Ideas and Opinions

Loss of Faith

2006-06-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

Again, shalom.

Less than two weeks ago I pulled together various sources on a particular issue to construct my own article on a situation in Texas in which the 2006 nickel, featured on a school's Yearbook cover, was deliberately printed without the words "In God We Trust" specifically to cater to atheists and polytheists. I felt infuriated, but I decided to get both sides of the story and so combined many articles' pieces, and some other people's comments, into one cohesive article of my own. To read it in full, click here.

Shaq Attack is Back; Saddam Shmaddam

2006-06-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Hopefully most of you are aware of the Miami Heat's recent acquisition the NBA Finals series. There is one beat of significance to me - Shaq. It hasn't been long since he left the Lakers, but the Heat's victory proves one point: Shaq came out on top of all the Lakers. Essentially, his team's victory clearly spells out to them the following message: "You Should've Traded Kobe Instead, Suckers!"

Also in the news was the killing of yet another one of Saddam's defense attorneys - hello? Anyone home? To me, this makes most Iraqis' belief quite clear: they are quite glad Saddam is out of power, no denial or doubt, but more importantly the metaphorical meaning is that for his countless crimes Saddam is, for all intents and purposes, defenseless.

Peace Out.

Further Complaints and Notices

2006-05-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

"If you build it, they'll come anyway." That is the title to Wayne A. Cornelius' LA Times editorial on the fact that if a U.S.-Mexico wall is built, the illegals will still find another way into the country. Therefore, he implies, there is little sense in stopping illegal immigration at all. And this is how modern politics nabs at me. They reduce the opposing argument into a simple yet refutable statement. And in this respect, Cornelius has it all wrong.

How so? Well, a wall is certainly not the only possible barrier to illegals and it certainly isn't the most effective either. As a matter of fact, everyone has been dishing out the same effective methods with which to slow the influx of illegal immigration: force businesses to raise their minimum wages and arrest those who hire illegals. It is that simple. Yet knuckleheads like Cornelius want to warp the issue to meet their own ends and suit their own opinions. I am writing this blog to make you aware of these kinds of people, the clear representatives of mainstream liberal media biases.

However the LA Times does, as a matter of fact, have its share of good articles. Los Angelinos will appreciate this one, while almost everyone else will certainly identify with this one. Enjoy!

The Religious Right is A Religious Wrong

2006-05-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

It seems the more extreme one is, the more likely one is to fool one's followers. Warren Jeffs, Jim Jones, Roger Mahoney and Marcial Maciel ar the clearest examples. All if this, of course, was inspired in me when I read an LA Times editorial by Jason Berry about Benedict's decision to do the responsible thing and harshly criticize Father Maciel for the many accusations, most probably true, of pedophilic actions. Berry, quite simply, took the liberal standpoint of asserting that pedophiles should not be punished for their lude and lascivious acts.

As one of his first paragraphs reads:

On the face of it, the pope's "invitation" to Maciel to give up his public
ministry in favor of a quiet life of "prayer and penitence" may not seem a
terribly harsh punishment for an alleged serial sex abuser. But in doing so,
Benedict did something extraordinarily unusual: He cast doubt on his
predecessor's judgment.

Note carefully Berry's sly use of language and syntax. He double-quotes the word invitation to show his opinion that Benedict is somewhat back-stabbing Maciel as opposed to criticising him up-front, to show that Benedict is trying to downplay what he's doing to Macial and claiming that this "downplaying" is, in fact, the wrong thing to do. Second, Berry takes special care in asserting that the claims of Maciel's sexual abuse are "alleged" and therefore either unproved and/or untrue. Thirdly and finally, Berry ends with the phrase "cast doubt." Now, John Paul had many supporters, that is true, in some ways even I was proud he was Pope, but Berry is using this opportunity to make out that Benedict doubted his predecessor, which no doubt might anger, if not infuriate, some readers, and thus would help Berry in his quest to make legit pedophilic acts.

At the end of the article, what really got to my nerves were the following paragraphs:

Maciel launched the Legion in 1941 in Mexico. The order is small, about 600
priests, but has branched into the U.S. with two dozen prep schools and two
seminaries for teenage boys, an achievement made possible by Maciel's huge
fundraising efforts. The Legion is built on a cult of personality. Maciel's
picture hangs in every school, where children are taught that he is a living
saint.
The Legion has 60,000 lay supporters in Regnum Christi. They are deeply
orthodox. They study Maciel's letters in prayer groups. They must be in a
spiritual freefall right now, and for that we must feel sympathy. They were
betrayed.
Legionaries of Christ take a vow never to speak ill of Maciel and to
report on anyone who does — vows that, in effect, reward spying as an act of
faith.

The first paragraph astounds me because it treats horrific facts like informal information. If children are taught he is a living saint and he's attained followings in Hollywood (as a previous paragraph said), then why in the world is Berry not decrying that! After all, this is an editorial, but Berry is supplying us with the absolutely wrong sob story!

Now, the last two paragraphs are disturbing to me for a different reason. First off, the final paragraph makes Maciel, in my mind, seem very much like a different spiritual leader - Warren Jeffs. Jeffs has founded and controlled an entire super-religious sect of the Church of Latter Day Saints in a way that can only define his sect as a cult! He encourages polygamy and impregnation of mid-teenage girls. It is a culture in which males can take physical and emotional advantage of women in an organized society. Really freaky stuff - I'd encourage a Google search on this mastermind of evilness (there's no better word to describe this man, save for insane).

Oh, and in the article before that...we must feel sympathy because they were betrayed? No! In my mind at least, Maciel's followers are to Maciel what Jim Jone's followers were to Jim Jones. Yes, I said that. And Maciel's not the worst...in my own community is Cardinal Mahony, who for years has protected pedophilic priests with no legal or Papal retribution. I encourage you to google these four religious freaks, because you'll discover religious extremism is a moral wrong.

Axis of Evil?

2006-05-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

Very briefly I want to show readers the LA Times article on Vicente Fox's recent excursions. Fox met with anti-U.S./Mexico border freaks in Utah, spoke with the Mayor of Los Angeles whose name I cannot spell, and had small-time chat with pedophile protector Cardinal Mahony. As any rational person can see, Fox is a shmuck who only thinks he is crafty, but everyone else can see right through him. Read the article yourself and you'll see what I mean..

Fox Makes Rounds for
Immigration
The Mexican president meets with mayor, union
leaders and Mahony to push for U.S. reforms. Villaraigosa declines to discuss
the issue.
By Sam Quinones and Arin Gencer, Times Staff WritersMay 27,
2006

Mexican President Vicente Fox wrapped up his four-day, three-state tour of the American West on Friday with a stop in Los Angeles that included meetings with civic, religious and union leaders who have been among the most vocal proponents of immigration reform.The two principal meetings were with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, who have repeatedly stressed the need for reform. Fox's visit was also the object of small but vocal protests — as it had been throughout his trip — including one in front of City Hall, where a Getty Center dinner for Fox and Villaraigosa was derisively labeled a "meaningless photo op."Fox's trip took him to Utah, Washington and Sacramento before he arrived in Los Angeles. He had been scheduled to discuss immigration reform Friday night with Villaraigosa, but the mayor preemptively declined to discuss the subject, saying that policy was a federal matter and out of his hands.Instead, Villaraigosa said their discussion would focus on strengthening economic ties between Los Angeles and Mexico. The mayor said he was interested in boosting Mexican tourism, improving trade and expanding Mexican investment in the city. In 2005, trade between Mexico and Los Angeles was estimated at $25 billion."We believe that trade with Mexico is absolutely pivotal for the L.A. economy," Villaraigosa said.But at the dinner, Fox did briefly address immigration reform, saying that a "legal, safe, orderly immigration policy will benefit the security and prosperity of both our nations."Fox met first with Mahony, then with hotel workers and union leaders in separate meetings at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel downtown.Fox chatted for about an hour with Mahony — who has been an outspoken advocate of immigration reforms that would provide legal status for the county's estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants. While meeting with union and other leaders, Fox lauded immigrants' "desire to progress," saying: "You are an example for all of us."Some African American community leaders said Friday that they were upset that Fox was meeting with Villaraigosa without addressing the illegal immigration question."We are offended that he would come here and not address the real issues that are impacting citizens throughout this city and this nation — and that's immigration reform," said Najee Ali, director of poject Islamic Hope.He said the mayor had a responsibility to get Fox to speak on the issue.Earl Ofari Hutchinson of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, who joined Ali at a news conference outside City Hall, said that Fox had failed to improve economic conditions in Mexico and had insulted African Americans by implying that they are not willing to do the jobs illegal imigrants do."What about the citizens of Mexico in your own country that you have not taken care of?" Hutchinson asked. "Where are the jobs?"Fox's tour, coming as the U.S. is immersed in the immigration debate, was seen by some as meddling by the Mexican president.His visit shows "how comfortable the Mexican government feels coming into the United States to lecture us on what our immigration policy should be," said John Keeley, spokesman for the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank. "Fox and his cabinet and lawmakers feel no reluctance whatsoever to come to the U.S. and explicitly lobby in their own interests."Still, Keeley said, "Fox and the Mexican government can't be faulted too much because there's no push back from the Bush administration. It doesn't bother them at all."Fox's visit is partly to do with Mexican politics, said Jose Antonio Crespo, a Mexico City political scientist and commentator.On July 2, Mexico will elect Fox's successor. Polls show that the race between the candidate of Fox's National Action Party, Felipe Calderon, and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the Democratic Revolution Party is a dead heat.If the U.S. Congress passes some kind of amnesty for illegal immigrants, Fox "wants it to seem that he had something to do with it," thus helping Calderon, Crespo said.

Full article here.

Illegals, Antonovich, Fox, Jefferson

2006-05-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

Get this: illegal aliens are Mexico’s second most profitable industry after petroleum, with Mexican illegal aliens sending home an annual average of $20 billion. Our economy is being shitted on by another nation whose president is advocating this large business enterprise. It is sad that American Business is no longer a Business for Americans.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, was the only no-vote of four in a decision to discard an employee application similar to this one because three of the voters felt that a question that asked about employees’ criminal pasts was discriminatory against job-seekers who have committed crimes in the past. I was in shock when I heard this. The law is supposed to punish lawbreakers.

Oh, and Vicente Fox visited immigrant-friendly Utah recently. For his speech-making he chose not to allow any English-speaking Americans ask him questions because it may lead to, uh, awkward moments on his part. He said: “We won’t solve this problem in fences but hand in hand working together.” It is a euphemism basically advocating the joining of the U.S. and Mexico because, hey, there’s no border between the two nations to begin with! Right? Oh, and Bush calls it “comprehensive immigration reform,” Feinstein calls it a “clear path to earned legalization,” McCain calls it a banana, and now Fox is calling it “humane immigration overhaul.” It is better known as “amnesty.” Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, according to morning radio talk show host Bill Handel, “choked up as he praised Mexican traditions in fluent Spanish.” Handel also dryly noted that out-of-state tuition is not required of illegal aliens from Mexico.
“Try doing that in Mexico & see what happens,” said Handel, who noted also that the Latino culture, harboring a strong affiliation with the Catholic Church is, as a culture of not moving ahead and staying behind, is totally at odds with the American dream. I would have to agree.

Oh, and the Congressman William Jefferson Louisiana (Democrat) story is just too good to ignore. Imagine, the Democrats complaining about the rampant corruption of Republican party members now having to deal with one of their own! And of course, as Jefferson is African-American, any indictment against him would be racist! Of course! If the criminal is black, a white cannot accuse him/her because it’s racism! Beautiful! Well, we found our game man. He was caught red-handed with ninety grand dollars wrapped in an aluminum foil in turn stowed in his freezer. Of course, that’s not the issue. When asked by a reporter why he cannot just deny the charges, Jefferson replied that “You’re asking me to get into facts that I have told you I will not get into.” Right, so he’s guilty. Thank you for the honesty. But for everyone in Congress, the issue is the FBI raid on Jefferson’s congressional office this past weekend. They’re claiming it was unconstitutional yadayadayada…fuck off. Baloney! Jefferson was caught on tape accepting a bribe and therefore the FBI had more than probable cause. And the congressmen dare to claim that the FBI does not have a right to raid the office?! It asked for a search warrant and was granted such by a judge based on an affidavit. With this kind of circumstance the FBI would have the right to raid the Oval Office, for goodness sake! This raid in no way violates separation of powers and it is really shocking that congress would act this way during an election year – both major parties! I will not be surprised if any third parties rake in more votes this year.

American Sanity

2006-05-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

I am almost positive that America might just be about to fall down the drain. A CNN poll came out last week in which 1021 American adults compared Bush Jr. to Clinton.
Read poll article here.

THE RESULTS
Handling the Economy: 63% Clinton 26% Bush.
I cannot describe how shocked I was when I read the percentages for this. Bush has had far more interaction with a booming economy than did Clinton, who by chance was President during the rise of the internet.

Solving Americans’ Problems: 62% C 25% B
Name one “American problem” that Clinton solved. Please.

Dividing the Country: 27% C 59% B
Not really. With Lewinsky, I think Clinton really divided America. Au contraire, Bush united the country against him loads of times, the latest via amnesty.

Foreign Affairs: 56 C 32% B
WTF! Besides the Balkan crisis, how has Clinton been more effective than Bush?

Taxes: 51% C 35% B
And yet after all those tax cuts, Americans are left clueless by the lefty media.

Nat’l Disasters: 51% C 30%
Okay, Bush screwed himself with Katrina. Clinton never experienced a national disaster!

Honesty: 46% C 41% B
Oh, yeah. Bush has never expressed his true feelings and Lewinsky doesn’t exist.

Nat’l Security: 51% C 41% B
Who the f**k are these 1021 Americans?

A footnote claimed the last two options were within the 3% sampling margin of error.

Oh, and then after the poll numbers are revealed, CNN adds in a final short paragraph about the Lewinsky Scandal. Oh yes, serious nonpartisan polling.

I think this is typical of American media and John Armor seems to agree. But Butler Shaffer thinks the media leans Right and I’m compelled to disagree because when it comes to the media, most Americans seem to tend toward self-correctness as many are beginning to acknowledge, publicly, the leftward tendencies of so-called “mainstream” media. Of politics I am unsure, but I hope to God the media gets back on its feet.

Legislative Sanity

2006-05-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

Today, I found out that the pride and joy of one of my two Jewish California Senator Democrats, Feinstein, was just rejected in the Senate. I say good for them and bad for them. Good for them because Feinstein's "Orange Card" plan would have granted citizenships to most of the current Hispanic illegal aliens in the U.S. Bad for them because they did this so that their original, more complicated and still amnesty-ish plan could pass. It was one or the other, and the Senate chose the lesser of two evils - but it's still evil.

The article begins:

By Suzanne Gamboa
ASSOCIATED PRESS
8:36 a.m. May 23, 2006
WASHINGTON – The Senate rejected a California Democrat's plan to allow the
estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country to remain, work and
eventually become Americans, preserving a fragile bipartisan coalition needed to
pass the bill.
Several lawmakers who voted against the proposal offered by
Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday said they did so reluctantly, but out of
necessity to ensure survival of the broader immigration bill. The legislation is
expected to win Senate passage Wednesday or Thursday.

And on her Orange Card legislation, Feinstein said: "“This is not amnesty. It is a clear path to an earned legalization.” Yeah, but, like... what? She might as well have said that not all combinations of black and white make grey or that canines and dogs are two separate animals. Just a total nutcase. And, just to finish off the article:

This legislation is on the edge of the ledge as it is,” said Sen. Arlen Specter
of Pennsylvania, one of the Republicans supporting a delicate compromise that
has kept the bill alive – letting two-thirds of illegal immigrants stay but
making the other third leave.
Feinstein's amendment, defeated 61 to 37,
would have supplanted the compromise that allows illegal immigrants here five
years or more to stay and work six years and seek legal residency after paying
back taxes and fines and showing they were learning English.
Those in the
country two to five years under the compromise would have to go to a point of
entry, exit and file an application to return as a guest worker. Those here less
than two years must leave the country, but could apply from their native country
to return as a guest worker and wait in line to get a visa.
“I have come to
believe that the three-tiered system is unworkable, that it would create a
bureaucratic nightmare and it would lead to substantial fraud,” Feinstein said
Tuesday.
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said the compromise bill could mean losing
Latinos in his state who have helped revive some of its small towns by buying
homes and starting small businesses.
Feinstein offered the plan just before
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist set the stage for a preliminary vote Wednesday
that could quickly bring the bill to a final vote. The bill appears headed for
passage.
A bigger fight on the bill is still to come – when the House and
Senate meet to negotiate a compromise bill. The House passed an enforcement-only
bill that makes illegal immigrants felons, cracks down on hiring of illegal
immigrants and steps up border security. It offers no path to citizenship or a
guest worker program, which critics say is amnesty.
“If we are lucky, the
House of Representatives will say it's got to be better,” Sen. Jeff Sessions,
R-Ala., said of the Senate bill after predicting Monday it would pass.
Feinstein's proposal faced an uphill climb. Republican Sen. John Cornyn of
Texas said it suffered the same “infirmities” as the bipartisan bill approved by
the Senate Judiciary Committee, which offered citizenship for all illegal
immigrants.
Feinstein's proposal required all illegal immigrants to register
with the Department of Homeland Security, get fingerprinted and go through
criminal and national security background checks.
They would get an “orange
card” encrypted with identifying information and signifying they are legal
workers after passing the background checks, demonstrating an understanding of
English, U.S. history and government and paying back taxes and a $2,000 fine to
apply.
They would go to the back of the line and could apply for legal
permanent residency when a number they are given is reached.
Also Monday,
the Senate showed support for President Bush's plan to deploy National Guard
troops to the border by endorsing an amendment authorizing governors to order
their state's Guard units to perform duties in border states.

Everyone is starting to say the same thing about immigration: if the laws already on the books were enforced and if hirers of illegal aliens were arrested and/or brought to justice, the illegals would take a hint and stop coming over the border in droves. But the nutjobs in Washington do not seem to be taking any hints. And in a moment I'll post another political woe...

My Other Blog

2006-05-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hello my fellow readers,

Yes I've started another blog. It is The Samaritan Report and the blogspot url is borderbuzz. I originally intentioned it to give up-to-date news on the current illegal immigration issue through the eyes of an anti- pro-illegal viewpoint. I thought I'd start out with info on the Minutemen, but borderbuzz has become so far just an info page for some minutemen links. But the bulk of it is over and for the next month, maybe month and a half, I'll be giving more links to what other sources have said about the Minutemen. Hopefully I'll be done with that phase long before summer ends, and once it does then I'll get down to posting hard news ledes about illegal immigration that concerns more than just the minutemen. In the meantime, stay tuned on both blogs!

Do's and Don'ts

2006-05-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

The Do: California Exit Exam

A lot of people have been yapping about the Exit Exam that California will begin using this year. Basically, it tests public high school students on pre-eleventh grade math and english skills. Basically, it's an easy version of the SAT. A dumb JEW could pass that test!

But Nooo, not the Latinos. Especially the illegal ones. They have no time to let their kids be educated in our public school system - it's a total waste of taxpayers' money. As a matter of fact, Latinos have an incredibly large dropout rate - they're not just stupid, they don't value an education AT ALL! And many people have the adacity to call the Exit Exam "racist!?" Latinos are not even a race - they're an ethnic group with no semblance of American values! They burn American flags and desecrate the American National Anthem? And congress wants AMNESTY!" (I know, the call it a "comprehensive guest worker program" but really, it's amnesty. Yep.)

A woman called into a local talk radio station about this issue. She explained that she's an LAUSD high school teacher. She said that she set up remedial classes for students who failed the exam so they can take it again and pass. No one showed up to these classes. And they were all Latino.

The Don't: Gay Textbooks

It has come to my attention that allowing special mention in American history textbooks of which famous people were or are gay has finally made its way into the legislative process.

I could not believe my ears when I heard this. My thought was: does it really matter. Is not mentioning who's gay and who isn't a form of *gasp* discrimination?!

No! My qualm with this is that we should leave gays alone. Remember, they are a minority. Minority is not equitable with inferiority. We should not give gays "special mention" in history just because they were gay! And worse, if legislatures go along with this crap, should we not give special mention of every famous American who had appendicitis in history? How about noting which Presidents were ambidextrous - or would left-handed people feel discriminated against? HA! Doubtful. But if this legislation passes, maybe I'll move to Canada.

Lakers Shmakers

2006-05-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

I think yesterday's game, which culminated in a Los Angeles Lakers loss to the Phoenix Suns in overtime with a final score of 126-118, highlighted every Laker problem imaginable.

First, the players: Kobe as usual was his own one man team at times though he did pass a lot and had quite a few assists, but the fact that 50 points was not enough just goes to prove that the entire rest of the team is slacking off. Old legs. With Odom, for example, he does have some good plays but he failed to convert some important points. And as for everyone else, they come in spurts - flare up for a moment and die down for two.

Second, the strategy: I have come to the conclusion that every Laker is stupid. During the last play of regulation, the Lakers were up by three and the Suns had one chance to convert, and to prevent that the Lakers simply had to cover the arc or foul a Sun. But in their stupidity they left the arc wide open, and this cost them the game - that one case of stupidity. And it was all due to the fact that a Sun was able to rebound Nash's missed three-pointer and hand the ball off to Thomas, who scored the shot that tied the teams into overtime. THE LAKERS CANNOT REBOUND!

Usually, I would expect that when a Laker is shooting free throws, some other Laker would try to rebound a missed second attempt. I did not see that at all last night. And whenever a Laker attempted a field goal, rarely did a teammate try to get the rebound. Three went backcourt immediately while two waited for the ball to come to their immediate area. If I were Coach Jackson I would have ended my contract with the Lakers right there. Old legs, and no brains.

What Would Teddy Have Done?

2006-05-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith, becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American... There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." -- Theodore Roosevelt, 1907

Stargate Atlantis

2006-04-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

Yes I'll admit it...I'm a born-again Stargate Atlantis fan! I recently obtained the entire Season 1 on DVD and I'm looking for the Season 2 DVD and also for Season 3 to begin in mid-July! I love it so much I joined eleven bulletin boards dedicated to the Stargate universe! If u love Stargate Atlantis then gimme a shout! (Or at least post a comment to this blog!)

Illegal Immigration: Fretting A Little More

2006-04-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm pissed. The LA Times and Bush recently came out in favor of amnesty and Illegal Alien supporters somehow managed to desecrate and deface the American National Anthem. For links to why I'm so darned upset see here. And please, if you have an opinion on this issue don't hesitate replying to this blog post. I don't care if you're for or against, I just want to get this issue talked about, so let's have it out!

Illegal Immigration: Viewpoints

2006-04-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

I've decided I'll officially come out on a particular issue: Illegal immigration (specifically of Latinos) into the United States.
My stance?
Closed borders.
Why?
KFI and the Minuteman Project.
I listen to the former as often as possible and have an entire favorties folder devoted to the Minuteman Project. Based on all the arguments I've heard, and also because I'm a staunch patriot, I believe current anti-illegal immigration laws should be enforced and that McCain, Feinstein and Kennedy can really all go to hell, IMHO.

Flag Waving Banned at Colorado School
Drudge Report

More on this later.

Recommendations: Part II

2006-03-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

As I said before, things change. So...

At the beginning of September last year, Universe Today joined with Bad Astronomy - Phil Plait's stomping grounds. At least, the forums joined into bautforum.com. Phil's a cool guy, but I wasn't so happy with the fact that due to the transition, almost all of my posts were disattributed to me. My contributions - or recognition thereof - as a result were totally removed and I left the forum very peeved. I spent quite a while at the One World Online Community before an old friend from Australia created his own forums which I joined enthusiastically alongside much of the dwindling OneWorld community. Later, the Australian tried to shut me out even though I tried many times asking for forgiveness. But that's old hat - whenever he softens up he'll let me know. In the meantime I admin beyondspace.info with David King from England. Great bloke!

There are of course many other websites and forums I have experienced, the details of which I will reveal later.

In the meantime, lechayim!

"Narrowing My Giants: The Writers" Part II

2006-03-22T18:07:00.000-08:00

Yeah things change. A lot of things. This is more of a dedication post than anything else actually.

Clarke is off the list - I've had enough of him really. Yeah he's written great classics but his purpose is quite different from that which I pursue, which is closer to Physbrain's Spaceflight Sandbox December 20th blog in which he includes a reply he made to a geek.com post. Read it and you'll see what I mean. In addition I feel I should substitute Clarke with Kaku who's written some really great books on the modern history and future implications of physics! But no worries, as Friesner is still on the list. ;-)

Now, the additions:

Marco Beltrami - did not write a book. Instead he composed and conducted the I, Robot soundtrack. I love the transition from nearly-beatless melody into sudden rhythm followed by a steady percussion to finish the main theme. Really fascinating. Rent the DVD or VHS.

William Shirer - wrote Twentieth Century Journey Volume II: The Nightmare Years 1930-1940. In this he documents as succinctly as possible his journey from British India in the early Gandhi years to Spain during its spell as a totalitarian nation to Germany, where he follows the beginnings of Hitler's reign closely right through Germany's early victories including France, at which point he is overwhelmed by the censorship and miraculously makes his way back to the United States. Never shall we forget the atrocities of the Nazis, nor the past that gave them power, nor the roots that have allowed them to hold on to a future.

Narrowing My Giants: The Writers

2005-06-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

OK, I've narrowed down my favorite novels to three books which I will encourage everyone to read:

1) 3001: The Final Odyssey...the final novel in the Odyssey series by Sir Arthur C. Clarke. This book is memorable because of a chapter which describes the advent of the aliens who jump-started the genus homo evolution 3 million years ago. This chapter outlines the alien's beginning as organic creatures, to machines, to entities who could store their thoughts in the fabric of space itself. It's very cool.

2) The Lost World: Jurassic Park...this was written by Michael Crichton BEFORE the movie version came out. The most intriguing aspect is Crichton's explanation of extinction and evolution, which develops throughout the book. Also worth noting are the differences between the characters Ian Malcolm, Richard Levine, and Jack Thorne.

3) MIIB...written by Esther M. Friesner, this novel is of course based on MIIB the movie, but was published before the movie so its plotline was different from the film. What makes this novel so great is the author herself - her brilliant wit, and excellent description of the happenings of each scene of the plot, and her witty Twain-like sarcasm, make MIIB a great read!

Last minute first day...

2005-02-19T18:45:00.000-08:00

Wanna know more about me real fast before I retire for the night?

Well, I stand on the shoulders of giants, I guess. I lap up everything written by Bradbury, Clarke, Crichton, Poe, Clemens, Einstein, and Franklin. More to come, I'm getting tired (I wonder how much I could talk about before succumbing to REM?)...

Recommendation

2005-02-19T18:37:00.000-08:00

In my countless internet endeavours, I've never come across a better space/astronomy discussion forum as this: universetoday.com
On this forum I am StarLab. Please subscribe, visit the forums, and enjoy.

More internet space/astronomy discussion forums and also more about myself is coming up...

Oh, and I'll take this moment to thank my good friend halfway around the world Rahul Dandekar for introducing me to his blog and inspiring me to create my own. You know, I've never understood the purpose of a blog (still don't) but it sorta feels almost like a personal wepage.

Introduction

2005-02-18T21:10:00.000-08:00

This is my first post on this blog. Hopefully I won't forget this blog exists and over time I'll enlighten all who read the words of The Compromiser.

The truest point of the universe is that every situation is unique.