The Case for Mars

Global Climate Change is consuming this planet alive. The way I see it, humans have no chance of surviving on this planet anymore within my lifetime because of this fact alone. The climate is changing dramatically. The ice caps are melting. This is a fact. This is causing the oceans to rise. True sea level is rising every day. This will cause the displacement of all coastal cities on the planet. The controversy on a masque being constructed near ground zero? In less than two decades, that controversy will be irrelevant because ground zero -- as well as the entirety of New York City -- will be under water. Hurricanes are hitting all over the coasts of America, Asia and Africa more frequently and with much more of a vengeance. Tsunami's are devastating entire countries. It's only a matter of time before the Mid-West -- And California, and all earthquake spots -- feel the biggest earthquakes on record. The food chains of this planet are slowly dying. Soon enough, there won't be enough food in the global food chains to supply the occupants of this state, much less this entire planet. The more I read and hear about the slow pace of change regarding the advancements and dispursing of green technologies and us fixing this hell hole of a planet, the more I am convinced that in order for the family blood lines of the entirety of the occupants of this planet to continue on, we cannot stay here on this planet. Therefore, we need to find another planet to permanently colonize. For the good of National Security of America -- and each and every single nation on this ball we call Earth -- we need to fix the planet or get the fuck off of it. In order for the wealthy and the middle class to keep staying alive to enjoy their money and make more of it, we need to fix this planet or get the fuck off of it. In order for the common people to spite the governments they supposedly represent, they need to fix this planet of get the fuck off. In order to survive, in order to make more money, in order to propigate, in order to be human... we need to either fix this place, or move the fuck off of this ball of dust. And in order to colonize Mars, we need to teraform the fuck out of it. We need to make it habitable. And at this point, I think making Mars habitable is easier to do than fixing this place. And cheaper. And less time consuming. Take that as you will. -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]

Hookah on Campus

For the past two years, the group of peeps I refer to as my CSN group has been regularly bringing a hookah pipe or two to campus to share in the experience of smoking hookah tobacco. Doing so is perfectly legal under National, Nevada State, Clark County, and City of North Las Vegas law, and it is not against any College of Southern Nevada Regulations, so long as it stays within a designated smoking area. Because let's face it, hookah is a smoke-creating habit.

For the past two years, Allied Barton/ISS security officers posted at CSN as well as CSNPD officers have been harassing this particular group of hookah smokers. At first, it was for breaking actual rules of the college. Being too loud, being a nuisance, harassing other people. But once all of those rules were not being broken any more, the harassment of this group by said officers continued. It was of the sort that we couldn't smoke it in one particular designated smoking area, because parents were using that route to take their children to the day care center on campus and to take it to another smoking area. Comes to find out the smoking area they directed the group to was not a smoking area at all, and they had to tell us to take it to another smoking area. This was complied with. And a petition was sent to the board of regents for CSN about the initial smoking area.

There was a phrase in the petition about it not being marijuana being smoked, and a more thorough harassment ensued. On a weekly basis, the officers would come over to check if the hookah tobacco. Under orders from the property manager, they said. It is a legitimate argument, seeing as how that position is one of the very few on campus that can give orders to the officers. Another petition came out about this form of harassment came out, seeing as how the scent of the smoke did not in any fashion smell like marijuana. The petition was ignored.

Shortly thereafter, the same officers told us to take it to the last smoking area where it would not inconvenience other people passing by for us to smoke hookah. We complied. There was a belated petition to reverse this order. Again, it was ignored.

Then, just yesterday on the second day of the semester, we were told that the Head of Academic Affairs handed down an order to the CSNPD officers that hookah is now banned from campus. They tell us about this order, and we are forced to comply with the inappropriate threat of expulsion. It is inappropriate because it is, as of 02SEP2009, 1952 hours PDT, not in any formal writting anywhere in the Student Handbook, online at http://www.csn.edu, or posted anywhere on campus that hookah is not allowed.

This time around, we have a journalist for the school newspaper, the Coyote, writing a story about it. Which is a good thing. And again, there will be a petition written up, and we will be pushing for much more signatures than in the past. We will make sure, once it is submitted by hand, there will be CSNPD Officers and/or ISS Security Officers present. They will not ignore the petition this time around.

I'll make sure of it.

Take that as you will. -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]

This shit makes me sick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyvqhdllXgU I know its Howard Stern, but listen to it anyways. I'll wait. Watch it. Now. Now, watching this, anyone should be repulsed. I mean, I am pro-Obama, but this is stupid. Obama is pro-Life, anti-Stem-Cell, and pro-staying in Iraq? His VP candidate is Sarah Palin? These people obviously don't know the issues. Obviously, they have only voted for Barack based upon race. Because let me tell you all something, Barack is Pro-Choice, Pro-Stem-Cells, he pushes for an exit strategy from Iraq, and his VP candidate is Joe Biden of Illinois. If you do not know where each of the candidates stands on any of the issues -- if you don't even know the VP of each candidate -- then you have no right fucking voting. You know what I say? I say there should be a test to being eligible to vote. This test should be mandatory for all eligible voters and be repeated each election season. There should be one for the primaries and one for the general election. The test should cover where each candidate stands on, at very least, the basic issues. I'm glad Barack Obama won. He will fix this country. But its people like those in the video make Barack supporters look like idiots. And for those of you who are going to use this to say 100% of Barack supporters are idiots, then you are an idiot. That's like saying these three women are mothers, therefore anyone with a vagina is a mother. Both of these comparisons are simply not true. Fucking idiots, I swear. Take that as you will -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]

An Uncommon Prejiduce.

It is to be warned here in the beginning of this blog that there is usage of a particular vulgar, politically incorrect term for someone who doesn’t look right in this blog. If you are sensitive to the use of the vulgarity used to describe mentally handicapped, physically handicapped, or physically awkwardness, you should stop reading this entry now. The names of the people in this blogs have been changed to protect the families of the people involved in this story. Otherwise, the events and the time frames of the story are true and as accurate as the writers’ memory. I have had this curse of having an awkward figure all of my life. My physical appearance has been the butt of many jokes, been the cause of me getting into many fist fights, was the reason for the vast majority of my injuries and scars. Throughout my childhood, I thought I was alone. My perception was that there was no one else out there like me. I didn’t even realize there were such things as sexism, racism, and creedism until later on in life. This was driven by the fact that I didn’t see this kind of hatred being directed towards anybody else. I didn’t see it not because I didn’t want to see it, but rather because my attention and observational prowess was directed towards observations that would help save me further humiliation, physical scars, being beaten up, and, on a few occasions, being killed. It wasn’t until my sophomore year in high school that I met the first person I was aware of that was being stereotyped against in a violent or negative way. And it was in the same fashion that I was cursed. He and I both looked different, therefore the vast majority of our peers perceived us as “retarded,” regardless of whether or not we were actually mentally or physically retarded. Steve Smith and I were the school mascots for the socially cursed. It was shortly thereafter that I met the entire crew in which Smith regarded as his friends. I realized at that point that not only am I not alone, but it is more common than people realize. I also realized a few weeks later that the reason why people don’t much realize it is because the authority figures were actively segregating those who simply looked “different” – i.e. looked retarded – from the rest of the student body. At the time I didn’t understand the why; all I knew is that it was wrong. So, as soon as I realized what was going on, I went on trying to convince these poor souls that they can, in fact, lead relatively normal social lives. This should be easy, I thought. Long and tedious, but easy. I looked retarded, just like them, which allowed them to trust me as one of their own. I was also a rising star as a pitcher on the school baseball team, so I did have my foot in the door of the life of a normal person, as we understood the term back them. Here is where I should make one thing clear. In the world of someone who is shunned for looking like a retard, we don’t see the world in many numerous sociological classes of people; we see two groups: Those being shunned – us – and those doing the shunning – them. Those being shunned – the Us – feel they have to band together to survive, that they are their only hope for even a negligible sliver of normalcy. Those doing the shunning – the Them – are considered to be the “normal people,” regardless of sociology, culture, class, race, gender, sub-culture, age or any other fact. Those who look retarded and those who don’t. That’s it. Simple as that. So I proceeded to mold them into what would be perceived as normal. Sure as hell can’t get them to look it, but damn it, I was going to allow them to act it. And as I did so, we all came to think of me as the leader of this group, the president of the Valley High School Socially Awkward, so to speak. And eventually, over the next two and a half years, that’s what I did. By the time I got my cap and gown, everyone that I knew with my curse in the classes of 2003, 2004, and 2005 had some semblance of normalcy. They – we – weren’t all the way there, and may never be since we started the game late, but we were closer than we could have ever dared to dream to be. Then the day of graduation came. Steve Smith, who ended up being my second in command, so to speak, got us together, the 27 of us afflicted with this curse of the Las Vegas Valley High School class of 2003, to do a little speech just for us. It was a good speech, until the very last sentence. “But it’s going to happen again, and it’s going to be worse than we have ever experienced.” I shot a glare at him. One that said, “don’t say that; they’ll believe it. And all our work would be in vain.” I shook it off, though. The ceremony was about to start. My knee was acting up on me, but that a different story all together. We were all separate in the line. I was tired anyways; not much sleep the night before. The ceremony ends, and out of those 27 of us with this curse, all of us started freshmen year of high school with serious threats of getting a special education diploma. But now that we have our diploma’s, I have come two find out that only 2 actually got the special education diploma. They were so close to getting the regular diploma, 2 credits away. Out of the other 25 of us, I was the only one that got the honors diploma. We were all as normal as we have ever been up to that point. A week passes by. I had not heard from Smith or David Nova, one of the two of the group to get a special education diploma since the ceremony. I call Smith’s house. His step father picks up the phone. “Where’s Steve?” I ask. “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard!” he nearly yells at me. “No, I haven’t heard. What’s wrong?” I am near panicking. I really didn’t hear what happened. “He killed himself the night of graduation! And it’s ALL! YOU’RE! FAULT!” After he yells at me about his reasons why he thinks it’s my fault – showing him to that world of normalcy, knowing that it would be yanked away – I call Nova’s place. His mother answers. She tells me in a sad tone that he also killed himself that night. He left a note. “Smith was right,” it had said. “It will return, and it will be worse. After all, we all know that things are worse in the real world than they are in school.” I know at that point what Nova’s reason is for committing suicide; he knew what it was like to be shunned for his appearance, and he knew what it was like to have some semblance of normalcy. And he believed that he was going to go back to being the shunned in the real world, and he believed that it was going to be worse there. He believed what Smith had said before the Graduation ceremony. I can only assume that’s why Smith did it, too. Over the years, I have seen the other 26 people of the group commit suicide. They all experienced what Smith had said first hand, and couldn’t handle it. They all had proven Smith right. At this point, out of the 27 people of Valley High School’s class of 2003 with this curse, there is only one person alive today to tell this story. That person is me. And to this day, I believe that I am the cause for all of them committing suicide. If I had not allowed them to taste what it’s actually like to be normal, they all may still be alive today. For a brief time, they were authentically happy, and it cost them all their lives’. And it cost me this weight, this burden to carry with me for all eternity. Smith may have been right for 96.3% of us, but I refuse to let him be right about the other 3.7%. What kind of leader would I be if I did? As I sit here, typing this blog, I keep asking myself one question. It is something that I use to justify my actions, without having to plead ignorance. Is it worth dying an early death to taste happiness in a world of hurt and pain? I’d like to think so.

An ADD moment.

First, I would like to apologize for my absence the past few weeks. Have been busy. Please, bear with me on this blog. I have to share some uncomfortable backstory as a requisite of allowing most of you peeps understanding the point I am trying to make.

Okay, for starters, when I started kindergarten, I knew I was not a normal kind. I mean, from week one, I knew this. From the first week, I say that my peers were ragging on me for no apparent reason. Or, at least, no reason apparent to me at the time.

It took four years for the reason to become apparent to me. When I was in the third grade, I realized that I had this awkwardness about me. My facial structure, my facial expressions, my bodily form, my body language, my verbal harmonics, and the fashion in which I naturally walked, they were all awkward. And it was apparent to everyone else that this was the case, and because of that, they labeled me as “retard” and shelved me with the rest of them to be shunned as one. And that awkwardness has followed me to this very day.

The big curse that I have that no one else has, though, is intelligence. The lack of ignorance. I know what I look like, and worse, I know what that in tales. I know that I am very intelligent, as well as very smart, and I realize that there is a difference between the two. I know that there is more to me than meets the eye of the outside observer. And a select few people in the real world realize this as well.

But the problem still remains that most people are just stupid enough to label and shelf me because of my awkwardness, not taking into account my intelligence. Why? My theory is that, in a majority of cases, it has to do with impatience. They don’t have the patience with my vocal harmonics and how I look to realize that I have any worth at all.

Back in middle school, I met the first person since I realized why people were shunning to actually allow me to be comfortable in my own skin. Shortly thereafter, Mandi became my first girlfriend. Thing is, I fell in love with her. Hardcore. I don’t know what it was.

Maybe it was the fact that the only time I did feel comfortable in my skin was when I was around her. Maybe it was the concept that she was the first person outside of my father to be patient enough to hear me through my awkward speech and stuttering. Maybe it was her personality. Maybe it was a combination of any of the above and/or some things unmentioned. I don’t know. But I was in love with her.

Then she died. See, she had brain cancer, and was taking some medication in preparation for the chemotherapy. One night, she overdosed on those meds while at the hospital. The note I got from Dr. Frembin killed me inside. So much so that I actually made an attempt on my own life. But that’s a story for another time.

Thing is, I continued to slump around trying to compensate. I had tasted heaven for a short while, and now I was submerged back in hell on earth. Slowly, I got my will to live back, as I got in the group of people that was inflicted with the same curse as me. I became their leader, so to speak. I had to take care of them. That meant living, and being willing to live. No more feeling sorry for myself.

So now that the backstory is complete, now on with the regular story.

Last year, I think it was the spring semester, I met this girl, Paeo. We were acquaintances. Something happened and we became friends. I never thought anything more of it than that.

That is, until the 7^th of this month.

There is a picture in “My Pictures” on myspace with the caption “All of the Bad Habits.” I don’t know what triggered this thought in my head, but something clicked as we were posing for that picture that Paeo makes me comfortable in my own skin. In my head, I start panicking. I haven’t felt this way in over a decade. And since the only time I have ever truly been in love and the only time someone made me feel comfortable in my own skin were by the same person, I associated those two emotions as the same.

So, I had spent the next couple weeks thinking I was in love with Paeo. Shit, I still do believe this to be the case. On Wednesday, I texted her to tell her as much, because I couldn’t in person. Every day I met her at the college, she brought Loren, didn’t feel like being nervous about taking Paeo away from Loren to tell her, every time I tried to get Paeo outside of the college, she couldn’t meet me. And I felt I couldn’t tell her in front of anybody, not even (from what I can tell) her best friend.

She texts me back, saying she only views me as a friend. Wishes she could feel the same way, but just doesn’t. Talk about a thorn in my side.

The past few days, I’ve been thinking about that, and I just came to a conclusion a couple hours ago. It was a long and tedious conclusion to make, but I finally made it. And I guess I should probably thank you, Paeo, for being that spark to finally make me realize this.

What I have realized is that maybe the reason why I am cursed with this body, with this face, along with the intelligence to see how I look compared to the vast majority of humans, and what that means other people see when they see me, is because I was meant to do something great, intellectually. And that means I must not be tied down, romantically, so that I can do whatever it is I’m to do. The intelligence is the “doing something great” part, and this awkwardness is the “not being tied down” part.

And I realize that this seems like a large jump, so if you need an explanation, here it is.

On the day before my 23^rd birthday, Dannielle sent me the like to a video on youtube.com. It is a device – funded by DARPA and Boston Dynamics – that combines robotics technology with artificial intelligence technology. Up until this working prototype – code-named Big Dog – these two fields have had mostly separate technological evolutions. And, up until this point, I thought these two technologies were evolving at a slower rate. At this point, I have realized that when the American government – particularly the military branch, which DARPA is the military’s R&D department – starts funding on the edge technologies, those technologies start growing exponentially.

This scared the shit out of me, because this technology isn’t supposed to be growing this fast, and it’s funded by the U.S. military, and I’ve been seeing how the U.S. military has been fucking shit up globally due to it’s huge-dick complex. I was starting to wonder how this might be implemented by the military in a year. Five years. Ten years.

Also, My field of interest once I get out of college has something to do with artificial intelligence, so you can imagine my pure interest on this topic.

So, I figure, the military needs to have this piece of research stopped, lest the world find fatal consequences. Conspiracy theory? No, not really. I think the government is just trying to advance it’s army. Stay ahead of the game, so you don’t lose it. But look at the Atom bomb. Started off as a good idea, as an authentic attempt to do good. Now, it’s part of America’s “huge-dick” complex.

So, I’m thinking, that’s probably be where I should start on outside of school. Prevent Big Dog from going past the prototype stage. And I can’t really be tied down in a relationship if that’s going to happen.

Take that as you will. -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]

The Onion News Network

Believe it or not, there are things in this world that are not dependant on race, nationality, political party affiliation, age, gender, or handicap.

The Onion News Network (ONN) is an online parody news organization, similar to that of the Colbert Report or the Daily Show, only very much more extreme. Every "news" story that they have on there is only very loosely related to a real news story. The opinions expressed on it are too absurd to honestly be those of the writers or reporters.

There is one "report" on the ONN that is an obvious spoof of the concept of "Bring You Kid to Work" day. It’s the same concept, only for the Army branch of the U.S. Military (http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=30552894). It goes on about how the troops in Iraq had their daughters over to visit for a day. Yadda yadda yadda.

There is this member of the U.S. Army -- I don’t know whether or not he’s in Iraq -- that completely ragged on the person that made this video, saying that he either is an idiot or voted Democrat -- or both.

Okay, here are a few things that he does not understand:

1) You do NOT need to be a democrat to be anti-Iraq-War. There are plenty of republicans’ here in this very country -- hell, right here in this very town -- that are against the Iraq war.

2) Idiocy is NOT a pre-requisite of being anti-war, or anti-Iraqi-war, just like it is not a requisite for being pro-war or pro-Iraqi-war. I know a considerable number of intelligent people and stupid people on both sides.

3) Just because somebody is against the Iraq War does NOT ostensibly mean they are anti-military. There are people in this very room right now that I know for an absolute FACT that are anti-Iraq-War AND pro-military all in the same brain. I myself am one said person. Just because somebody is against any particular war does not mean they do not support the troops; it just means that they do not support the politicians that sent us to that particular war.

4) If you are a liberal, that does NOT ostensibly make you anti-military. I know many liberals in this very room -- myself being one of them -- that support the troops. Until the day when we can find a way for everyone to stop going to war, we need our troops for macro-protection.

5) Just because it has the word "News" in it does not ostensibly mean it is a serious news network. CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News are all examples of serious news networks. ONN, the Colbert Report, and the Daily Show are all examples of comical news sources.

6) Just because your opinion does not match up exactly with somebody else’s does not ostensibly mean that you are absolutely right and they are absolutely wrong. What is the definition of the word "Opinion"? It is a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty (http://dictionary.referance.com/browse/Opinion, see definition one of entry one).

7) One’s work should not define who said person is. I am a security guard and a student. I take a good blunt of jokes about being each, but I take it with a smile. Why? Because I know it’s a joke in the vast majority of the time. If the ONN does a report that makes the security profession look horrible, I will laugh right along with it, because I know it’s the ONN. Being in the military should be the same.

With that said, everyone that happens to stumble upon this blog should take all of the above into accord. Whether or not you wish to assimilate any of it into your own distinctiveness is up to you.

Take that as you will. -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]

Our Place in the Universe

We, as a species, have the tenancy to believe we are the center of the universe, either literally or metaphorically. After all, we have the distinct ability to manipulate our surroundings, whether it's turning a cotton plant into a large shirt or turning an iron lump and a tree branch into a hammer or screwing up the planet via WMD's and global warming. We, however, cannot determine whether there is extra-terrestrial life out there. We cannot stop killing our brothers based upon differences of opinions. Hell, we cannot even agree on something as obvious as global warming. To put our planet, our species, and our arguments into perspective, here's a little collective of pictures. We start off with the comparison of the sizes of Earth, Mercury, Venus, and Pluto. (Just as an FYI, all of these images are to scale. These are authentic photographs of models of planets and stars.)

In this image, we feel quite snug in our place in the scheme of things. But wait, that isn't the entire universe. Here, I will add the other four planets of our own solar system.

Here, we aren't so snug. But wait, there's more!

Oh, you can barely see our planet from here. But then we go further out.

You can't even see our planet from here. You can barely see our Sun from here. But then we go further still.

Huh. One would have to zoom in on this picture many times to just a few pixels to be able to see our parent star from here. Since our star isn't that big even compared to other single stars, and knowing that there are other stars as puny as our own in this very galaxy alone, how can we be certain there is nothing out there, somewhere out there? We can't be. Not until we search this universe with a fine-tooth comb. Seeing how small we are compared to the whole scheme of things, doesn't it seem pathetic that we keep killing based upon differences in worship and opinion? It sure as hell does to me. Take that as you will. -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]

Employment -- "Right to Work"

I apologize for being absent on my last couple of blogs. I have been epically sick to the point of being unable to coherently think or type. I am still recovering, but I am able to type and think well enough at this point to be understood coherently. I didn't mention this before, but I would like anyone reading this particular blog to post replies speaking your opinion on the particular topic of the post. All I ask is to organize your thoughts in such a manner in which is coherent and comprehensible. Try to make your arguments logical. I ask this because, while not all opinions are correct, at least all opinions can be presented in a logical, coherent, and comprehensible fashion. Today, I am going to speak of what it is to work, particularly in the state of Nevada. The state of Nevada is a right to work state, which has a different denotation than would be imagined by many people outside of a right to work state, and even by a lot of people in this particular right to work state. Under the Nevada State constitution, the "right to work" clause states that an employer has the right to terminate the employment of an employer for any reason the employer sees fit. In other words, just so long as the employer can give the local or state government for termination when requested, even if it is a person merely lightly coughing causing a health risk when he's working a desk job that has absolutely nothing at all to do with providing substances that customers eat, drink or smoke.

This is a main concern for every employee of the state of Nevada who knows this law, even on a general level. Some of us know the fact that one of the reasons for the homeless epidemic here in Vegas is just this very law. It allows employers to fire employees with no real cause to do so. One of the implicit outcomes of this law is the difficulty of obtaining a job. The easier it is for a company to fire a person, the easier it is for a company to not hire someone for any reason. With the mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, being a former mafia lawyer, it's easy to see how that implication can be there. As far as I know, Nevada is the only right to work state in the U.S.A. I might be wrong. But if you are in a right to work state, especially in a highly corrupt city, then you know my worries about this. Especially if you are of the lower socioeconomic class. It's the fear of not being able to pay the bills if the boss decides he doesn't like you for a reason you are unaware of. If the boss decides to fire you randomly even though you have done nothing wrong as far as the job is concerned. And I have observed this to happen on many occasions. In at least 20 instances, I have seen a coworker let go with their final paycheck without reason, without cause. And the scary part about it is that this firing is perfectly legal under right-to-work law. Take that as you will. -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]

Bush's Push for Off-Shore Drilling

Tomorrow, President Bush plans to renew his push to get Congress to revoke the ban on off-shore drilling for oil, a ban in which was put into place more than 25 years ago. "He will explicitly call on Congress to ... pass legislation lifting the congressional ban on safe, environmentally friendly offshore oil drilling," White House press secretary Dana Perino said. "He wants to work with states to determine where offshore drilling should occur." Truth be told, evidence since industrial drilling of oil has shown that it is environmentally hazardous. In practice, drilling for oil uses enough energy to pump about half of a ton (1,000 pounds) of carbon dioxide into the air a day. This figure is while drilling for oil on dry land. The figure, I am sure, would be greater if drilling were to occur in under water sources. What is the definition of environmentally friendly? According to dictionary.com, it is "having minimal impact on the natural environment." So any of you reading this particular blog, give me one way drilling for oil anywhere is environmentally friendly in this sense that is actually being practiced, because I see no example of it. Then again, there is another definition on dictionary.com, one that Perino must be using in the quote above; "using as well as maintaining natural materials." Now we can all agree that oil is a natural resource, being the byproduct of long-deceased plant matter. So, in this sense of the phrase, it is "environmentally friendly." But, then again, it is misleading, since this definition has a different denotation then the connotation of the phrase. In my last post, I argued that we need to quickly find and utilize domestic sources of fuel. Drilling for oil in American waters at least appears to be the case. However, there needs to be equipment put into place before pumping can commence. That would take two to three years. On a dry land drilling project. Since this is an under-water source, it would take at least another 2 years on top of that before we can tap those reserves. This 4 to 5 year estimate is a conservative one. Oil, in the form of petroleum, would also add to the CO2 emissions to the air. CO2 that it hasn't taken out of the air in over a million years. So, when oil is used for a domestic form of energy consumption, it is doing more harm than good. Though, I will give you the fact that economically, when it is produced, it will procure financial relief in this country. My thing is, you have to weigh the positive with the negative and see whether it is worth having. So, given the fact that it will take at least 4 to 5 years to produce this oil and it's affect on the environment, I still hold to my belief that biofuels are the best short term relief of gas prices. At least they are only adding as much CO2 as they took out of the air since 2000. Take that as you will. -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]

Biofuels in Las Vegas

First of all, I would like to say Happy Fathers Day to all of you dads out there. This world wouldn’t be the same without you. Today, I am going to take a wee bit of a look at the pros and cons of biofuels. First, we need a definition and a commonly heard example of a biofuel. According to wikipedia, a biofuel is a fuel derived from life, typically plant-life, in which has recently died as opposed to a plant that has died thousands, if not millions of years ago. The most common example typically seen in the news is ethanol, usually derived from corn. There are a few pros and cons of biofuels. For the immediate future, biofuels are a necessity. There are many reasons in which the price of a barrel of oil (and, as a direct consequence, gasoline) has increased from about 25 American dollars per barrel to over 130 American dollars per barrel. One of those reasons is the drastic decrease in the amount of unrefined oil fields in the world. There is no immediate risk of running out of oil, but it will come soon. Also, the ability to tap oil due to low oil fields is becoming much more difficult. Therefore, the price of tapping that oil in and of itself is going up, thereby increasing the price of a barrel of oil globally. Another reason has to do with the waning ability to refine oil, especially locally in the United States. Before Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, a good solid half of the refineries in the U.S.A. was in that area, particularly the Texas region of that coast. Hurricane Katrina leveled those refineries, thereby decreasing our ability to refine oil, increasing our need to import refined oil, and increasing the cost America spends on oil drastically. So, on those counts, one would have to deduce that we, as Americans, have to find a way to reduce, if not eliminate, our dependence of foreign sources of fuel. At this point, the best way to do so as far as motorized vehicles is biofuels such as ethanol. Because, let’s face it, our Alaskan oil field won’t hold us for as long as we’d like. However, I am of the opinion that we also need to find a way to eliminate hydrocarbon-based fuels, because that is, in fact, what biofuel is; hydrocarbon-based fuel. It will still wreck havoc on our planet in much the same way gasoline is right now. So, not only do we have to find an internal source of fuel, but we also need to find one that doesn’t hinder the planet. That, though, is for another post. So, the way I see it, biofuels are great for our short term problems, but for the long term it is just as bad as gasoline. Take that as you will. -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]

Is Science a Sin in Vegas?

Okay, here's the thing; most Christians, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, etc. believe that theoretical science, for the most part, is a sin. Biological evolution on earth, cosmological evolution, whether or not there are such things as black holes, is homosexuality natural, etc. puts conservative religious peeps on edge, because the bible has strict rules of conduct and things to believe right in it. It's the word of God, so it must be correct, right? And it was meant to be taken literally in all cases, right? Well, let me explain something; all of the books of the Holy Bible, Old Testament as well as new testament, as well as the Holy Qur’an, in the original languages they were writ, are essentially a translation from the perfect language of the perfect God to one of many imperfect languages of this imperfect species. How can an imperfect language adequately furnish a completely accurate translation of a perfect language, and how can an imperfect species hope to understand a perfect being? On another point, each of the previously mentioned texts have been translated into numerous languages before being translated into English. The original text of the Old Testament is Sanskrit, which is the oldest known language, as well as the longest dead language known to us today. Given that this is the case, how do we know that the humans that have translated these texts didn't translate them for a greedy purpose? Or just translated them poorly because in the language being translated from, the one phrase could have meant numerous things in the language being translated to? Or perhaps the translators didn't fully understand the language they were translated from? Have you ever played the telephone game? Typically, what comes out of the mouth of the last person is entirely different from what came out of the mouth of the first kid. The numerous translations from the Sanskrit version to the current version is the same concept. So, does that answer the question of whether or not it should be taken literally? The suggested answer is it shouldn't be taken literally, but that answer is still unclear. Does it answer the question of whether or not it's actually the word of God? The answer to this question, if you look at this particular line of reasoning, is yes, the bible is the word of God, regardless of how misconstrued and misinterpreted. Here's another thing. Look at the time frame in which each of these texts was written. It was a time in which there was very scarce science knowledge. Those texts were written for people of the mindset where little understanding was available, where that was the best way to describe God to them. It's along parallel lines of trying to explain how an atomic bomb works to the same people. It can't be done, because they didn't have that kind of understanding back then. The Bible is the same concept. So, is it not possible that parts of the Bible were meant to be interpreted loosely and as a live document, that as technology and sciences advanced, certain parts of the Bible would be seen as metaphoric rather that literal? Why would I care, being a Buddhist? Because I am of the strong belief that as soon as all the Western Religions (defined as any religion that originated in Europe, the Middle-East, and in the North American Continent after the white man has come to this land) realize that the Bible and the Quran are about morals as opposed to bickering over stupid shit, then there will be a good amount less violence, less wars, more aide, more treating each others like humans. The Bible, the Quran, the I Ching, the Book of Mormon, all of these texts is about treating your fellow human like a human. Period. Take that as you will. -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]

A Locals View on Global Warming

First off, I would like to say that this blog is decidedly taking a turn from it's intended course. There is a reason for this. It is my opinion now that people need to know the full logic behind the political opinions in which I hold more than they need to know my life story. So, it's still the the Vegas View story, but without the boring story of my life. That being said, I must start my next topic. One of my friends have suggested that I do my next topic on global warming, seeing as to how I live in the Nevada Desert (Las Vegas decidedly being within the confines of said desert). So that's what I am going to do. I am of the opinion that global warming is not only real, but will have -- in fact, is currently having -- a great impact on our planet, in more ways than the news organizations is letting us in on. Here, I am going to give a full explanation on my opinions on all the sub-topics of global warming. First and foremost, how does carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere? There are typically six types of radiation that the earth receives from the sun: radio, gamma ray, infrared, visible, ultra-violet (UV), and x-rays. The ground typically absorbs UV rays and visible light radiation, and bounces the vast majority of the other forms of radiation back into space. The thing is, carbon dioxide [CO2 (g)], ozone [O3 (g)] and water vapor [H2O (g)] are the three dominant greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and all three of them absorb infrared radiation. The growing amount of one of these gases in the upper atmosphere -- carbon dioxide -- is giving a rise in the temperature of the planet, albeit be an average of one degree every 50 years at this point. Now, when I emphasis the word average, I mean to put an emphasis on the fact that the word average does not necessarily mean the same everywhere. For those of you who smoke, the best way to explain what I mean by average is to say that when you have a cigarette lit, the average temperature of that particular cigarette is less than the temperature of the cherry, but greater than the temperature of the butt (or, for those of you who smoke non-filters, the end you hold when you smoke; when I refer to the butt, I merely mean the end you hold when you smoke). If the entire cigarette were to be the same temperature as the average temperature of the cigarette, you would not be able to smoke it, for either the butt would be too hot ho hold in your hand or put your lips on to inhale, or the cherry end would be too cold to burn (as in when it's not lit). That's the same concept with average global temperature change. The temperature may be going down or may remain stagnant where you live, but the temperature would rise extensively elsewhere to compensate for the difference. In this case, this biggest upwards temperature change going on is at the polar regions of this planet. First, I will need to explain the differing heat-absorbing properties of H2O in it's liquid state (water) and H2O in its solid state (ice). Ice, being typically a sort of barely transparent white color when it is as thick as, say, the glacier that sank the Titanic, has the innate ability to reflect the energy apparent in radiation. White is really a combination of all colors, so typically, all colors are reflected off of anything white. Water, on the other hand, is a more transparent, very light blue color, and absorbs energy in radiation more redily, especially from an infra-red source. So, this being the case, the more the polar caps melt, the more infra-red radiation they absorb. The more infra-red radiation the caps absorb, the quicker they heat up. The quicker they heat up, the faster they heat up. And the vicious cycle repeats itself. This is the reason for each of the so-called "ice ages" of the past. So the average change in temperature is merely add the temperature of every location on the planet, and divide that cumulative sum by the number of entries. That, apparently, comes to approximately 1. And how does the melting of the ice caps affect me in the Nevada Desert? It really doesn't; at least not directly. The thing is, H2O in its liquid state is less dense than the solid state, so the more water there is and the less ice there is in the oceans, the higher the tides will become. The higher the tides become, the more the coastal cities of the world will become flooded, and will need to evacuate. And so, given the fact that Southern California will have to evacuate, where is the closest major city eastward? Las Vegas, NV. This city is overly crowded and growing too fast as it is; the last thing we need is to be a big displacement center. There are still a few questions left unanswered by this particular blog about global warming. You may be wandering why, if ozone is a major factor for absorbing and reflecting inwards towards the planet, then why did we not want it to go away back in the day (about a decade to 3 decades ago)? Well, if there were absolutely nothing in the atmosphere to reflect infra-red inwards, then the temperature on the planet would not exceed the freezing point of water, so we need some form of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The question though is "What amount of greenhouse gases is ideal to have?" Because we cannot have too little, for then the planet would become too cold; we cannot have too much, lest the planet burn. Another question left unanswered is "How does global warming affect weather patterns?" Well, weather patterns depend upon the coastal drift among the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The natural flow of these oceans depends on the temperatures towards the equator as well as towards the polar regions. The warmer the air gets in the Polar Regions, the warmer the water gets in those areas. The warmer the water gets, the less likely they will create the natural flow of the oceans. Those ocean patters are the primary reason why we have hurricanes, general rain, and coastal winds. The less able the oceans are of having a general cycle, the more local cycles there are, and therefore the more hurricanes there will be. Well, what about finances? Surely, our economy will be snowballed if we attempt to fix this problem. Okay, sure, you won't get any arguments from me. I'm not a really big financial guy, so I'm going to let this guy explain the situation. Take that as you will. -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]

Social Views in Las Vegas

Like most every city in the world, how you are perceived in this town goes for a lot. Being the homeless capital in the world, it means a lot more in certain fields. Being a native to this town, I know first hand that you absolutely cannot go out without getting a homeless person asking for a cigarette or loose change or spare scraps of food at least once. It is common-place to get more of this, especially if you depend on public transportation as a means of travel. Believe me, I see and experience a lot of this. In this situation, there are typically two extremes to go by: either you can always do the generous thing and donate to them whatever they request, knowing that there is that one-in-a-hundred shot that he/she is actually going to obtain food with that, or you can do the self-preservation act and never give them anything. There is a lot that can fall in your favor if you go the generous route. It has a lot to do with karma, and the concept of provide for others now because what happens if some tremendously horrid thing happens to you and you happen to be in that situation? Providing food/funds/fags for the homeless is, first and foremost, a good thing to do. It also provides good credit towards your karma rating. But most homeless people got themselves there in the first place, right? Move to Vegas looking for a job, because this town has plentiful amount of jobs, right? They get here; get lured into the extravagance of gambling, and wind up homeless, penniless, and hopeless. Why provide them with funds? All they will do is gamble it away, drink it down, or shoot it up. And also, what happens if I cannot do any of those things for them anyways? Here's my opinion on the matter. Whether or not they are authentically looking to get out of the street because they got dumped there by the system or whether they are content with staying there is a crapshoot call. The thing is, though, providing them with the uber bare necessities is a good thing to do, regardless. But, as I told someone close to me recently, self-preservation is absolutely necessary in order to perform species-preservation. Without the individual looking out for himself or herself, he or she will soon not be able to ensure looking out for other people. So, look out for others around you, just so long as you are physically, mentally, intellectually, spiritually, and financially able to do so without driving yourself bankrupt in any of those cases. Take that as you will. -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]

An Introduction of a Sin City Native

This first blog is going to be an introduction of who I am and what this blog is all about. My name is D. Alan Thibedeau, and I am a student and poet in the Las Vegas Valley. I was born in S. Lake Tahoe, CA., but my parents moved here to Clark County when I was a few weeks old. So, being raised here in the Entertainment Capital of the World, I have a quite unique view on the nation and the world. My job title, for the moment, is security guard. I am usually posted in places where it's necissary to have the presence of some sort of athority figure, like various Albertsons around town. Occasionally, I have been posted on the Strip, and believe me, it can be very entertaining, creepy, and life threatening at the same time. My life, as of late, has been primarily about observing, learning, and testing theories. This blog is going to primarily be about those three aspects of my life. And, of course, there is a small supporting cast in this life, and a lot of extras. It would behove me to list the supporting cast here: Ford - He is my best friend, my accomplice, and my side kick. He is the Silent Bob to my Jay. He will be present in the vast majority -- if not all -- of my escipades. Seyle - This is the one who typically plays the annoying little brat who knows absolutely nothing of life. His entire life revolves around his computer and the plasma center he donates at. He is not going to be in a lot of these blogs, but he will be in enough to warrent this intro to his life. DD - She is a particular person I met at a particular random place. I love her, but I don't really know if I am actually in love with her. It's one of those strange, crazy love stories in which one only sees in a neo love story. Pops - he's my dad, of course, and I do life with him. Not still, again. It's a wierd situation, which will become clear in later posts. Brian - He's my brother, living with me as another roommate. His whole philosophy is like communism; it's good on paper, but it's crap in practice. Mike C. - He's yet another roommate in this house. He has a varied philosophy than Brian, but it's still pretty similar. Where Brian refuses to see the reality or the financial structure of this nation, Mike C. accepts it, and tries his damnedest to assimilate to a necessary degree. Britney - My niece and another occupant of this house. Bradley - My nephew and another occupant of this house. On a side note - Yes, it's a crowded house. New supported cast will be introduced at a later date. On that note, I have to do some random acts of stuff. I'll update this blog on Thursdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays. -[alpha]{BETA}[delta]