Okay, I watched most of the Democratic Youtube debates the other day, and here are my impressions of the candidates:
Mike Gravel:
He didn't get much time, but I appreciated his candor, which made me like him as a person. However it's obvious his honesty is much too much for the American people. A few unflattering close ups made him come off as angry, uncontrolled, and sweaty. And since he got so little time, I didn't know his stance on many issues until I went to his website. To my surprise, his view matched mine in almost every way. The only possible exception would be in Iraq. He favors an immediate withdrawal with strong diplomatic action. I prefer Joe Bidens plan, which I will get to.
Gravel's views:
Iran: Opposes military action, wants to pursue diplomatic solution.
Global Warming: Emission caps and fighting deforestation. Working with India and China.
Women's Rights: Pro-choice.
Gay Rights: For same-sex marriage and adoption. Opposes "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Education: Revoke "No Child Left Behind". Give schools proper funding and approach education "comprehensively"
Gun Laws: Gun owners should be licensed as well as properly trained.
*Sigh* Too bad he hasn't a chance in hell.
Joe Biden:
The one way he stood out from all the other candidates was that he had, amazingly, a plan for Iraq. I was so frustrated when watching the debates with how eager everyone was to slam Bush, to say how they either, like Kucinich, opposed the war from the start, or how they opposed it now. But no one, except Biden, had a plan any more thought out than withdraw troops immediately, either with or without residual forces and to pursue a diplomatic solution. Bidens plan is to divide the country between the Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds with the central government in charge of dividing it's resources evenly. Troops would remain in mixed cities, including Baghdad, to keep the peace.
Also, he supports a no-fly zone over Darfur to stop the genocide.
So right now, I guess my two favorites are Gravel and Biden. My favorite front runner is still Obama, and I lost a lot of respect for Clinton and Edwards for not really answering any of the questions. I respected Richardson's response to the problem in Darfur, and Kucinich's opinion on gay marriage. Chris Dodd didn't make any impression on me, he just seems to agree with everyone else.
Well that's it for now. More on the Republicans eventually...
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
mindless self indulgence
Ok, I know I said something about a book review, most likely Adverbs, by Daniel Handler, my new favorite. But I've been distracted by some cool new sites I found, and some other stuff. It's not like anyone's reading this anyway...
Happily, I'm in a better mood then I was at my last post, if that isn't obvious. I wont do too many "emo" posts, so don't worry.
First off, I'm learning how to sew! I know, fascinating, right? I'm working on adding some stuff to this too short jean skirt I have, which is actually the top part of some jeans I cut off during a previous D.I.Y. experiment in 8th grade. Actually, it's hideous. I'm just lacking some cute fabric. It's like a practice run, hopefully my next project will be cuter.
The Skirt
Also, I found this site, http://www.last.fm/. I've seen other radio sites like it, but the cool thing about it is this page: http://www.last.fm/user/meyde/journal/2007/07/21/480651/. It's a compilation of all the bands that give away free MP3s on the site. It's really really big, and a lot of the bands aren't crap. I love free stuff.
And this one is http://www.allthingskawaii.net/links/Cool/. It's a bunch of cute, Japanese themed sites, but what I especially loved are all the cute clothing sites, in English!
The other one is http://www.fanfiction.net/, which isn't really new for me, but I started going on again recently. Honestly, I just read the Pirates of the Carribean, ok just the Jack Sparrow ones. But what gets me is how awful the grammar is. It's not just little mistakes, it's whole paragraphs that don't make sense! Of course, I shouldn't complain, it's not paticularly deep subject matter, either. Hehe.
Happily, I'm in a better mood then I was at my last post, if that isn't obvious. I wont do too many "emo" posts, so don't worry.
First off, I'm learning how to sew! I know, fascinating, right? I'm working on adding some stuff to this too short jean skirt I have, which is actually the top part of some jeans I cut off during a previous D.I.Y. experiment in 8th grade. Actually, it's hideous. I'm just lacking some cute fabric. It's like a practice run, hopefully my next project will be cuter.
The Skirt
Also, I found this site, http://www.last.fm/. I've seen other radio sites like it, but the cool thing about it is this page: http://www.last.fm/user/meyde/journal/2007/07/21/480651/. It's a compilation of all the bands that give away free MP3s on the site. It's really really big, and a lot of the bands aren't crap. I love free stuff.
And this one is http://www.allthingskawaii.net/links/Cool/. It's a bunch of cute, Japanese themed sites, but what I especially loved are all the cute clothing sites, in English!
The other one is http://www.fanfiction.net/, which isn't really new for me, but I started going on again recently. Honestly, I just read the Pirates of the Carribean, ok just the Jack Sparrow ones. But what gets me is how awful the grammar is. It's not just little mistakes, it's whole paragraphs that don't make sense! Of course, I shouldn't complain, it's not paticularly deep subject matter, either. Hehe.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Yucky Stuff
Her mouth tastes of salt. She relinquishes her pillow, gets up off her bed, and looks in the mirror. She doesn't hate what she sees. That's not the problem, it's not what she looks like. Of course, her appearance by no means improves matters. Her red-rimmed eyes are saggy grey underneath, and her lips, redder than usual, remind her of two thin slices of sashimi on a grey plate. Her hair falls limply, dead, as all hair is, but with hers it seems more obvious.
This is oddly reassuring to her, her appearance. Having slept in till twelve, neither showered nor left the house, and spent all day in front of a screen, she looks as would be expected. If anyone still awake were to see her, nothing would seem suspicious. Nothing would hint at the violent emotion that wracked her body just a few moments earlier.
Why is it, she asked herself as she creaked the door open, and turned off the lamp, why is it that a few select moments in ones life, a few moments of pain among years of ordinariness, could refuse to end, could be played in ones mind again and again, at the slightest twinge?
It is baffling, she thought as she tread slowly toward that comforting screen, how one crying spell isn't enough for the needy subconscious to overcome a few verbal jabs carelessly flung her way years ago. Never mind who it was, even if the perpetrator was one of the closest to her. She was sick of the baggage, sick of the queasy, wrenching feeling it gave her. Enough was enough!
It is often said that adversity makes one stronger, which would explain why victims of rape, genocide, starvation, and other terrible, terrible things don't break down and cry every time they appear on Oprah. But in her case, she felt it had beaten her down over the years, made her weaker, more susceptible. There were still times when she would come to the verge of tears in a public setting, when she had paralyzing moments of self doubt over the simplest phone call.
She did not know why she felt the way she did, but part of her knew that somehow, identifying what was wrong would save her from at least some expensive therapy later in life.
As she sank into the uncomfortable wooden chair, she heaved a sigh. Then she opened her slightly dusty computer, and wiped the screensaver clean.
This is oddly reassuring to her, her appearance. Having slept in till twelve, neither showered nor left the house, and spent all day in front of a screen, she looks as would be expected. If anyone still awake were to see her, nothing would seem suspicious. Nothing would hint at the violent emotion that wracked her body just a few moments earlier.
Why is it, she asked herself as she creaked the door open, and turned off the lamp, why is it that a few select moments in ones life, a few moments of pain among years of ordinariness, could refuse to end, could be played in ones mind again and again, at the slightest twinge?
It is baffling, she thought as she tread slowly toward that comforting screen, how one crying spell isn't enough for the needy subconscious to overcome a few verbal jabs carelessly flung her way years ago. Never mind who it was, even if the perpetrator was one of the closest to her. She was sick of the baggage, sick of the queasy, wrenching feeling it gave her. Enough was enough!
It is often said that adversity makes one stronger, which would explain why victims of rape, genocide, starvation, and other terrible, terrible things don't break down and cry every time they appear on Oprah. But in her case, she felt it had beaten her down over the years, made her weaker, more susceptible. There were still times when she would come to the verge of tears in a public setting, when she had paralyzing moments of self doubt over the simplest phone call.
She did not know why she felt the way she did, but part of her knew that somehow, identifying what was wrong would save her from at least some expensive therapy later in life.
As she sank into the uncomfortable wooden chair, she heaved a sigh. Then she opened her slightly dusty computer, and wiped the screensaver clean.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Justin Timberlake and 50 Cent star in porn video! And Paris Hilton can read!
Haha, sorry. But it's true! Sort of. Apparently lyrical genius Justin Timberlake is working on a video a new single with 50 Cent. It is entitled 'Ayo Technology', and it is about (I'm not making this up)the sexual frustration felt watching pornography.
Well this should quell any of those gay rumours...
But seriously, Justin Timberlake is quite sexy. 50 cent as well.
(And you thought this was a political blog)
Allow me to elaborate. I was just reading an article on how to get more hits on your blog,
And it said to:
* Use sensational headlines (check)
*Post interesting pics (check, check, check)
* Get the story first (check, I think)
and
* Write what people want to read
So, apparently, todays top Yahoo! search is Danica Mckellar.
"Who the hell is that?", I wondered. So I Yahooed her and I guess she was an actress on the show "The Wonder Years", a bit before my time, and she said to Newsweek;
"When girls see the antics of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, they think that being fun and glamorous also means being dumb and irresponsible,"
and
"I want to show them that being smart is cool. Being good at math is cool. And not only that, it can help them get what they want out of life."
She also co-authored the paper "Percolation and Gibbs States Multiplicity for Ferromagnetic Ashkin-Teller Models in Z2", which is my personal favorite.
Honestly, I'm not sure why this is the top search. Doesn't everyone say that now and days? And smart is cool? Any high school math teacher could have told me that.
And besides, Paris Hilton is smart. I have proof!
Okay, enough of that. The next post will be a serious book review -_-...
Well this should quell any of those gay rumours...
But seriously, Justin Timberlake is quite sexy. 50 cent as well.
(And you thought this was a political blog)
Allow me to elaborate. I was just reading an article on how to get more hits on your blog,
And it said to:
* Use sensational headlines (check)
*Post interesting pics (check, check, check)
* Get the story first (check, I think)
and
* Write what people want to read
So, apparently, todays top Yahoo! search is Danica Mckellar.
"Who the hell is that?", I wondered. So I Yahooed her and I guess she was an actress on the show "The Wonder Years", a bit before my time, and she said to Newsweek;
"When girls see the antics of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, they think that being fun and glamorous also means being dumb and irresponsible,"
and
"I want to show them that being smart is cool. Being good at math is cool. And not only that, it can help them get what they want out of life."
She also co-authored the paper "Percolation and Gibbs States Multiplicity for Ferromagnetic Ashkin-Teller Models in Z2", which is my personal favorite.
Honestly, I'm not sure why this is the top search. Doesn't everyone say that now and days? And smart is cool? Any high school math teacher could have told me that.
And besides, Paris Hilton is smart. I have proof!
Okay, enough of that. The next post will be a serious book review -_-...
color by numbers
Grr. I actually had a post I was working on, but it accidentally got deleted, which totally crushed my spirit. Anyways, here is my first post. It's a picto-blog! Or do they call them photo-blogs now? Why don't they call them phlogs, like how they call video blogs vlogs? Actually, blog is short for web log. By the year 2020, all our sentences will be reduced to one word.... Just kidding. I haven't actually been to the future, so I can't say for sure. It's just a guess.
So without further ado:
All About Me By Kristina Lewinsky (Not my last name)
Like every other teenage girl these days, I enjoy the fashionable creations of Harajuku girls of Japan. Actually, I think it's called fruits, but if Gwen Stefani calls them "Harujuku Girls", it must be so.
Well that was unexpected. As one may guess by this unflattering portrait, I am not a fan of the war in Iraq. A close family member of mine is currently serving there, and he is not a fan, either. So I suppose that gives me a little credibility?More of that later, but needless to say I am not a loyal Bushie, either. But I didn't like him before it was cool, you know, before Kanye said "George Bush hates black people."
OK, here's a story about something that happened last year, in Sacramento, where I used to live. Julia Wilson, 14, from McClatchy High School was taken from her class to be questioned by Secret Service agents last October. Sounds like the intro to a teenage spy movie, doesn't it? In actuality, Wilson was questioned over the contents of her Myspace page. On it, she had posted a picture of George Bush with a knife stabbing him and the words "Kill Bush". Okay, if this was found on a how-to build a bomb website, or a Muslim extremist site, I could understand the concern. But seriously? Anyways, here's a link to the story: http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/October2006/141006MySpace.htm
And I know there are more important things happening in the world, and this is old news, it's just that exciting stuff rarely happened in Sacramento, so this was interesting.
So without further ado:
All About Me By Kristina Lewinsky (Not my last name)
Like every other teenage girl these days, I enjoy the fashionable creations of Harajuku girls of Japan. Actually, I think it's called fruits, but if Gwen Stefani calls them "Harujuku Girls", it must be so.
Well that was unexpected. As one may guess by this unflattering portrait, I am not a fan of the war in Iraq. A close family member of mine is currently serving there, and he is not a fan, either. So I suppose that gives me a little credibility?More of that later, but needless to say I am not a loyal Bushie, either. But I didn't like him before it was cool, you know, before Kanye said "George Bush hates black people."
OK, here's a story about something that happened last year, in Sacramento, where I used to live. Julia Wilson, 14, from McClatchy High School was taken from her class to be questioned by Secret Service agents last October. Sounds like the intro to a teenage spy movie, doesn't it? In actuality, Wilson was questioned over the contents of her Myspace page. On it, she had posted a picture of George Bush with a knife stabbing him and the words "Kill Bush". Okay, if this was found on a how-to build a bomb website, or a Muslim extremist site, I could understand the concern. But seriously? Anyways, here's a link to the story: http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/October2006/141006MySpace.htm
And I know there are more important things happening in the world, and this is old news, it's just that exciting stuff rarely happened in Sacramento, so this was interesting.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
