http://blog.mapawatt.com/2009/10/28/alertme/
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Letter to Congressman
Below is my first letter to my Congressman
---
---Mr. Lewis,
I've always had a goal to write a congressman and I am accomplishing it today. I am a recent grad. of Georgia Tech living in
After reading an article by Lou Dobbs today (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/05/Dobbs.June6/index.html) I began to wonder who in Congress is ensuring that the average American is not being strung around by special interest groups. The question is this: What is Congress doing to ensure that the vocal concerns of the minority (special interest groups) are not drowning out the growing grumblings of the majority?
----Friday, May 25, 2007
Ignoring the Truth on Iraq
So here is more proof that the administration screwed things up on Iraq: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18854414/
Basically, it says that several CIA reports predicted what is happening there now: fueled Islamic terrorists, warring between Iraqi ethnic groups, etc. This illustrates my whole problem with the war. I always understood that good things could and might come out of it, but it looks like the Bush administration only focused on those and not the possible negative outcomes. They have been so inept at planning the war yet reluctant to admit their faults.
Frustrating.
Basically, it says that several CIA reports predicted what is happening there now: fueled Islamic terrorists, warring between Iraqi ethnic groups, etc. This illustrates my whole problem with the war. I always understood that good things could and might come out of it, but it looks like the Bush administration only focused on those and not the possible negative outcomes. They have been so inept at planning the war yet reluctant to admit their faults.
Frustrating.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
VT shootings
I was in Blacksburg for 3 weeks this summer. I stayed at the Holiday Inn a block from campus. I know a kid from High School who plays football there. I rode my bike through campus. I golfed at the campus course. To think about what happened there yesterday is painful.
I wonder what I would have done in that situation. I wonder what the killer looked like. I wonder what it would sound like. But most of all, I wonder what was going on in his head. How could one person want to do that much harm to people he doesn't even know? This is a good blog by somebody who had a play writing class with him. From what the blog says, there were warning signs everywhere, like there are with most school shootings.
I can almost understand...no, sympathize with someone who gets to the point where they would want to take their own lives, but why take others down with you? When did he get to the point where he just gave up? Could anything been done to stop all this? Could he have changed his views about the world. Get married. Have beautiful children?
I know that even if there were answers to these questions they wouldnt help much, but one cant help but wonder. I feel for his parents, more so than the parents of other victims. Even though they may have some part to blame, they still lost a son, and their son still produced one of the most heinous crimes in American history. How does a parent live with this?
The only thing we can do is to try and help others who seem like they have lost their way, and we can try to live each day with happiness and hope to instill that happiness in others. It may make no difference at all, but at least we can say we did all we could do. At least we wouldnt have so many questions.
I wonder what I would have done in that situation. I wonder what the killer looked like. I wonder what it would sound like. But most of all, I wonder what was going on in his head. How could one person want to do that much harm to people he doesn't even know? This is a good blog by somebody who had a play writing class with him. From what the blog says, there were warning signs everywhere, like there are with most school shootings.
I can almost understand...no, sympathize with someone who gets to the point where they would want to take their own lives, but why take others down with you? When did he get to the point where he just gave up? Could anything been done to stop all this? Could he have changed his views about the world. Get married. Have beautiful children?
I know that even if there were answers to these questions they wouldnt help much, but one cant help but wonder. I feel for his parents, more so than the parents of other victims. Even though they may have some part to blame, they still lost a son, and their son still produced one of the most heinous crimes in American history. How does a parent live with this?
The only thing we can do is to try and help others who seem like they have lost their way, and we can try to live each day with happiness and hope to instill that happiness in others. It may make no difference at all, but at least we can say we did all we could do. At least we wouldnt have so many questions.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Vote McCain
So I am watching 60 Minutes right now and they are doing their special feature on John McCain. While I have traditionally been a Democrat, I find myself moving more towards the center as I get older. Not because I don't like the Democrats, but rather I dont want to be labeled as Democrat. I like having autonomy over my beliefs and I feel the "Moderate" label provides that.
In saying this I think (for the time-being) that John McCain should be the nations next President. I dont necessarily always agree with him, but I believe that he is an honest man and the best man (or woman) for the job. He supports the war in Iraq but realizes it has been drastically mishandled. While I haven't been the biggest fan of the war, I understand that there can be some good that comes out of it and I think if we do leave now, it will only hurt us more in the end. In all of my arguments concerning the war they havent centered around the war itself, but rather its' mismanagement. I will always fault the Bush administration with this and McCain has openly criticized them as well.
But like McCain I see hope in General Petraeus and I hope things will turn out for us. One thing that doesnt get displayed across the media is that McCain has an 18 year old son about to go to Iraq.
Aside from the war I like his support of stem-cell research, global warming, and budget reform.
So in voting for the next President I encourage you not to vote on party lines, but find that person who you respect the most, and vote for them.
In saying this I think (for the time-being) that John McCain should be the nations next President. I dont necessarily always agree with him, but I believe that he is an honest man and the best man (or woman) for the job. He supports the war in Iraq but realizes it has been drastically mishandled. While I haven't been the biggest fan of the war, I understand that there can be some good that comes out of it and I think if we do leave now, it will only hurt us more in the end. In all of my arguments concerning the war they havent centered around the war itself, but rather its' mismanagement. I will always fault the Bush administration with this and McCain has openly criticized them as well.
But like McCain I see hope in General Petraeus and I hope things will turn out for us. One thing that doesnt get displayed across the media is that McCain has an 18 year old son about to go to Iraq.
Aside from the war I like his support of stem-cell research, global warming, and budget reform.
So in voting for the next President I encourage you not to vote on party lines, but find that person who you respect the most, and vote for them.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Absinthe in High Def
I've never really been into High Def, that was until my roommate came home with a 60" High Def TV. I've been sold. I recommend going to buy one just so you can watch the Discovery Channels "Planet Earth". It is amazing. They spent 5 years filming this show just to capture some of the most amazing scenes in the world.
I also watched the show Three Sheets to the Wind on the HD channel. That show is also amazing (the theme of the night). The theme of the show is a comedian who travels to different countries and gets wasted with the locals. Tonight he was in Prague and he drank absinthe, which is awful, and he came to that same conclusion.
Here comes my digression....I tried Absinthe for the first time in Aix en Provence, France. As youngsters studying abroad in Europe, the first thing we had to do to break the shackles of American restraint was go buy the most horrid looking green liquor from the local market and consume it. Everyone had read the stories of people hallucinating on this intoxicating mixture of green fire water and wormwood. While in the 1800's may have had enough wormwood to cause hallucinations, the only thing it is now is highly alcoholic, on the order of 151 proof.
It tastes like a mixture of Jaeger and Everclear. Prague is famous for it, but no locals drink it. Why? Well, did you not just hear the two liquors I compared it to. How do you think they would taste mixed? It is a stupid gimmick that stupid Americans think they will be cool if they try. The last time I got drunk off the stuff, which coincidentally was the first time, I ended up covered in soot at 4 A.M. Unfortunately it wasn't a hallucination.
Oh yea, the Travel channel has a show coming on tomorrow about 1000 places to see before you die. I'm going to watch that too. Hopefully they wont be trying absinthe.
I also watched the show Three Sheets to the Wind on the HD channel. That show is also amazing (the theme of the night). The theme of the show is a comedian who travels to different countries and gets wasted with the locals. Tonight he was in Prague and he drank absinthe, which is awful, and he came to that same conclusion.
Here comes my digression....I tried Absinthe for the first time in Aix en Provence, France. As youngsters studying abroad in Europe, the first thing we had to do to break the shackles of American restraint was go buy the most horrid looking green liquor from the local market and consume it. Everyone had read the stories of people hallucinating on this intoxicating mixture of green fire water and wormwood. While in the 1800's may have had enough wormwood to cause hallucinations, the only thing it is now is highly alcoholic, on the order of 151 proof.
It tastes like a mixture of Jaeger and Everclear. Prague is famous for it, but no locals drink it. Why? Well, did you not just hear the two liquors I compared it to. How do you think they would taste mixed? It is a stupid gimmick that stupid Americans think they will be cool if they try. The last time I got drunk off the stuff, which coincidentally was the first time, I ended up covered in soot at 4 A.M. Unfortunately it wasn't a hallucination.
Oh yea, the Travel channel has a show coming on tomorrow about 1000 places to see before you die. I'm going to watch that too. Hopefully they wont be trying absinthe.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Atlanta ING Mararthon
Ok, so the title is a little misleading, I only ran the half, but that is still 13.1 miles. I dont really know why people enjoy these things, they are fairly painful. Me, I much prefer cycling. You dont put your legs through the pounding, you can coast when you get tired, and you go much faster. But anyway, my girlfriend and her Dad were running it, so I couldnt let them show me up.
For the inaugural ING Marathon, it was done really well. The course was beautiful and I saw parts of Atlanta I wouldnt normally see for fear of getting shot. Fortunately, when you are with 15,000 people at 7:00 AM you dont have to worry about much. For the beginning of Spring, it was fairly warm. The temperature later rose to 80 degrees, but luckily we ran so fast that the convective cooling relieved us of the heat.
The week before the half marathon I was training with my girlfriend and I am fairly sure I suffered plantar fasciitis. Which feels like you have a bruise on the bottom of your foot and you are walking on it. Luckily the day it happened was the wonderul day of St. Patrick. So in order to dull the pain I medicated myself with Guinness. Nevertheless, in order to not look like a wuss I still had to run the half. I once read a story about the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico who run up to 50 miles a day and subsist on corn mash and a type of beer they brew from it. Since they dont have running shoes handed down from goddess Nike, the Tarahumara run in sandals fashioned from used rubber. Therefore, they have to run as if they are barefoot, or on the balls of their feet.
Since it works for these Mexicans, and I live close to a lot of Mexicans on Buford Highway, and I like beer and I am sure they do too, I decided that I would adopt their running style. Unlike them, I didnt have years of running like this to practice, I had a week. A week of no training because I didnt want to aggravate my foot. So I ran the half marathon on the balls of my feet, or at least for the most part until the 4 Ibuprofen kicked in and it didnt matter how I ran. Anyway, it is an interesting style of running and I recommend reading about the benefits of barefoot running, something I am going to start doing more of.
So before I start rambling (too late) I will just point out a few highlights/pointers:
A shot of ice cold PBR given by a wonderful bystander is actually extremely refreshing.
I got to run with the marathon winner for all of 5 seconds as he passed me hoping I would get on TV (Yes, that means he lapped me)
As my friend found out the hard way, prep your nipples so they dont get wore down by your shirt
Make sure you get a good playlist going on the MP3 player (Bruce Springstein, Coldplay, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Old School Michael Jackson, etc.) and DONT forget to recharge your batteries
If you are not doing the race, and trying to drive around during raceday make sure you dont have to cross the course, or else you will be stuck for a few hours while thousands of people jog past you
The uncomfortableness in my feet I felt around mile 2 went away as soon as I saw everyone jogging past and clapping for a person doing the marathon in a wheelchair. Who the hell am I to complain about a little foot pain?
Bottom line is it was a lot of fun, but doing something like this on a bike would be a lot more fun! All in all the Atlanta scenery was great and so was the weather. It makes me feel pity for the people who are too lazy to get out of their houses to enjoy this type of thing.
For the inaugural ING Marathon, it was done really well. The course was beautiful and I saw parts of Atlanta I wouldnt normally see for fear of getting shot. Fortunately, when you are with 15,000 people at 7:00 AM you dont have to worry about much. For the beginning of Spring, it was fairly warm. The temperature later rose to 80 degrees, but luckily we ran so fast that the convective cooling relieved us of the heat.
The week before the half marathon I was training with my girlfriend and I am fairly sure I suffered plantar fasciitis. Which feels like you have a bruise on the bottom of your foot and you are walking on it. Luckily the day it happened was the wonderul day of St. Patrick. So in order to dull the pain I medicated myself with Guinness. Nevertheless, in order to not look like a wuss I still had to run the half. I once read a story about the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico who run up to 50 miles a day and subsist on corn mash and a type of beer they brew from it. Since they dont have running shoes handed down from goddess Nike, the Tarahumara run in sandals fashioned from used rubber. Therefore, they have to run as if they are barefoot, or on the balls of their feet.
Since it works for these Mexicans, and I live close to a lot of Mexicans on Buford Highway, and I like beer and I am sure they do too, I decided that I would adopt their running style. Unlike them, I didnt have years of running like this to practice, I had a week. A week of no training because I didnt want to aggravate my foot. So I ran the half marathon on the balls of my feet, or at least for the most part until the 4 Ibuprofen kicked in and it didnt matter how I ran. Anyway, it is an interesting style of running and I recommend reading about the benefits of barefoot running, something I am going to start doing more of.
So before I start rambling (too late) I will just point out a few highlights/pointers:
A shot of ice cold PBR given by a wonderful bystander is actually extremely refreshing.
I got to run with the marathon winner for all of 5 seconds as he passed me hoping I would get on TV (Yes, that means he lapped me)
As my friend found out the hard way, prep your nipples so they dont get wore down by your shirt
Make sure you get a good playlist going on the MP3 player (Bruce Springstein, Coldplay, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Old School Michael Jackson, etc.) and DONT forget to recharge your batteries
If you are not doing the race, and trying to drive around during raceday make sure you dont have to cross the course, or else you will be stuck for a few hours while thousands of people jog past you
The uncomfortableness in my feet I felt around mile 2 went away as soon as I saw everyone jogging past and clapping for a person doing the marathon in a wheelchair. Who the hell am I to complain about a little foot pain?
Bottom line is it was a lot of fun, but doing something like this on a bike would be a lot more fun! All in all the Atlanta scenery was great and so was the weather. It makes me feel pity for the people who are too lazy to get out of their houses to enjoy this type of thing.
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