John Kerry
I wasn't a big fan in the last election of John Kerry, but after today's speech that contained a few choice words for everyone who is trying to make it a partisan issue (view press conf video), I think I'd vote for the man now. Did he get a little pissed off? Yes and power to him. The man said nothing insulting to the troops in forces and nothing that wasn't true. Fact: most of the troops of our armed forces is made up of men and women, mostly from middle America that had few other options in life than to join the military that offered security in pay and offered a means to an education. I could not have attended university without the pay and benefits from when I was in the service.
Plus he gets points for making the remarks to Rush Limbaugh;
I'm not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit white house mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Micheal J. Fox's Parkinson's disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq. It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have.
The main regret I have for Kerry is that he walked right into the bait that was laid out for him. He should have been smarter than that, but then maybe he thought he'd take advantage of it. Glad to see the strong emotional defense there Kerry but where was that in '04?
Also, in other political news, Bill O'Reilley was on David Letterman and Letterman got all Rosie O'Donnell on him.
update: Fox news has been running with this story all day where as most other news programs have touched on it but with little opinion or brow beating. Fox reported a survey that claimed our armed forces are the most educated forces in the world. Their quote today stated that 97% of our troops have a High School Diploma or equivalent and also stating that 99% of all commissioned officers have a college diploma. This reporting has been distorted. Fox did not break down out of the 97% soldiers who have a HS diploma or equivalent have in fact, made the equivalent. The Army provides testing centers so that recruits can obtain their GED so that they can enlist. This is actually a good service the Army provides as well as offering free CLEP testing for college credit but in it still distorts the successful education of the average soldier. Also, it should be said to become a commissioned officer in any branch of the armed forces, a college diploma is a requirement except for the few who have been battlefield commissioned in war time. I'm not saying our troops are uneducated by any-means. I myself had to get a GED to go to college and I am glad the option was available, but to say my successful completion of the GED makes me as good as the other kid who applied himself and got a 4.0 grade average is absurd. I am not saying our soldiers deserve any less credit for the job they perform either. I am only trying to explain the distortions of truth by the Republican based media to further make John Kerry come across as an elitist in their desperate hour to hold on to control of the House in the upcoming election.
Leaving Oxford
Back in New York finally after ten days on the island of blighty. Beautiful wedding, some old friends, and I got a few good photos on the drives here and there. Oxford was hands down the most stunning campus I have ever seen. Such ancient buildings still being used for learning with the quad lawns enclosed for the students and plenty of atmosphere around to just inspire you to be smarter and do great things.
After a mad dash rush yesterday to find the hotel to return the rental car then jumping on a bus back to Heathrow airport, Virgin Airways informs me that even though security was just fine with a laptop backpack on one arm and a camera backpack on the other arm coming to London, that I was allowed only one of them to take on board for the return. Which renews my angry rant about having security standards so that people don't get screwed like this when they travel. Everything got back to NYC safe and sound but still it is irritating. The plane was full but got a front row seat with plenty of leg room. A slightly crying baby nearby but nothing the Boise noise quieting headphones couldn't cure. Watched Over the Hedge, Cars, and Click. Not all bad flicks. I was surprised how good over the hedge was and how much I didn't hate an Adam Sandler movie.
Seeing as how I went from Oklahoma, to New York, to England in a few days then throw in a time change and back to New York, my internal clock is now blinking 12:00am on a continuous loop.
Keighley, England
The name is pronounced "Keith-lee". It's very cold and wet here today, I managed to make it out a bit around lunch and find a pub that served a local beer and a Yorkshire Pudding. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's basically pork sausage with mashed potatoes, served with brown gravy on top and a pastry like pie crust around the edge. It was nice.
I'm cold and wet and now trying to get warm.
Windsor, England
My friends Sona and Phil who used to live in New York until recently, just got married yesterday in Windsor, England (nearby anyway) and it was a beautiful reception. After the wedding was the reception back at the hotel and it went on till well after 3am. Such an eclectic group of people that all call these two people friends and from all over the globe. I love them both. Congrats guys. Have fun in Mauritius (off the coast of Madagascar).
Went to do some sight seeing today but the weather changed and it rained all day long. Leaving for Leeds tomorrow and I think the weather will clear. Will try to get over and see York while I am there as I was told it is beautiful this time of year.
Will see how that goes.
England in the Fall
Heading to England UK tonight on a overnight Virgin Atlantic flight. A few nights near Windsor to see friends Sona and Phil get married, following a short trip to Leeds. Finally to Oxford and back to NYC. I hope to find the time for some good photography on the trip. I Will be working some though and driving across the island a bit, will be gone for about a week and a half. Leave your message at the sound of the click.
This just in: apparently, as just noticed on the map, there is an English town named "Biggleswade" and this pleases me.
No one knows my name
flying back today I had one of those moments where the regular strikes you as absurd. Guy in memphis was holding his treo phone up and had his secretary on speaker phone so we could all hear her talking, but then he would mumble quietly into the phone. You could tell he didn't want to be heard by everyone.
I was bumped up to first class but so were a few other people. The guy in front of me was huge and not comfortable with sitting still. His friend M.C. biggie pants was sitting across the aisle from me and was waving hands in the air and getting really into his music. The problem was just as the plane was descending into NYC and we had been told to turn off electronics. The male flight attendants in first class you could tell were too intimidated to tell him again so they had to go get an attendant from coach who was used to talking to people like they were children. After M.C. biggie pants turned his music of, he put his hands over his head and hunched over. I think he was a bit wigged over landing in a rain storm.
Conspiracy
Today a small plane crashed into the side of a residence building in Manhattan 524 E. 72ND killing residence inside. Pilot error or terrorism? The conspiracy theories are going to fly, especially when you take the fact that today's date of 10/11/06 upside down is 9/11/01. To quote a friend on this announcement: "DUNT DUNT DUNNNNNN!"
Update: Yankee Baseball Player Cory Lidle was most likely killed in plane crash as he is registered owner and passport found on street below. (thanks sherri)
Update 2: The President was called today on first reposrts of the incident. The Stock Market (NYSE) fluxuated on the news initial release when it was unclear as to what happened. F-15's and F-16's were dispatched over most major US cities upon hearing the initial news report. Heavily armed police were dispatched to the scene.
Seems like we have our game face on and ready still.
Things to do to Cats
I loved this so much, I am willing to take your hate mail and comments for linking it here. NASA needed to see for some reason what what happen if a cat were weightless. I wonder if the scientist wrote "freaked right the F^%$ out!
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, one of my top 10 funniest things to do to a cat: weightlessness training.
*to be fair, it looks like the nasa guy is slamming kitty against the wall but the video looks sped up so he's probablly not going that hard into it. I can't see nasa being okay with slamming a cat into a wall then releasing the video onto the interwebs. Next amazing science feat: buttered toast in weightless enviroment. Which side will hit the floor or wall?
Evil in All Things
I try to hold back on the "you're an idiot if.." comments on here. I'm successful at stopping myself about half the time. But during my layover in detroit, I was watching the television and a church camp here in the US was teaching their youth about how Harry Potter is evil. Seriously, I would love to debate someone on this even if they aren't being rational whatsoever. It's fiction. It's a book written and presented as fiction. Where was all this hatred for the fiction on the Chronicles of Narnia? So if you loosely hint some Christianity into the theme it's okay even if it does have animals with souls running about, but a kid who zaps with magic wands and is described as having a character of good morals is a bad thing?
For f#@&'s sake...
If you think the harry potter movies are evil, just put on the skinny black gap pants now because I can't look at you either.
And on a side note: you can have a small minded opinion on politics, or humanity, or religion or respect to other people, but I would argue greatly against the possibility of being small minded about fashion. It's just not possible.
Well Hello...
I don't know why this is surprising and giggle worthy but it is. If you have Google Earth, then plug in 52 04' 43.37"N, 4 19' 57.99"E. Zoom in a bit and you can make a new friend. (thanks chad)
fun things to do on a wednesday night
Perimeter = 100 meters. Length is 14m more than Width. Find length and width.
Unknowns=2.
P=2L+2W=
100= 2(x+14)+2x
100= 2x+28+2x (now combine like terms)
100= 4x+28
100-28=4x+28-28
72=4x (now divide both by 4)
72/4 = 4x/4 = 18
18=x
----------------
Width is 18 meters
Length is 32 meters
To each their own
Today, while waiting in my dentist office, one of the other dentists started chatting with her customer and sniffled a few times. The patient mentioned that she still had the sniffle she noticed from her previous visit and the dentist said she didn't take drugs for it, she doesn't believe in drugs; a holistic approach only. I guess what struck me odd was that she kept going on about it in a lecturing kind of way. As if to automatically defend her position to a customer that was being very agreeable to her already answered question.
What amazed me though, is that she's a dentist. She works with topical and local anesthetics all day. The office boasts about their use of Nitrous Oxide if required or needed in dental surgery and yet this dentist doesn't use anything to fight off at least the symptoms of a common cold?
It wasn't hard to notice that when I left and got in the elevator, one of the office cleric girls got on the elevator with me. She was sniffeling too. Wonder where she picked up that little bug?
