Florida, Election 2000. We know what happened; it's over and done. I refuse to debate the merits or demerits of that election that have already been debated uncountably many times before. I refuse to allow a dead horse to be flogged with a dead pig. Let it go.

But, news: About 46,000 people are registered to vote in both Florida and New York, and some 1,700 of them actually requested absentee ballots to be mailed from one state to their home in the other in 2000. Yet, apparently, this doesn't concern the Secretary of State in either Florida or New York, nor (to my knowledge) have any of the double-voters sustained any punishment for their crime. (FYI, double-voting is a federal offense punishable by up to a $10,000 fine or up to five years in prison.)

Some stats on the 46,000 (not the double-voters, but all the double-registrants):

68% are registered Democrats
12% are registered Republicans
16% claim no party allegiance

That is, up to 1,700 voters -- presumably mostly Democrats -- voted in both New York and Florida in 2000. Depending on how many of that 1,700 actually lived in Florida rather than New York at the time, and even if the final vote count in Florida did end up with the less-than-400-vote margin of victory for Gore as some counts have suggested, that would mean only one-third or so of the double-voters who call New York and Florida home would have needed to vote to make Gore's supposed victory invalid. Plus, there are 48 more states that Florida residents could possibly be using to vote twice or more than twice, so with an election as close as it was in 2000, the world will never know what the real vote tally was among Florida residents.

So, once and for all, quit bitching about Gore "winning" Florida in 2000. It's over. Bush won, regardless of your opinion of whether it is justified or not. The end.

For the first time in its history, the Fox News Channel beat the combined competition during primetime for an entire quarter. During the third quarter of 2004 (which ended Sunday, September 27), Fox News averaged about 1.8 million viewers. CNN (including its Headline News channel), MSNBC, and CNBC averaged a combined 1.7 million viewers. MSNBC was up 55% from the same quarter last year thanks to the Olympics, but that didn't help much.

Another cable news network first: Fox News became the first cable news channel to outperform the broadcast networks ABC, CBS, and NBC (not combined, mind you) during the Republican National Convention. Take that for what you will. :)

Scott Holleran of Box Office Mojo is concerned about the millions of Star Wars fans complaining about the aesthetic changes to the classic Star Wars trilogy for the latest DVD release, but he is more concerned with the disregard for the creator's right to modify his own work. Meanwhile, countless other fans have demanded for years that "Darth Lucas" release any and all modifications of the original. Either side should be allowed to make their interests known, but just how far should we take it?

The AC adapter has arrived... and it works! I am now pleased with FedEx, because after all, if they couldn't get it to me by Saturday afternoon, at least they got it to me promptly on Monday morning! Of course, it's less of an issue now that day classes at MSC are cancelled, but it's good to have a working laptop again!

So when Hurricane Ivan was roaring through the Caribbean, everyone was sure that it was headed straight for middle Georgia -- everyone, that is, except the few people who kept watching the thing swing further west before making its turn to the north. Of course, given the standard course of hurricanes from the Caribbean and Gulf, I just figured this meant it would swing around and sit on top of us like the storms of 1994 that caused all that flooding. What it did instead was swing so far west that it nailed Alabama and almost completely missed middle Georgia -- the closest it came was a Tornado near Bolingbroke, which is about 5 minutes away from where I play trivia.

Hurricane Ivan was actually quite entertaining to me on that Thursday afternoon. You see, our ritual on Thursday afternoons involves sitting around doing nothing productive until 7pm rolls around, then we head to Buffalo's to get to know our waitress(es). Well on that particular day, Macon State College closed its doors to all night students, and I was kicked off campus by 5pm. So Max and I headed to the Joshua Cup, a coffee and hangout shop with free wireless internet access that sits across the parking lot from Buffalo's.

This is when the storm sirens went off and the tornado was spotted, so our faces were glued to the window looking for action! Unfortunately, Buffalo's is about five miles due south of Bolingbroke, and the twister zoomed to the north at about a 55-mph clip, so we got nothing. Some steady drizzling rain, a little wind, and no access to our own college campus. But at least we weren't pussies like those Mercer kids, shutting down the campus all day Friday -- two days before Ivan got there -- in anticipation of the wrath that was never to come! (Then again, those pussies enjoyed a day off with decent weather!)

So while all this was going on, Hurricane Jeanne was supposedly coming straight at us from the east side of Florida, zooming at a rate that had people wondering, "What happens if these two hurricanes collide head-on over Georgia?" The answer, quite simply, would be "nothing good" -- but it would make great news! Of course Jeanne caught wind of this and decided to turn her back on us, and danced her way out into the Atlantic where I expected her to dissipate.

So I started taunting her. And so did others. And she caught wind of that too, so she came roaring back like the bitch she is, too immature to let a few idle insults slide, but still more mature than she was a week ago. And so a little wind and rain later, here I sit with classes cancelled until 4:30pm (night classes still pending, which is no good since my test is at 5pm), and I don't get to enjoy the nice weather those Mercer babies got ten days ago. Then again, I'm convinced that for all the money people spend on Mercer, they're investing at least a little stock into Satan himself, so I can understand why the ol' dark one might not feel so bad about giving them a little of what they want but don't need before their time is through.

Now if only Jeanne will make quick work around here and not cause any flooding, I'd like to get my AC adapter today. Move along, Jeanne, and I'll love you forever! :)

I'm angry at FedEx right now. They scanned my package only 60 miles from here twelve hours ago, and I won't get it until sometime Monday. And what if I'm not home when they deliver it? Will they leave it outside or will they wait on someone to sign for it? I was not nearly so frustrated over losing access to my laptop until I realized I'd go without it for my scripting class on Monday. This is perturbing.

Next time I'm using UPS, or maybe I'll go for DHL...

(Clarissa): just because something can't be explained through science or human reason at the moment does not mean there's something supernatural involved

(Clarissa): i think that's the easy way out

JPMinGA: i agree. but for the same reasoning, the lack of explanation means something supernatural -- or something we would currently describe as supernatural which may one day fall within the realm of scientific reasoning -- could just as easily be the answer

(Clarissa): well if you're defining supernatural as anything we don't understand yet, then sure

(Clarissa): but i think that's a pretty silly definition

JPMinGA: not anything.

JPMinGA: i'm not defining supernatural

JPMinGA: i'm simply suggesting that what is currently defined as supernatural could one day have scientific justification

JPMinGA: and therefore no longer be considered "supernatural"

(Clarissa): if it could one day fall within the realm of science, it's not supernatural

(Clarissa): i think something is only supernatural if it cannot be dealt with scientifically, i.e. there cannot be evidence for it

(Clarissa): by definition

(Clarissa): as in, god is a supernatural being because by definition of what "god" is, there cannot be evidence for god

JPMinGA: sure there can

JPMinGA: just half the world chooses not to see it, for whatever reason

JPMinGA: this is where that whole "truth is subjective" argument seems to have at least a little merit

(Clarissa): you're saying there can be evidence for god?

JPMinGA: well i think about it this way...

JPMinGA: billions of people believe something i can't justify. but even if i'm sure beyond a shadow of any doubt, couldn't i still be wrong? couldn't i have just been misled?

(Clarissa): you could have, but whether or not that's even a relevant question is debatable

JPMinGA: the point i'm making is this: if you don't know for sure, then you can't say that something is or is not the answer with any authority.

(Clarissa): well then why are you even talking to me?

(Clarissa): you could just be wrong about what you just said

(Clarissa): as soon as you make that claim, any and all actions become completely and utterly pointless

JPMinGA: certainly.

(Clarissa): any attempt you make to justify them is pointless

(Clarissa): so what the hell are you doing?

JPMinGA: proving a point. :-)

(Clarissa): not really

JPMinGA: people make assumptions about the world around them that are not based in fact, because at the core of everything we think we know, we don't really know anything.

(Clarissa): your disproving your own point just by making it

(Clarissa): but you're making a claim

(Clarissa): making the claim that all claims are unprovable is like saying "this statement is false"

JPMinGA: my only assumption is that anything we think we know is one of two things: real or an illusion. based on that, i just try to make enough sense of my environment to function within it.

(Clarissa): but that's not what we were talking about

JPMinGA: fine, the point i made above is that you can't make any point with any real authority, because at the root of it all we don't really know anything

JPMinGA: every point we ever make is subjective.

JPMinGA: descartes's statement, "i think, therefore i am", is only theoretically true... and this statement is a theory in itself.

JPMinGA: so maybe the point should be: logic isn't absolute.

(Clarissa): which i think is inherently nonsensical

JPMinGA: it is.

JPMinGA: but so is everything else, it seems

(Clarissa): because you're using logical arguments to come to that conclusion

JPMinGA: this is precisely why people spend so much time trying to make sense of things, but we never agree on what makes sense

JPMinGA: so you're saying using illogical arguments would be better to support this idea? :-)

(Clarissa): no, i'm saying the idea is nonsensical in the first place

JPMinGA: to persuade/convince anyone of anything, you must appeal to their rationale

JPMinGA: life is nonsensical in the first place. i'm just trying to fit in!

(Clarissa): you're still not making any sense

JPMinGA: douglas adams made millions and made millions of people laugh by not making any sense

JPMinGA: but that's neither here nor there

JPMinGA: still, i think some of the points he satirically made in his books have some merit

(Clarissa): they made perfect sense, they were just stated in creative ways

(Clarissa): anyway, i have to go do homework now

(Clarissa): i will talk to you later

JPMinGA: as illogical as it sounds, at the root of it all we're just automotons reacting naturally to whatever comes along. we're not in control; that's only an illusion, just as consciousness itself is an illusoin.

(Clarissa): so stop talking to me

(Clarissa): because i'm an illusion

JPMinGA: that the answer to life, the universe and everything is 42 does not make sense

JPMinGA: and... you're one of my favorite illusions, so i'm keeping you :-)

Dr. Decker and I had an argument about this once. I let him win in class, but I already had the evidence I needed to win the argument in class, and found proof after the fact and chose not to bring it back up. Well, I don't want to be an ass or anything, but I told you so.

DVDs (all widescreen!)
Star Wars Trilogy
Aqua Teen Hunger Force (Volumes 1 and 2)
Twenty-Four (Season 3)

PlayStation 2 games
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Gran Turismo 4

Music CDs
A Perfect Circle: "eMOTIVe"
A Perfect Circle: "aMOTION"
Tool: "Aenema"
Postal Service: "Give Up"

Gift cards, store credit, etc.
Barnes & Noble
Best Buy
Books-a-Million
Carraba's

This list may be stuffed with more objects as time passes, and it can be accessed until December 25-ish from the menu on the right, or by clicking here. If at any time something on the list is struck through like this, then someone has already purchased the item for me. Note that gift cards and such can not be struck through, because I will accept an infinite amount of those.

While challenger Calder Clay (R) has invested in the political capital of President Bush and a squadron of pro-Bush leaders, incumbent Congressman Jim Marshall (D) has promoted a much more independent image, separating himself from the national party and its presidential candidates, John Kerry and John Edwards.

Maggie Large reports for the Macon Telegraph that Clay's campaign manager says Marshall is "embarrassed of his team" in Washington, but Marshall's spokesman rebuts by arguing that Marshall is "an independent voice for Middle Georgia", and he's "on the Middle Georgia team before...any other team".

Perhaps both candidates are making the best moves for their respective campaigns. Calder Clay aligns himself with a presidential administration that is quite popular in Georgia and uses the perception of party unity to rhetorically attack the Marshall campaign. Meanwhile, Jim Marshall separates himself from the national party and a presidential candidate that, regardless of national support, will not come close to carrying the state of Georgia.

But whose tactics will have been more successful by November 2? My perception suggests that, while supporting President Bush will help secure votes for Clay that he already had, there isn't much he can do to offset the support for a successful Democratic Congressman in a roughly evenly split district. Jim Marshall has positioned himself as a Democrat independent of the party's apparent liberal base since his first election bid in 2002, when he narrowly defeated Clay in their first electoral bout (50.5% to 49.5%). I can only expect that this race should be as close as last time, and it will be a nailbiter until the results are announced the first week of November.

What the 3rd District election will come down to is what nearly all re-election bids come down to: a referendum on the incumbent given the perceived quality of his service so far (well, that and mudslinging rhetoric that has nothing to do with how well either candidate could get the job done). This means Jim Marshall's re-election may depend on how the politics of Middle Georgia may have shifted since 2002.

Not only that, but those who tend to favor conservative candidates like Clay for issues like national defense and government intelligence may be pleasantly surprised by Jim Marshall, whose service on the House Armed Services Committee reflects his emphasis on ensuring a strong national defense.

So where a Congressional race could ordinarily be settled by party labels, conservatives in Georgia's 3rd District have the distinct privilege to consider an incumbent candidate who actually speaks and votes for what he believes rather than for what the groupthink of the national party structure attempts to enforce.

Campaign Web Sites:
(D) Jim Marshall
(R) Calder Clay

(This article also appears on Polstate -- comment here!)

But it's not quite here yet. It landed in Hapeville, GA, this morning (had anyone else ever heard of Hapeville?) before 6am, so I'm hoping that places it in Macon, GA, and even in my hands by Saturday pm. If not, I have to wait until Monday afternoon, when I will be at school, so I may miss the delivery and have to wait until Tuesday, when I will be at school, et cetera. So, please FedEx, deliver my package today, and I'll tell everyone how brilliantly awesome your two-day shipping option worked for me and that they, too, should stick to the red, white, and blue delivery company.

This is so critical because, until this package arrives, my laptop is virtually dead, and it holds all of my email and homework hostage until I can get to it again.

Whether by force of the times or not, FDR's presidency introduced communism to what was once a classically liberal government. No longer do most Americans believe they should or even can earn a fair living, but the government should "provide for the general welfare", basically to supplant the idea of educating oneself and working for 40 years. The "to each according to his need" idea has risen since the time of FDR and subverted the principles on which our government was founded.

The old Marxist mantra should be modified. The idea that individuals' needs should be served is a good one, but so many expect the "Big Giverment" (Ernie's term, I love it) to support them by taxing those who work hard to earn more. That is not how it should be! If you don't put the effort in, you shouldn't take the benefits out. You should earn your keep via performing whatever function for society you can, and only if you legitimately need government support should you be eligible to receive it.

So the classic Marxist line of "to each according to his needs" was incomplete, and this is my modification:

From each according to his ability,
to each according to his effort,
with exceptions according to need.

I've floated this idea for the last two days and just decided on this particular verbal arrangement. Tony, Ernie, Brandon, Tommy? Anyone else? I expect you to critique it and get back to me.

There's just something really cool about this, sorta like Julio Franco still playing Major League baseball: 39-year-old walk-on receiver Tim Frisby is a college football player at the University of South Carolina, and he is expected to be in uniform for this weekend's game against Troy. Frisby recently retired after 20 years in the Army, and now he's going to college and wants to play football; I think it's great that he not only has the ambition for it, but that the NCAA is letting him play! I might want to watch USC play now...

I think my AC adapter (model no.: LSE0110A20120) got wet, and either way it clearly needs to be replaced. I've found it for $75, not including shipping, but I'd like to think I could find it cheaper somehow or even get one of those universal adapters for like $35. Interestingly, Alienware's 5620 series appears to use the same adapter, so if anyone has an extra one they're not using, or if anyone knows where I could find one for a better price, I would appreciate being pointed in the right direction.

For personal reasons, I've decided that I want to be serious in class, in meetings, when I post to this web site, and no where else! Thank you and enjoy your Tuesday.

Valdosta was a blast. It was great to see Dalila again. Sheena is one of the most awesome persons I've ever met. She's also quite a looker, and I'm sure I commented on that after a few beers. But it was still better to see Dalila again, because you know, we go way back and stuff. It was awesome hanging out with Farinelli and Ryan Fallon at the game; too bad I didn't see Pate or get a chance to hang out with them more. But I will be in Valdosta again! Friday night was more fun than Saturday night. I'm grateful that Macon State College is lame enough to have zero fraternities. Josh is a cool guy and I wish him nothing but the best. I still need to see the ends of Armageddon, Bulletproof Monk, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was a lot better than I expected; it felt like Lucas and Spielberg had taken Dr. Strangelove and morphed it into a brilliantly cinematographed movie about the 1930s.

And now back to putting my real responsibilities first and not caring about all the crap I've volunteered for in Macon.

I'm off to Valdosta for the weekend. I'll enjoy the company of Mike, Ryan, Ryan, and Dalila (among others I may run into), and we plan to go to the Valdosta State football game Saturday night. I hope everyone in Macon stays safe while Ivan ravages middle Georgia (hah), and I'll be back when I feel safe about coming home (hahahaha). But seriously, was anyone else at least hoping for a storm when all we got was a little rain, a little wind, and maybe a couple of tornado warnings 15 miles from here? Ivan, you suck. And Jeanne, you're a wimp, so don't even bother.

While I'm gone, I want anyone who has never used the Mozilla web browser to spread the word about Firefox, the super-lightweight, fast, and popup-blocking web browser with equal-if-not-better web page presentation as Internet Explorer. I've been using Firefox (under its previous names Firebird and Phoenix) for over a year now, and it has steadily improved to become IE's main rival. Even with Microsoft's Service Pack 2 for Windows XP that installs several security features (including a popup blocker for IE), Mozilla Firefox is just better for the average internet user. After all, most security holes in IE are a direct result of IE being tied into the operating system; Firefox is seperate from the operating system and therefore doesn't pose those problems, and it still works just as well without so many of the popups!

I've been so busy with school and friends that I haven't been writing about the news lately -- talking about it plenty, but not writing about it. So here are a few news items that have caught my eye in the last 72 hours or so that I think you should know about:

The arguably (un)authentic documents questioning President Bush's service with the Texas Air National Guard have been traced to a Kinko's in Texas, and Dan Rather is handling it well. Jay Leno isn't a conservative; I don't know why I care. Martha Stewart wants to go to jail now. Don't worry, Martha; the suspense is killing us too! And Ivan slammed ashore overnight, but at least New Orleans is still there!

UPDATE -- Beer is good for you!

More before the weekend. Enjoy your Thursday!

So I made the switch from Outlook Express 6 to Outlook 2003, primarily for the junk-mail options. Upon importing messages from OE, however, I noticed a relatively minor but entirely too noticeable problem: all stored emails that I had sent (thus no "received" date) were assigned an all-new "received" date -- the date of the messages' arrival into Outlook. Since I sort messages in descending order by date, this means any correspondence message archives are now completely out of order. You would think Microsoft would be smart enough to simply copy the "sent" date over to the "received" date if no data were present for that value, so perhaps I'll send them an email and recommend the change.

Also, while I love the custom views for each email folder, it was a pain in the ass to figure out where the "Define View" option was sitting. When I finally found it, I immediately made a button for it on the toolbar... because customizing 50-something folders was monotonous enough without clicking four levels through menu options for each one.

So, um, email me and stuff. If you want.

Hey there! Come here often? If you do, you've noticed some changes in the past few days. I've bluified everything, and I've finally put up a header that sufficiently identifies the site for what it is. I've also updated my personal info, my election 2004 thoughts, and with a little encouragement every day I will remember to upload and add some photos to the photo log. (Hmm. If updating a web log is blogging, then would updating a photo log regularly be phlogging?).

I've also adopted a new layout for my livejournal, added new livejournal friends, and considerably updated the information contained in my livejournal bio. I've become somewhat of a livejournal whore lately, because the community aspects of it are so overwhelmingly compelling. That, and I have no compunction for admitting that I'm a geek (or at least I pretend to be on the internet).

Most children don't understand collaboration. Humans escape the "mine! mine! mine!" phase only to be taught that collaboration is wrong, only to later be taught that the "mine! mine! mine!" idea is actually the underlying function that governs the world, and that the idea that we shouldn't collaborate is/was only a distraction.

This is why I disagree with extremely longterm exclusive copyrights and any other such laws or rules that strictly prohibit freelance improvements on others' work or otherwise stifle potentially globally beneficial innovation. The world is open source whether you like it or not, and people who want to make stuff better will continue to do so. If you make their work illegal, they simply won't share it. Then when they become more powerful as a result of their better technologies that were hidden from the mainstream, they'll just take over and kick your ass to the curb.

Just look at world history. Stifling the freedom to participate daily in the circus we call free enterprise has led to revolutions and/or massacres for as long as people have had the mental capacity to desire improvement.

Has North Korea gone nuclear, or is there another explanation? Read for yourself and you decide!

Four years ago today, perhaps the most successful (though among the shortest) of all relationships I've been in began. She and I are still the greatest of friends, talk often, and try to visit is often as we can.

Three years ago today, two passenger jetliners were piloted into the World Trade Center towers by faux-Islamic terrorists who had a problem with our freedoms and successes, forever scarring this date in America.

Two years ago today, one very lovely girl ended the longest relationship of my life and sent me into a downward emotional spiral that lasted for a few months. After escaping the trough, I haven't stopped climbing.

One year ago today, nothing happened. I even took a day off from blogging. Imagine that.

Today, nothing continues to happen, except that damn hurricane barreling through the Caribbean, perhaps bringing Jamaica with it. But with 23 hours left in the day, perhaps something new is afoot. Here's hoping.

Using the current crash.neotope.com stylesheet (200407.css), I'm trying to set the width of the right column (links) to 190 pixels and the left column (content) to:

expression(document.body.clientWidth-220)

In Internet Explorer, this puts a 30 pixel gap between the two columns (because 220 - 190 = 30). But FireFox and Opera ignore it and stretch the content column across the entire window, pushing the links column to the bottom of the page.

Does anyone know what trick I'm missing to dynamically set the width of an ID'd element in Mozilla and Opera? If so, please share!

Top pitching prospect Jose Capellan is expected to make his MLB debut against the Expos this weekend. His stats at Myrtle Beach (High A), Greenville (AA), and Richmond (AAA) are below:

Meanwhile, shortstop Rafael Furcal was arrested for speeding and DUI for driving 88 MPH in a 55 MPH zone with a B.A.C. of .127, more than 50% higher than Georgia's legal limit of .08. The DUI violated Furcal's probation from a previous DUI that was set to end October 29. Not in the Braves' lineup Friday night, it is unclear how Furcal's infraction will affect the team.

(Crossposted at Tomahawk -- comment here.)

This is low, even for the Yankees. This would be low even for Pete Rose or the 1919 Black Sox. The New York Yankees filed a request with Major League Baseball for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to forfeit a game to the Yankees because Hurricane Frances prevented them from arriving on time. ESPN's Tim Keone also writes that the Yankees want all Yankees opponents to forfeit their games on days when Kevin Brown should have pitched, since he broke his hand and would have beaten them otherwise (I can't find anyone else running this story). George Steinbrenner's reasoning/justification: "We're in a tight pennant race, and we need every win we can get. What's good for the Yankees is good for America."

Now I'm going to use the "f" word: what the fuck? Fuck you, George Steinbrenner. What's good for the Yankees is good for the Yankees and your pockets and is most likely bad for America. God, that man takes narcissism to a level even I can barely fathom!

At least the media gets it, including the New York media. Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes, "that is just George Steinbrenner being George Steinbrenner, not only the game's biggest bully, but its supreme hypocrite as well." And the New York Daily News reports, "It is the Yankees who want to be the victims here. Why? Because they refuse to admit they made a public relations blunder the size of their own payroll." And the list goes on.

No one is happy with the Yankees right now, including Commissioner Bud Selig. I've disliked the Yankees ultra-spending ways for years now, but for once there seems to be good reason for everyone to question just what the hell the guys running that team are thinking.

Say what you want about Bush or Kerry, but why do you still insist that Fox News is a mouthpiece for right-wing politics in America? It isn't. Sure, they actually allow some conservatives to speak without treating them like dogs, unlike the other networks, so they may seem conservative by comparison, but have you noticed how in the past several years the public has tended to agree with Fox a helluva lot more than the "centrist" networks like CNN?

Also, if Fox News is so far to the right, then why does the Fox News opinion poll give Bush a lower rating than all the others? Time, Newsweek, CNN/USA Today, CBS News, and ABC/Washington Post -- most of which are acknowledged to be at least slightly left-leaning by even some of the most liberal of my educated friends in the political field -- all have Bush seven or more percentage points ahead of Kerry. Fox News only has Bush up by four.

If Fox News were really as unfair and unbalanced as the left would like it to be, then they wouldn't be giving Kerry the most benefit of all the doubts right now. (This message brought to you from the middle of the road.)

p.s.-- Funny line at trivia last night: Kevin said, "Fox News leans so far to the right, it tilts my TV." Heh.

Indeed. 37-year-old Jerry Allen Bradford was trying to get rid of seven puppies, but he couldn't give them away. So he started shooting them. But after shooting and killing three of them, the remaining pups had gotten restless. The fourth one he picked up wouldn't settle down, and when he picked it up, it wriggled around, got its paw on the gun, and pulled the trigger, shooting the man in the wrist.

That's karma.

I believe the message is more important than the story. I don't think the debate about whether Jesus Christ really lived or whether he was really the son of God even matters. What matters is the message: Jesus Christ, whether real or fictitious, is the embodiment of the perfect human being that we all should strive to be (or Siddharta Gautama if you're Buddhist, and so on for other religions).

I have serious problems with the church because I don't believe the truth (about life, God, and the universe) can really be known during a human lifetime. After all, there are so many religions in this world, and I find it hard to believe that so many billions of people could believe so strongly about something and only one special group be the perfectly correct one. For this reason alone, I believe anyone has a right to believe what they want to believe, but no one should force their beliefs on others (with the exception of their own children), but instead should share the message and the story and let them make their own minds.

So do I believe in God or am I an atheist? Try this on for size: neither, but on a technicality. As for the God everyone else is talking about, I'll stick with "I don't know", because it's impossible to prove or disprove the existence of such a being within the bounds of reason. However, the creation of matter and the establishment of forces that guide it all through timespace can not be explained by human reason alone, so I acknowledge that some supernatural being or force -- I'll call it "God" for congruence -- had its impact on the universe and set things as they are now.

Of course, for all I know, my consciousness is all that truly exists in this world, and my entire life is the hallucination of a massless, thoughtful entity with no physical properties whatsoever. I think, therefore I am, but that doesn't explain how, why, where, when, or for what purpose. And neither does any religion, that I know of.

Tell me what you think!

I know this is going to stir up a few of you. I'm a very nice and open-minded person, so if you would like to discuss this with me (and others who reply), you can do by clicking the link. If you do not have a LiveJournal account, you can sign up for one or post anonymously.

I've been in a creative mood lately, and while you may not use the word "creative" to describe the act of changing a web site's color scheme... I don't care. Besides, it is a creative challenge to find not only likeable colors, but also an attractive and efficient presentation. The more difficult of those adjectives to satisfy is the efficiency, because there isn't much work required to decide which colors I like. However, in making a few changes to my stylesheet while toying around with the colors, I also reduced the size of my stylesheet from about 1800 bytes to just under 1600. I'm not sure where the bytes went (maybe my dogma took a few bytes out of my karma? ... too soon?), but apparently I should have done it long ago, because the changes haven't broken any of the files that reference this stylesheet.

So now that I feel as though I've mastered HTML and the static CSS functions, it's time to focus more heavily on bigger, better things for which I took aim long ago but never really dove in: mainly JavaScript and PHP, but ASP.NET and VBScript to some extent as well. After all, a bachelor's degree in information technology only guarantees that I know how to learn; it doesn't guarantee that I've learned anything. That I have to prove on my own.

Tony points me to this "news" story that most of the world wants Kerry to beat Bush. Um, this isn't news. Compared to the rest of the world, our government is very conservative. Compared to us, the rest of the world is socialist(ic). What is news, however, are the percentages within each country -- Canada's only at 71%? How?! They hate us!

Tom Schaller of Daily Kos is on the attack, attacking Bush and friends for being who they are, and Kerry and friends for failing to attack Bush properly. The suggestion is simple: any president seeking re-election has strengths, and a competent challenger should challenge them. I'll let you read those for yourself and make your own decision, because I want to focus on one line of the article that grabbed my attention -- because the amount of truth it contains is ... discomforting:

The presidency is not won on esoteric arguments about this or that economic report; sadly, it's won by convincing Americans -- 70% of whom cannot identify their member of Congress -- with schoolyard political tactics.

It seems all people ever do about politics is complain, but have you ever thought to question why? I have, and the reason is simple: people complain because they don't know. They don't know how government works, how decisions are made, who's responsible for what, or how it all affects them. They only know Democrat and Republican, liberal and conservative, and a few personalities that make headlines in the local paper.

But the truth isn't in the labels, the people we elect, nor the media's reporting of who said what, what they've done, or what they'll do. The truth is lost to the average American because we no longer know where to find it, and those who do know don't know how to go about reinvigorating the rest of us.

Well, I'd like to think that I do: the only hope we have of getting it back is to help ourselves and those close enough to be reached, and let the six-degrees or trickle-down theories work their magic. That's right, be selfish! No one will hold you responsible for the shortcomings of others if you've done your duty; set the higher standard, and others will either follow or get out of the way.

The truth was ours once, when we cared enough as a society to stay involved and informed. Remember, this government was established by the people for the people, and it was intended to stay that way. But we not only got lazy, but over time we even forgot what makes us special: the ability to govern ourselves. People lost the idea that their civic duty is what keeps the government working for them and not over them.

And therein the truth lies. This is no longer a government by the people. This is no longer a government for the people, but a government by the few who decide what's best for the many. Democrat, Republican, it's all the same because none of them are a majority anymore. They just want control.

Bad biased media! Bad! "Saying" and "implying" are wholly different. I've been noticing the headline, "Cheney says Kerry Presidency would cause more terrorist attacks", and its variants for much of the afternoon, and it bothers me. Not because I think Cheney is using scare tactics, but because I actually saw him speaking, I know what he said, and he didn't say it that way. He made it very clear that it's important that voters choose the correct leader on November 2, and he also made it clear that the wrong choice could lead to more terrorist attacks. He did not say which leader was the right choice; that is, he never said a Kerry victory would cause terrorist attacks; he merely implied it.

Am I reaching? Maybe. But if the media is going to twist context to put words in Dick Cheney's mouth, regardless of how obvious it was that that's what he meant, then I'm going to slam it back down their throats for being morons about it.

The media's job is simply to report the facts. If they can manipulate the facts of this story so, um, guilt-free-ly, then doesn't it make sense that they would feel much more comfortable manipulating facts in other stories that are not so easily fact-checked?

Doctors said he was fortunate to have checked himself into the hospital when he did. The heart disease they repaired was extensive, and blockage in several of Clinton's arteries was well over 90 percent, [and] there was a substantial likelihood that he would have had a substantial heart attack.

Crisis averted! Despite my political leanings, I'm happy that Bill will be around to politick, entertain, and enjoy what he enjoys in life for a good bit longer.

For generations, the Democratic Party has carried the reputation as the party of the little guy, the people's party, the party ordinary Americans can rely on to serve the best interests of the non-wealthy. But a new study suggests that, since the 1960s, entire blocs of "little guys" have become Republican sympathizers while "big chunks of America's rich elite [have] drifted into the Democratic Party".

So which party is the "party of the little guy": Democrat or Republican? Karl Zinsmeister of the Wall Street Journal says, not the one you think!

[I]t is "becoming harder by the day to take the Democrats seriously as the party of the common man." The financial pillars for Democrats are now super-rich trial lawyers, Hollywood entertainment executives and megabuck financiers. Both parties have their fat cats, obviously, but Federal Election Commission data show that many of the very wealthiest political players are now in the Democratic column.

Today's most aggressive election donors by far are lawyers. As of July, law partners had donated $112 million to 2004 political candidates; by comparison, the entire oil and gas industry donated only $15 million. And wealthy lawyers now tilt strongly Democratic: 71% of their money goes to Democrats, only 29% to Republicans.

. . .

John Kerry is a perfect embodiment of the takeover of the Democratic Party by wealthy elites. If elected, he would become the richest man ever to sit in the White House; experts describe his bloodline as "more royal than any previous American President"; his educational path was pluperfect upper crust.

My turn; time to boil this down. Look at the two primary candidates running for president. Which one is more ordinary, the plain-speaking Texan or the botox-injected New Englander? Sure, George has led a privileged life and career prior to being elected president (being the son of a president never hurts), but his fortune is incredibly modest when contrasted with Kerry's. And look at them. Kerry just carries himself like a man who expects his prestige to open his doors. Bush carries himself like a dedicated leader with a serious job and serious concerns.

Clarissa and I watched Logan's Run before we did anything, then we headed over to her brothers and watched Clue and the beginning and end of Pulp Fiction; drinks were served periodically. We probably got to sleep around 4 or so, and Clarissa and I woke up around 12:30 and started chatting about this and that, hit up McD's for some Big Macs around 3, and got back to her place to pick up my stuff and send me home around 4.

The Georgia Tech side of Atlanta actually isn't so bad to drive around, except for the few dumbass/asshole drivers. The roads are mostly wide and mostly smooth, although my car's (un)suspension would have fits. But it's just the right blend of urban and suburban to provide a good view of the city without making you wish it weren't so close.

Fun times. Next stop: Valdosta!

I knew Bush would be favored following the RNC, but I didn't expect this kind of a spike. Not only does Bush hold a five-point lead in the latest RCP poll average, but Time magazine is the heavyweight. Time magazine! For years that magazine has drifted further toward the idea of United States subservience to the United Nations and, well, a much less conservative America, and it's their poll that shows Bush taking a huge lead after the RNC.

Among other things I could never have predicted, a Josh Hartnett movie was really good, and everyone should go see it.

Say what you want about the man's politics or personal life, but he's a great guy to have around. Let's all wish Bill Clinton a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. (And by speedy, I mean just in time to be cleared for public politicking around November 3!) Seriously, a speedy recovery to you Bill. I may not agree with your rhetoric or your methods, but I agree with (most of) your goals for America.

Full story here.

That may have been the most emotionally agonizing two hours of my life. I've never wanted to see a movie end the right way so badly in my life! And man, it didn't disappoint. It was like two hours of foreplay followed by an overwhelming climax, then credits. Girls, you know the feeling... everything builds, suddenly it explodes, and then he's asleep. It's the perfect metaphor to illustrate that males (mostly) control Hollywood!

Back to the point: Wicker Park was sooooo much better than I had imagined it could be. I'm so glad I was able to see this with Anna. She and I had tons of things to catch up on and this movie was a great one to watch for two people who hadn't seen each other in a good while. But we had no idea the movie was going to be that good in that way. Josh Hartnett, your career is going downhill from here!

1. Why do some people in this country advocate racial diversity and religious unity?

2. Why did John Kerry think flaunting his service in America's worst military debacle since the Civil War was going to help him?

3. Why does George Bush disrespect the principle of disestablishment?

4. Why do people drive like their destination won't be there if they're two minutes late?

5. Why are professional athletes allowed to compete in Olympic basketball?

6. Why haven't I secured a new job for the duration of the fall semester yet?

7. Why am I four days behind on writing a couple of my stories for the school newspaper?

8. Why did I get my associates degree in political science instead of economics?

9. Why is 42 the answer to life, the universe, and everything?

10. Why can't a celebrity live a normal life without civilians pestering them for attention?

11. Does anyone want to loan me the Vis-a-vis French textbook to me for this semester?

12. Who does Dick prefer, Bush or Colin?

13. Why am I being pressured to go out karaokeing?

14. Will you help us to organize Albino Awareness Month at Macon State College?

15. What is Clarissa up to on her last day of teenhood?

16. What am I going to eat for dinner tonight?

17. Why doesn't Canada invade somebody?

18. Why is Iceland green and Greenland white, unlike the Green and White Mountains?

19. What causes albinism?

20. Will I see you this weekend? Don't count on it!

I've finally joined the fourth year of the 21st century with a wireless card on my laptop! No longer must I stretch CAT5 cables across the room to connect to the internet! So, um, word to going wireless.

That Senate Democratic Party Leader Tom Daschle has to defend hugging George Bush just after September 11 is plain silliness. As he said, "there was nothing contrived about that hug". Of course, saying that indicates that a similar hug now would be contrived...

Former Governor and current Senator Zell Miller had a few things to say at the Republican National Convention tonight. He spoke very... aggressively. I mostly agreed. Mostly.

Updates are slow right now for several reasons:
I'm working on three web sites at school: a semi-personal one, an academic resource for all students, and another to be named later (maybe).
I'm writing editorials and opinions for the school newspaper.
I'm copy editing every other story written for the school newspaper.
I'm organizing student government senate elections.

I'm having a lot of fun with these things, actually, especially that second web site. It's a grade distribution archive which includes the letter grades received for every class taught at Macon State College in the last nine semesters (Fall, Spring, Summer since 2001-2002). Currently, it's functionality is exactly the same as Jim Fletcher's MaconState.org (the original), but his is written in PHP and mine in ASP.NET, and he hasn't updated the page layout in a good while since he's no longer a student at MSC (he just enjoys the project so he keeps updating it).

Since my project is brand new, I hope for its functionality to have surpassed that of Jim's site within a few days -- not simply to outperform Jim, but to provide a better resource for the students of MSC. After all, the purpose of the site is to allow students to see which classes are tough, which instructors are tough, and even how that's changed semester by semester. My current goal with this site is to: divide an instructor-only search by courses taught and to divide a course-only search by instructors, with subtotals and percentages included, the idea being that the student should see the most useful results with the simplest search. User-friendlyness is key!

Fitting that I would wait until my last semester to do this. But I haven't decided what to call it yet, or even where it should sit on the school's server. Hmm.