Under the shade I flourish

I'm going to be taking a breather from school and work. I will be traveling to Belize and the Yucatan on Monday visiting my cousin. Stay tuned for pictures.

New attacks on Israel

A kitty is stuck in a tree in Israel after a volley of rocket fire. In other news 375 dead in Lebanon.


US to Israel- 'We're urging constraint on the use of this shipment of missiles that we're expediting.'

Hezbollah to Hamas- 'You have a ceasefire with who?' BOOM! 'That's more like it.'

UN to anybody- 'Hello?... Hello...?'

The fish is named Opsanus beta

I just came back from pier fishing from my favorite spot, and I was thinking to myself on the drive back home of how much complex human interactions occur while doing something as simple as fishing (it's a long drive home): a father teaching his son how to cast a rod, Asian mothers petite in frame strained by oversized fishing nets to catch food, neighborly discussions with strangers on the big catch of the day, fraternal swaggering on who caught the most or biggest fish. But the thing the struck me the most is how one's conceptions of what is considered beautiful are formed. On the one hand, a small crowd gathered to see a Mango snapper that was caught, delighted on its size and how good it will taste. On the other hand a small party teased one their compatriots on catching a toadfish (the mutate fish that I refered to in a previous post), letting the fish writhe about on the concrete pavement. I too have to admit poor treatment of this type of fish, disgusted by its appearance, and roughly removing the hook from its unusually wide jaws. I call the fish monster jokingly to my friend, "I hope I don't catch the monster again."

I can see how one can categorize other people (people are cruel to others that are not a part of their 'in' group- I guess it's a survival behaviour, I dunno) but for fish, I don't get it. Why is the snapper a pretty fish and the toadfish undesirable?

Sorry toadfish, I won't call you monster anymore.

photo from flmnh.ufl.edu

'What is Fred Flintstone going to eat if there are no brontosaurus burgers?'

I don't know if it's just me or is the tv news broadcast media becoming absolutely ridiculous? Normally I get pissed off watching the news due to the stupidity of a politician or some act of violence, but dammit, I'm becoming more agitated by the broadcasters rather than the news. And I don't just mean the propanganda spewing asses from programs such as Scarborough Country and anything on FOX news but also on the mainstream news outlets and local television news broadcasts. I watch the so-called national news in the morning and local news at night. I don't even know if the morning programs (ie Today and Good Morning America) even count as news program considering that less than half an hour is actually spent reporting anything of significance. I really don't give a damn what the summer swimsuit fashions for fat women are. Anne Curry is the only person I can stomach while eating breakfast, and Julie Chen... for shame... Big Brother? Robin Roberts is good too but I can't stand the others on her program long enough to watch the news update.

For any news related to anything technical, please go to print news media. At least they have time to check their information before they write their articles. Too much misinformation (tech related) spreads from tv news in my opinion.

Wondering about the title? It's a question posed by a local news anchor this morning refering to the apatosaurus/brontosaurus misnomer. Newshound my foot.

photo from nbc.com

Best local news anchors: Brendan McLaughlin (WFTS), Gayle Sierens (WFLA), Lloyd Sowers (WTVT)
Worst local news anchors: John Wilson (WTVT), Anne Dwyer (WTVT)

It's a race... I'm winning

Three years and still going strong. Check out the status of Spirit and Opportunity at the JPL MER website.

video and photos from marsrovers.nasa.gov

Long time passing

-"The simple answer is he thinks murder's wrong," said White House spokesman Tony Snow. "The president is not going to get on the slippery slope of taking something living and making it dead for the purposes of scientific research."

Killing American embryos for scientific research, bad. Killing Iraqi babies for oil, acceptable. You have to be kidding me.

Where are all the hippies to balance the conservative evangelical right? I think that they are going to feel the need to draft another marriage bill.

photo from globalsecurity.org

Other miscellaneous rants of the day:
Oklahoma City Supersonics?... makes sense to me.

Two-toned lobster?... blame Al Gore for inventing global warming.

Rhyme from Dr. Seuss with a beatbox would sound better than the crap that I hear on the radio

Hail to the Chief

Words from the President caught unawares by a live microphone at a luncheon in Russia.

-“You eight hours? Me too. Russia’s a big country and you’re a big country. Takes him eight hours to fly home. Not Coke, diet Coke. ... Russia’s big and so is China. Yo Blair, what’re you doing? Are you leaving”

A well suited ending for a movie about pirates

A Disney live-action movie that I actually wanted to see; it's been a while since that last happened. Replace Lindsay Lohan or Anne Hathaway with Keira Knightley in a feature film and voilà, mega blockbuster.

Johnny Depp's reprise as Jack Sparrow (Captain Jack Sparrow that is) as well as Keira Knightley's performance -she can just stand there for all I care- keep the movie fun; Depp does a good job again playing the most difficult character in the movie. Hey, nobody claimed it to have the depth of classical theatre. It is nevertheless very entertaining.

It's already generally known that this movie ends with a cliff-hanger, so I can't complain too much about the ending. Let's see: $7 movie ticket, ~$25 DVD, another ~$7 for the third movie, and saying nothing of the $258 million grossed so far... I think the pirates here have their homeport not in the Caribbean but rather in Burbank.

photo from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean:Dead Man's Chest

Gove, maintain your grip if you pull the ball

Jeff Gove, don't take out your frustrations on 16 year old girls, that's including in your golf game. By the way, nice tournament, Mister failed-to-make-the-cut.

Here's what this guy had to say about his playing partner withdrawing from the John Deere Classic due to heat exhaustion:



-"She just said, 'I'm going to withdraw,' which was good because she was holding us up again."

-"I saw she was hurting, but she never said anything. And she was walking real slow, which I thought was inconsiderate again because we're trying to keep up. If we get on the clock again, that's painful."

Who said chivalry was dead? See you in Farmington, Michelle.

photo from Foxsports.

Happy belated birthday!

This thing hasn't moved at all, is it even real? Check out pandacam from the National Zoo.

photo from nationalzoo.si.edu

...Don't ask me, I don't give a damn...

Subject: Unrest in Middle East

Solutions: Oil shale and ethanol, clone virgins for jihadists, massive Scientology brainwashing for Christians, Muslims, and Jews (too many thetans running around).


Other rants:
“The European Union is greatly concerned about the disproportionate use of force by Israel in Lebanon in response to attacks by Hezbollah on Israel.” -you know, the opposite of allied reponses to Jews being culled in concentration camps.

France’s foreign minister condemned Israel’s attacks as “a disproportionate act of war.” -nah, I promised no more Zidane jokes, but I think that you get it already.

Good news, bad news

Well I got my biennial eye check-up today. Good news, my vision hasn't gotten any worse since my last visit. Bad news, it's still pretty damn bad. "You don't wear contacts, do you?" the tech asked me referring to the power of the lenses needed to correct my vision. Ten minutes later. "Do you wear contacts?" the doctor asked. Damn it, why do you people keep asking that? "Oh I see that you have pretty small frames..." the doctor observed. You see, the prescribed lenses are that high powered that the thickness at the ends for large frames would be as thick as a soda can. I'm exaggerating but you get the idea. So I have no choice but to have small frames such as the kind that John Lennon use to wear.

Later on, my friend boasted, "Your eyes can't be as bad as mine... I'm legally blind without my glasses." After I show him my prescription (which I don't care to divulge right now), "Oh..., it is pretty bad."

Well considering that I'm a glass half full kind of person... Yeah right, it's still pretty damn bad!

Annoying little buggers

Be prepared to have DEET on hand if you're doing anything outside in Florida in the summer time. The buggers are out and are relentless. Ugh.. getting itchy just writing this post.

DEET Chemical Structure from Wikipedia

Whoa, isn't that a benzene ring? Pick your poison, West Nile or cancer...

Qu'est-ce qu'il a dit à Zidane?

C'est la dernière fois, je te promets.

Sûrement Materazzi a dit quelque chose grave à Zidane. Quelque hypothèses que je lisais sur le website le Figaro: Materazzi l'a appellé quelque chose raciste comme «terroriste» ou «sale algérian» ou il a appellé la soeure ou la mère de Zidane une prostituée.

J'espère que Zidane sera un homme plus brave et qu'il s'excusera à le public.

original photos from Foxsports.

image from Capcom's Street Fighter II.

1 2 3, What are we fighting for...

Why are we in Iraq again?

Can't you do better than that?

4 + 3Punch.

I don't know much about getting headbutted (or football for that matter) but in a World Cup where players are flopping for penalties, isn't the headbutt by Zidane being a bit overdramatized. Of course there is no excuse for hitting another player (no matter what he says about your mama), but the act didn't seem as "vicious" or "unbelievable" as commentators on the American broadcast (or that old guy at least) kept insisting. At least he didn't get his balls stomped on like that Portuguese guy; that has to be a thousand times worse. I would say that it is media sensationalization to draw in an audience that doesn't give a damn, but it happened in the second overtime.

Sorry Zidane, use your head (figuratively, I mean).

original photo from Foxsports.

image from Capcom's Street Fighter II.

Paper Menagerie: Alamo Stallion

This is the result of my third attempt to fold the Alamo Stallion by R. Lang. Used 8.5x8.5 in. computer paper (not recommended for complicated origami pieces). Stress tears in the paper at the point just above the tail formed in my first two attempts, so I avoided folding the model on the main diagonal crease during the final stages.

Maybe will try wet-folding next.

Psychiatric help $2 per adult

I've recently picked up a new hobby that serves as a distraction for me (at least for a few hours each weekend) from stresses in life. I've being pier fishing. At first glance, pier fishing would appear more frustrating than anything else for a novice; five hours on a decomissioned bridge that may not be structrually sound to catch a nasty mutate specie of what I suppose is a fish that I legally would be required to throw back. But it really is fun because those wasted hours easily pass and releasing a fish from 20 ft above the water line is more amusing than PETA would try to convince you it is (or isn't). I guess when it is difficult to control many aspects of your own life, you can at least determine the fate of your catch on the pier.

$2 per adult to have a glimpse on the role of the divine. But you still have to buy the bait.

Humoresque isn't so funny

After a year of violin lessons, I was excited when I was about to begin the third Suzuki book which has Dvorak's Humoresque. Already familiar with its quirky melody and having listened to my instructor beautifully play each intricacy in this piece on her CD, I was amazed on how well I had progressed that I would already be playing this piece. I am so good!

Only I just realized that the piece in my violin book is a friggin' simplified arrangement!!! I have a long way to go yet.

I guess it would be better that I not listen to any recordings of how I really sound any time soon. I'm so good! I am good. I'm good?