This is Really DJ

Fox News Does It Again!

2009-09-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

A great interview with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

Legends Never Die

2009-08-15T15:20:00.002-05:00

Here's one from the archives! This is the recording of a live show from my old band 'My Business Failed in 3 Weeks.' This was at our CD release party in which we played all the tracks plus a few new ones for our friends and fans that came out.

This is also a test of the Mixtape.Me website and how well it works with embedding into webpages. Luckily I have a crappy blog to do this kind of thing on!

Enjoy!

Sound of Silence

2009-08-10T18:00:00.002-05:00

Hello darkness, my old friend,
Ive come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
neath the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of
A neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one deared
Disturb the sound of silence.

Fools said i, you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you,
Take my arms that I might reach you.
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence.

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon God they made.
And the sign flashed out its warning,
In the words that it was forming.
And the signs said, the words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls.
And whisperd in the sounds of silence.

Nationalization and Entitlement

2009-07-21T03:15:00.002-05:00

There's a growing debate around these parts about nationalizing health care and I hear both sides. Some people would like it, some people don't. If you've talked to me, you probably know that I don't want to pay for someone elses doctor bills. Somebody in New Jersey that wants to eat fast food everyday for lunch, smoke 2 packs a day, down a 6 pack of PBR and wind down after work with a bag of potato chips can pay for his own health care. I choose not to partake in so many unhealthy habits in order to avoid a slippery slope of problems in the future.

I found an interesting article from Britain concerning the health care system there which is very nationalized:

Gary Reinbach started drinking alcohol with friends when he was 13. Now 22, his is one of the worst cases of cirrhosis of the liver among young people that his doctors have seen.

His mother has chosen to speak out in an attempt to reverse the verdict that he is not entitled to a liver transplant, which would give him a 75% chance of survival. Without one his chance is about 30%, according to his doctors.

READ MORE...

You see that word in there, "entitled"? If he worked and saved his money, he could fly to the U.S.A. and pay for his own liver transplant. He made the decision to drink himself into this situation. And if the people of the U.K. pay for his transplant, whose to say he won't start drinking again and ruin his new liver just to start this whole mess again.

I Love You Beth Cooper

2009-07-07T02:41:00.002-05:00

Left to Right: Paul Rust, DJ Ruden (me!) and Chris Columbus.

First off, I realize that blogger compressed the image and made it look bad so I encourage any readers to click on it and it'll take you to my flickr page where you can see it with better resolution.

Secondly, I would like to thank my friend Paul for inviting me out to the set of 'I Love You Beth Cooper' last summer and getting to meet all his costars and director and many of the people involved in making the movie. They were all great!

Thirdly, the movie comes out on friday!

Equality in Iowa

2009-04-03T22:36:00.002-05:00

Good news! Finally Iowa came around to the reality that gays and lesbians live here and decided to give them equal rights. From the Des Moines Register:

The Iowa Supreme Court this morning upheld a Polk County judge’s 2007 ruling that marriage should not be limited to one man and one woman.

READ MORE...

This means that I can now end my marriage strike I started on July 8th, 2006.

What's the point of being married now that everyone is doing it? Seems kind of lame to me :P... It is nice being a progressive state tho. Maybe now our politicians can work on important things instead of this obvious stuff. How about some lower taxes? That'll be the day!

Colonialism, Russell, Means

2009-03-16T10:46:00.001-05:00

How many stimulus bills can we take?

2009-03-04T06:42:00.001-06:00

"Owners of capital will stimulate the working class to buy more and more of expensive goods, houses and technology, pushing them to take more and more expensive credits, until their debt becomes unbearable.

The unpaid debt will lead to bankruptcy of banks, which will have to be nationalized, and the State will have to take the road which will eventually lead to communism."

Karl Marx, Das Kapital, 1867

DK 300k club

2009-02-09T02:29:00.002-06:00

There was a time when I couldn't really crack the 200k range in Donkey Kong. It was an interesting problem because at that point the game doesn't get any harder. Donkey Kong reaches a point in difficulty where the game just continues to repeat until you reach level 22 and it runs out of memory and ends the game.

That is why I know my high score of 378,600 will not last. It is merely the first step in what will be many more very high scoring games.

I was already able to get another 300k+ game the other night. There's no longer any certain point I fear getting to. There is no particular spot or enemy that causes me the most trouble. My deaths usually come when I lose concentration for a moment or knowingly make a bad decision hoping the best will come of it.

So my buddy Arron was over and while I was dealing with laundry he took a stab at a few quick games of DK. Having just witnessed some atrocious gameplay he asked if I wanted to try. So I did try. I REALLY tried. Normally if people are over and I play a game of DK, I don't put all my effort into because the game will last at least 30 mins and I don't figure anybody wants to watching me play DK that long.

Sideshow

2009-02-03T00:05:00.003-06:00

by Alice Cooper

I ain't got no fun today
It's just like yesterday, oh yeah
Only different shades of grey
I'm bored right out of my skull
I'd have to get high just to be dull
I'm institutional
My TV screen spins around and around
And around and around

I need a sideshow
Some kinda creepshow
They ran the circus out of town
But the ring master said:

"Boy, you can stick around"

I pay to see all the freaks
Some finger licking chicken-eating geek
Hey, that sounds cool to me
I just want to step inside
I want a scary ride, oh yeah
See Jeckyll turn to Hyde
I fell my head spinning round and around
and around and around

I need a sideshow, oh yeah
Some kinda creepshow, oh yeah
I just want someplace to go, oh yeah
I tried to be the circus clown
But even my monkey wouldn't hang around
And the hunchback midget and his twisted friends
Offer me a world of thrills that never end

I need a sideshow

"No plans" for a SNES metroid game

2009-02-02T00:22:00.002-06:00

I don't really recall the day I received the following letter from nintendo, but it would have been about 2 weeks after the death of my grandmother. I bring this up because it is mentioned in the letter. Nor do I recall everything I wrote about to Nintendo. One thing is clear, I was reaching out for a friend and for good news in the face of a great tragedy and Nintendo responded.

First off, I DO remember trying to spruce up my envelope with artwork so that Nintendo would notice and it was not good at all. And my grandma past away on March 3, but how was Nintendo to know before wishing her well? Oh well, it's a nice sentiment. Cancer is a bitch.

What really stands out is where they say there is no plans for Metroid on their new system the Super Nintendo Entertainment System... The fact of the matter is, it was almost exactly a year later that they would release that exact game to some very high acclaim:

Review scores
Electronic Gaming Monthly May 1994: 9 of 10
Nintendo Power May 1994: 4.425
Game Players May 1994: 97%
Super Play June 1994: 92%

I guess it's also pretty telling of myself that I wrote to Nintendo about comics as I'm still an avid reader today. Besides reading the ones in Nintendo Power magazine, at the time I would have been reading a lot of Spider-man (MAXIMUM CARNAGE! was awesome), the Death of Superman, and even getting my first dose of Neil Gaiman with his comic, the Last Temptation.

new age blogging

2009-01-30T13:24:00.002-06:00

Dear blog,

I know I've been gone quite awhile and I hope you missed me. I promise I'll be back soon (maybe sooner than you think!) with new posts. I've actually had a lot of posts in mind that I just haven't had the motivation to sit down and write (and code out all the picture links and that stuff). And I'm not talking more political stuff, even tho I would love to tear apart Obama right out of the gate, we'll just leave him alone for now. Seriously tho, do we really need another crook for secretary of treasury? Here's a guy that cheated on his taxes and now he gets his sig on every bill printed? Yeah- stupid.

I'm not here for that now tho, I came to tell you that I've started twittering. It's like blogging but faster and easier. You might find it pointless, but in my quest to leave my mark on the internet so that years after I'm dead on gone, my name and life will live on, there will be records stored of all the things I did (and didn't do).

Follow me on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/djruden/. It's more fun if you start your own account, otherwise it's like stalking and kind of creepy ^_^. Anyway, I'll see you on the other side.

DJ

This moment.

2008-11-03T03:03:00.002-06:00

I am here. Again. Right now. I am prepared for anything. I will rise to the challenge. I have worked my entire life to get here. Right here. Right now.

Nothing and no one can take this moment from me. Not today. Not tomorrow.

Where are you? What are you doing?

Are you ready?

hEro toDAy goNe toMorRoW

2008-07-21T06:08:00.003-05:00

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The Dark Knight

2008-07-16T06:05:00.002-05:00

Minesweeper FTW!

2008-07-13T20:59:00.004-05:00

The above image is a minesweeper board set to max size and with 202 bombs. I played this game and swept all the mines (by storm!). I have never seen anyone else accomplish this feet. You may think the time sucks, but I don't play for time anymore, it's too easy. I just casually play always. It's one of those games I see playing in my head when I close my eyes.

This was actually done way back in January '08 but I didn't have the image online and I didn't think anyone would believe my claims. If you've kept up with my blog in the last 4 years you would know I talk about it on occasion.

Who cares about what happened 7 months ago tho right? Just this weekend I cracked the 200k mark in Donkey Kong. Click the Donkey Kong High Score link on the right for an awesome cell phone camera shot taken as proof.

Tomorrow, the world.

St. Jude Peoria Run

2008-07-07T00:40:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends,
I have recently registered to run in the St. Jude Peoria Run with the team HAWKS4HOPE. We are actually the only team from Iowa participating, and of course representing all the Iowa Hawkeye faculty, students and fans across Iowa.

The run is a 32-hour, 160-mile journey, from Downers Grove, Illinois, to Peoria, Illinois, and is split into three- to six-mile legs. During each leg, one team member must be running, while others follow in a support vehicle. The event culminates with runners converging on Children’s Hospital of Illinois for a presentation of the funds they have raised from the generous support of family, friends, and colleagues.

This is where you come in. Now some might have heard of this already but I'm finding it difficult to ask people to donate. I have never been one to ask for money, but I need to raise $1,000 dollars before the run which is only a few weeks away!

Please visit: www.stjudepeoriaruns.org/users/djruden and make a donation. It would help me out so much!

Thanks everyone for your friendship and support! You can read more about St. Judes hospital here.
DJ Ruden

Live To Win

2008-06-19T12:36:00.001-05:00

Frustrated, degraded, down before you're done
Rejection, depression, can't get what you want
You ask me how I make my way
You ask me everywhere and why
You hang on every word I say
But the truth sounds like a lie

Live to win, 'till you die, 'till the light dies in your eyes
Live to win, take it all, just keep fighting till you fall

Obsessive, compulsive, suffocate your mind
Confusion, delusions, kill your dreams in time
You ask me how I took the pain
Crawled up from my lowest low
Step by step and day by day
'Till there's one last breath to go

Live to win, 'till you die, 'till the light dies in your eyes
Live to win, take it all, just keep fighting till you fall

Day by day, kickin' all the way, I'm not cavin' in
Let another round begin,
Live to win

Llive to win, 'till you die, 'till the light dies in your eyes
Live to win, take it all, just keep fighting 'till you fall

Day by day, kickin' all the way, I'm not cavin' in
Let another round begin,
Live to win

A brief moment in history.

2008-06-17T20:04:00.005-05:00

For those not in the know, and I realize that's most of the poeple in the world. I currently have the verified world record for Ikari Warriors on the NES.
I know it won't last. As I got the record I was already in communications with a player whom I knew could beat it. I found a thread on a video game website of the player named vgmrsepitome stating he wanted to beat the game. I would have thought that impossible. But he has recently made the claim that it's been done.

This basically obliterates my score as I only near the end of level 1.

I'll keep working at it tho. My goal is beating level 1 first. It should be noted that this acheivement took him over a year and half of playing. And based on the rough timeline I can make out of his progress, I'm pretty on pace with where he would have been.

I'm also working on getting my Donkey Kong score up to a respectable 100,000. I haven't been playing long but today it reached 82,500. I don't think I could ever break a million tho. Oh well.

Another day.

Return of the Antimonitor

2008-05-28T05:39:00.004-05:00

You probably didn't read the New York Times on April 20th to see this story I'm about to reference. I didn't read it then either, but I did go see Carlos Santana that day which was pretty cool. I recently found it though as the Pentagon’s inspector general office announced an internal probe into the military’s ILLEGAL domestic propaganda program.

The move comes one day after the House approved a measure ordering investigations by both the inspector general and the congressional investigative body, the Government Accountability Office.

So NYT found out that the government has been using a bunch of retired military generals like puppets to go on news shows and talk about how good the Iraq war is to mislead everyone.

From the article:

In turn, members of this group have echoed administration talking points, sometimes even when they suspected the information was false or inflated. Some analysts acknowledge they suppressed doubts because they feared jeopardizing their access.

A few expressed regret for participating in what they regarded as an effort to dupe the American public with propaganda dressed as independent military analysis.

“It was them saying, ‘We need to stick our hands up your back and move your mouth for you,’ ” Robert S. Bevelacqua, a retired Green Beret and former Fox News analyst, said.

READ MORE...

You won't see any of the mainstream media covering this tho. Surprise surprise. They are probably receiving checks from the government to put these people on the air so they keep quiet and happy.

Maybe if I had received my stimulus check by now I wouldn't have mentioned it either.

The real story...

2008-05-26T02:22:00.001-05:00

So close... Challenge of the Warlords

2008-05-21T04:07:00.002-05:00

I am so close to finally finishing Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. This is a game available on many systems, but I have the Nintendo DS version. I've greatly enjoyed the game which is essentially a 2-player Bejeweled that has a long storyline you play thru which makes you continuously play against more advanced computer players.

This description is probably the worst you will find for this game and does not do the game justice at all. You should read a real review from a real site for a better explanation.

Anyway, I BELIEVE I'm close to the finish. Although, there was a time I thought I was at the last guy for the longest time and when I finally beat him it turned out not to be the last guy so I could be wrong...again. Anyway. It was an awesome game.

Inside Magic #2: Predict A Card

2008-05-14T08:02:00.002-05:00

I don't know what it's called but I get a sort of "writers block" sometimes on my blog but I don't want to not post for a long time because then I just lose all my readers (i.e. you). You'd quit checking this page if nothing new was ever posted. So I know it sucks when all I do is post videos and quotes and stuff because that's nothing new or original. You can see that anywhere.

Not today!

This is a completely original blog post completely written by me. The video isn't me tho, that's Paul. Paul hasn't played mario kart wii. I have tho. I posted about it already tho. That was kind of a boring post too tho because it was just informational. Kind of like a commercial almost. That sux. I don't like commercials so I'll try to stop putting them in my blog and post original stuff.

Am I free to go?

2008-05-11T08:16:00.003-05:00

"Who will govern the governors? There is only one force in the nation that can be depended upon to keep the government pure and the governors honest, and that is the people themselves. They alone, if well informed, are capable of preventing the corruption of power, and of restoring the nation to its rightful course if it should go astray. They alone are the safest depository of the ultimate powers of government"
- Thomas Jefferson

I Drink Alone

2008-05-06T05:00:00.003-05:00

George Thorogood And The Destroyers

I drink alone, yeah,
with nobody else
I drink alone, yeah,
with nobody else
You know when I drink alone,
I prefer to be by myself

Every morning just before breakfast,
I don't want no coffee or tea
Just me and my good buddy Wiser,
that's all I ever need
'Cause I drink alone, yeah,
with nobody else
Yeah, you know when I drink alone,
I prefer to be by myself

The other night I laid sleeping,
and I woke from a terrible dream
So I called up my pal Jack Daniel's,
and his partner Jimmy Beam
And we drank alone, yeah,
with nobody else
Yeah, you know when I drink alone,
I prefer to be by myself

The other day I got invited to a party,
but I stayed home instead
Just me and my pal Johnny Walker,
and his brothers Blackie and Red
And we drank alone, yeah,
with nobody else
Yeah, you know when I drink alone,
I prefer to be by myself

My whole family done give up on me,
and it makes me feel oh so bad
The only one who will hang out with me,
is my dear old granddad
And we drink alone, yeah,
with nobody else
Yeah, you know when I drink alone,
I prefer to be by myself

Mario Kart Wii!

2008-04-29T02:33:00.004-05:00

I challenge you all to a race. Meet me in the mushroom kingdom.

My Mario Kart Wii friend code is:
3265-5489-6096

May the best man win!

repeat after me: I am free

2008-04-28T20:23:00.003-05:00

Go to work. Send your kids to school.
Follow fashion. Act normal.
Walk on the pavement. Watch T.V.
Save for your old age. Obey the law.
Repeate after me: I am free

Resist much.
Obey little.
Do as you wish.

RAW is WAR

2008-04-23T07:44:00.002-05:00

Las monday on Monday Night Raw, WWE ran messages from our 3 presidential hopefuls. It wasn't long ago that Bill Clinton was breaking boundaries by going on MTV for an interview and now the candidates will do just about anything.

Just like wrestling, our elections are fixed

And nobody wins when it's over...

Stranger in a strange land

2008-04-22T15:51:00.004-05:00

Yeah, I know. Too many videos lately. I think what's happening tho is that I've been reading too much lately. Is that possible? I dunno. But I've been reading a lot and somehow that has taken away from my writing. Rest assured tho that when I take a break from reading, my writing will come back and be better than ever.

I found another great video on the internet. This one shows how bad the mainstream media is:

Makes me wonder if the lack of Ron Paul coverage was good or bad for him. Ron Paul for a short period was accused of being a white supremacist much like Obama is getting attacked for his association with Reverend Wright and his few comments about black power.

I think it's all pretty ridiculous. I'm sure you could take 2 or 3 sound bites from about anyone in the world and make them seem like something they are not.

I'm not gonna take the time to hook you up with links or any of that jazz this time around but when I get back in a posting mood I'll have all sorts of great news to talk about.

Like how crappy our 2-party system is here in the USA. That's only 1 more choice than communist Cuba. And when both choices suck, what do you do? Look, somehow you got me going already. Hopefully a third party can get their candidate on all the ballots so we can have some choices.

Until then...

How long until the Iraq war spills into Iran?

2008-04-10T21:32:00.003-05:00

Ron Paul asks:
"Does the administration have the authority to bomb Iran without further congressional approval?"

The answer is scary...

5 Year Anniversary

2008-03-21T09:10:00.000-05:00

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, speaking before the launch of the Iraq war at a TownHall Meeting At Aviano Air Base in Italy, February 7, 2003. The Iraq war will last "six days, six weeks, I doubt six months."
SOURCE

Back to Iraq

2008-03-21T09:05:00.005-05:00

written by GWAR
on 'Carnival of Chaos' (1997)

We was part of the slaughter they called Desert Storm
We maimed and we murdered in the name of "Norm"
Now As civilian and purpose I lack
I'm getting ready to go back to Iraq!
You're over there, we're I'm over here
We had lasagna and plenty of beer
Learning the tools and the tricks of the trade
then I come home and I can't get laid
Back to Iraq!

I'M BACK!

You taught me how to kill
You pumped me full of drugs
How can you wonder
Why I became a thug?
Raining death on people
Firing into crowds
Over there I got a big bright medal
But here it's not allowed
I'm going
Back to Iraq!

I'M BACK!

Now I'm on the streets - I look like a slob
My skin is corroding - I can't get a job
I did my duty - I served my nation
Now I can't even afford medication
You dirty bastards, you made me this way.
But I'm locked and loaded - now you'll have to pay.
Back to Iraq and my life is a wreck
I wanna kill the President
But I'll settle for a check
Back to Iraq!

I'M BACK, YEAH!

The Faceslide

2008-03-16T20:49:00.000-05:00

djruden.com proudly presents:
THE FACESLIDE

Ouch...

Taxi to the Dark Side

2008-03-14T05:40:00.001-05:00

An in-depth look at the torture practices of the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, focusing on an innocent taxi driver in Afghanistan who was tortured and killed in 2002. Check it out while you can, who knows how long it'll be up!

FYI this won an Oscar for Best Documentary.

More importantly, if you ever wondered where the Administration got its source for the Iraq/Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda link follow the story of Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi... he's the one that stated the connection while under the hands of the CIA; hands of torture... [~01:02:00 -- several mins]

Also worthy of a view (and it's online for free).
PBS | Frontline | The Torture Question
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/torture/view/

Hillary did NOT win Texas

2008-03-11T22:32:00.004-05:00

With the official delegate count coming from Texas today, it seems like Obama came out on top. Why do I keep hearing about "Hillary's big wins in Ohio and Texas"? By winning more delegates, I would say Barrack Obama came out on top in Texas, wouldn't you? That's what all these votes are for right? So how did Hillary win?

Obama: 61 delegates from the popular vote + 38 delegates from caucuses = 99 delegates.

Clinton: 65 delegates from the popular vote + 30 delegates from Caucuses = 95 delegates.

LINK

Do I ask too many questions or do other people ask not-enough questions? Will we see another repeat of 2000 when Bush stole the election from Al Gore despite Al Gore winning? I have a feeling that's the way this is headed, except replace Bush with Hillary and Gore with Obama.

Democracy in Action

2008-03-04T01:17:00.003-06:00

I read an interesting blog post today which I will now provide to you, my dearest reader, to read in it's entirety:

I stopped at the intersection of Lovers Lane and Greenville this afternoon, and immediately noticed people standing on each corner (and on a couple of the medians) holding Hillary Clinton signs. Another thing immediately apparent, especially because of the race and gender issues in this presidential election, was that each person holding a sign was black.

I rolled down the window to ask one of the men what group the sign-holders belonged to, and he told me Southern Fried Marketing. I asked if they supported Hillary Clinton for president, and he replied: "Paid for."

It struck me as interesting, and I wondered why the Clinton campaign had chosen that intersection as opposed to others I had driven through (though I guess there could have been Hillary signs all over Dallas today). I don't know how long they were there because a couple of hours later when I drove through again, construction crews were tearing up the left turn lanes from Greenville onto Lovers, with no sign holders in sight. I'll be glad when those new double left turn lanes and right-hand turn lanes are finished.

ORIGINAL BLOG

I hate to steal so much content for my own blog but I've had writers block lately so it's easier than writing anything myself. I do have a plan tho to break my block! I'm going to not put a picture in this post so now when I see my blog, I will see that it's ugly and stupid and this will drive me to put up a new post.

Or maybe I will just pay someone else to post something and say it was me. That seems legit right?

Why do we do things?

2008-02-24T11:36:00.002-06:00

I am here at the Cedar Rapids Airport. I have been properly screened at all the security checkpoints despite a threat level of ORANGE right now. It's scary being in a place with such a high threat level. But I have momentarily given up my civil liberties to enjoy the luxury of flying.

So now I sit here at on of the few Airports I've been to that offers free wireless internet access. I use it now because I want them to know that this is awesome and that people will use it. I'm not paying 10 bucks surf the net for an hour. That is outrageous! I don't know if I will have internet once I get to my destination of Minneapolis this afternoon but in an awesome world, I get there and it's free as well.
If it isn't, I will probably end up paying for it at least once. A typical 10 dollars for a days worth of access. Sometimes it is more than that.

So today I do this, right now, because it is free. I have the laptop already. I have the blog. I have the ability to type. And I also have free internet.

If I didn't have the free internet, what would I be doing? All food and water has been confiscated from me. I cannot eat. If I nod off, my bags will not be under proper supervision to appease the TSA. I cannot sleep. I can only do this.

More Aperture Science

2008-02-22T07:39:00.004-06:00

I beat Portal. If you don't know what I am talking about then ask me questions to further explain it to you because Portal is awesome!

Even better is that the lead designer of the game just announced that more Portal is on the way in the form of a sequel. This will be fun. The first game didn't take me too long to finish. It's just 19 puzzles. Each one getting a little more tough of course and then a showdown with GLaDDOS at the end who is the computer that is making you risk solve the puzzles.

With such a thriving video game industry and so much attention around teleportation technology, why don't real scientists start inventing this stuff too?

the great destroyer

2008-02-17T01:39:00.007-06:00

Say your name
Try to speak as clearly as you can
You know everything gets written down
Nod you head
Just in case they could be watching
With their shiny satellites

i hope they cannot see
the limitless potential
living inside of me
to murder everything
I hope they cannot see
I am the great destroyer

turn it up
listen to the shit they pump into
your head
filling you with apathy
hold your breath
wait until you know the time is right
on time
the end is near

i hope they cannot see
the limitless potential
living inside of me
to murder everything
I hope they cannot see
I am the great destroyer

Who is the bad guy?

2008-02-16T22:09:00.000-06:00

Attack of the Meme's

2008-02-14T14:19:00.002-06:00

It was a warm, summer night in 2007 and I just got home from band practice. I turn on my internet to watch Tom Green Live. I didn't know who Kat Von D was at the time but I decided to try and call in anyway since it was one of those few chances I was able to watch the show live. Much to my surprise I was able to get thru with no real question prepared. I took the easy route and decided to say 'barrel roll' on the show since somebody had to do it.

It was certainly not the first time it was done on the show.

If you are wondering what 'barrel roll' means just do a search on youtube for it and you will eventually learn what is happening. Watch the video too as Tom explains it to some degree towards the end.

Don't dwell on it too long tho because it might drive you crazy...

I’ve Never Been More Ashamed to be an American

2008-02-13T06:17:00.003-06:00

"The American spirit is dead thanks to disgraceful congressional leadership.In addition to being subject to the leadership of the worst presidential administration in American history, Congress just voted to grant immunity to telecommunications companies that were complicit in illegal surveillance activity against Americans."

Good article here. For those not in the know- this FISA bill grants immunity to all the telecoms that allow the government to illegally tap are phones and communication lines. This allows them to eavesdrop on us without warrant.
Hillary skipped out on the vote.
Obama was against.
Ron Paul was obviously against.
John McCain supports this type of thing.
And Mike Huckabee is a former governor and they don't deal in federal laws so he's stayed out of this issue as far as I know.

Where do you stand? You think the government needs to play big brother to us and tap our communications? Then I think you'd like McCain or Clinton running this country.

read more | digg story

Remember

2008-02-05T21:51:00.001-06:00

Hillary voted for the war.
Obama was not in the Senate at the time to vote against it but he still votes to fund the war.

He also voted to reauthorize the USA PATRIOT ACT.

The 1 man that was against it, still against it, still going to pull the troops out TOMORROW is Ron Paul.

" To The Republic For Which It Stands " Not " To The Democracy "...

Hillary Clinton: Every Nation Must Be With Us Or Against Us

2008-02-03T08:08:00.000-06:00

Life is Study

2008-01-29T05:37:00.000-06:00

Study, study, study, study, study, study.

That's what Golden Boy would say. So I look up all this valuable information and post it here so you can read it. And somehow I've learned to enjoy doing all this reseach into politics and what-have-you, even tho it drives me crazy in a way.

Let's switch gears for a minute here. I'm growing quite concerned about all this Hillary support I find when she has the dirtiest campaign tactics (let's not even get into her voting record or horrible[y expensive] health care proposal -- let's save those for another time and place).

Like other candidates, she pledged not to campaign in Florida after the state jumped ahead on the schedule of caucuses and primaries set by the Democratic National Committee.

But Iowa and New Hampshire are history and, after a landslide loss in South Carolina on Saturday, Clinton needs a win.

So she has begun appearing in Florida in anticipation of Tuesday's Democratic primary there.

READ MORE.

Hillary Clinton is already breaking rules during her campaign for President of the United States. If she were to get elected, do you think she would decide to suddenly follow the rules and law then? I doubt it.

We need CHANGE in Washington.

We need Ron Paul.

Still Alive

2008-01-22T17:55:00.001-06:00

This was a triumph.
I'm making a note here:
HUGE SUCCESS.
It's hard to overstate
my satisfaction.
Aperture Science
We do what we must
because we can.
For the good of all of us.
Except the ones who are dead.
But there's no sense crying
over every mistake.
You just keep on trying
till you run out of cake.
And the Science gets done.
And you make a neat gun.
For the people who are
still alive.

I'm not even angry.
I'm being so sincere right now.
Even though you broke my heart.
And killed me.
And tore me to pieces.
And threw every piece into a pyre.
As they burned it hurt because
I was so happy for you!
Now these points of data
make a beautiful line.
And we're out of beta.
We're releasing on time.
So I'm GLaD. I got burned.
Think of all the things we learned
for the people who are
still alive.

Go ahead and leave me.
I think i prefer to stay inside.
Maybe you'll find someone else
to help you.
maybe Black Mesa...
THAT WAS A JOKE, HA HA, FAT CHANCE.
Anyway this cake is great,
it's so delicious and moist.
Look at me still talking when theres science to do.
When I look out there
it makes me glad I'm not you.
I've experiments to run.
There is research to be done
on the people who are
still alive.

And believe me I am still alive.
I'm doing science and I'm still alive.
I feel fantastic and I'm still alive
While your dying ill be still alive.
And when your dead i will be still alive.
still alive
still alive

Robot World News

2008-01-22T03:16:00.000-06:00

Proof the internet is AWESOME

2008-01-21T04:03:00.001-06:00

I was reading on the xbox forums about an arcade game (from way back in the 80's updated for today on the xbox live arcade) called Robotron: 2084. A forum thread is started about how popular the game is and if people are still playing it. Well I was reading thru all the posts and found a few by a user named PulstarTron.

Here's his first post:

alextron69 still play but im bore because no challenge.i have fun to play againt my buddy scottland1986 who have the potential to reach the waves 100 legit.dont give up scottland1986 you can do it

From what I can gather, this guy used to be called alextron69 and changed his name and apparently he's ranked on the xbox leaderboards or something.

Here's what he says to a guy that claims to have beaten him in an online match once:

Le7halInjection i dont remember the day you beat me i beat you when you are in yor prime i make you quit so many time alextron never quit never find excuse never boost is record never done the 100 waves to the peoples . i can challenge you in your own rule let do it. send message it a plaisir for me to whip you again .i know you gonna quit. the day you gonna beat me i will retire forever.you belong to the elite but i am a legend at this game.

If you are confused, waves are like levels and making it to wave 100 is like the ultimate acheivement. To put this into perspective, I've only made it to wave 8 or 9. So alextron really must be good!

the battle of the titan 1 and 2 i beat you. if you want to do the battle of titan part 3 the final chapter lets do it. im gonna give the worst beating of you life after that we wont hear the name of le7halinjection anymore.you can run and you can hide but you cant beat me .lets do it for all the fans of robotron 2008.send me the invite anytime on vs.im gonna videotape the play so peoples gonna see you lose or quit.video cant lie.by the way i beat mippy pretty easely last night at 700k i was at 1400k and he quit.by the way,even if i plaid the game for 10 years i reach my maximum skill after a year.i have friends that play that long and never reach my skill.so all you robotron fan if you dont hear about that battle,its because le7halinjection is too scare.everybody knows that im in the vs rank lobby everyday.i have 7 losses in my record right now,lets see if you can add another one.i dont think so.im gonna make you pay for helping people to cheat.i dont even know how the *** you reach 100 waves for cheaters with a score of only 2.7 million.my average score at 100 wave is 3.4 million even haft asleep after a hard day of work.good luck because you a lotttt.

READ THE WHOLE THREAD HERE.

The death of the bicycle.

2008-01-20T22:52:00.000-06:00

John Putney in the Iowa Senate introduced a bill requiring a license to ride a bicycle. Not a car license that most adults have, but ANOTHER license.

Here's some of the text of the bill:

A failure to carry or a refusal to show the person's license constitutes a simple misdemeanor and a $10 fine is imposed. A conviction for failing to carry or refusing to show a license also results in the revocation of the license and a suspension of the person's privilege to obtain a license for a period of one year.

If you want to read the whole thing, you can find it HERE.

This is fucking stupid. America already has an obesity problem. It already has a reliance on foreign oil (i.e. gasoline for cars). We have global warming issues. Green house gas issues. Etc. And now we want to encourage people to continue to be lazy, to contine to rely on oil, to continue to polute the air.

Let's instead write legislation forcing car manufactures to get with the times and make electric cars and/or AT LEAST more fuel effecient vehicles and let's PROMOTE biking instead of making people avoid it altogether. Adding more hoops to jump thru just to go on a bike ride and I see many people whom probably only bike a few times a year giving up on that even.

Question: How do these people get elected?
Answer: The elections are rigged.

Ultimate Doom

2008-01-14T05:22:00.000-06:00

Thinking back about 15 years when I first played Doom, I cannot really remember having beaten the game without cheating. I was aware of cheat codes in id's games back when I was playing Wolf3D. Altho I don't recall exactly when I knew the cheat codes for Doom (the internet wasn't really super popular yet so we had to use "magazines" and word-of-mouth to spread this stuff around) but I'm guessing I was able to beat the first episode without cheating, but never really playing the rest without using the cheat codes. I was always more into the death matches and things anyway.

None of this matters anymore though, because as of now, I have beaten Ultimate Doom (that is, Doom plus the extra episode released a few years later) on Hurt Me Plenty difficulty without ANY cheating. This would translate to the medium difficulty. It is an achievement I am quite proud of as it took years of experience to accomplish.

Now if only Xbox Live Arcade would release Doom 2. Until then I plan to play thru Doom again on a hardy difficulty and maybe bust out my copy of Doom64 for the Nintendo 64. I like the xbox controller better than the n64 tho so we'll see how long that lasts.

QUESTIONS THAT WON'T BE ASKED ABOUT IRAQ

2007-12-26T01:25:00.001-06:00

The Iraq War started officially in March of 2003, and unofficially 12 years earlier since the end of the Gulf Slaughter in 1991. The aim has been the destruction of Iraqi society enabling the US and Britain to gain control of Iraq's huge oil reserves. But before the US President George W. Bush made the war his father started official, Ron Paul gave this speech before congress.

Congressman Ron Paul
U.S. House of Representatives
September 10, 2002

QUESTIONS THAT WON'T BE ASKED ABOUT IRAQ

Soon we hope to have hearings on the pending war with Iraq. I am concerned there are some questions that won’t be asked- and maybe will not even be allowed to be asked. Here are some questions I would like answered by those who are urging us to start this war.

1. Is it not true that the reason we did not bomb the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War was because we knew they could retaliate?

2. Is it not also true that we are willing to bomb Iraq now because we know it cannot retaliate- which just confirms that there is no real threat?

3. Is it not true that those who argue that even with inspections we cannot be sure that Hussein might be hiding weapons, at the same time imply that we can be more sure that weapons exist in the absence of inspections?

4. Is it not true that the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency was able to complete its yearly verification mission to Iraq just this year with Iraqi cooperation?

5. Is it not true that the intelligence community has been unable to develop a case tying Iraq to global terrorism at all, much less the attacks on the United States last year? Does anyone remember that 15 of the 19 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia and that none came from Iraq?

6. Was former CIA counter-terrorism chief Vincent Cannistraro wrong when he recently said there is no confirmed evidence of Iraq’s links to terrorism?

7. Is it not true that the CIA has concluded there is no evidence that a Prague meeting between 9/11 hijacker Atta and Iraqi intelligence took place?

8. Is it not true that northern Iraq, where the administration claimed al-Qaeda were hiding out, is in the control of our "allies," the Kurds?

9. Is it not true that the vast majority of al-Qaeda leaders who escaped appear to have safely made their way to Pakistan, another of our so-called allies?

10. Has anyone noticed that Afghanistan is rapidly sinking into total chaos, with bombings and assassinations becoming daily occurrences; and that according to a recent UN report the al-Qaeda "is, by all accounts, alive and well and poised to strike again, how, when, and where it chooses"?

11. Why are we taking precious military and intelligence resources away from tracking down those who did attack the United States- and who may again attack the United States- and using them to invade countries that have not attacked the United States?

12. Would an attack on Iraq not just confirm the Arab world's worst suspicions about the US, and isn't this what bin Laden wanted?

13. How can Hussein be compared to Hitler when he has no navy or air force, and now has an army 1/5 the size of twelve years ago, which even then proved totally inept at defending the country?

14. Is it not true that the constitutional power to declare war is exclusively that of the Congress? Should presidents, contrary to the Constitution, allow Congress to concur only when pressured by public opinion? Are presidents permitted to rely on the UN for permission to go to war?

15. Are you aware of a Pentagon report studying charges that thousands of Kurds in one village were gassed by the Iraqis, which found no conclusive evidence that Iraq was responsible, that Iran occupied the very city involved, and that evidence indicated the type of gas used was more likely controlled by Iran not Iraq?

16. Is it not true that anywhere between 100,000 and 300,000 US soldiers have suffered from Persian Gulf War syndrome from the first Gulf War, and that thousands may have died?

17. Are we prepared for possibly thousands of American casualties in a war against a country that does not have the capacity to attack the United States?

18. Are we willing to bear the economic burden of a 100 billion dollar war against Iraq, with oil prices expected to skyrocket and further rattle an already shaky American economy? How about an estimated 30 years occupation of Iraq that some have deemed necessary to "build democracy" there?

19. Iraq’s alleged violations of UN resolutions are given as reason to initiate an attack, yet is it not true that hundreds of UN Resolutions have been ignored by various countries without penalty?

20. Did former President Bush not cite the UN Resolution of 1990 as the reason he could not march into Baghdad, while supporters of a new attack assert that it is the very reason we can march into Baghdad?

21. Is it not true that, contrary to current claims, the no-fly zones were set up by Britain and the United States without specific approval from the United Nations?

22. If we claim membership in the international community and conform to its rules only when it pleases us, does this not serve to undermine our position, directing animosity toward us by both friend and foe?

23. How can our declared goal of bringing democracy to Iraq be believable when we prop up dictators throughout the Middle East and support military tyrants like Musharaf in Pakistan, who overthrew a democratically-elected president?

24. Are you familiar with the 1994 Senate Hearings that revealed the U.S. knowingly supplied chemical and biological materials to Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war and as late as 1992- including after the alleged Iraqi gas attack on a Kurdish village?

25. Did we not assist Saddam Hussein’s rise to power by supporting and encouraging his invasion of Iran? Is it honest to criticize Saddam now for his invasion of Iran, which at the time we actively supported?

26. Is it not true that preventive war is synonymous with an act of aggression, and has never been considered a moral or legitimate US policy?

27. Why do the oil company executives strongly support this war if oil is not the real reason we plan to take over Iraq?

28. Why is it that those who never wore a uniform and are confident that they won’t have to personally fight this war are more anxious for this war than our generals?

29. What is the moral argument for attacking a nation that has not initiated aggression against us, and could not if it wanted?

30. Where does the Constitution grant us permission to wage war for any reason other than self-defense?

31. Is it not true that a war against Iraq rejects the sentiments of the time-honored Treaty of Westphalia, nearly 400 years ago, that countries should never go into another for the purpose of regime change?

32. Is it not true that the more civilized a society is, the less likely disagreements will be settled by war?

33. Is it not true that since World War II Congress has not declared war and- not coincidentally- we have not since then had a clear-cut victory?

34. Is it not true that Pakistan, especially through its intelligence services, was an active supporter and key organizer of the Taliban?

35. Why don't those who want war bring a formal declaration of war resolution to the floor of Congress?

Santa died for your MasterCard

2007-12-24T03:33:00.000-06:00

Christmas

2007-12-23T20:27:00.000-06:00

Father:

Did you ever see the faces of the children
They get so excited.
Waking up on christmas morning
Hours before the winter suns ignited.
They believe in dreams and all they mean
Including heavens generosity.
Peeping round the door
to see what parcels are for free
In curiosity.

And Tommy doesn't know what day it is.
He doesn't know who Jesus was or what praying is.
How can he be saved?
From the eternal grave.

Surrounded by his friends he sits so silently,
And unaware of everything.
Playing poxy pin ball
picks his nose and smiles and
Pokes his tongue at everything.
I believe in love
but how can men who've never seen
Light be enlightened.
Only if he's cured
will his spirits future level ever heighten.

And Tommy doesn't know what day it is.
He doesn't know who Jesus was or what praying is.
How can he be saved?
From the eternal grave.

Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
How can he be saved?

Tommy:

See me, feel me
Touch me, heal me.
See me, feel me
Touch me, heal me!

Father:

Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you hear me?
Can you--Can you--Can you hear me?
How can he be saved?

CIA

2007-12-11T22:08:00.001-06:00

Why are people crazy?

2007-12-06T12:28:00.000-06:00

The answers people give to questions are absolutely absurd! I realize I haven't posted a video in sometime so it's about time right? Yeah.

Listen to how crazy these presidential candidates are. Do we really need to start another war? I'm already in debt, I don't need to pay their war bills on top of this crumbling house market.

Politicians suck.

Vote Ron Paul.

Why I drink Pepsi.

2007-12-03T23:11:00.000-06:00

I read some fascinating information about what happens in the human body after drinking a refreshing coca-cola.

When somebody drinks a Coke watch what happens…

In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)

40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

>60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

>60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

>60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

**Read the full article here**

Luckily, I am not a fan of Coke. I do like Pepsi tho, or as they call it in Texas, Coke. I won't be naive and will just assume that its pretty much the same routine with any sort of cola. What really scares me tho is all the higher caffiene energy drinks!

If you walk away from this blog (and this is more a lesson for me which I will probably never learn) but we should learn one thing. Don't drink cola if you want to be healthy.

Kingdom Come

2007-11-27T06:30:00.000-06:00

Introducing the EV-X7

2007-11-26T03:13:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the future everyone. The Japanese now have a prototype bike that is the awesomest thing created on 2 wheels. On a 6-hr electrical charge (no gasoline) this thing will get you 110 miles at top speeds around 90mph.

Designed by a company called Axle Corp. They hope to start selling the real thing at $2100. That's a fucking steal. Not only does it have all these awesome specs, but its pretty cool looking too.

This thing beats the hell out of the segway. Do you even know what a segway is? You should look it up if you don't. They also cost a lot more than $2100.

The Day I Met Ron Paul and More!

2007-11-25T05:58:00.001-06:00

Dr. Paul was in Iowa City spreading the good message of Freedom and World Peace, he even had time to pose for pictures with my niece, and 2 of my nephews.

It's always great to shake the hand of the man who should be president.

And this is my mom and nephew Dominic after seeing the Dark Side of the Moon.

Show Me The Way

2007-11-20T05:52:00.000-06:00

I wonder how you're feeling.
There's ringing in my ears.
And no one to relate to, 'cept the sea.

Who can I believe in,
I'm kneeling on the floor.
There has to be a force; who do I phone.
The stars are out and shining, but all I really want to know.
Oh won't you... show me the way.
I want you ...show me the way.

Well, I can see no reason,
You're living on your nerves.
When someone drops a cup and I submerge.
I'm swimming in a circle.
I feel I'm going down.
There has to be a fool to play my part.
Well someone thought of healing, but all I really want to know,

Oh won't you show me the way (every day).
I want you... show me the way.
I want you... day after day.

I wonder if I'm dreaming,
I feel so unashamed.
I can't believe this is happening... to me.
I watch you when you're sleeping,
and then I want to take your love.
Oh won't you... show me the way (every day).
I want you... show me the way (one more time).
I want you... day after day.

Oh won't you... show me the way (every day).
I want you... show me the way (night and day).
I want you... day after day.

Ron Paul Tea Party '07

2007-11-13T09:27:00.000-06:00

On November 5th, 2007, we raised 4.38 million dollars for Ron Paul. It is the largest single-day online political donation in United States history. On December 16, 1773, the American Revolution began with the Boston Tea Party. On December 16, 2007, we have a revolution to continue!

On the anniversary of that fateful day, December 16, 2007, we will show our powerful support for Dr. Ron Paul again. Be a part of the Revolution. Please join us this December 16th for the largest one-day political donation even in history.

Donate for the future. $100 dollars today to Ron Paul and to liberty can save you millions, even BILLIONS that other candidates would waste on war and killing and their own political gain.

Ron Paul has received more money for military members than any other GOP candidate, and he is the ONLY GOP presidential candidate calling for the withdrawal of our troops immediately.

Seriously... The US military occupies 70% of the worlds countries!

Enough is enough.

The Best Defense is a Good Offense

2007-11-11T21:43:00.000-06:00

Did you know the United States has troops in 135 countries. Here is the list:

Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Antigua
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belgium
Belize
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Congo
Costa Rica
Cote D’lvoire
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guatemala
Guinea
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Liberia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Mali
Malta
Mexico
Mongolia
Morocco
Mozambique
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia and Montenegro
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovenia
Spain
South Africa
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Uruguay
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

This means that the United States has troops in 70 percent of the world’s countries.
That was as of 2004. Here is the document published by the Department of Defense stating this. The DoD is definately on the offensive.

God only knows how many more countries we are occupying with a military presence now, a mere 3 years later.

I've said it before and I will say it again:
If you really want to support the troops, bring the boys back home.

RIGHT NOW!!!

2007-11-09T17:43:00.000-06:00

And today for your viewing pleasure I give to you the Sex Pistols performing Anarchy in the UK on the Tonite Show:

Is this the M.P.L.A. ?
Or is this the U.D.A. ?
Or is this the I.R.A. ?
I thought it was the U.K.
Or just another country...

The Night Gwen Stacy Died

2007-11-07T03:57:00.000-06:00

Politics as Usual

2007-10-20T18:17:00.000-05:00

Three weeks in a row, I have emailed my congressman asking him to support House Resolution 333 to impeach Dick Cheney for lying to the United States to start a war in Iraq. After 3 weeks, I finally recieved this robotic answer, no where does it mention what I was asking:

Dear Daniel,

Thank you for contacting me about these most important issues. I'm honored to represent you in Congress. Your opinion is very important to me and my priority is to provide Iowa's Second District with the best representation possible. While Congress works to keep America safe we must maintain the broad range of civil liberties afforded to law abiding citizens who contribute economically and socially to our country. We must carefully protect the right of expression and the right of assembly for all law abiding Americans wishing to express their opinions.

Breaches of the public trust, and potential violations of civil liberties are disturbing and Congressional investigations of the Administration's activities are currently taking place in many House Committees. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have been part of the new majority's efforts to hold oversight hearings on the Administration's intelligence in regard to Iraq among many other topics. Congressional oversight is an essential tradition and function of our Democracy, and serves as a check and balance on the Executive Branch.

We must also preserve our country's traditions of laws and justice by upholding habeas corpus. I strongly support, and am a co-sponsor of, H.R. 2826 the Restoring Habeas Corpus Act. This legislation will extend rights under the writ of habeas corpus for individuals currently being detained. I strongly believe our government can take action to protect our county and its citizens while also continuing our tradition of freedoms and civil liberties.

Like all Iowans, I support the men and women in our military. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I work everyday to ensure our troops receive the support they deserve in service and at home. Unfortunately, the most recent version of H.R. 2206, the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act 2007 would allow the President to send troops to Iraq and Afghanistan without full training, proper equipment, and the necessary rest period required between deployments.

Over the course of the past five years, President Bush has mismanaged this war and stubbornly refused to listen to advice or accept the reality on the ground in Iraq. Congress can no longer continue to give President Bush unchecked authority. We need real timelines and real accountability.

We must chart a new course in Iraq and bring our troops home safely and responsibly. I have cosponsored legislation that provides for the immediate beginning of a responsible and safe disengagement from what has become a sectarian civil war. In the coming months, I will continue to do all I can to ensure Congress holds President Bush and the Iraqi government accountable with real benchmarks and real timetables. I have also signed on to a letter to President Bush stating I "will only support appropriating additional funds for U.S. military operations in Iraq during Fiscal Year 2008 and beyond for the protection and safe redeployment of all our troops out of Iraq."

Thank you again for contacting me about this important issue. I encourage you to visit my website at www.loebsack.house.gov and sign up for my e-newsletters to stay informed of the work I'm doing in Congress. I am proud to serve Iowa's Second District, and I am committed to working hard for you.

Sincerely,

Dave Loebsack
Member of Congress

Well Dave, since I'm out of town this week, I will take the week off emailing you, but I'll be back next week, don't worry. I'll try to get someone else elected next time around too so we can have a congressman that cares about the people.

Louisville Airport news

2007-10-20T01:54:00.000-05:00

So I'm on my way to the baggage claim in the Louisville airport and I spy with my big brown eyes the USA Today stand.

Mind you this is an airport, and if you've flown lately, you'd see the TSA (Travel Security Agency) crawling all over the place inspecting and searching and doing everything they can to see to it that you have no privacy.

When I saw this paper tho I truly had to make a double take and look at the story in the corner.

The TSA is a government agency. The government doesn't allow the airlines to provide their own security. And much like the GREAT job FEMA did with the Hurricane Katrina relief, the TSA is awesome at providing airport security.

NOT!

More wasted tax dollars just so people can go thru my bags and fuck with MY stuff. Thanks government, but no thanks. Let airlines do their own security, and everyone would be a lot happier.

Chillin' at the Cedar Rapids Airport

2007-10-18T06:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,
Can you believe the Cedar Rapids airport offers free Wi-Fi? It's like the future is here! Most places charge the steal of $9.95 for 1 day of access. By steal, I'm referring to the company stealing MY 10 dollars. Security of course had to do extra checks on my carry-on luggage. God only knows what sort of checks they are doing to my checked luggage. I felt kind of bad for the lady because my carry-on bag is a mess inside. There's about 20 different power chords for various devices, all of which reside in the bag somewhere. Seriously, theres 2 laptops (work and personal), a Sony PSP, a Nintendo DS, games, cell phone chords, and iPod, and chords, and chords, and chords. She did a good job tho rubbing some sort of cloth on everything ensuring that they were all safe for taking on the plane.

So I sit here in the terminal with about an hour to go and I find that I am very parched. I had Red Bull for breakfast and I think that is dehydrating me. I'm sitting here dying right now because I can't bring have water. That wouldn't be safe. I only have to starve for a few hours tho, then I will be in the Cincinnati, O-high-O terminal and perhaps there I will be allowed to enjoy some refreshing water.

I'll see you there my friends...
DJ Ruden

PS: Probably not actually because there's NO WAY I'm in 2 airports in one day that offers free Wi-Fi, and I'm not in a spending mood today for something that should be free everywhere. Thanks Cedar Rapids!

We Are The Champions

2007-10-16T03:51:00.000-05:00

I've paid my dues
Time after time
I've done my sentence
But commited no crime
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
But I've come through

And I need to go on and on and on and on
We are the champions, my friend
And we'll keep on fighting 'till the end
We are the champions, we are the champions
No time for losers 'cause we are the champions
Of the world

I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You've brought me fame and fortune and everything that goes with it
I thank you all
But it's been no bed of roses
And no pleasure cruise
I'm considering a challenge for the whole human race
And I'll never lose

We are the champions, my friend
And we'll keep on fighting 'till the end
Oh, we are the champions, we are the champions
No time for losers 'cause we are the champions

Halo 3 - the fight is finished

2007-10-15T01:27:00.000-05:00

Just last weekend...Thursday night actually. I logged on to "Finish the fight" on Halo 3. My long time friends, Steve Heuertz and Mike Wagner joined my game and away we were trudging thru the epic game. A game I should say for those not in the know made $300 million dollars in sales in the first week. Not even the most popular movies in the world have been able to compare to that kind of number.

Anyway, the first time I played this game, I tried playing 1-player story mode by myself and it totally sucked. I was very afraid this game was a lotta hype and wouldn't be fun at all. I tried again, starting over, playing with Steve, and we beat a few levels and the game is waaay more fun playing with someone. It was even better the 3rd time I sat down to play and both Mike AND Steve played with me. So I beat the game in 3 sittings. Very short, yet enjoyable game. I don't think Halo was made for the campaign mode tho. The game offers the best online multiplayer I've played on a console. I've been playing that a bit now and it's a lot of fun.

I still say Metroid Prime 3 is better tho. I've been playing that game for a while now and it just keeps going. A nice long, epic game, and I like the Wii controls better. No multiplayer tho which is a bummer, espcially after playing a game that did it so well. But what does that say about Halo 3 that without playing with other people the game totally sucked? I think it says that Metroid is a better game.

A freedomless America

2007-10-14T22:28:00.000-05:00

America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.

President Bush said this to his address to the nation after September 11, 2001. Read the whole speech here.

Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani agrees with this position. I don't understand it tho. We have so few freedoms. The government intrudes on the lives of all americans as well as the rest of the world. You know they listen to our phone calls. No warrants; no court orders. They just do it.

If people hate us because of our freedoms, why is the European Union as well as other countries suing the US for $100billion because the US government has BANNED all its citizens from online gambling. A freedom much of the rest of the world enjoys. Are those countries getting attacked by terrorists?

I'll be honest here. I have never voted. I have never seen a presidential candidate worth voting for. All candidates are part of this government machine that just want to get into office for the power. The power to do anything.

Candidates like Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Hilary Clinton and John Edwards, even Obama to and extent, all these mainline candidates are just a part of the machine. They will continue down the path. The path that has led us to a war that has taken over 80,000 innocent lives, has put my country in debt. A debt I have to pay. A war that has already lasted longer than World War II, and none of these candidates have said they will get us out of this war by 2013.

And then I saw Ron Paul...

America needs a revolution.

Ron Paul IS that revolution.
He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.

He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.

He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.

I will vote for this man.

The blog that keeps on blogging

2007-10-09T03:12:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends,
It's that time of my life again. The time where I post a new blog out of sheer boredom. I ask myself, "do I really want to do this?" After all, look at all the high quality posts I have been making lately. I realize that is pretty subjective. If you hate politics you probably think this blog sucks. I agree with you.

I don't want to post about that sh!t all the time, but what else would I talk about? Should I talk about how much Pearl Jam I've heard on the radio tonight? Let me give you a hint - a fuckin' lot!

I guess I could tell those of you that haven't heard about my resolution to travel more. I made it this summer. The hardest part is finding the time and the places to go. Of course there are a bajillion places I *want* to go, but I want to make these trips cost effective. Hotel costs typically is what gets me. I could camp, and I'm down for camping, albeit I admit I haven't gone camping in many moons, but I would prefer a traveling companion or companion's for such an endeavor.

So if you are a friend of mine and live far away, even better if it's a place I haven't been. Now's a good time to invite me *hint* *hint* (not so much of a hint really as an obvious request, I know). I promise I won't talk politics... Unless you really want to. Instead we could talk about the video on youtube of David Hasselhoff drunk on his hotel room floor trying to eat a hamburger. You should look it up if you haven't seen it. Or we could talk about how moustaches are coming back into style. It's true.

Well that killed a few minutes, til next time friends!
DJ Ruden

EXTERMINATE

2007-10-07T18:04:00.001-05:00

The Daleks agree that we should invade Iran NOW! Now that the US Senate helped the Bush administration designate the Iranian army as a terrorist organization, he doesn't need any more reasons NOT to start another war. The war on terror will continue until all terrorists are exterminated.

I, for one, don't agree with the Daleks, or the White House, or anybody in it, but I am just one, and they are many...

Not even presidential hopeful and Democratic front-runner, Hillary Clinton, is on my side. Hillary Clinton wants to kill more people too. I hope you aren't surprised by this. Don't ask her about it tho or she'll just get angry with you and put you down.

Clinton accused the man of being a plant who had been sent to ask the question, to which he took exception, saying the question was a result of his own research.

READ MORE...

When she's president she will probably have you arrested and tortured, maybe even killed.

What did Iran do to us? What did Iraq do to us? What did Afghanistan do to us? Did you forget there was a war in Afghanistan...ahem, excuse me.. a US invasion going on in Afghanistan right now too? You can only call it war when they are fighting back.

But I digress...

Not all politicians are bad. Check out former US Senator Mike Gravel tell it like it is at the most recent Democratic debates in New Hampshire. He even calls out Hillary on her recent vote.

There's also Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich and his motto, "Strength Through Peace." That's a good idea. I don't understand why the majority of government elected officials don't want peace. I thought it was like the dream of every child for 'World Peace'. Apparently when you grow up you just want World War 3.

Anyway, he wrote a House Resolution to impeach Dick Cheney for lying to America and starting World War 3. HR 333. You should write your congressman and ask them to co-sponsor it before they kill us all.

*It should be noted in case Hillary stops by my blog, that these words are indeed mine, unless otherwise quoted, and I have provided links (i.e. research) to support all my claims.

You Better Get Ready!

2007-09-30T02:33:00.000-05:00

"A boy has the right to dream. There are endless possibilities streched out before him. What awaits him down the path, he will then have to choose. The boy doesn't always know."

"At some point, the boy becomes an adult, and learns what he was able to become. Joy and sadness forever will accompany this. He is confronted with a choice. When this happens, does he bid his past farewell in his heart?"

"Once a boy becomes an adult, he can no longer go back to being a boy. The boy is now a man. Only one thing can be said: a boy has the right to dream. For those endless possibilities are streched out before him. We must remember: all men were once boys."

-Outlaw Star-

The Never-ending Story

2007-09-29T22:53:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

Because I know you all are dying to know (literally) and haven't the time to ask me for an explanation of all these things, I will now update you on my Final Fantasy playing exploits. What will follow is a complete list of every mainline Final Fantasy video game title and my current playing status:

Final Fantasy:
The original! I'm filled with sorrow when I think of this game as I have yet to complete it. I played the original NES cartridge of this game and got quite far only to have (if memory serves correctly) the save game become corrupted forcing me to start over. This disheartening occurence forced me to break from the game for a while. Trying again later on the Playstation version, I soon got bored with the title and never came back to finish the game. I regret to inform you all, that again this happened with the GBA (game boy advance) rerelease as well... Is this lack of follow-thru part of a larger metaphor for how I live my life? Only time will tell...
Status: Incomplete.

Final Fantasy II:
Because this game was never released in North America on the original NES, I didn't get a copy until it was released on Playstation bundled with the rerelease of the first Final Fantasy. This was the time I started playing the first one again so I never played 2. I opted to finally play it when it was released on GBA and was able to play thru it completely. Hip hip hooray!
Status: Complete

Final Fantasy III:
What a game! My most recent conquest. Not all of you may have heard, but after 10 long months, I was able to complete this game. Only released in North America on the Nintendo DS in 3D glory, I picked this game up late last year right when it hit store shelves. It took longer than anticipated, and it was an enjoyable, yet tedious at times, ride. All good things come to and end.
Status: Complete

Final Fantasy IV:
My first Final Fantasy. Released as Final Fantasy II in North America during the Super NES days. My cousin had rented this game and I discovered Final Fantasy for the first time. The great story-telling sold me. The twists and turns, the fantasy elements (obviously) and traditional RPG style of game are wonderful. I was new to this kind of RPG, having mostly only dabbled in the PC rpgs like Kings Quest and Quest for Glory games. This game is still my favourite of the series. First one I played, and first one I beat. Just wait until you find the spaceship and head to the moon for the first time. Simply incredible.
Status: Complete

Final Fantasy V:
Released for the first time in North America on the Playstation system. I played a fan-translated rom on my computer using emulation software to play and got into the game a bit but never finished. When I got it for the playstation I made quick work of it. Great music and a good story. Great job system too, similar to Final Fantasy III. I remember beating this game while I was going to Kirkwood college and I woke up at like 5am before classes (I had been doing this all week so I could play the game before going to school) and beat the final boss one morning and I taped it of course as I taped a lot of game endings ^_^.
Status: Complete

Final Fantasy VI:
I have only played thru the opening of this game. I know what you are thinking..."blasphemy!" I plan to play this game. I *want* to play this game. What I need is the proper time to play it. I've heard many people say this is the best game of the franchise and it was made during a time when I think the Final Fantasy games were the best. Of course this point can be argued and sales my show otherwise as the newer Final Fantasy games sell increasingly well. Someday I will complete this came, this I vow.
Status: Incomplete

Final Fantasy VII:
This game is the reason I got a playstation. I got this game immediate after the release and played it all the way thru. I loved every minute of it. Anyone interested in what Final Fantasy is today and how it got there should play this game.
Status: Complete

Final Fantasy VIII:
This game breaks my heart everytime I think about it. I got this game with great anticipation. At first play-thru I lost interest, for whatever reason, shortly into and stopped playing. It wasn't long after that I gave it another shot and got very far...About 3/4s the way thru and then again lost interest in the game and didn't play for a long time. So last year I gave it another shot. Starting from the beginning I played all the way to the point where I last gave up and even a tad further. I am not stuck at an enemy that I cannot, for the life of me, beat. I tried many times. I even played my old save file to see if my characters there could do it but to no avail. I want so badly to finish this game, it's a lot of fun. The systems it incoporates are different than other Final Fantasy's but I got used to them. I think the story is fantastic and would like to see what happens to the characters in the end. I'm truly saddened by this game. I don't know if i can finish it.
Status: Incomplete

Final Fantasy IX:
Yes, I got this game and completed it. Like all Final Fantasy games, there's some great story-telling and some characters you truly feel for. This game really took the series back to its roots which after my Final Fantasy VIII debacle, I was ready for. A fun, more light-hearted game than the recent ones. One thing I will always remember is beating the final boss with my favourite character Vivi being the only one in the party left alive, with 1 sole hit point. It was probably my last attack and he pulled it off.
Status: Complete

Final Fantasy X:
This game came out for the playstation 2, which I have never owned. Because of this, I was unable to play this game for years after it came out. During a short time when I had a roommate who had a PS2, I purchased a used copy of this game and gave it a spin. I had trouble getting into it. It seemed very story heavy and for the first time there was (poor) voice acting. I never felt like I was playing and it was always talking and cut scenes. My play time didn't last long.
Status: Incomplete

Final Fantasy XI:
This game is online only. Rleased for PS2, PC, and Xbox360-- I play it on PC. The first MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) I ever played. I was a bit overwhelmed at first beacuse of this. My initial play time was only a few months as the game takes a lot of time to really get into and I was busy with school and some other things. There's a monthly fee to play (damn the future of video games and it's monthly fees!) so it requires a decision to stop and start playing backed by financial support. I'm happy to say I'm again a subscriber to this game and enjoying it. It's a very recent decision sparked my completion of FFIII and addiction to all things Final Fantasy.
Status: In process

Final Fantasy XII:
Another PS2 only release so far so I have been unable to play this game. I don't have plans to purchase a PS2 or PS3 so I will only be able to play this game if it's ported to another system. I believe in time it, as well as all Final Fantasy games, will be. Just look at the first one. The original is on NES, GBA (which works on the DS), PS1 (and therefore PS2 and PS3) and also PSP. Strictly speaking in North American terms, as it's on other systems outside the US. So maybe someday.
Status: Not started

6 out of 12. 50%. 1 half. Is that bad or good? Who cares! I'm having fun.
I hope you all are too!
DJ Ruden

Requiem for a Dream

2007-09-28T07:36:00.001-05:00

It might just be the music, or the mood I'm in, but I thought this video was awesome. I was sold when I saw the "Vote for Ron Paul" message at the end.

My blog is really getting saturated with videos!!

Hurt

2007-09-28T06:24:00.000-05:00

Written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails

I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything

What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
You could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of shit
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here

What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end

You could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way

When Others Were Silent

2007-09-21T07:48:00.000-05:00

Dennis Kucinich is the only Presidential candidate that has voted against the INVASION of Iraq and has from the very beginning, voted against funding the war. Other candidates, John Edwards, and Hilary Clinton to name a few continually vote to keep funding the war. These politicians can end the war tomorrow and force the president to bring our troops home immediately.

How does this war end? We got Saddam out of office and in jail. He never attacked us or anything, and I don't really know the goal of this war, but what's the point of staying there? Do you know we've killed 80,000 innocent Iraqis since we've been there? INNOCENT IRAQIS. The long we stay there, the more hostility we build toward the US.

When all other candidates silently keep supporting the war, Dennish Kucinich has spoken out about it.

What do you talk about?

Don't Taze Me

2007-09-18T19:57:00.000-05:00

This is the America I live in... When I first watched this video yesterday, I thought it was fake. I seriously thought it was a fake thing set up by students, possibly for a video project or something. A fictional video that stretches what is real a bit. I've seen police brutality videos like this. I've seen people trying to speak out against our corrupt government. But this is reality. I started reading the news today to find out this really happened. It is very real. This is the police state/Big Brother society we live in. The law *was* written to include Freedom Of Speech, Due Process, a Right to Privacy. All these things our gone. This is the America we live in. This is reality...

I, personally, want to hear an answer to this mans questions. He has some good points, he backs up his questions. He is silienced quickly and very painfully. I have little hope for the 2008 elections. There are candidates in the running I would like to see become president, but of course, none of these are front runners. Our system doesn't work for honest, hard-working americans to get in the race successfully. Hopefully some of their ideas sneak thru and people hear them. All we can do is hope. We can't speak out.

Do yourself a favour and look up some info on these candidates. I will even classify them for you incase you are the member of a particular party. If you are against killing people and want to end war, these 3 candidates are the only ones that will get us out of the war quickly.

Republican:
10th-term United States congressman
Ron Paul
Ron Paul talks with Google.com

Democrat:
Former Alaskan Senator instrumental in ending the draft
Mike Gravel
...at the Democratic debate
...on Real Time with Bill Mar
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio's 10th district
Dennis Kucinich
...at the Democratic Debate
TV pioneer Tom Snyder interviews Dennis Kucinich at Tony's

To partially quote Mike Gravel, we lost the war the day it was discovered that we INVADED IRAQ on a LIE. There are NO weapons of mass destruction. Soldiers are DYING in vein there every day. And the only thing worse than soldiers dying in vein, is MORE soldiers dying in vein. They don't want us there. We need to get out. I wouldn't want to turn Iraq into another America anyway.

I don't fear terrorist. I fear what America is becoming.

I'm still alive

2007-09-17T09:02:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,
Just thought I would post a reminder to you all (all of you that read my blog at least) that I haven't died yet. I'm only 26 years old right now.

See! Proof that I'm still alive and well. Recorded 9-14-2007 at Grizzly's South Side Pub in Iowa City. It's a pretty nice place. I would recommend you check it out even when my band isn't there playing.
Take Care,
DJ

The Clintons

2007-09-17T01:53:00.000-05:00

Wow. This picture gave me a creepy feeling when I first saw it. I just had to share:

The Final Fantasy Curse

2007-09-10T05:31:00.000-05:00

I tried tonight. I really tried.

I purchased Final Fantasy III for the Nintendo DS the very day it was released in North America and I have still not finished (mastered) the game. Tonight was the closest I have ever been. I don't know what it is. Maybe it is something deep down, something in my subconsious that doesn't want me to finish the game. I have been at the point where I just needed to make the descent thru the final castle and to the final boss for many months now. Sometimes I would just play and grind my party up a few levels, but never going in for the kill. One turn off I always had was that I knew it would take time. Possibly hours.

Tonite I tried. I made it all the way, further than I have ever gone, I was in the final throes with the final boss. I had 1 party member left and his health was waning. I knew I had 1 attack left, but it wasn't enough. My party was killed and now I must start again another day.

See previous posts about my Final Fantasy exploits here.

Revolution

2007-09-07T14:41:00.000-05:00

From talking to people, it's apparent many of you have not heard of Republican Presidential Candidate Ron Paul. While republicans aren't very popular because of their typical stance on things such as the war in Iraq and Big Brother style of government they have been moving towards, there lack of popularity made even more apparent with their big loss in the last election to their democratic counterparts. I want you all to take a closer look at Ron Paul. He's radically different from his other Republican candidates.

If Rudy Guiliani got his way, we would all have camera's in our homes watching our every move, video taping and recording us to make sure we have no rights at all.

So this election, let's try to make sure there's someone worth voting for. Someone that doesn't start wars. Someone that doesn't want to kill more people, be it Iraqi, African, Iranian, Kurd, and even American soldiers.

Make love, not war, and join the Ron Paul Revolution!

Retro Completion

2007-09-04T00:48:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,
It is with great honor that I share with you the deeds Sir DJR has completed this evening. It was late evening on Labor Day 2007 and DJR, for the first time in the decade's time I have own Wizards & Warriors on the NES, has completed the game from beginning to end.

I wonder tho why I didn't get the job done earlier as the game has no real death penalty. You get 3 lives, and when you die, you start right where you died. After using all 3 lives and continuing, you again start at the same spot. Only during boss fights, when you die, the boss will get all its health back. So basicly you have to beat all the bosses in 1 life.

Nevertheless, it's one less game I NEED to master before I die now.

DJ Ruden

1/5 of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map...

2007-08-30T00:42:00.000-05:00

Miss Teen USA... The brightest and most beautiful young girls in The U.S.A. competing for top crown. This is the pinacle of our youth and what every young girl should strive to be.

Let's take, for example, Miss South Carolina. Here's is a girl so smart and such an example for todays youth. She did so well at the Miss Teen USA pageant that she placed 3rd runner up. (that's out of 50 btw) --

I bet you are wondering just how smart and beautiful a girl that can place 3rd runner up in such a glamorous and cut-throat pageant is... Well let's see her in action during the questions portion of the event!

Hmmm...Maybe I should have posted the swimsuit portion instead...

Come Sail Away

2007-08-19T22:10:00.001-05:00

Styx
Come Sail Away
Written by Dennis Deyoung

I'm sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea
I've got to be free free to face the life that's ahead of me
On board I'm the captain, so climb aboard
We'll search for tomorrow on every shore
And I'll try, oh Lord, I'll try to carry on

I look to the sea, reflections in the waves spark my memory
Some happy, some sad
I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had
We live happily forever so the story goes
But somehow we missed out on that pot of gold
But we'll try best that we can to carry on

A gathering of angels appeared above my head
They sang to me this song of hope and this is what they said
They said, come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me

I thought that they were angels but to my surprise
They climbed aboard their starship and headed for the skies
Singing, come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me

US Transportation Secretary Doesn't Consider Bikes a Form of Transportation

2007-08-19T03:28:00.001-05:00

MARY PETERS: "Well, there's about probably some 10 percent to 20 percent of the current spending that is going to projects that really are not transportation, directly transportation-related. Some of that money is being spent on things, as I said earlier, like bike paths or trails." Truly incredible.

No wonder there's no way to bike to the Lindale mall in Cedar Rapids. I've done it, but you have to ride in traffic. There isn't even a sidewalk to ride on. Not that I'm not allowed to ride on the street, but cars these days like to think they own the road. I can see why when the Transportation secretary doesn't actually think bikes still exist...

This interview stems from the fact that a bridge in Minneapolis collapsed because no one took care of it. Had our transportation secretary built more bike paths to making biking places more excessible, maybe there wouldn't have been so many vehicles driving on the bridge.

It's not just the mall in CR either. There's a lot of places I would like to go but find biking just isn't very easy to do. It's not because I can't bike that far but because the lack of paths and the fact that this town was built for cars to get on the interstate and highways to get places.

Gas is cheaper on a bike too.

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Fear Builds Walls

2007-07-17T20:53:00.001-05:00

Some famous walls you might have heard of:
The Berlin Wall
The Great Wall of China
Walls of Jericho
Walls of Troy

No wall has been impenetrable, and they all eventually fall.

Never Stop

2007-07-15T05:36:00.000-05:00

In an effort to whip myself into shape enough to run a marathon, I have been running since July 4th.

July 4: 3 miles
July 5: 2 miles
July 6: none
July 7: 4 miles
July 8: none
July 9: none
July 10: 5 miles
July 11: none
July 12: 3 miles
July 13: 3 miles
July 14: 4 miles
July 15 (today!): 5 miles

Tonite I begin my work week again which consists of 12 hour night shifts. The odd hours make it hard to find a proper time for running without sacrificing what little sleep I get. I consider it my "rest" period for my muscles. I don't know if it's good or bad, but I haven't been getting very sore the next day anymore so maybe next week I will up my mileage.

Wish me luck.

Shark born with highest midichlorian count ever seen

2007-06-26T04:10:00.000-05:00

In Nebraska of all places, a mama shark gave birth to a baby shark with no daddy shark intervention... Maybe the BBC news can explain it better:

Female hammerhead sharks can reproduce without having sex, scientists confirm.

The evidence comes from a shark at Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska which gave birth to a pup in 2001 despite having had no contact with a male.

READ MORE...

The strange thing is that I have been to that zoo and quite possibly have seen/met the virgin Mary-shark.

This being born with no father in the picture can only mean 1 of 2 things, both of which I have already eluded to in an awesome attempt of forshadowing and humor. This baby shark will either grow up to become Shark Vader, or Jesus of Sharkzareth. Either way, the movie versions of the story that will soon play out will gross millions, maybe BILLIONS.

Here's to hoping they attach Mel Gibson or George Lucas to this project and they make it a quadramegatrilology and have extended version DVD's that are uncut and uncensored with never before seen footage!

Why did the bad man put the plane in the building? -- Cuz he hated freedom.

2007-06-21T10:42:00.001-05:00

King's Quest MMORPG

2007-06-19T20:20:00.001-05:00

Dear Sierra,

The time is now!

With World of Warcraft having peaked, and Blizzard's history of only making 1 expansion pack per game release of theirs, the likelyhook of too much more content can only decrease.

Why a company would buy out Sierra games only to completely stop productions and lose all the great game makers for games like Kings Quest, Space Quest, Quest for Glory, Leisure Suit Larry, etc, makes absolutely NO SENSE.

They can make it all up to the fans now tho. They can, should, and NEED to get Roberta Williams back on staff. They can, should, and NEED to start creating the world of King's Quest. Roberta is the only person on planet Earth that can make a proper King's Quest title. They already have a rich history of 8 games to build the world around. Not to mention the thousands of people like me that know it very well already.

I remember a time I used to call King's Quest VI my favourite PC game. The old KQ games were the precursor to the modern MMO. It makes so much sense. Of course sierra's (the NEW bought-out Sierra's) short sightedness has made their company and all their games suck. Thank god Nintendo has blasphemed their product like Sierra. Give me back my Al Lowe created game content. Give me back Roger Wilco. Give me a new Quest for Glory so I can become a master theif, join a theive's guild and rob a house for all the money I should even need before beating the game. Throw me some sort of bone here!

It's astonishing that 1 game company can make such great games for so long, get bought out, and then completely suck. I imagine the guy in charge thought something like this:

Guy in charge: Let's quick making great original games, and just steal ideas from other semi-popular games, make cheap crappy clones of it, and sell those instead!

Fucking retards! Sierra: You are a bunch of retards! Thank's for ruining some of my favourite games ever. Seriously! No sarcasm there. I really did want to play shitty games.

DJ Ruden

For this is the day...

2007-06-05T00:36:00.000-05:00

My Home, Sweet Home

2007-05-22T21:59:00.000-05:00

My Home, Sweet Home
written by Nobuo Uematsu
from Final Fantasy V

So far away from my home, sweet home
Day by day, from land to land I roam
Though told by the wind which way to go
Oh, how I long for my home, sweet home

Boaðe ruoktot alot go dan dovtat tuski
Boaðe ruoktot alot go dan dovtat vaivui
Du ruoktu vuordà du alot
Du ruoktu vuordà du alot

Fragrant blossoms blooming far away
Do my folks see them as I did long ago?
Are they still joyful? Are they young at heart?
Will I see them again as I did that day?

Bearas, ushbat
Ruoktu, muitut
Dat ca goassige
Vajaldahtc du

How far I've come from my childhood home!
There will come a time when my troubles are gone
And when I shall not be all alone
Till then, I dream of my home, sweet home

Meahcci, càcit
Albmi, eana
Dat buot vurdet du
Dat buot vurdet du

Saami + English (Original)

I'm really 26...

2007-05-14T18:11:00.001-05:00

Here's a video of me singing I'm Eighteen by Alice Cooper.

And I like it!

Wal*Mart selling USED xbox 360 Elites as new

2007-05-02T08:52:00.000-05:00

I was waiting with great anticipation for the release of the xbox 360 elite that Sunday morning at 3am I checked the local Wal*Mart shelves for them and didn't see one. That was ok tho, because I work 12 hour overnight shifts and had to work every night til Wednesday morning and wouldn't get much play time for awhile.

So Tuesday night at work I take my break a few hours before getting off work and head to Wal*Mart in Cedar Rapids, IA on Edgewood Rd. I see they have an elite in stock now but the box looks somewhat damaged and the box RE-taped shut. I pass on that one and decide to wait until I get off work to hit up the Wal*mart nearest my home on the the way home. This Wal*Mart is located on Blair's Ferry, Store #1528.

They had 1 in stock that I purchase. This box was also re-taped shut. Something's a little fishy but I go with it. I get home and start unpacking it to find that the contents didn't really seemed to be packaged correctly... The controller's batteries were already dead... And I turn it on to have someones account, 'chris', auto login to xbox live.

Obviously Wal*mart just sold me a used xbox 360 elite. Which is odd since it has only been out for a few days. Needless to say I was a bit upset over this.

I call Wal*Mart first and foremost. Someone answers and I explain this whole story to them BEFORE they transfer me to customer service. They were nice enough to apologize first knowing how lame and annoying this is. Customer service listens to my whole story and then transfers me right to the Electronics dept. I thought it was more of a customer service issue, but ok... Electronics heres the whole story and tells me I can go ahead and return it, but they have no more in stock so I won't be able to get a new one.... Not that it would be "new" anyway.

After getting it all packaged back up I take it in and the customer service rep I worked with is the same one I talked to so I didn't need to rererere-tell my story again. She called electronics and they said to just refund my $500 dollars.

Since this is a pretty shady business practice, I asked for a manager to talk to, and one came shortly enough and I explained it all to him in hopes that this sort of thing doesn't happen to future customers.

And that customer certainly will not be me, because I will no longer be shopping there.

When blogging goes bad...

2007-05-02T05:37:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

My blog has begun to spoil in the last few months. Like old milk left in the fridge that never gets finished. It's not my fault tho. As I look out across the horizon of blogistan, I see many old blogs that have been forgotten and run-down. Take note all blogs that I have linked to. Even many I haven't.

Doesn't matter anyway. No one is reading this. The 5 or 6 readers I used to have every day when I was updating at least 3 times a week I'm sure have quit checking this page. Who knows how long this will be on the front page tho. Could be months. I mean jeeze, just scroll down and look how long everything else has been sitting here. It's all quality Internet content tho, don't get me wrong.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel tho. A beacon in the night. I flickering star that brings hope...

It is Bee Month.

Yes, that's right! The Scripps National Spelling bee is coming. The countdown has begun. This year will not be like 2005. (the only bee i missed in the last 6 years {c'mon, I sprained my ankle the night before, gimme a break, I had to go to the doctor PLUS I didn't have cable}]).

I'm calling it now, this is the year of Baby Bird. The 9 year old wonder of years past. As a 3rd grader, he placed 3rd in the bee. Amazing.

Unfortunately I don't remember his name and this is the first year the bee doesn't have bios on their site of all the kids.

\(*o*)/
DJ Ruden

Professional Wrestling Roots

2007-02-27T05:45:00.000-06:00

Pro-wrestling is one of the greatest sports of our time. How it has lasted and evolved into what it is today is one of the world's longest and greatest mysteries. For those that don't know me well, I use to be a big fan in highschool, and dabbled in the trade a bit as I got older. My current occupation now has required me to work weekends the last 3 years so I had to retire.

Maybe someday I will go to the work of digitizing my videos to post them on Youtube. Til then, you can watch some of my more favouritest wrestlers, wrestling in one my favourtest leagues.

Ricky Sprague vs Casanova

Peter Moore says Xbox 360 needs to be more like Nintendo Wii in 2007

2007-02-27T03:38:00.001-06:00

"According to Microsoft's Peter Moore, the financial success and widespread desire for more from Nintendo's Wii is affecting how Microsoft looks to the future for their console."

See, Microsoft took the previous generation of game consoles and just made the computer chips faster and gave it more processing power for better graphics and stuff like that. All that does is make the price higher.

Nintendo actually inovated new technology for their system. It's also the only next generation system to be 100% backwards compatible with it's previous generation system (Nintendo Gamecube). At least Microsoft knows where they went wrong.

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Agents are GO!!!!!

2007-01-09T05:26:00.001-06:00

If you have a Nintendo DS, you should go purchase Elite Beat Agents immedately! It has quickly become my favourite game.

No.

Not of all time.

But right now! And that's what really matters, right? I am a gamer of the most highest quality, so of course I was able to beat the game at its highest skill level in a matter of about a week.

That doesn't mean I'm done playing it tho. The game has this awesome feature where it gives you titles based on your overall score accumulated. So I can keep replaying stages and try to get a higher score. I have already upped my title 2x since beating the game.

It's a good game. The songs are good. If you are wondering what the game is like, to quote Steve Heuertz, "It's like guitar hero."

I think its better.

Henry Rollins talks about stuff.

2006-12-12T07:40:00.001-06:00