Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Biofuel - Meet Peter and Paul

Once again, I am right  We are trying to save the world and people starve because of it. I am referring of course to bio-fuel. The great white hope that is to save us from evil fossil fuels.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not against Bio-fuel as a concept. I think alternate fuels sources are a good idea. But bio-fuel is turning out to be a Jurassic Park.

For those that actually read Jurassic Park, a main theme is that of man throwing themselves fully into an idea without thinking of the ramifications. In that book it was about screwing with nature in terms of dinosaurs. When it comes to bio-fuel we are talking about the fact that our capacity to grow vegetation is limited.

See, we jumped on the bio-fuel bandwagon and never wondered where new food would come from, since we were taking a bunch of farmland and no longer making food with it. Food that people used to eat. So, we are letting more people starve around the world, so we can drive cars. That’s pretty awesome isn’t it?

What it comes down to though it our tendency to look for a single big solution. We love smoking guns. Because one solution is easy. So, gas prices are high? Wanna wean off of foreign oil? Bio-fuel. No talk of increasing mass transit, building our rail infrastructure, decreasing population growth, and stop our need to sprawl instead of centralize.

So, we will slowly use more bio-fuels, and the price of food will rise beyond the capacity for many poor countries to afford it. We can keep driving our cars while millions starve. Actually this may be a good plan. Since I believe overpopulation is our actual culprit in many global issues, letting tons of people die will in fact elevate many issues. And then we can use the land they used to live on to grow more fuel!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

ALF, the cartoon

Anyone remember this? Man, I loved this show. How can you not love a show that features Mayonase mines?

More Random Writings

It's Storytime!


The room swirled with smoke. The biggest sources of light coming from candles on each small table. The crowded audience listened to the haunting tune, whose melody was sung by violin. Guitar, keyboard, and drums accompanied, but for the crowd, the violin may as well have been solo. It’s minor key touching each person’s soul. Lost love’s remembered. Old pains, long pushed to the bottom of the memory were brought to the surface. From some, tears rolled down cheeks. For others, fists clenched and teeth grinded. By the end of the song, not a happy thought would be left in the dark room. Despite the negativity filling the room, when a lone light shines down on the violinist, the room erupts in applause.
Standing in the circle of light stands a woman, tall even by men’s standards. Her slightly curled raven hair seems to absorb the light, as do the leather pants stretched tight across her long legs and the leather vest, doing it’s best to contain her full breasts. Her skin is dusky, and her beautiful features are exotic. Her full lips, slightly pale, purse as she blows a kiss to the crowd.
As the applause begin to die, she turns and takes long strides off the stage. Every male eye, and quite a few female, watch as she all but glides out of sight. The band begins to play again, beginning the notes of some industrial Goth tune, but the audience’s minds are still thinking of the exited woman.
Once back to her cramped dressing room, Veronika exhales deeply, as though she had finished some monumental task. She slowly lowers herself into the tattered, once plush, chair and she looks at herself in the grimy mirror that dominates the wall opposite her. Instead of the perfection on which the audience gazed, Veronika is greeted with a pale, emaciated specter of herself. Through her mirrored form, she is able to make out the duct tape holding her chair together. The image always saddens her. Knowing that were any of her family still alive, they would slay her without hesitation for what she had become. Only her tiny sister remains of her family, and she had yet reached a point where she could attempt to cleanse the world of Veronika’s taint. That day was years away, if ever it would come.
Thirty minutes later, her band had finished its set. An hour later, Veronika finally decided to head home. Her sister would be waiting for her. She steeled herself for the men that would be waiting for her outside. Not that she didn’t like the attention; she would have loved to take any of them home. But, if she did that, the ‘new’ her would not be able to let them leave. And she couldn’t risk that. So, as with every night, she walked the gauntlet outside the back door of the club. Luckily, mere men were no obstacle for her. Her well toned body already looked formidable, but looks only hinted at the strength that lie within her. Her six and a half foot frame towered over most men, and she looked down to watch as their eyes fixated on her chest, ass, or legs.
Finally she exited the small gathering of admirers, and swiftly continued down the alley. The cool night wrapped around her and made her feel strangely warm. As she continued home, she kept to the alleys. She was less likely to run into anyone that way, and should she run into someone less than scrupulous, she was sure she could handle it.
Halfway home her normally solitary walk was interrupted. At a crossing of alleyways she walked into the middle of an encounter. To her left was a girl, nearly the same age as her young sister, yet rather than dark haired, and tanned skin, she sported pale skin, and blonde hair. She was dressed in mismatched clothes, one leg in a striped stocking, the other bare, shoes of different styles and a knit cap. In her arms she clutched an odd doll. To her right were the men that caught her attention. They stood, uniformly seven feet tall, yet looked to weigh no more than one hundred and fifty pounds. Their arms and legs were exceedingly long, the arms almost reaching their knees. Hands that could easily palm a basketball ended each arm. They wore dark blue suits, and sunglasses covered their eyes, despite the dark night. But this was all easily overlooked because of the way the men stood and walked. They all leaned forty five degrees to their left. It was as if, to them, the world was tilted. They took long strides toward the girl, who had seemingly tripped, and they acted unaware of Veronika. She knew there was something unnatural about them, as they were the first men she had seen in a year that she did not hunger for.
Walking past her, the four of them advanced on the girl, the lead reaching out his enormous hand with its spindly fingers, for the child. Veronika did not want to get involved, but this girl was her sister’s age, and the image of her sister being in the same situation would not leave her mind.
“Can I help you gentleman” her voice called out, it’s tone both sweet and threatening.
By this time, the lead man had grasped the girl by the shirt. The remaining three turned as one on Veronika, their lean features seeming to focus on her for the first time.
“Be gone amalgam, we are not here for you yet” said the one closest, his voice hollow and without emotion.
She was about to speak, when his hand shot out with amazing speed to grip her throat. His grip would have snapped a human’s neck. Thankfully, she was not one, but the pressure was still great for this form. His grip began to widen, as her neck, and the rest of her body, increased in size. From every pore, hair sprouted. Her vest and pants, already straining from tightness, gave way. Muscles across her entire body bulged and swelled. Her face elongated, her ears coming to a point and moving up her head. From her back sprouted two appendages, each appearing to be small bat-like wings, but quickly became larger, eventually spanning twelve feet. Once her transformation was done, Veronika resembled a nine foot human-wolf being. Her fur was as raven as her hair had been, her new wings flapping slightly before folding in against her back. Dark canine eyes looked down her long snout to the arm griping her neck. In a movement almost too quick for the eye, her tooth filled maw snapped down on the arm and cleanly severed it from its owner, causing it to drop to the ground.
The man looked at his newly severed limb, no expression on his face. Without a word, the three men swarmed the newly formed, hulking beast. They moved with supernatural speed, and their thin long limbs contained incredible strength. So did Veronika. She slashed at her original attacker, her newly clawed hands tearing deep gouges of flesh. His thin torso nearly severed, the leaning man fell, dropping to the ground bloodlessly. The remaining two were attempting to grapple the canine beast. One had is long arms wrapped around her waist squeezing tight, but her supernatural muscles prevented the crushing squeeze from having much effect. The last man had his hands around her throat, but he never got to squeeze, Veronika's tooth filled wolf-like maw snapped through his neck, severing his head. She expected the gratifying sensation of his blood filling her mouth, but no such sensation came. Only the taste of stale flesh was there. Turning her attention to the man wrapped around her waist, she placed both clawed hands on his head and pressed them together, feeling it give, as though squeezing a grapefruit.
Immediately she looked to the remaining man and the girl. He had picked her up, held tightly in the crook of his arm she kicked with no effect. He was facing Veronika, watching her with an impassive look on his face, his body still leaning to the side, somehow not falling even with the extra weight of the girl. Both knew he was capable of killing the child before Veronika could get to him. She growled low, angry at her inability to do anything. Despite being focused on the man, she noticed movement behind him. A dark figure was standing there. Even with her night vision, it was hidden in the shadows as it silently approached behind the leaning man. As it got closer, Veronika could make out details, although the figure remained shadowed. He was immaculately groomed, with what appeared to be a pencil thin mustache. His dress suggested a Victorian age gentleman. And closer inspection made him seem flat somehow. He gave no scent either. He raised one hand and spoke in a language Veronika did not understand. The leaning man whirled around at the sound just as a red glow arced from the shadowed man’s hand. When it struck the kidnapper, he froze. Glowing red cracks appeared throughout his skin, as though he were about to crumble, but he did not. The shadowed man glided forward, and Veronika finally saw that he had a no legs, simply a dark column touching the earth, and then a trail of shadow leading back to the girl, defying where the light would normally place the shadow. He moved to free the child, but his hand simply passed through the arm holding her.
“Damnation” he uttered, his voice hollow, with a slight echo. “You there, Garou, would you mind releasing this child.” Veronika continued to stand there, stunned that this ‘shadow’ knew what she was, or at least part of what she was.
“Chop chop now! We have not got all night.” He commanded. Veronika moved forward slowly, and growled at his arrogance, but he seemed not to care. She easily pried open the incapacitated man’s arm and the girl dropped to the ground.
“I swear child, I do not know what I did to have you forced upon me.” His voice sounded very irritated. The girl finally spoke “It was probably all that bad stuff you used to do.”
“Yes, quite right I suppose.” He then looked at Veronika “You may go now. Lady Mindy must scrounge for her supper now.” Again Veronika chaffed against being treated as a servant, but the thought that this girl would be alone on the streets tugged at her heartstrings. Looking down on the girl, she could see fear in her eyes. Knowing that it was likely her form causing it, she reverted to human form, and crouched down to the child. She did notice the shade ogling her naked form, but ignored him.
“Mindy, right?” She asked the girl, who nodded “My name is Veronika, how would you like to come with me and get some food?” The girl nodded vigorously.
“You can go now mister Moot” the girl said to the shadow. “Oh I do so hate that name…” his words trailing as he melted into the ground, Mindy’s shadow returning to its rightful spot. For the first time, Veronika noticed that Mindy’s doll bore a slight likeness to ‘Moot’.
The pair walked down the alley. Mindy didn’t seem to mind Veronika’s nakedness. “You know Mindy, I have a sister your age…” and the night swallowed them.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

New Job BITCHES!

So, yesterday was a whirlwind of spur of the moment interview, second interview, job offer! And what an offer it is. I am will be going from menial support staff to IT director. And a raise that I am not entirely sure I know what to do with.

Now, I am VERY intimidated by this job. I may be biting off more than I can chew. But, at worst, I will discover my limits. At best this will be the exciting place that lets me discover NEW limits in myself.

One comfort was that I was very honest. I made sure to impress on them that, while I think I learn quickly and have great capacity for my knowledge, I couldn't promise to be their IT messiah. But, I think, in their mind, they wanted the personality and the passion. They would teach me stuff they needed me to know. A good person was far more important to them.

That made me feel VERY good. I can only ask that God give me the strength to live up to the responsibility they have given me. But I sure look forward to it!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Haves and Have Not's

Seems that I keep reading about the growing gap between the haves and have not's. For a bit, I agreed. The rich keep getting richer. But then I thought about it. I'm a have. I make good money, own a home and car, have cool stuff. I'm not rich, but I'm in good shape. So is almost everyone I know. Friends, family, etc.

Then I looked at the people living around me. I suspect that they would be considered: Have not's. And my drive to work goes right through havenotville. I started thinking. There is a have not...with 3 kids. They live right across the street from me. And, judging by how they live, they have always been have not’s. And yet, despite not having enough for themselves, they brought 3 more have not’s into the world. Nothing really changed. No greedy rich people screwed them over. The number of have not’s increased simply because they made more of them...themselves. They created 3 have not’s, essentially from nowhere.

More so, those three new kids have a high chance of staying have not’s. Their folks have no money, so they will likely lack education. And the parents have a high probability of not being very educated themselves, so they won’t pass any of that on. So, there is a good chance that those kids will grow into adults who each create their own family of have not’s.

Now, I know that this isn’t the only factor in the equation. But it is a factor that never get’s mentioned. It is at all possible that the gap is growing because the have not’s are populating it?

It’s something that I feel covers several categories. We have lots of kids with no health care? How many of them were BORN into that? How many parents chose to bring a child into the world whom was uninsured from day one?

It seems the media mostly looks to the government and companies to blame for our poor. No one is looking at the poor and asking “If your life was so precarious before, why did you bring a child into it? And moreover, why did you likely bring more than one?”

Again, I know it’s not the only factor. And probably not the main factor. But like with any problem, all problems should be addressed. And so long as no one is looking at those issues and statistics, how is it supposed to be fixed?

Monday, April 7, 2008

How their brain works

Ok, I am going to bring this up hoping for a somewhat serious answer. Has anyone done a study to determine where women derive their logic? I mean this in regards to a specific process, wherein a woman gives choices A and B. When man gives preference to 'A', then in the woman's head 'B' is now a hated choice by the male, even though the man said nothing of the sort and can even state that he does in fact like B. The woman will still think that the man dislikes B.

Example:

"Honey, which of these dresses to you like better? The Blue or the Red?"

"I like the Blue better."

"Why don't you like the red?"


Now, you will notice that the man never said he doesn't like the red. In fact, by saying what he did, it is probable that he actually likes the red. Had he disliked the red, he probably wouldn't have used it as a means to elevate his like of the blue. Had he disliked the red, his statement of liking the blue better doesn't even mean he likes the blue.

Now, seriously, where does this come from? Women are supposed to be the stronger communicators. Yet somewhere, be it biological or environmental, they picked up a tendancy to make everything black and white. If it isn't the prettiest, it's ugly. If it isn't skinny, it's fat. If it isn't sexy, it's disgusting.

Why did we bother to invent all of these qualifiers and degrees of things if women are just going to break everything down into 1's and 0's? Oh...I may have just stumbled across something there. I will have to think more on it. And hope that some women post here and give me some insight.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Random Stereotypical Man thoughts

Doable women in my office: 12

That is all.