Excerpt

"Before boarding the plane on that bright, clear September morning the young man telephoned hi Fiancée to toll her, three times, that he loved her. She was not able to accompany him as she was studying in dentistry school in Germany. Only the night before, he had written her a love letter. It began, 'Hello my dear Aysel. My love, my life. My beloved lady, my heard. You are my life.... I love you and will always love you.' The letter ended by declaring, 'I am your prince and I will pick you up. See you again!! your man always.'

The couple had been separated for fourteen months while each attended school in different countries. he had gone to Germany five times to visit her during that time, and she had gone to visit him in the United States once. Six months earlier, he had traveled home to visit his father, who was having heart surgery. Before returning to school, he had spoken to Aysel, who had found him to have been deeply moved by his father's illness. He had said that he wanted to have children soon so that his father could see them before he died. His father had been generously supporting his studies, sending him $2,000 a month and making sure that his young fiancée was well supported. The family had been pleased that the handsome happy-go-lucky playboy was going to marry. In the elite private schools in which he had been educated, he had seemed, or so his family complained, more interested in girls than geometry. While not spectacularly wealthy, hi family was very comfortably off. They owned two homes, drove fashionable Mercedes, and enjoyed good whiskey. Their only son and middle child enjoyed spending their money. When visiting his fiancée, the young couple would take a trip to Paris to eat, drink, and take in the sights, and when she came to visit him they took a trip to the Florida Keys. Rather than staying with those he know, he was quick to make friends with classmates at his new school and took a fun trip with them to the Bahamas. He often stated in their apartment, cooking dinner for them in the evening and making everyone an early-morning cup of tea. 'He was a friend to all of us' said the head of his school.

Unlike the other passengers who said good-bye to their family members that morning, however, the twenty-six-year-old Lebanese student, Ziad Jarrah, knew that he would not be seeing them again. He boarded United Airlines Flight 93 on the morning of September 11 with no intention of ever steeping off the plane. "

-- Louise Richardson, What Terrorists Want 139-140 (2007)

??? v. right

The left v. right framing of issues is a false dichotomy. First, the right is not really the right but the most extreme version of the right. Secondly, the left is not the left but the least extreme version of the left. So you end up with a conversation between extremists and the most moderate. The result is people believe there are only two sides to an issue and one side is this and the other side is that: therefore, they should compromise. Everyone should compromise right? The only problem is the characterization of the "left" is so far to the middle the any more "compromise" will actually lead to the actual mainstream right. Be highly suspicious of anything that labels itself either left or right because likely they are both right and no interest in being accurately represented except that of the rich and powerful. Reading papers where the so called left is so far to the right it makes me sick just bothers me. For instance patent issues; the right believes we need stronger protection; The left believes the protection we have now is adequate. At least one of these is false. First, the right either believes 1. the protection we have now is adequate or 2. we need stronger protection. While the left believes 1. any patent protection is unnecessarily restrictive, or 2. the system as it exists now is far above and beyond constitutional permissions, 3. the system as it exists now stifles innovation and leads to patent camping, and other unfair practices.

10 Wierd things I love

1. extremely bubbly shampoo
2. smiling at strangers
3. watching people do nice things for people they don't know
4. sunny days
5. salsa --normal
6. words like invidious or atavistic
7. sweet champagne
8. dark chocolate -- normal
9. heat
10. the smell of bleach
11. crushing things with my toes -- extra weird
12. atrocious cheesy fanfiction
13. BRIGHT shoes
(bakers dozen)

I keep having these really wierd

Dreams

Things you learn in Lawschool

1. what highlighter brands are the best

2. extreme post-it noting

3. how to drink alot

4. how to avoid your homework

5. to appreciate (a)(1)(a)(1)(i) as an organizational means

why my little sis is the coolest person ever

5 cool things
1. she's decisive
2. she works and goes to school with apparent ease
3. she shops impractically (like pudding cups and bananas)
4. she has cool hobbies (like bonsai and frog growing)
5. she's up for just about anything fun (like trying weird food)

5 ways I want to be like her
1. she doesn't get all riled up unnecessarily (unlike me)
2. she wears clothes that make her look sophisticated (I look more like a beach bum)
3. she doesn't mind her job (I have trouble keeping mine)
4. she works and goes to school with apparent ease (why have I been freaking out so much)
5. she saves 90 times better than me (where did it all go?)

Finals Predictions

My predictions for the remaining games are

Uruguay

Brazil

Germany

Spain

Brazil

Germany

Brazil -- ya I know.. again. :(

and Spain @3rd

Through to the round of 16.

Through to the next round prediction:

Uruguay and Mexico

Argentina and Korea

US and England

Germany and Ghana

Netherlands and Cameroon

Italy and Paraguay

Brazil and Ivory Coast

Switzerland and Chile

Why is everyone being so much of a wimp?

Vuvuzela - they are noise makers. Get OVER IT! With the whining you hear from the fans, the spectators, the innocent bystanders you'd think these were foghorns. These are little plastic horns that fade into the background to sound like angry hornets. As if yelling, screaming, and chanting is so much better. I like them. I think they are fun. We went to South Africa, In South Africa they bring vuvuzelas to the games and they use them. Stop being so damn stuffy.

To all of the bloggers who are using vuvuzelas as the reason why soccer isn't popular. It proves you have no idea what you are talking about. Vuvuzelas have been used in 2010 World Cup. You didn't see them in the League of Eruopean Champions, MLS, ect. So good try, but no. Lets all enjoy the soccer, enjoy the fans, and enjoy the host nations idiosyncrasies.

M space

There is something very important that needs to be explained to everyone. When computers were first invented it was important to put to spaces after a period because each space was the width of an n the same as the width between two words and the width between the individual letters were also identical. Two of these n spaces were just slightly larger than an m space. An m space is what was traditionally used after an period. As computer became smarter and specific kerning* was programmed into every typeface the use of the n space after the periods was eliminated and now the computer automatically place an m space after each period. So the space after a period is automatically longer than when the computers were invented the practice of putting two spaces after each period is still adhered to without acknowledging the fact that it is and has been unnecessary for 20 years. So stop it.
*the amount of space between letters

Musing about chess.

where the king moves determines the next set of moves.

if he moves to D7 you have problems.

for instance you move to Q C1-horse takes pawn, K to d1 horse takes rook then Q takes Q. then K takes Q.

however if

if Blck K moves to F7 -- you move to C3
he B to D8 then you Q to Blck Knight.

Worse case.
If you move R to c1 then he K to c2 then you R to C2 and he Q to c2
If he moves K to D8 I take Bishop for check he moves pawn I take horse.

Wondering where to go

from here. I have many thing to do. First I need to decide exactly what I'm doing, where I need to go. Somewhere away from here?

Addicted to Island(98.5)

Number 1 reason not to go to an island. You have a sudden epiphany and nothing can ever go back to the way it was, dissatisfied with life all you want is one more day on the beach.