Economic Research: “It seems unlikely that we would ever declare a peak-date when real GDP continued to rise.”

Interesting — isn’t it? — just how durable and resilient our low-tax, free-market, capitalist economy truly is. Hit by soaring food and energy prices, a bad housing downturn, and a Wall Street credit crunch, the economy continues to expand, albeit slowly.

I just thought that was pretty interesting.

I Got In Trouble Today

As I think you all know I will send out a weekly employment bulletin at work. I've made it kind of into my only little forum to make a joke here and there and for the most part it's received well, except by the President of the company. I actually get rave reviews from everyone about the bulletins I send out, like the Halloween one, or more recently, the April Fool's bulletin. Unfortunately, my most ardent critic has been the one with the most say in what's appropriate or not to put on the bulletin, or in the email itself. More recently, to tone things down, I thought playing it safe would be to include a new image of some piece of art each week on the bulletin. To my surprise today, I got a call from the President asking me why I had posted an image of breasts on the bulletin. I didn't even know what she was talking about. I knew the image she was referring to, but couldn't even pick out what she was talking about, I even had it sitting right in front of me. Then she asked me to recall the message I had sent out a week earlier, which I obviously couldn't do, and advised me that I cannot include anymore obscene images. I just couldn't believe the Mormon kid at the company was getting reprimanded for not being conservative enough. I was really annoyed.

I was referred to the painting by a friend and it's called Hallucinogenic Toreador and is actually really cool. For some commentary on the piece you can go here, here, and here. I was just surprised that the images of the Venus de Milo was referred to only as "breasts". Sometimes I hate the rigidity at my work as much as I appreciate it at other times.

I Am Iron Man

Of course I saw it over the weekend. For just a three day weekend it opened with over $100 million in sales. And it's every bit as good as I had hoped it would be. I just love the characters that they've developed in the comics because they're all so genuinely flawed and real. The movie doesn't go into this as much, but in the comics Tony Stark is not only a millionaire playboy with the new heart condition, but he also sometimes has a horrible skin condition that necessitates new inventions that only he can produce, and one plotline that usually gets a lot of attention is his alcoholism. Although the powers and the superfluous events that occur are completely fictional, the people that exist in the Marvel and DC comics worlds are entirely real. When I first heard about Robert Downey Jr. being cast as Tony Stark I could never have imagined a better fit between actor and character. The appearance alone is almost exact, but the type of people that I imagine both to be are perfect as well. The story is entertaining, nothing feels overdone, and the performances are all great. I love Gwynneth in her role as Pepper. I'm sure I'll be seeing it at least a few more times in the theater. I also heard on the radio this morning that Tony Stark makes an appearance in the new Incredible Hulk movie coming out next month. And if you haven't seen it yet, do yourselves a favor and listen to this guy's advice (although if you aren't really familiar with the comics then you won't get all geeked up like everyone else):

Uncertainty

I've talked before about a few people who, only a short time ago, faced some uncertainty with respect to things that really troubled them. I don't think I've mentioned all of their specific situations, but I've alluded to this theme before on the blog. One friend of mine had gotten out of a pretty serious relationship around September and I spoke with him soon after, reassuring him that he can never be sure of how things will turn out in just a few short months. Another friend of mine had gone through some financial struggles at around the same time period, and even reached a point where she felt like she had to move back home in order to get back on her feet, which was the last thing that she wanted to do.

Within months the former has been able to meet and start dating someone that I think is a much better match for him than the last girl he dated, and the latter has gotten a couple of big promotions and increases that has helped her see the end of her money travails. What has been really neat for me is that I have been pretty close to both situations and seen the beginning of the struggles, felt their desperation, and have since seen them fumble their way through whatever uncertainty they had been previously facing, and emerge onto surer ground where they finally have reached a place where they each can exhale in relief.

And as I've documented on here, in my own life I have been able to see the same a lot over the last year. So I'm well aware that usually it's just a matter of time before those uncertain times become more certain and those things that once seemed so cloudy, can quickly clear up. I think that I've even given that speech several times over the course of the last 6-8 months. One of my favorite things that I will cite comes from Castaway:

We both had done the math. Kelly added it all up and... knew she had to let me go. I added it up, and knew that I had... lost her. 'cos I was never gonna get off that island. I was gonna die there, totally alone. I was gonna get sick, or get injured or something. The only choice I had, the only thing I could control was when, and how, and where it was going to happen. So... I made a rope and I went up to the summit, to hang myself. I had to test it, you know? Of course. You know me. And the weight of the log, snapped the limb of the tree, so I-I - , I couldn't even kill myself the way I wanted to. I had power over *nothing*. And that's when this feeling came over me like a warm blanket. I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow. I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that's what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in, and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I'm back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass... And I've lost her all over again. I'm so sad that I don't have Kelly. But I'm so grateful that she was with me on that island. And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide
could bring?

I love those last lines because I really do believe in them wholeheartedly. In fact, it has to be one of my favorite movies because I think it drives home that point so poignantly, that no matter how bleak the situation may appear to be, there is no telling the kind of relief that lays in waiting. As long as we're doing what we're supposed to, and no matter how uncertain these times may seem, there are things going on behind the scenes that are working in our favor that we can just never anticipate. One of my favorite scriptures touches on this point also, from D&C 58:2-4:

For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.

However, in spite of how well I think I know this principle, sometimes there is still a disconnect between what things I know in my mind, and what I'm actually feeling in my heart. In spite of all of my experience with it, seeing it in the first person and many times over in the third person, sometimes it is still hard to confide and find comfort in a thought or an outcome that exists currently only in the abstract.

At times I'm worried about school starting in the fall, if I'll be alright in my financial situation, if I'll even do well in my program, or even if it's what I really want to do, or will get me the places I want to go. Sometimes I can't help but feel concerned for my mom and her situation, wondering if things will work out financially for her, and more importantly, if she's ever going to find the companionship that I know she longs for. For my own situation, sometimes I wonder when marriage and family will be something that starts to come into view. And I hate even admitting that because I don't want people to think that I'm so desperate for it to happen, or to even feel sorry for me that it's still not there yet, but nevertheless, I would love to have a better idea of when and how that's going to work out. The worst is when people in the church ask me about it like it's something that I've been avoiding.

I think this week I've just been feeling the weight of a number of different kinds of things like that. And I think it's only natural, and acceptable, to feel those concerns. What is most comforting about all of it is that in spite of not having a clearer answer to those questions, it is still possible to have those fears allayed through subtle reminders - tender mercies - that help me to know that The Higher Power is working in my behalf, provided that I'm doing the same. Recently, I have made a more concerted effort to be available to service opportunities, and to seeking after heavenly guidance, and last night while reading President Monson's General Conference address to the church, I came across this excerpt:

Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order to be tested, we must sometimes face challenges and difficulties. At times there appears to be no light at the tunnel’s end—no dawn to break the night’s darkness. We feel surrounded by the pain of broken hearts, the disappointment of shattered dreams, and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea “Is there no balm in Gilead?” We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. If you find yourself in such a situation, I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storm you face.

And that was all I needed.

Catch of the Day

For a live performance, the sound quality is amazing on that video. As I mentioned in the previous post, I've been in a funny mood lately. It's interesting to me how much short-term circumstances can completely envelope my outlook on things in general. For the last week or so I've been in a reggae/Ben Harper-Jack Johnson kind of mood with music, although I don't think I could ever listen to Jack with the same gusto that I did 5-6 years ago. Lately I've been gravitating more to that kind of easy listening just because I think I kind of have a delicate frame of mind right now. And it's weird to me because nothing significant has changed from a month or two months ago, and it bothers me that I'm just not feeling more motivated or just excited in general, but I'm just not. My job is still the same. I'm still exercising about as much. I think you could go back about a month ago and there would still be the exact same headlines in politics. And sports, if anything, has gotten more exciting now than it did in February-March. The NFL draft just happened, the Lakers are killing right now, and baseball is in full swing and the Angels have the best record in the American League. And I'm going to my third game of the season tonight. So why the lack of excitement? I dunno. It's weird. You'd think with how awesome I'm getting with jumping rope that I would be feeling sunny and bright, but I'm just not there. At least not all the way. I'm sure it will pass, and I actually am pretty excited about the game tonight and Iron Man tomorrow. I think maybe the status quo is just not doing it for me.

I think maybe my mood was pretty affected by soccer last night too. There was one guy in particular that just really rubbed me wrong, and I hardly got to play at all because so many guys showed up. I think it's nothing that some extra whiffleball can't fix.

When I listen to Ben, I tend to think the same thing Peter does about Lionel in the clip below:

New Computer

How many times have you guys changed up your computers? If you haven't done it in awhile then maybe you don't remember just how much time it takes to transfer all your files and get familiar with the new computer. There are so many things that just felt so personalized about my old laptop - the placement of certain buttons, how to make it hibernate, my bookmarks, not to mention all of the files. Last time I put them on the same network and it took me forever how to figure out how to get all files over, but now that I'm stealing internet from network Sam, I don't really have that luxury. I did get a transfer cable, but then I never did quite figure out how to work that, so this time around I ended up just getting an external hard drive and although it was more pricey, it was so much easier.

I can't believe how much I paid for my previous laptop and how much cheaper this one is while also being about twice the computer that I had before. Want some good sites to go to for coupons and bargains? Fatwallet is one, and Techbargains is another. You can find some great buys on either of those websites. I ended up going with the Lenovo brand of lappy top at the suggestion of a couple of people who know more about this stuff than I do. So far it's been awesome. I wonder, however, if I probably would have been just as satisfied with anything that wasn't my old computer that would decide to shutdown on its own without first consulting me. Maybe...

I don't know what it is, but I feel like I'm not interested in anything these days. I haven't been following politics as much, and my attention span for watching sports is at an all-time low as well. This won't make any sense to most of you, but I didn't even really care about watching much of the NFL draft last weekend. I feel like that might have had more to do with the fact that my Raiders didn't have very many picks in the first 3 rounds though. In any case, I'm just feeling funny in general. This blog is coming up on its year anniversary and I actually have already surpassed 365 posts a few days ago, but I'm not even that excited about the blog anymore either. I feel like I'm in a weird funk and I just can't figure it out. So anyway, the blog might undergo some new formatting and the Editor in Chief might go on leave of absence for a month or so. I dunno...sigh...whatever...We'll see.

Young@Heart

I saw this movie last night. This film really has to be one of the cutest, most touching movies I've ever seen. You can visit their website here and learn a little bit more about the story of the chorus. In brief, the chorus started out in 1982 and this movie was produced by a filmmaker who had seen the show only recently about a year or two ago. He pitched the idea of putting together a documentary that would cover the chorus preparing for a show that they would be performing in seven weeks. My favorite part of the movie was seeing them go perform at a local prison and seeing the reaction of the prisoners and just how much they loved it. I wish I could come up with more stuff than just saying that everyone in the film is just so sweet and cute, but that's really all I can think of right now. Throughout the movie the director interjects these music videos and several of them are actually posted on YouTube. The clip I posted above is not one that's included in the movie. It's really worth experiencing it all in the theater.

I just love the independent movie feel. It really does seem like these kinds of projects are driven by a compelling story and not so much dollars and cents. The resulting movie comes across as so much more authentic without the distractions of typical big budget films. I sound so stuck up right now, but it's the truth. I really like that idea of finding the right angle to telling a story and consuming entirely the audience's interest. I've even thought it would be neat to do interviews with just my friends and practicing piecing together a well-crafted story. Any volunteers? The point is that there is always a story there, you've just got to find the right way to tell it. I think this film really does that so well.

Long Time No Post

I'm not really sure why it is. I think it's in part due to the fact that my old laptop was starting to crap out on me, and I think I have been pressed a little bit for time these days. Well, truthfully, I haven't been making time to post like I normally would. It seems that my uniform on days off tends to be boardshorts and a white t-shirt, which I love, but then it turns into a lot of time without wearing the normal endowed members' underoos. It makes me feel weird, and then I secretly love it at the same time.

Don't worry though...I'll be back to regular posts, and I also got my new laptop yesterday so I've just got to get all setup on there and I that should help with the unplanned shutdowns in the middle of my time on the internets.

Last Saturn's day Dave celebrated his 28th birthday. I'm trying to think of some funny story about Dave, and I know there are tons of them, but for some reason I'm just drawing a blank. I'll just say one of my favorite things about Dave is that a lot of times people who are funny do it for the sake of getting laughs from other people, but what I love about Dave is that at least half of the time he's doing or saying the stuff that he does purely for his own enjoyment. For some reason I feel like that quality makes his already witty jokes and repartees that much funnier because he's doing it for purely for the appreciation of humor, and to make himself laugh maybe even more than to make those around him laugh. The other night we went and saw a movie and I forgot something in his car. I asked for his key and as he handed me the key he yelled out to me as I was walking away to "make sure you leave the car open. In fact, leave the door open with the key in the ignition and the car running." I just loved knowing that he threw that comment out that because he was going to just remind me to lock it, but realized that it would be really obvious to say that so he went in the complete opposite direction. And this was while we were walking in opposite directions in a parking lot, so it was more than likely that I wasn't going to hear what it was that he was saying. That kind of stuff happens all the time with Dave. I could say so many things about him, but I'll just leave off by saying that he's my best friend and there is no one I appreciate more. Seriously, watching Turk and JD on Scrubs is like seeing Dave and I on screen.

This is one of my favorite scenes ever with Turk and JD:

Better

92 words

Speedtest

Better than the 2 that I did on the other one. No joke.

I Am THIS Many Years Old!

I am an idiot

Take the speed typing test here

Now maybe you all can appreciate how much time it takes me to put together my posts. Try it.

Happy Earth Day!

Jesse: I want to stay in school tomorrow. I want to guarantee the survival of the earth’s environment.

A.C. Slater: Can’t that wait until Monday?

Jesse: No, there’s a plastic foam protest tomorrow, and I intend to be part of it.

A.C. Slater: Oh well, have fun. I’ll be at the beach with my plastic foam boogey board.

Jesse: How can you be so irresponsible?

A.C. Slater: You know everything about the environment except how to enjoy it.

There you have it. On one side is someone so busy making plastic foam her enemy that she fails to consider how it could be made an eco-friend (boogey board). On the other side is a non-environmentalist who finds an alternative use. He finds a solution by ignoring the problem.

Yes, the above exchange actually is from Saved by the Bell. This is the full article from NRO about Styrophobia. This post is from the editors at NRO, and here is an excerpt:

Thirty-five years ago, political scientist Anthony Downs discerned what he called the “issue-attention cycle,” a five-stage process during which the public and the media grow alarmed over an issue, agitate for action, generate reams of scary headlines, and then begin to draw back as they gradually recognize that the problem has been exaggerated and they get a good look at the price tag for sweeping action.

While Downs thought that the issue-attention cycle for the environment would last longer than for most issues, global warming is starting to follow the same familiar pattern as the “population bomb” and the “we’re-running-out-of-everything” scares of the 1970s. The planet’s coldest winter in 30 years has cooled the fever of climate panic. And while one cool year does not a trend make, a few more cool years and there will be a crisis in climate alarmism.

I think this article is really interesting about the unintended, and often deadly, consequences of environmental activism. Here are a couple of paragraphs:

Millions of acres of rainforest are fast disappearing as farmers in South America, Asia and elsewhere rush to clear land for cultivation. Among the culprits is government subsidization of corn-based ethanol — a supposed antidote to climate change. U.S. subsidies are expected to top $5 billion this year, which is prompting American farmers to devote more land to corn in place of soybeans. Consequently, their counterparts around the globe are clearing acreage to capitalize on higher prices for the displaced crops.

Every 30 seconds, a child somewhere in the world dies of malaria, according to the World Health Organization. The disease claims more than one million lives each year, although it is both preventable and treatable. The principle means of prevention is control of malaria-bearing mosquitoes. Of the 12 pesticides currently recommended, DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) is widely recognized as the most effective. But the erroneous claims about the toxicity of DDT in Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1972 to ban the pesticide, precipitating the suspension of spraying in dozens of countries — and the deaths of tens of millions of people.

And how about nuclear power? Here is an article that talks a little bit about how France has been using nuclear power to gain some energy independence. This is a very dated article, but illustrates major points that are still relevant today about why nuclear power is clearly one of our best options. An excerpt about France's success with nuclear power:

One answer is in front of their eyes, courtesy of the French: nuclear energy. In the 1970s, France decided to lessen its dependence on oil and gas imports by embracing nuclear power. It worked. In three decades, the country’s total energy consumption derived from oil fell from 71 percent to 39 percent.

Meanwhile, the country generates nearly 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear power, and even exports significant amounts to its neighbors.

And here's a friendly environmental message...there is some language, or maybe a lot:

Michael Yon, War Stuff, and the Pope

Have you guys had a chance to check out any of the Michael Yon stuff that I've posted? It's easy reading and I promise that it really is very interesting. He recently came out with a book about the situation in Iraq, Moment of Truth In Iraq. This here is a recent interview with him over at NRO. It seems long, but again, it's really interesting. He's very plain and really when you read his stuff, you get the sense that he really is just reporting and not interested so much in all the political jockeying that goes on. This is his online magazine, and I will be linking it for future reference on the left with the other political links. His works survives mainly through reader contributions so if there is any money you can donate, please do.

And lastly...have you guys heard anything about the Pope's recent trip through the US? I've heard a couple of things here and there, but it really does seem like Pope Benedict is a very solid leader for the Catholic Church. Mostly I gather this from the way he has been approaching the stains caused by all of the sex scandals that seemed to have been getting overlooked by the upper levels of leadership within the church. And I got this from Hugh Hewitt's blog post about the Pope's visit, but this is worth noting:

Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility. Americans know this from experience -- almost every town in this country has its monuments honoring those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one's deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate. In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good. Few have understood this as clearly as the late Pope John Paul II. In reflecting on the spiritual victory of freedom over totalitarianism in his native Poland and in eastern Europe, he reminded us that history shows, time and again, that "in a world without truth, freedom loses its foundation," and a democracy without values can lose its very soul. Those prophetic words in some sense echo the conviction of President Washington, expressed in his Farewell Address, that religion and morality represent "indispensable supports" of political
prosperity.

The emphasis is my own. I guess I can't help myself when it comes to the political stuff. There are some really important things going on, and I really feel like this quote from Pope Benedict really captures some of why it's important to be in the know.

Birthday Beach Bash Battle Royale

I'm not one to really need, or even want, a lot of attention, so when people make a big deal about celebrating their own birthday-weeks or -months I always just found that kind of strange. This week was my first encounter with that length of attention on my birthday, being that I got taken out to eat the on day of twice, had some sweet seats at the Angels game on Thursday on my man-date with Dave, had dinner with my dad Friday, this barbeque yesterday, and actually another one today with my mom and brother.

I was surprised about the locale of the days events, but pleasantly so. There is probably no one who gets as excited as I do about having a barbeque at the beach and playing whiffleball than me, except for Dave. So it worked out pretty well that we both happen to love the planned events, our birthdays are less than two weeks apart, and we're best friends. How long have you guys been planning this anyway? It seems like this is about 15 years in the making just to put together a combined birthday party. Given all of that, maybe I should have been expecting more...Very elaborate guys, bravo. Anyway, over here in Irvine it was looking like a bad day for the beach with cooler temperatures and cloudy skies. Fortunately, when we actually arrived it was much nicer actually on the beach than it was more inland. So we ended up having a Beach Battle Royale for both mine and Dave's birthday (which is actually coming up next week on the 26th). It was a semi-surprise for me, but more of a surprise for him that this was also to celebrate his birthday. For whatever reason we had a faux competition between the both of us to determine the best...well I really have no idea. As everyone expected, I bested him in the four part gauntlet of challenges. It involved an intense game of whiffleball, arm wrestling, watermelon eating, and a battle of wits, a la Cash Cab, which before yesterday I had never even heard of.

I really can't say enough about how much I appreciate everything that you all did to remember me, from the big to the small. Of course I love those people more who put more effort into celebrating ME, but that you even remembered is really sweet. Kidding. Honestly, it was enough that you guys even remembered at all, and I can't tell you enough how much I appreciated all that you did. Thanks for just being a part of it.

Catch of the Day and Other Stuff

I heard this song the other night on my way to dinner and I was like, can you say "HIT"? But later that night I couldn't remember anything from the song so that I could look it up...enter the Angel's game last night and bless you Torii Hunter for your at-bat stroll to the plate music because now I'm able to bring this magic to all of us. Sometimes hip hop and I are really friendly:



And I just love The Onion. This video is just so dumb, but I love it:


Wildly Popular 'Iron Man' Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film

And I thought this article about beach safety was kind of dumb at first, but I think it redeemed itself towards the end.

Now Here's Some Fluff

Want a jump rope update? I knew you did. I almost got the double swing down. I don't mean like I can do it continuously over and over, but that I can get it a couple of times amidst regular jumps. I also have figured out switching from one foot to the other, touching heel with the off-foot, and running in place. I also kind of have some funny looking moves where I can do a mini-version of alternating between both feet but keeping one foot forward always, and I can do it with either foot. And then also I can do jump rope swinging my arms around in full swings with the rope. I'm sure it looks idiotic, but I freakin' love it. And my stamina is increasing and I don't even get sore with it anymore. I shouldn't love it so much, but I totally do. It feels like a game to me now, and I actually feel a void that I didn't get to it today.

And yes, that picture is my normal jump rope outfit. So naturally I look good doing it.

A War We Can Win

Yup, it's time for some war stuff. I feel like the blog has been mostly fluff for awhile so here is a little bit of current events. This link here is an article by a guy that I've posted previously on my blog, Michael Yon. He is an embedded journalist in Iraq who gives us the clearest picture to what's actually occurring on the ground level in the war. Here is an excerpt from the article:

I may well have spent more time embedded with combat units in Iraq than any other journalist alive. I have seen this war – and our part in it – at its brutal worst. And I say the transformation over the last 14 months is little short of miraculous.

The change goes far beyond the statistical decline in casualties or incidents of violence. A young Iraqi translator, wounded in battle and fearing death, asked an American commander to bury his heart in America. Iraqi special forces units took to the streets to track down terrorists who killed American soldiers. The U.S. military is the most respected institution in Iraq, and many Iraqi boys dream of becoming American soldiers. Yes, young Iraqi boys know about "GoArmy.com."

As the outrages of Abu Ghraib faded in memory – and paled in comparison to al Qaeda's brutalities – and our soldiers under the Petraeus strategy got off their big bases and out of their tanks and deeper into the neighborhoods, American values began to win the war.

Iraqis came to respect American soldiers as warriors who would protect them from terror gangs. But Iraqis also discovered that these great warriors are even happier helping rebuild a clinic, school or a neighborhood. They learned that the American soldier is not only the most dangerous enemy in the world, but one of the best friends a neighborhood can have.

It's a brief article, so please read it. We are at a perilous point in the war and this should greatly affect who you end up voting for in November. We have two positions that are in direct opposition to one another, with a representative from each political party that will either take us into defeat, or carry us into victory. This is another blog post for another day, but it's important to care about this stuff because while it may not feel like it affects you or myself at a personal level, it soon will if we don't take the right steps. Please don't plead apathy or indifference. That is such a poor excuse - I would that thou wert cold or hot.

Want to know of something simple that you can do to help the cause? Visit this online store. Currently there is a push to get packages out to the troops that carry some basic food items for the blistering summer that is fast approaching, just things like gatorade, beef jerky, coffee and cookies. You just pay through the online store and it can be as little as a $14 contribution. This website here gives updates on support for the war here in the states. Please put your dollars toward a worthy cause and help mobilize the efforts to support our troops.