:: Archipelapogo ::

:: 31.3.02 ::

Apologies to Kruggel and Ryan, but I just have to say it once, then I won't bring it back up.... Rock, CHOKE, Jayhawk.
:: Scott [+] ::
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Burger King is introducing a veggie-burger, which, to my knowledge, is the first time a major fast-food company has done such a thing. I think it's pretty cool, but i don't eat at BK, so i probably won't try one anytime soon. I always figured this trend was coming, especially after veggie-heads found out that McDonald's fries weren't veggie-safe (fried in a meat byproduct). That kind of forced fast food chains to face the fact that vegetarians weren't just a really small segment of society and that they do eat out (Denise even met someone in college that would go ask for Big Macs without the meat). Assuming that BK realizes some interest in this new product, this could will be an emerging trend. My recommendation for all those interested in meat free products that taste good? Try MorningStar Farms meat-free corn dogs. They're really good, low in fat and all that, and can be found in almost every grocer's freezer section. I've tried some other stuff by MS Farms that wasn't all that great, but the corn dogs rock. I'm not a vegetarian, but i limit my
:: Scott [+] ::
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I was going to go to the ...and you will know us by the trail of dead show tomorrow night, but i decided to save the money. It wasn't much ($7) but i probably would have bought a cd or something else too, and I just flat out can't afford it right now. Kruggel saw 'em last week in Chicago. For those of you that don't know them, keep an eye on MTV2 b/c they're going to be in real heavy rotation on that channel pretty soon
:: Scott [+] ::
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I'm going home this weekend for Easter, and my dad's actually singing in the choir, which is going to be very odd to see. But, I'm looking forward to it.
:: Scott [+] ::
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Sorry for the absence, folks, but life is kind of like that sometimes.

I was kind of disappointed in the lack of a turn out on Sean's request for a CD exchange between the people that read his log, mine, and Ryan's. Maybe some of you didn't see it or take notice, but I think it's a great idea. Anyone besides Sean, Ryan, Cody and I want to join? I'd even be willing to make multiple copies of the same mix to trade with various people. Anyone else want in? Sign up now.
:: Scott [+] ::
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Just wanted to pop in and say Happy Birthday Denise! Send here love here. She's all of 22 now.
:: Scott [+] ::
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I finished reading "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez a couple of nights ago. Wow. It's a very good book. Many who have read it didn't like the fact that there is no real relevant "plot line" per se. I found that to be one of the most endearing qualities of the book. It takes place in a fictional town called Macondo, which i hear is the setting for all of Marquez's stories. It follows Jose Arcadia Buendia and his wife Ursula from the founding of the town to the demise of the town, apporximately one hundred years later. They settle, reproduce, and the Buendia family ends up going through five generations before the story is done. One of the major qualities of the book is the development and personality of each character. You get to know all of them fairly well, and a few extremely well. (see Aureliano Buendia on the list of the 100 greatest 20th cent characters below). The title is taken from the fact that each member of the family suffers their own solitude through isolation and, often, possible mental disorders. Definitely one of the major themes of the book. This is the first piece I've read by Marquez, so I wasn't used to his style of "fantasy-imagery" and the use of supernatural forces, but they didn't bother me one bit, and added an element of fun to the book.

The back cover of my copy has a quote by William Kennedy of the NYT Book Review saying, "...(it) is the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race." I don't know if I'd go that far, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys reading, but the book is just extremely well written. One of the smoothest books I've ever read, yet rich in symbolism and meaning. The translation is done very well, but I'd like to get my Spanish to where it's good enough to be able to read this or other Marquez books in their original form. Anyone else read it? Thoughts? (what am i reading now? see to the left)
:: Scott [+] ::
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Duke lost!!! (like sean's 'anyone but the yankees statement last november, i'm saying anyone but the blue devils). Plus, OU wins, which (with the duke loss) gives them a great chance at the title, and mizzou wins too! (too bad i didn't pick them to do anything!) good day for the big XII, no?
:: Scott [+] ::
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Aaagh! I've been Googlewhacked! (found via my referrals on sitemeter)
:: Scott [+] ::
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Don't want to get my hopes up, but this could be a big step on a long, long staircase.
:: Scott [+] ::
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(no more Gatsby-bashing, shawn)....NPR has posted a list of the 100 greatest fictional characters of the 20th century. Aureliano Buendia (from one hundred years of solitude, the book i'm currently reading) is at #15. Oskar Matzerath, from the Tin Drum, book i just read, landed number 30. I still put Holden over Jay Gatsby, but they didn't ask me. What do you think? (and yes, sean, notice the blatant omissions of anyone from LotR)
:: Scott [+] ::
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Okay, to celebrate the anniversary/birthday, or whatever, I gave the pogo some cosmetic surgery? Like the new colors? let me know. Don't like 'em? you can complain but i don't think it'll do much good. Thanks to webmonkey for the color chart.
:: Scott [+] ::
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Happy Birthday Archipelapogo! One year ago today i made my first post. It's gone by quickly. I should celebrate....but how? I dunno. Wanna see something creepy, though? My first 'real' post (sorry, i still don't have permalinks, you'll have to dig through the archives to the left.) was about those two baseball players at baylor that tortured, skinned, and decapitated a cat. The trial for the first one started yesterday. I just saw it on baylor's website. Karmatic, no?
:: Scott [+] ::
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Alright. Deliciously rainy night, not too cold, miles davis on the stereo....let's do it!

Matthew Rothschild, editor of the Progressive, wrote a very interesting piece that I stumbled on today about how the Bush administration (rumsfelf, cheney, ashcroft, etc.) is tossing around the idea of using nuclear weapons way too lightly. For those untrusting of the progressive, here's an article from the Boston Globe that confirms many of the facts. It had been a long time since anything about nukes had been seriously discussed by anyone other than right wing militia groups. Yet, it'd very, very scary. The day that anyone (be it the US or not) drops another nuke, it definitely may be the beginning of the end. So, why is our government so adamant about continuing research and making threats? Let's see.

In this article from the NY Times (sorry, registration req'd, but it's free), the author speculates that "...ambiguity is everything in nuclear deterrence. Taken together, Mr. Bush's language, his advisers' statements and the Nuclear Posture Review suggest that Mr. Bush sees some advantage in keeping the world guessing about how the United States would respond to evidence that a country or a terrorist group was hiding weapons of mass destruction deep underground. So the administration reached for phrases that left some strategic wiggle room, to sow reassurance at home and doubt in Iran, Iraq and North Korea."

To further muck up the implications, in a press conference last week that I heard on NPR, the first question(s) asked, and responses given went like this..
"Q The Pentagon is calling for the development of low-yield nuclear weapons that could be used against China, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Russia, and Syria. Can you explain why the United States is considering this new policy, and how it might figure into the war on terrorism?

THE PRESIDENT: I presume you're referring to the nuclear review that was recently in the press. Well, first of all, the nuclear review is not new. It's gone on for previous administrations. Secondly, the reason we have a nuclear arsenal that I hope is modern, upgraded, and can work, is to deter any attack on America. The reason one has a nuclear arsenal is to serve as a deterrence.

Secondly, ours is an administration that's committed to reducing the amount of warheads, and we're in consultations now with the Russians on such a -- on this matter. We've both agreed to reduce our warheads down to 1,700 to 2,200. I talked with Sergey Ivanov yesterday, the Minister of Defense from Russia, on this very subject.

I think one of the interesting points that we need to develop and fully explore is how best to verify what's taking place, to make sure that there's confidence in both countries. But I'm committed to reducing the amount of nuclear weaponry and reducing the number of nuclear warheads. I think it's the right policy for America, and I know we can continue to do so and still keep a deterrence.

Q Why a policy, though, that might go after a country like Libya or Syria?

THE PRESIDENT: First of all, we've got all options on the table, because we want to make it very clear to nations that you will not threaten the United States or use weapons of mass destruction against us, or our allies or friends." (find the whole transcript here)

We'll get back to that quote about russia in a second. In the meantime, let's discuss some implications. This could go anywhere from threats to fallout. So far, there are five major nations listed as "potential targets". Those being Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Libya. The "Axis of Evil" if you will. Most are on the list for "harboring terrorists". At least Iraq and N. Korea have governments that we consider potential threats. Yet, as the Progressive article stated, China and Russia are on the minds of the powers that be. Why? I thought Russia was our friend now. And, China is still under "most favored ass to kiss" in spite of all that's wrong with that country. And, as is also pointed out, none of the first five have (confirmed) nuclear weapons. Under the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, the U.S. agreed not to use nukes against such countries. And, what could be scarier, we could have a new nuclear arms race, complete with a fall-out shelter in every backyard. Yippee.

There has already been people calling out against this, and an outcry by activists held in San Francisco. What can we do about it? Educate, ask for this nonsense to end before it gets started, and encourage out lawmakers to have a different mindset when it comes to battling the "war on terrorism". I don't think any rational person would say that they want this to happen. Unfortunately, there's many out there, who have louder voices, more money, and more influence, that see it as an inevitability. Sorry. There are other ways. Find them. Do them. Let's all reap the benefits of it.

More on the cost of nuclear weapons? Check out 50 Facts about U.S. Nuclear Weapons. Scary. Sad. Pitiful.

Oh, yeah. Remember the quote from the press conference about cutting down Nuclear weapons? This one: "ours is an administration that's committed to reducing the amount of warheads, and we're in consultations now with the Russians on such a -- on this matter. We've both agreed to reduce our warheads down to 1,700 to 2,200. I talked with Sergey Ivanov yesterday, the Minister of Defense from Russia, on this very subject"??? Well, chew on this...Russia May Soften on U.S. Weapons. Creepy, eh?


:: Scott [+] ::
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Okay, sorry for not posting for a few days. I'm still jobless, for those concerned. I've been applying both to "career" jobs, and something in the meantime to that i can make my rent next month. Not going well so far, but i'm not surprised, or too frustrated, b/c i've only been here a little over a week. I'm loving my apt. I really like apt. life. I missed it.

Ryan's back from his trip to Utah with trav, and doing some posts on his newly ressurected 'the goods'. Check it out if you get the chance.

I trust you all had a good St. Patty's weekend. Denise and I went to the parade on Greenville, which is like a quarter mile from here. It wasn't too bad. Other than high-school homecoming, i'd never been to a parade before. There were sort of floats, but most everything was an advertisement for a local business or a beer company. But there were lots of beads, candy, coupons, etc. thrown out. Many people with beer coolers and even jello shots on the sidewalk (apparantly they waive open-container laws for the parade). It's crazy seeing people drunk at 11 in the morning. After the parade, we walked down to lower Greenville to the block party they had there. They sectioned off about 3 blocks, and charged $3 to get in, but it was pretty cool. Lots of food, more drunk people, etc. All the bars and restaurants were packed already by the time we got there, but they all had tents set up in front so you could get beer or food or whatever. More stuff being thrown around. Lots of really cool dogs, which was neat. Lots of people wearing green, painted green, dyed green. You get the pic. Denise and I sat down on a curb for a while (hey, there was nowhere else to sit) and I looked up and in spite of all the green, i saw a sea of blue jeans. It was really crazy. It would have totally made a cool picture. Anyways, that was our st. patty's fun. It's nice to live walking distance from stuff like that.
:: Scott [+] ::
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This is by far the coolest site i've seen in a long, long time. Play police artist sketch! Do a self portrait, and then, in the comments tell us what you saved it as so we can all see. Mine is saved under "Ufez Jones". Do it quickly before i'm forced to do horrible rendentions of you all! (via MeFi)
:: Scott [+] ::
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Wow. Wowee wow wow. What a crazy weekend. Anyways, little status report. I'm in Dallas now, got most everything taken care of for my apt., which turned out pretty nice thanks to my parents. My phone is being hooked up in the next two hours, and i should have an isp by later today or tomorrow (i'm at the library right now). I'm sure I'll be sending out one of those annoying "here's my new address and phone number" e-mails to all of you concerned. Time to go find a jobby job!

(p.s. thanks sean for fixing the 'pogo, if you did. If not, then i guess it just fixed itself. Maybe nothing was wrong with it except for on my dad's comp. I dunno. Did anyone else see a huge glitch on here?)
:: Scott [+] ::
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Okay, sorry, but one more post before i go to bed. photos were released today from a pentagon website that sort of shows the plane hitting the said builiding on 9/11. Disucuss accordingly. MeFi discussion here.
:: Scott [+] ::
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And, i'm taking off in about 8 hours for dallas to move into my place. This is my last official post from tulsa as a resident. I love tulsa. I've become increasingly sentimental about it all. Much more than I was when i left for college. Please, wish me luck. I have no job, yet. I need one, desperately. Blah. I'm sad, yet excited. Give me good karma, damn you!!!!!!!!!!!!
:: Scott [+] ::
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Okay. Ryan was a special guest blogger for a while when i was in dallas. But, i've done quite a bit of work on his blog, and he may get back into it soon. Not real soon, b/c he's going to Utah on saturday, but after that, if we all put pressure on him, he may do some good. So, I'm linking to him and hoping he'll get back into the blog action. Please, Ryan, do it!!!!!!!!! For everyone else, check him out, He has comments enabled. We can force him to do something worthwhile, no? Yet, not everything is perfect on it yet, those damn question marks. Sean, please, i know you fixed them in the past, and i can't do it now, so please fix them again. E-mail me for vital info.
:: Scott [+] ::
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Hot damn! I graduated a year too early. Barbara Bush is going to speak at Baylor.
:: Scott [+] ::
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Because it probably won't be discussed elsewhere, and this is pretty big. "We're a free-trading nation" says Bushie on the same day that he signed into law a major tarriff on Steel imports. What a good way to piss off the allies, with the article citing Japan and the EU being some of the most hurt areas. Some countries are exempted from the tarriff, such as Canada, Mexico, Israel, and Jordan, who we have free trade agreements with.

Some quotes for those of you too lazy to read the whole article...

Bush.." who acted under powerful political pressure from steel-state lawmakers, defended the three-year ``safeguard'' action as legal under WTO rules and vital to restoring balance to the world steel market. He said the market had been badly distorted by 50 years of foreign government intervention and subsidies.
Duh. Pressure from steel-state lawmakers? Not a big surprise to anyone. Yet, doesn't the justification cited seem a little suspicious? Kind of an "everyone else is doing it, so why can't I?

Bush aides said it was hard to say whether the curbs actually would cut U.S. steel imports, which totaled 27.35 million metric tons in 2001, since the U.S. economy is recovering from a slump and demand for steel could rise. Okay, so a higher demand for steel would lead to a higher price, and since the tarriff is a percentage of the price of the steel, more demand equals more money for the government. Let us not forget that any revenue raised by tarriffs goes to the government, not the industry that the tarriff takes place in. The only benefit that the US steel industry will get is the rising cost of production for their foreign competitors. So, could this be a way for W to try to balance his budget and not have to go into massive debts funding a war that most people have forgotten about? Hmmm....

Reports of the looming decision fanned global outrage to a fever pitch even before the official announcement came out of the White House, a vocal proponent of freer trade. Along with the EU, Russia, Japan, South Korea and Brazil all vowed to fight back if Washington set up the levies. You can guess what this kind of thinking, by all parties, may result in.

In a time where free-trade opponents are maced, pepper sprayed, jailed, and ignored by the media and public at large, why, all of the sudden, is "across the board free trade" no longer the best thing for our economy and for democracy as a whole? Once again, hmmmmm......

Discuss!


:: Scott [+] ::
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Alright. I'm back in town. Back to the pogo. (quick point of interest for anyone who cares....I'm moving to dallas friday/saturday. I found an apt. for a decent price {even though it's more than my sister and her husband pay for their two bedroom condo in Fort Walton Beach, Florida} and hope to have some kind of job by next week). Now, since that dirty laundry is out, what else?

Thanks to ryan for adding his fill while i was gone (not that he was just here as a substitute). I appreciate it, though. So, in return of the favor, i gave him comments on his blog. Hopefully, since he's gone back to getting used to posting, and since he's got comments, he'll get the goods back up and running. I know he's got a big paper to write this week, and he's leaving town for Utah on Saturday, but hopefully after that, he'll get on the ball, and we'll all support him, right?

(Sean, if you're interested, and i hope you are, b/c i miss the comments on your blog, the link to the site is here....it really is a good alternative to blogback, and it is free).
:: Scott [+] ::
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Classic Oklahoma weather strikes again! We went from rather clear, pleasant temperatures last week here in Tulsa to this morning when I woke up to 5-6 inches of snow and 18 degrees with a wind chill of 3. To top it off, they're calling for temperatures near 60 starting on Monday. I've lived in Oklahoma my entire life, but this kind of thing still makes me laugh. It's crazy stuff I tell ya!
:: Ryan Myers [+] ::
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For those of you that live in Tulsa or visit here occasionally, I definitely recommend checking out Kilkenny's Irish Pub & Eatery. It's a brand new traditional Irish joint down on Cherry Street, and I was thoroughly impressed by how extremely cool it was inside and out, not to mention the fact that several of the bartenders are Irish, which adds to the whole traditional feel. We didn't eat anything there, but the menu looked amazing, although it was a little pricey, as were the drinks. All in all, I can easily say that it's a place I'd like to swing by every now and then, but due to my lack of wealth, it won't turn into one of my new favorite local spots. Do yourself a favor, and go check it out!
:: Ryan Myers [+] ::
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