Dr. Dice's Rants

Mexico

2009-10-26T17:17:00.005Z

Whoever is aware of Mexico's newest Tax proposal (a 3% Tax on IT including INTERNET access) might be reminded of the infamous quote,"We are on the border of the abyss... but today we will take a firm step forward!" (loose translation)

Seriously, as if the place wasn't already seen as a pit technology-wise. Where companies hesitate to even consider sending video games to home owners and a depressing number of children haven't even learned how to type on a keyboard... Now we have a bunch of obviously computer/internet-illiterate politicians who believe that forcing a tax on the internet is going to be beneficial.

Haven't they considered that Mexico already is really expensive already for really low quality services? That by doing that, people that have to go to Internet Cafes will have to pay even more for the short time they use the computers? That some schools might consider passing the chance for a connection to reduce costs? That the INEGI once pointed out that people who earned less than minimum wage were the owners of about half of the computers in the country? What will this tax do to them?

What about people that will hesitate to continue having it, despite the need their children might have of it? Computer Illiteracy in Mexico is pretty wide-spread, and making it more difficult to reach is not going to solve it.

They might as well build a real wall on the borders (both north and south), prohibit interactions with the rest of the world and fester in their own stupidity. But we cannot pretend that this is new, Mexico has previous history of stupidity in Taxes, as I am sure every country in the world does to some level... take the British Tax over owning TVs for example.

Those familiar with Mexican Taxes might also remember the "Tenencia" a "temporary" Tax introduced in 1962 by former President Adolfo Lopez Mateos to pay for the projected costs of the 1968 Olympic Games to be held in Mexico City.

This tax became so convenient that the government completely "forgot" that it was a temporary measure and as such it carried on irritating everyone that owned a vehicle, until recently, when President Calderon finally put down a termination date- by the 1st January in 2012, (which is also the Mayan Year for the "End of the World" as sensationalists like to call it) it will be gone. Supposedly.

So, what is the response to it? Well, in the long history of rather useless shows of solidarity, instead of marching (which would have been just as useless as it always is in Mexico) people decided to Twitter messages of discomfort about the tax.

Now. I don't have a problem with this method of complaint. In fact, I think it is better than messing up the traffic of Mexico City even more for such random causes as, I don't know, still supporting AMLO (classic show of downright stupidity.)

My problem is that they have stopped. Just like the marches, once they have done it, people tend to feel better about themselves and simply forget to check up on it believing that they have said their share and that is enough.

I say put pressure on the bastards and force their hand. They are elected officials -that means that they can be kicked out by the people that elected them.

Thoughts

2009-09-15T05:42:00.006Z

Everyone wants something, be it fame or fortune, or any of the many other things that bother us in life and we have yet to achieve.

Sometimes we have part of it, just in our reach and it goes away, and in those times the choice is either the simple one, walk away... or the hard one, reach for it again.

When you do reach again, and again for it, tension builds. People expect things from you, but worse, you demand from yourself to grasp it, because it is *just* there. And sometimes, you cannot do it, not because you lack the strength or the intelligence or the drive- sometimes things happen that set you back and make you feel like a fool. Sometimes it takes longer than you want, and sometimes it surprises you how quickly it works out.

When you are betting everything on chance; when things are looking like there is no way you will manage to do things in time, when the people you hope would stand by you don't and you only receive accusatory looks or remarks...

What else is there to do but stand up, bear and grin it and march over again to try and get that which eludes you?

There will be some that will judge you. There will be some that will make fun of you. There will be some that will try to diminish everything you try to do... but in the end, you only answer to yourself.

People will always judge and pretend to know what is best for you or even assume that they know you better than you do. If you are afraid to stand up even if you might fall yet again, you have no business trying.

If history has taught us something it is that everyone looks at the same object and sees two different things. I'd rather see hope than despair. I'd rather see chance than stagnation. I'd rather say "I'm getting there" than "I'm quitting."

But that's just me.

MORE Politcal BS from the GOP and Co.

2009-09-04T22:35:00.010Z

So, now some Reps in the USA are complaining (big surprise) about Obama telling children to make an effort in school and study.

To those guys, and the teachers and principals and government officials that are going to block a non-political statement encouraging children to better themselves, I can only ask this: "Just-how-stupid-can-you-really-get?"

If you don't want your children to get an education or get inspired to go get more, don't send them to school!

Now, about the Health Care...

First of all, for those people (Republican and otherwise) that complain about how Obama has no right to pass the bill without the consent of Congress, read this: George Bush: Commander in Chief

It is annoying to say the least just how much BS is being talked about the current President over nonsense.

First, (unlike his predecessor) he shows respect and an attempt at joint work by going the extra mile to get bi-partisan approval, and what does he get? Attacks and derision, not even on the results of his bill, but mostly on the basis of partisan choice.

So what does that mean? In simpler terms, the reason the Republican politicians complain about it, is not because it is bad for the country; they complain because it comes from the Democrats.

So, what about the masses? Well, let's see. First off, they are easily influenced by whatever some asshole in a suit says. Don't believe me? Just look at the "Pulling the plug on Grandma" quote reactions.

That's just the paranoia of the uninformed being fed to the credulous masses. Where is the truth in that? Have you read the statement of what the plan hopes to accomplish? What the goals are?

Health Care is excessively expensive in the USA. STUPIDLY expensive. Do you think any economy can work if the people that don't have much money have to suffer or even die because they cannot afford Health Care? So, making it cheaper is bad? How?

Let me tell you before you answer... you will say, "well, it needs more money injected to work" and my answer to that is: "What the hell doesn't require money to work?"

You complain about Afganistan. And how things are bad there... for a war that was started by George Bush... and then diverted to "free" Iraq (we can see how well off they are not) and then went back to the "original" purpose.

People, don't forget, with all the BS and excuses he used to divert your minds, that it has been proven that the White House knew about the terrorist attacks that happened in the US. Newspapers around the world published it!

You call Obama a Socialist and compare him to Hitler. Of all things. How much bullshit can you really come up with? Really? If you had ANYONE that could have been compared in certain actions to Hitler, it is not Barak Obama.

Let's face it, little boys and girls: things didn't get this way just because Obama became president... this comes from before...

So, here's a question for you to consider: While Bill Clinton was in office taking the US into the best economic growth in 30 years during his presidency. George Bush came in and left it in the worse shape it has been in 60. DO THE MATH!

If you are going to be blaming the presidents for the Economy, then you have to look to the origin of the problem, not blame it on the current president.

Heat!

2009-08-31T21:48:00.005Z

The last few days in SLO have been burning hot.

I think that heat is much worse than cold. Yes, your nose freezes in the cold, yes, you tremble and yes, it is normally darker and less appealing (at times) to go out. BUT! When it is cold you simply dress up. You choose warm clothes to put on, and you do so. And you heat up, while outside the cold breeze helps you enjoy it. If you are cold, you cover yourself more until you are not.

However, when it is hot, you have to deal with it. Other than activating the air conditioning, or drinking ungodly amounts of water, there is really not much you can do. And if you don't have those, you will start cooking in your own juices soon enough. There is not much you can do... you can take off your shirt, then your pants, then you are naked... and the heat seems to build up. You HAVE to go out, there is no other way around it, or suffer.

When it is cold outside, you grab a book, get covered in something or turn on the fire, heater, whatever. If it gets too warm, you lower the temperature and let the cold do its job. You make hot chocolate, you eat marshmallows, you prepare a nice warm dinner.

When its hot, you never have enough to drink to get results. Cold water doesn't cool you down the way a hot tea warms you up. Cold drinks, while nice, don't really do their jobs. Yeah, you could drink Gatorade and be healthier, and yes, it is definitely good for you to replenish your electrolites, but it is not going to cool you down that effectively.

Now, there is always the vacation spot thoughts: If it is hot, you go to the pool, the beach, the mall, stay out of the sun, cook outside, lie down and get a tan, etc.

But, what if you don't have a pool? And even if you did, how often will you swim? Are you going to spend every day tanning or swimming when you have to work, cook and do other things? Going to the beach, unless you live just on the shore is another thing that is basically only on the weekends, as is the mall. BBQ (and my readers know how much I love doing it) is great, but between the heat from the grill and the sun, you don't want to do it the next day. Let's face it, even Bobby Flay will probably not grill outside every day.

Besides, it is not really affordable!

Staying out of the sun is great in concept, but again, unless you have air conditioning, at 110 it gets very, very uncomfortable. While I will not even go to the point of comparing it to deserts and such (since, well, they are deserts and let's face it, whining about the heat to a desert-dweller is, well, stupid) I will say that I can't wait for winter to freeze my toes.

The Truthiness of the G.O.P.

2009-08-13T22:19:00.009Z

One has to wonder what the hell goes through the minds of Hard-core Republicans these days.

The GOP (which, despite popular belief does not mean "Gathering Of Pretenders") has time and again demonstrated their excessively conservative views in outright stupidity to the point where it is almost not funny anymore.

Yes, democrats like to laugh it off since if taken seriously, it would probably start another civil war! But, there is a limit. Whenever racist attitudes come out, Republicans are fast to remind the rest of the world that good ol' Lincoln was a Republican... but that was back in 1861, when the beliefs of Republicans were the same as Democrats today... imagine that.

We (the world) had become used to the Republican ways under the leadership (snicker) of George W. Bush, where the policy was to answer with variations of the word "terror" to just about any question out there, IF they ever got an answer. "Vague" was the theme, and during those times, things like the Patriot Act and torture under the pretense of "Protecting the USA from Terrorists" made the USA seem more like Nazi Germany than the "Land of the Free".

But now, it seems that the Republican "Machine of Fear" has transformed into a new form... that of senseless and rather childish attitudes.

President Obama has been under constant attack by Republicans who claim that were it McCain in his place, it would have been the same situation... please... don't put the rest of us down with your credulous masses.

Would you have asked McCain for proof of his birth on American soil?
No.
Would you have made up a false Birth Certificate (from a country that didn't exist) to try and start a debate?
No.
Would you be chasing after McCain to fulfill the campaign promises he made whilst in the middle of a depression created and perpetrated and not prevented by G.W. Bush?
No.
Would you be accusing him of being a socialist?
No.
Would you say that the posters of him being depicted as the Joker are admissible as a form of "free speech"
No. ( Especially with the history Republicans have had of destroying and mutating free speech.)

Most Republicans I know seem to have an attitude of wanting President Obama to fail. There is this underlying current of speaking up and pointing how he is acting like a "Rock Star" and not doing his job...

Let's analyze that for a moment... So, it is okay for George W. Bush to literally have a several month vacation at the very beginning of his presidency, but it is not okay for Obama to help improve the USA's International Perception at the same time he tries to push his changes? Hm.

All I see is Republicans WHINING about whether what Obama is doing is to their liking or not. Throwing terms like "Obama Inflation" trying to scare others into their system of beliefs... (Sort of like, you will go to hell if you don't believe what I do) But I don't see any attempts in favor of productivity.

To those Republicans out there that like so much to say "Obama is not doing this..." well, let me remind you that if George W. Bush had done what most of the world wanted, he wouldn't have survived the pretzel.

As a bonus, I leave you this: The Illegitimate Grandson of an Alligator (Just my luck that it was the only video with no "embed" code)

-WD

You knew it would come...

2009-06-30T04:34:00.005Z

So, Michael Jackson is dead and people debate on whether there is too much hype about it. What I would just like to point out to them is that MJ was, after all, the last of those artists that were at any one point comparable to Elvis or the Beatles (or Jesus). Of course there is going to be a lot of hype: since MJ there has been no-one to reach that amount of comparison or recognition... can you imagine someone saying with a straight face: "If Justin Timberlake died he would be bigger than Elvis"? of course not. Nor for that matter any other singer since then.

So what I really hope not to see are the opportunists that will try to make use of the hype to create attention to themselves with false MJ related claims that will be investigated and turned out to be nothing more than some idiot trying to get attention.

Chicago - SLO - L.A.

So as many as you guys know I have been traveling around. I visited Chicago for a couple of weeks, went to my first ever Baseball game (White Sox!) and went out boating.
When I got to San Luis Obispo things quickly piled up with a lot of things to do! I accompanied a group from Cal Poly on a tour of Los Angeles.
I learned a lot about what City Planning is and how it really affects lives. I was guided through the city by people from the Planning Department of City Hall, people from the Transportation Department, and others.
I learned about the L.A. architecture, the changes it has lived through, and I stayed at both East L.A. and Beverly Hills.
I also went to a Dodgers game there!
Back in San Luis Obispo I got a chance to show off my cooking skills and got to enjoy and appreciate the difference between really fresh off-the-garden fruits and vegetables and the supermarket variety. To the point that I actually started enjoying beets. (Which I formerly hated)
Now as rough days in the airport and tough luck with planes has modified my plans a little bit, I am preparing to return to Mexico soon, but I forsee a quick return to California.

Travel begins with a thermal camera

2009-05-20T13:26:00.002Z

First time I've ever seen a thermal camera... I never expected it to be in the Mexico City International Airport!
But it is there... which is quite amusing, you get to pose only for a guy to usher you in. The Influenza scare is still fresh in Mexico's mind, the radio comes up with apocalyptic warnings: don't let your guard down!
It's, I imagine, a bit how the Cold War was, or the Cuban Missile Scare... keep out an eye for commies! Don't let Russian Spies thrive amongst us! Report them!
One good thing out of this is that it most likely increased the amount of people that will actually wash their hands regularly.
I think my views on the actual inflenza scare are well documented here (just scroll down) so I will leave it there.

Security here has also increased from what it used to be... it is quite annoying too. For example, we all know that regardless of where you are, most airports have a basic rule: if you bring liquids with you, they better be in your check-in bag, or you will have to dump them. If you want a coke, or a coffee you can drink it all before going through security (inadvisable as last minute rushes through it will make you miss the flight) or you go through the check-up and THEN buy it.
Here however, you go through the check-up (x-rays, take the laptop out of the bag, put coins and your belt on a tray, security personnel checking to make sure you are not slipping through drugs or something and/or making you throw into the trash whatever they might frown upon) then you can CONSUME some products.
Unlike the USA where you can buy stuff like drinks inside the airport and carry them into the airplane itself, over here they insist on a second "layer" of "security" where whatever you bought that was not "Duty Free" (and therefore given to you once past them) is taken away and thrown out. So you end up losing money if you didn't gobble down your drink.

Another layer of security which I consider pretty much useless over here is the X-ray machine that checks your bags just before you leave the airport (on arrival). Not because I think the machines are useless, but because you put your bags through the machine and THEN you still have to push the green button for a random chance to get your bags checked.
What irks me about this is that they already checked your bags (all of them) on the X-ray machine. So, theoretically they know exactly what you have in your bags. What is the point in forcing you to "randomly" submit to yet ANOTHER search. Heck, the wait for the bags is annoying enough without having to stand in line for double-check-ups.

Anyway, regardless of this airport rant I am glad to be on the "road" again.

So, for now I bid you all good bye and invite those of you that read Spanish to check out Vilrandir's amusing (and true) post about Raquel Levinstein and "Quantum Psychology"

Later!

-D

The last Vestiges...

2009-05-09T00:12:00.004Z

Vestiges by the way, means: 1 a (1): a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something (Merriam-Webster) for those Evangelical Republicans out there that might frown at the strange word. (Click the link for the MW online entry)

Haven't you all noticed how the "SWINE FLU" terror cloud is slowly dispersing? Oh, sure, there are a bit more cases being identified around the world, but what happened with the Global Pandemic? Is the WHO still saying anything else about it other than how "Better Prepared" we are for an Influenza Pandemic? "Normal" influenza has killed thousands more than this "potentially devastating strain" (which was later found to be really not that aggressive) and they turned the whole thing into another SARS or Avian Flu scenario.

Let's face it people, we were scammed. Not only did the virus NOT originate in Mexico, but in the US (In San Diego California) and also NOT with a Mexican Immigrant... even better, there are studies that suggest that it has been floating around since September 2008... it's just that nobody noticed.

Mexico City closed off and left most of us stranded here (for the time being) completely bored out of our minds. No eternal coffee! In the meantime, there was enough panic to distract people from laws being passed or changed.

Now, I am not saying that this whole thing was a plan by the government to mess up the lives of literally millions of people, however, I do think that it is a prime example of the lack of capacity leaders here have. They blew the whole thing out of proportion, (something that is echoed in the states too by people such as Michelle Bachman, who Blamed Swine Flu on Obama) and created Global Panic (which is not quite the same as Global Pandemic)

What ended up happening is that it fed fear to those assholes out there (i.e. Jay Severin, or the Chinese Government Department in charge of the imports) who rather than inform themselves will point fingers and blame others to feel empowered in their twisted perception of the world.

So, all in all it was a messed-up affair and the world just pointed fingers at Mexico because it was convenient (Not that Mexico was completely blameless or anything) instead on focusing on a real investigation.

All we (the world) got in return was fear, ostracizing, and millions of dollars lost. So, please, stop sending those stupid "informative" emails about what we can and cannot do to avoid Voldemort... I mean, the Swine Flu.

So China isn't discriminating?

2009-05-04T09:42:00.004Z

China in all its thousand-year-old wisdom has decided to state that they are not discriminating by basically shoving any Mexican that arrives there into isolation. Thousands of years of Philosophy and teachings reveal that even the current Chinese government has forgotten the words of their very own Confucius when he said: "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself." otherwise known as THE GOLDEN RULE

I guess that entitles the rest of the world to do the same to them with their next Toxic Candy or Avian Flu scare.

2010 - Year of the (Possibly Sick) Tiger

"Here is my passport."
"Chinese? Please, step on this line. Be prepared for everything you own to be searched, and for blood samples to be taken. In the meantime, you will stay in this little gray room with every other Chinese that comes to the country."
"But... that's discrimination against my people!"
"Oh no, it's not discrimination, you see... it is a natural, perfectly justifiable way of preserving our country safe from whatever it is that you bring with you. We have also decided to kill every single Sichuan Partridge under the radar and to burn all the candy from the last 17 years that came from your country."
"But I feel fine?! And why would you kill that bird?"
"What? You don't feel ill? Well, you are Chinese you see... and birds have flu there. And candy is toxic. Now, step on the line."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Well, your government taught us this was the rational, educated way of preventing illness from spreading. It's not personal. Now strip please."
"This is an outrage! I demand to speak with my Ambassador!"
"You will. He's in the gray room too."
"But... that other person was also on the plane, he was coughing and sneezing and he hasn't been stopped!"
"Yeah... but you see... he's German. Sorry."

Swine Flu and Panic

2009-04-28T17:20:00.006Z

WILL PORCINE ZOMBIES RISE UP TO EAT OUR BRAINS?!

So Swine Flu or Influenza has been the topic of choice for the last few days. When things got pretty hot in the city I was out, and on the way back I was kindly given a face mask by a police officer upon my return to the Mexico City limits.

My mask, of course was not so nice looking, but rather one of the blue ones that look like diapers.

The previous day we had found that people were rising the price of the Face Masks on the small towns outside the city. It is this mercenary-like profiteering that makes me know that Mexico City will survive, and although I am sure at least one person out there would rather see me catch the Flu, shrivel up and die, well, I guess "S" will have to wait for that to happen.

What has really got me going is some of the world reactions. I can understand the assholes that think preventing Mexicans from leaving the country will stop it completely -they are uneducated fools that don't even bother to watch the news to find out that it doesn't work that way, much less look for information on their own.

It is actually some of the Governments that have surprised me with their excessive zealousness. Countries such as China and Russia that actually decided that stopping pork meat imports would prevent the flu.

Even after THE WHO explained in minute detail that eating Pork meat does NOT cause the flu or comes even close to being a danger (unless it is undercooked, but that is another cookie altogether.) Is this an attempt from China to point fingers and say "See?! Tainted food products come from other places too!" and give back as much grief as they received with their TOXIC CANDY? Or simply a way to calm down the masses? "Yesss... trust the system..."
Not to mention the fact that this strain of Influenza is a mixture of Swine, Avian and Human Influenza. Different thing than the classic Swine Flu which was extremely hard to catch.

I think people are ignoring the fact that the best way to avoid passing on the flu to others, and contracting it is simple: Hygiene and what would be called good manners, such as putting your hand up in front of your mouth when sneezing or coughing, washing your hands, taking showers, cleaning your house, etc.

The Economy will suffer the most out of this with restaurants, and cinemas closing down (nooo! I wanted to watch the Wolverine movie!) among several other places trying to prevent spreading the virus.

Of course we are seeing a lot of people dying of Influenza in Mexico City. First, look at the ratio 2000 cases of infection versus what, 60 or so in the US? 90 World wide? Second, the deaths have not ALL been confirmed as Swine Flu being the cause or even the decisive factor. In a city known for smokers, contamination, altitude, etc, there is a high chance that those that died were not only afflicted by the Swine Flu itself, but might have been asthmatic or have another type of respiratory disease that worsened their condition. The actual CONFIRMED cases at this point have been 25.

Stick to the facts people... it seems we skipped on the Zombie Apocalypse once again...

ALSO CHECK THIS OUT: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090501/ap_on_he_me/med_swine_flu

One more year!

2009-03-16T08:33:00.003Z

So today I'm 29. Wow. The last of the Twenties as a friend pointed out.

What is there to say, really? Do I feel any older than two or three days ago? Nah. I've never been much to worry about my age. Life goes on and now I have to search for new objectives. Change sometimes comes easy, sometimes hard.
Fighting to achieve something and being pulled down a few pegs by lack of employment or bureaucracy teaches a lot of things to a person. But the most important lesson, I think, is not to give up hope.
Job options, like life options, are all around and it is up to us to take them or not. Sometimes the smart thing to do is to stay with what you have despite how much you hate it, and sometimes it is better to let go of something that makes you so sad or angry or stressed.
So I am still moving forward, still searching for the right place to be and still writing stories. This last year has provided me with more material than before and I intent to use it until I can fulfill my dreams.
I hadn't been having many dreams until I let go of certain things... and now I have even more things to write about; more images in my head... a kaleidoscope of feelings and hopes, dreams and nightmares that can only help my writing.

So, here I am, a year older, but learning and going stronger.

My day was pretty amazing thanks to my many friends who took the time to write emails, sent text messages, leave facebook notes and go with me to a restaurant to celebrate this day! I never expected more than 3 messages but got all in all around... well, let's not brag about it :D Thanks again to those that were kind enough to think about me today!

-WD

"One often finds his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it."

2009-03-05T05:14:00.008Z

Or so the quote goes.

"Yesterday is History. Tomorrow is a Mystery. But Today is a gift. That's why it's called 'Present.'"

Good luck Tiger.

Songs

2009-02-15T21:25:00.002Z

So with all the Facebook "25 things", or "Shufffle songs" quizzes going around, I got to thinking... what makes a song, any song, your favorite song? Do you identify with it? Plays a certain feeling? What makes it your favorite song? And the last thing I wonder, how does it affect your life? Does having "Defying Gravity" as your most favorite song ever really inspire you to challenge the life you have led so far?
Or "Para tu amor" give you the strength to love someone beyond space and time and with more than you can say or express?
What makes the songs important to you?

Medieval

2009-01-24T07:22:00.004Z

In response to Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., saying that it is "morally wrong to take the taxpayer dollars of millions of pro-life Americans to promote abortion around the world."...

So that means that it is "morally" correct to stop people that want to help funds like these from doing it from THEIR Taxpayer money? May I remind several extremists that what these groups promote are FACTS and OPTIONS? Should I remind them that if you step into such a clinic the first thing they will tell anyone is "don't do it" and "think carefully about your OPTIONS"?

I ask you, Mr. Pence, have you even stepped into one? Or is your "morally sound" way of thinking too far above doing that? Is it that you are omniscient and know everything? The desperation, the fear some of these people suffer through?

Bush administration extremists are just like the leader you followed: narrow-minded. You want things to remain stagnant, to prohibit people in dire need of information from getting it with your "Mexico City Policy". You want to make people believe that it is morally correct to forget their lives and futures in case of a rape pregnancy? Or create more of those fanatics that say "thank God I was raped"? true, not all the people that will go there will be ignorant or have taken all the precautions they needed, but it is hardly an excuse to forbid those that DO need assistance from getting it.

No wonder your Bush Administration went along so well with Mexico's PAN party of martyrs and "morally" superior who condemn information and self awareness as almost sins and promote nothing but blindly following the "morally" correct thing to do and mess up someone's life through no fault of their own.

Here is my comparison for you, Mr. Republican. Your policy of "non-abortion" reminds me of your prior administration's xenophobic attitudes using words that struck "terror" to the hearts of those that rather naively trusted you to have an informed opinion.

You think Americans are being forced to do this against their will? Well bottom line is, sir, that it was the same for those Americans that were forced not to do it according to their will. Your worries about the Tax Payers money are a childish attempt to attack a policy you don't like, you know perfectly well that it is not the dollar that leaves the hand of the "pro-life" that goes straight into the hands of those people.

Think about it when you say "Pro Life" too. Who's life are you referring to? An unwanted childs? Or the mother that doesn't have the means or job to support even herself much less a child? I guess you can always transform BOTH their deaths by starvation into a moving story about the "right choice".

In the end, it is their choice, not yours. And as much as you detest informed people as the church detested them in the middle ages, the fact is, it is not in your hands.

Wisdom

2008-12-19T21:13:00.002Z

So, wisdom.
I was wondering, what happens to truly WISE men/women? I mean, some people might argue that these wise-persons become preists or religous leaders. But seriously, other than a lot of devotion and memorizing you don't really need wisdom to be one.
If you check the dictionary it mentions that wisdom includes (as an accepted definition) the "accumulation of Philosophical or Scientific facts" but again, knowing all about philosophy doesn't make you wise necessarily. And knowing a shitload about science makes you knowledgeable, again not the tipe of WISE that makes people say: That man is a wise-man.
What do wise people do then? You won't get payed for wisdom. If your skill is to be wise, what would you do with your life?

R.I.P.

2008-11-27T21:09:00.003Z

Goldie

November 1994 - 27th of November, 2008

You were my favorite, you know? I'm glad I was there to send you away.

Forcing food on people...

2008-11-22T05:35:00.004Z

I don't hate vegetarians. Or even vegans. I don't have much respect for them, but then again, who am I to tell them what to eat or not?
My problem with some of them? They are kind of like the Christian Fanatics that always tell you what to believe (despite not having even read the bible, but I digress). Of course that doesn't mean that ALL vegans (or christians) are like that, but the ones that are always tend to be so annoying you tend to forget not everyone is the same.
I was recently browsing one of the cooking forums I read and I encountered a very, very annoying vegan there that started telling everyone not to eat anything that was not plant. No Crabs, or Shrimp or Lobsters, no pig, mutton, lamb, beef, fish... you get the idea. I am used to these kinds of people, but what was particularly annoying about this one was the constant blabbering and effort to tell everyone how disgusting it was to eat all of those types of meat. He/she used comparisons of disgusting nature to try and dissuade the readers of carrying on with their meat-eating.

Furthermore, this person even tried the classic: Studies show that.. blah blah blah. I have a question for all you people that insist on saying "studies show this or that": Why is it that whenever you "quote" a "study" you never bother to write down the SOURCE or the YEAR the study was made? It's always "recent". Right. What is that? The 70's when Americans in Woodstock discovered the Avocado for the first time? That's fairly recent, compared to the hundreds of years people have been eating meat without much trouble, and in fact have survived decently well.

Newsflash people! Humans are OMNIVORES that means we eat both veggies and meats! Whether you choose to eat one or the other it is your problem but if you don't like people offering you a bite of a hamburger, then don't try to impose your personal belief that eating plants is better than eating meats.
You think eating lettuce is better for your health? Good for you. I don't care. What could you do to share your opinion about it? How about a recipe instead of trying to degrade the food that the rest of us eat? A good salad recipe is something I would try and I might agree with you or not on whether it is healthier but I at least will have the courtesy of telling you that yes, it tastes good.

For all of you diet people, eating only veggies is not the only solution to a healthier body... certainly, a balance of proteins and vitamins is necessary and they don't all come in the necessary quality or quantity in veggies only or in meat only. Don't believe that bullshit that you have to be a veggie to be slim. It's not true. In fact some of the veggies I know are not slim, they are cadaverous. Try maybe, eating less meat and more veggies. BALANCE is the keyword. Find it and exercise. That will shape you up.

And again, if you want to eat veggies only, that's your choice. But don't believe you are better (or less cruel to animals) for it.

Here's something for everyone, my fav salad EVER: Maggianos Salad for you veggie people just get rid of the prosciutto. NOT FOR VEGANS (it has bleu cheese) it might taste ok without it but it takes a LOT of the flavor out.

Times and Change

2008-11-05T06:45:00.005Z

Well, I am glad to see my vote counted for something.

A week or so ago I was in Houston, talking with an old friend of the family. He's a Republican, voted for McCain, I did the early vote for Obama.
While we talked we discussed a bit as to why we chose who we chose. He had some very good points about foreign Oil policies, and McCain's proven record. He didn't think much of Obama's chances at making the changes he promised.
My main issue was clearly my dislike of Bush's and McCains foreign policy. To my eyes, any country in the world needs allies, no matter how great that country is, how proud the people are or how much money they have. As such, disregarding everyone's opinion to pursue your own agenda will not push towards peace, much less understanding.
I truly don't believe that most americans understand how the rest of the world sees the USA. Let me clear their doubts and clarify that the rest of the world is NOT jealous.
Most of americans have never stepped out of the country, met a foreigner in more than passing or even stopped to think that what they do might not be seen as justifiable by the rest of the world, and yet a lot of the believe themselves more than worthy to pass judgment on what a country other than their own has a right to do.
Defending your way of life is not the same as trying to impose your beliefs and system on others.
Bush, pushing policies of fear of foreigners; suppressing freedom of speech and opinion (Patriot Act anybody?) and reckless warmongering condemned the USA to be seen as the "(Bully) Police of the World (Wannabe)." And McCain's approach during the debates reflected this attitude.
That was my main issue with him. Do I think he is capable? Extremely. Smart? Well, he chose Palin, but everyone makes mistakes. A good leader for the country? Eh... no.
Following the lead of a man (Bush) that should be arrested, tried and judged the moment he steps out of office is not a good choice. He might love his country, but he doesn't understand it.
Will Obama be a better choice? I would think and hope so, since he is now the president-to-be.

But what I told my Texan friend I will repeat here: When Barak becomes president of the USA he must forget his political party. He is above that now. He has to reach to the Republicans in Senate and Congress too. He cannot allow something as trivial as that to cloud his judgment in the resolutions that will remake or destroy the USA.
They helped him get there, now he has to become the leader the PEOPLE chose. In the end, the party, the congress, the senate, and the presidency is nothing more than an extention of the will of the people.
And he has to make an extreme effort to make the people of the USA understand that he cannot simply change everything from one day to the other. It will take time, lots of it. Change of this magnitude doesn't happen just by snapping your fingers.
And I hope, he listens to his own words and seeks the help of the world to find a solution. USA is a country, it is not completely alone, but only through hard work will it be again respected instead of scorned, feared or hated.
So, good luck, President Barak Obama.

-

On a sadder note, Juan Camilo Mouriño, Secretary of the Interior (Mexican Vice-President) passed away last night (4th of November).
His airplane crashed, killing all 9 passengers immediately. More is to be revealed about the incident itself later on, but for now, I share my condolences to his family and friends.

R.I.P.

2008-07-28T17:48:00.002Z

Randolph Frederick Pausch (October 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) Fighting Cancer from August 2006 to July 2008.

Thanks for doing that Last Lecture that affected and inspired so many of us in the world.

Still ALIVE!

2008-06-19T16:53:00.002Z

Hello everyone.

Yes, it's me. I'm not dead but I've been without internet access for the last few weeks, and without it there's really not much chance of writing here or chatting with all of you by msn, aim, skype, ect. :p

So where am I right now? The CITY OF WINDS or, as the rest of the world knows it, Chicago. To be more precise, I'm not in Downtown Chicago, I am in Aurora, which is a small satellite city of the big metropolis that Chicago is. The whole area is called "Chicagoland" creatively enough.

It is nice out here. It is a big contrast with the usual city life, the suburbs are so wide and expansive its amazing to see an actual building like the ones we city-folk are so used to. Skyscrapers? Nah. There are admittedly places like Oakbrook, that are like a small sanctuary of buildings and offices... but let's face it, that's it.

Life here is very different from the UK or Mexico, and thankfully I have managed to make good frienships and managed to survive this long ;)

Right now I'm working at a place called VMI. It has amazing teamwork ethics, but sadly cars are a necessity. I've managed to survive so far, but it might be time for a change of scene... or not. We'll see how it works out.

Writing came back a week or so ago, and with that a re-affirmation of my true calling in life. I've been looking at some contests and I think I have the story to send :) I'll let your guys know, so keep checking here from time to time to find news about that. Again, I'll have to re-schedule my blogging. So I'll simply write everything from now on and put long posts online when I get the chance.

Now let's see... the place where I live.

It's a house. I'm renting a room from a couple of friends. They are married, their names are Candece and George and they have two little girls, Angelina and Isabella. I don't know if I've mentioned them before (I haven't re-read my blog as I write this) Anyway, they are nice girls when they are not around. I'm not going to say which, but one of them, despite her name, is as far away from heaven as hell is.

Anyway, I'll write more later on... I've got a library card now, and hopefully I can get a ride there at least once a week. :)

later!

Nya!

Chicago!

2008-05-01T19:21:00.002Z

So a lot of people are wondering what's up with my life. Last week I went back to Mexico for just as many days. I tried to make contact with as many friends as I could possibly meet, and I didn't talk to many of them I wanted to, either by being absent minded or not managing time properly. The fact that so many of you dear friends have jobs that keep you until late or at least occupied didn't help either!

If you didn't hear from me, it wasn't lack of interest, I assure you. I had lots of things to do and thus missed many chances to actually call you. I have no excuse, but I do care for all of you. I have always admitted that although in my upbringing my family has been undeniably important, I am who I am today because of all of you. Each of you have taught me things that my family couldn't. Experience and circumstances teach a lot, and I am grateful to all of you. From Mexico to Japan, from "Russia" to to Portugal, the UK to China... all over the world I have met you and although I haven't seen all of you it's because of distance, time and (sadly) money.

Which brings me to Chicago. The last few months I've made new and dear friends here, and I have used this as a chance to actually start a life here (for a while). I don't know how long I'll stay here, but I expect it to be a few years. I've already got a good chance (almost secure) at a job. It's not the best, nor related to what I want to do, but it is a spring-board to better things. I will keep looking for a job that is more adoc to what I want, but in the mean time, I will be making money, which hopefully I can use to visit all of you world-wide.

I'll still be travelling, as you know wanderers never stop doing so. But for now the Digi-lair is located in the outskirts of the City of Winds. I'll be getting a flat (appartment) asap, so you will all be welcome to visit :)

Anyway, I'll catch you all later!

-D

Random Test

2008-04-25T02:56:00.002Z

I haven't posted any tests in a while, so I stole this one from Elf's blog :p

Your Score: Banishing

You scored 8 Chaos vs Order, 15 Occult Skills, 16 Occult Danger!

You are a balanced individual with some occult skills. You take some risks, so I hope you have at least one banishing memorized. A simple one is the lesser banishing of the pentagram. A license to depart might not be good enough.

Link: The Which form of magickal protection would work best for you? Test written by revdrqat on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test
View My Profile(revdrqat)

Roleplaying

2008-04-23T17:34:00.003Z

This year I will have been roleplaying for 16 years.

It's a long time.

Obviously, there are many more people that have been doing it for longer, but it is an interesting thing to remember all those on-and-off adventures, the several systems, the changes from AD&D to 3.0 to 3.5 and soon enough 4.0; Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf and all the other White-Wolf products that also have changed into Requiem and such. All the house-made games; Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Megaman; all the adaptations of movies we played under the Alternity setting: Space Above and Beyond, Ronin, etc.

There's been more than I can list off the top of my mind. Now that I'm going to Chicago for who knows how long I have to find new people to Roleplay with. Hopefully something will come up soon.

The Challenge

2008-04-11T05:02:00.007Z

I went today to Wild Buffalo Wings to try the challenge: 12 chicken wings bathed in their most spicy sauce to be eaten in 6 mins or less, no water or drinks or anything in between...

As most of my friends know, I'm a slow eater. I can eat 12 chicken wings normally in about 20 mins. So, it was a bit of a surprise when I accepted the challenge...

Took a first bite...

and then anotherone...

Until it was all gone.

After being completely surprised by the fact that I had eaten the wings in that time (that was the real problem, the sauce? Spicy but not comparable to the stuff we eat in Mexico.) I decided to take YET another challenge:

So I gave it three tries... And got 2 out of three!

THE SPOILS OF WAR

I got a t-shirt which thankfully was BLACK and not the whiney white cheap t-shirt makers normally use and I got a skunk and a bear from the Toy Chest. Not a bad haul from a simple dinner challenge :)

Meme... sigh.

2008-04-05T03:44:00.004Z

Bueno, me toca a mi ahora... disculpen la falta de acentos...

1. ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas como blogger?

Creo que desde el 2004 o 2005... alguna vez intente hacer un seguimiento de mis choco-aventuras en el 98 pero... no.

2. ¿Cómo te diste cuenta de la existencia de los blogs?

Fue en el Tec, mientras procesaba a travez de la burocracia para sacar mis papeles y cambiar de universidad. Pako escribio una cronica tipo Conan el Barabaro de lo que ocurrio en su blog.

3. ¿Qué es lo que más te gusta de tu blog?

Que cumple su objetivo de ser un sito para soltar rants de lo que se venga en mente.

4. Recomienda cinco blogs que visites regularmente.

Reviso todos los blogs que tengo en mi lista, pero creo que en contenido el blog de Leone Ross, mi mentor(a) y Kerberos se la llevan, seguido de Djgotga. No tengo el link del de Leone aqui porque no estoy seguro de que quiera que lo ponga... si ven un link es porque ya me dio permiso.

5. ¿Eres lector anónimo de algún blog?

Nope.

6. ¿Algún Blog que te despierte especial simpatía?

A que te refieres por simpatia? Todos tenemos algo que decir... solamente lo decimos de manera distinta. En esa forma me la despiertan todos.

7. ¿Con qué cinco Bloggers te irías de fiesta?

Si solo fueran cinco? Chale. Esa no es fiesta! :p Con todos me he ido de fiesta y asi seguira siendo.

8. Recomienda una herramienta de internet:

XE.COM: La herramienta indispensable para alguien que se la vive de viaje.

9. Recomienda un vídeo de especial interés:

SABRINA ONLINE Simplemente: porque Nickelodeon no abandona a todos esos cretinos que hacen las caricaturas hoy dia y le dan buen dinero a Erick Schwartz para que el lo haga? O_o

10. Elige entre cinco Bloggers para que contesten estas preguntas en sus blogs.

DJgotga, Vilrandir, Elf-chan, Kaput y Nullrand