Fahrenheit 9-11

So I went and saw this movie friday night of last week...opening night.
Not only was our 9:30pm show sold out, but the movie didn't start until almost 10:15pm because the show before ours was sold out and it took forever to get people in and out of the theatre.
It was apparently like this all across the 868 theatres that played this movie this weekend. Fahrenheit made more this weekend than Bowling for Columbine did in the entire time it was out in theatres.

Now, about the movie. Go see it. It doesn't matter whether you are liberal or conservative, this has nothing really to do with moral viewpoints. The fact is: we are being lied to and deceived and cheated. And it is infuriating.
Some could say that Michael Moore was twisting the facts, and I will admit, there is a liberal bias to several aspects of the movie.
however, I had read some of the facts he presented long before I saw the movie, and I got them from legit sources, like the BBC. I also highly doubt that Michael Moore would present facts without double and triple checking them; I'm sure that the Adminstration is just waiting for him to slip up on the slightlest fact to take him to Court and ruin his reputation.

I could go into detail about points made in the movie, but I doubt I could do this without becoming very angry. As I have said before, "Bowling for Columbine" makes you embarassed to be an American, whereas "Fahrenheit 9-11" will make you outright ashamed to be an American. And it is not the fault of individuals, for the most part. It is the fault of our corrupt leaders. The thing that frustrates me the most, is that there are rumors and blatent things going on that everyone knows about and no one does anything about it. It angers me that I can't do anything about it.

Whether you are conservative or liberal, like Dubya or hate him, Republican, Democrat, Green Party or Independent-- GO SEE THIS MOVIE. If you don't want to believe what is presented to you, maybe at least it will prompt you to do your own research and to go and find out for yourself what is truth.

Canadian Citizenship

So this is my new dream, right~~to become a citizen of our great neighbors to the north. And thus, I have done a little research on the topic. It seems to me, in comparison, it is easier to become a Canadian citizen than to become an American citizen.

TO QUALIFY FOR CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP:
1. Be a permanant resident of Canada
2. Live in Canada 3 out of the past 4 years (1095 days)
3. Demonstrate knowledge of English or French
4. Pass a citizenship test (if you are b/t the ages of 18 and 59)
5.Take the oath of citizenship.

Not only that, but Canada allows duel citizenship. So, I could keep my American status as well as be a Canadian!!

Who cannot become a Canadian citizen?
Before you apply you should make sure that you are eligible for citizenship. You cannot become a Canadian citizen if you:

1. are under a removal order;
2. are now charged with an indictable criminal offence;
3. have been convicted of an indictable criminal offence in the past three years;
4. are now in prison, on parole, or on probation;
5. are being investigated for or have been convicted of war crimes;
6. had your citizenship revoked in the last five years

For more info on the Canadians:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.html

TO BECOME AN AMERICAN
To become a citizen, or to be naturalized, a person must meet certain requirements:

1. Be at least 18 years old.
2. Have lived in the U.S. as a legal resident for at least 5 years.
3. Be of good moral character and loyal to the U.S.
4. Be able to read, write, speak and understand basic English.
5. Have basic knowledge and understanding of the history, government structure and the Constitution of the U.S.
6. Be willing to take an oath of allegiance to the U.S.

I still can't find if the US allows duel citizenship or not.

US INFO
http://www.usimmigrationagency.org/

COMMENTS:
how does one determine good moral character? Where is that definition and why is this a requirement to be a US citizen? Some would say that President Bush has good moral character, but he did start a war that killed thousands of innocent people. Some would say that Ellen Degeneres does not have good morals because she is openly gay, but I don't think she has killed one human being in her whole life.

Also, it only takes 3 years to get Canadian citizenship, where in the US, it takes 5.

That is really all I have to say about that.
later all

And the polls are in

Alright, another political post.

I am listening to NPR (big surprise there) and they are talking about the polls and the statistics of the election. Not only is this politically interesting to me, but it is also mathematically interesting to me; statistics was my favorite mathematical subject.

Anyways, Bush's ratings are up, but there is more to it than that. No incumbent has ever won reelection having the ratings that Bush had in May (under 50%). AND a lot of the swing states are for Kerry 8 points ahead of Bush. PLUS, independents are for Kerry 6 points ahead of Bush. And 54% of everyone polled said the country was going in the wrong direction, as opposed to 40% that said it was going in the right direction.

With all of these unusual stats, I have a feeling that this will be another election that no one will truly be able to call until it is over. In the meantime, no matter whether it ends up with Bush or Kerry, I am still lusting after our neighbors to the north as a new place of residence.

BTW: The prime minster elections for Canada are next week, I wonder if Paul Martin will be reelected or not. The Canadians get a choice between 4 diverse and intelligent candidates...I am so jealous.

later all

Love, Actually Is All Around

hey all
So I watched this total chick flick last night. It's called Love Actually.
and, actually (no pun:) it was a pretty decent film. It had the typical ending, but some of the issues brought up were well done. It's a british film, so what do you expect? Always better.

It was a rather postive, upbeat movie that follows the lives of a few different people. I loved the actors and actresses in it, including Liam Nielson and Huge Grant. It's also set during the holidays, so it is also one of those "feel good" movies.

So, my recommendation, if you are feeling down, rent this movie (and watch the deleted scenes too, they are great!)

It made my day a little better to realize that love is actually all around me.

:)
sorry to be so cheesy
my bad
later all

Da Vinci Physics

Ok
so i was online, reading this article about a new diet, called the Da Vinci Diet, that follows a lot of the Mediterranean ways of eating: fish, cheese, vegetables, meat, nuts, bread and wine.
But the coolest part is that the guy behind this diet, Stephen Lanzalotta, is using ancient math and physics to back his point.

" In his diet, Lanzalotta uses a complicated formula he created that relies on the value of phi, a number discovered by ancient mathematics, used to build the pyramids, and featured prominently in Brown's book.
The value, 1.618, is known as the "golden ratio." It has long fascinated artists, philosophers and mathematicians
In his book "The Golden Ratio," Mario Livio, an astrophysicist and senior scientist on the Hubble Telescope, discusses the history of the number
Taking into account factors including body type, the diet typically breaks down to 52 percent carbohydrates, 20 percent protein and 28 percent fat."

While some scientists are questioning whether this ancient mathematical phenomenon would be any good for a diet, I think it makes perfect sense. Afterall, this diet has kept people healthy in that part of the world for a long time.
And, this number shows up in all sorts of things in nature, including human physical demensions.

He did make another good point: "I'm not suggesting that we eat more bread," Lanzalotta said. "I'm just trying to look at the problems with eating only meat."
This too, has become a big problem in today's society. While our bodies are designed to need both vegetables and meat, we eat too much meat and not enough vegetables. Look at the problems in the meat industry. This is a direct result of dietary problems.

Anyways, it's bedtime
so g'night all

You look me in the eye directly

hey all
not much going on here. just working and all.

The research is going rather quickly...i think. what i can figure is going on anyways.
A little background:
I am helping out in a research program at my university with 4 other students that will be high school seniors in the fall. Two of them know way more about computers than I do and know how to manipulate the program (and thus the data) better than I do. These kids are pretty impressive. I don't suppose I should call them kids though, I am only 2 years older than them. I was going to physics camp at MSU at their age.

In other news...ray charles died...where's his state funeral? Some people are more deserving of state funerals than others.

It is raining today...how sad.

And now for something completely different
there is this website www.ytmnd.com that has a ton of different loops. They make fun of captain picard and the stapler guy from office space a lot. the best one, however, (REALLY REALLY GOOD) is one called "boil 'em" - I think it is at boilemmashmem.ytmnd.com, but if that doesnt work, just search at the top of the page for "boil 'em"

ANYWAYS... this is a hilirious techno/internet work of art in tribute to The Two Towers, the PO-TA-TOES scene. What a good scene.
(there's only ONE thing to do with a brace of conies...)

Well, that's all I got. Nothing really deep today. Got to bike to work now...in the rain.

It's good for me...:)
later

Variations on the variable stars

hey all
just sitting around until i can go process some images.
started my summer job in the physics department this week (hence the lack of posts)
This summer, I will helping in the research of variable stars.
http://www.aavso.org/
the above is the official website on variable stars and observing.
it seems like it will be pretty interesting.

In other news, I started my job in the german dept this week too. That is a lot of fun. I really enjoy working on my german skills, no matter how much or how little I get to do it.

My OTHER OTHER job (#3) is OK. We have freshman orientation going on across the hall from us, so it is kinda noisy and sometimes crowded with freshman and their terrified parents. Good times. And oh yeah, I am STILL going through all those files. I hope to be done by the end of the week. I was just purging this first time. I now get to go back through and re-organize. keeps me busy...and awake. (sometimes)

ah well, I should get back to work
later

In the name of the father, the son and an oil empire

So, i was listening to NPR today (this blog is becoming more political than physic-y lately, I apologize)
Anyways, they are covering Iraq and all the happenings over there and I keep hearing whispers and short clips that imply that the Iraq people don't want our help, that we are more putting someone in power that will be our puppet rather than someone that will be a true leader for the Iraqis. Hopefully, the UN will not allow this, but the UN wasn't for the war, either.
So Dubya is over there, trying to fix all this shit that he has done the past year. (It's an election year, remember?) He is visiting the pope (THE POPE!- you know the one that was REALLY against the Iraq war, the leader of one of the largest religious followings in the world) and gives him some award (the highest award granted to a civilian by the US) in hopes of "patching things up." Like a little kid who did something wrong to get his way and then gives a half-assed, "sorry." Yeah right. Granted, the pope probably had little idea what was going on and went and took a 5 hour nap shortly after this occurance, but the nerve? And the people of Italy are pissed. I would be too, if Bush came into my country, implored my government to send my family and friends to fight for his war in the name of human rights. (Cause the US is just so perfect with human rights~ Iraq prisoners are the best abused prisoners in the world- we need to make "Best Abuser in the World" mugs to give to the US guards)
WAIT A SEC...Bush DID do that in my country. Welcome to the US...when do I get to move to Canada?
He is getting $25 BILLION for Iraq this year in the budget. But Congress doesn't want to be stupid this time like they did with the 89 billion, so they have spelled out a majority of it to where it is supposed to go, only giving Bush 2.5 billion to play with. OH DEAR, the white house is upset.
Once again, I must apologize for my cynicism....but it is very hard to hear all of this stuff and to be SO INFORMED. Can ANYONE please give me a good arguement in favor of Bush? And no, I don't want talking points, I want facts.
Maybe I should try to "dumb down" a bit. I really should just stick to my reality shows, my pop-country musak, NASCAR and my Atkin's diet while driving my SUV with the AC on full blast.
Hell, maybe I should just forget to vote this year.

BUT I CAN'T DO THAT. I was raised to participate, to speak out and to learn. I was born (that's right, BORN) with these rights, just like everyone else here. But all too soon, they are going to become privledges because no one bothers anymore to preserve (not just preserve, but OBSERVE) these rights. John Kerry isn't the right candidate for America. Neither is Bush. We need a leader that inspires our love for our country, I know it is hidden in each of us, behind those ridiculous flags we put on our cars.

Sorry to get all patriotic on you. My bad.
Comments, as always, are welcome.
:)

An Apple a Day

So I was just listening to an article on NPR, about low-income health care facilities in this country.
And I think to myself, why do we not have a standardized health care system like every other technologically advanced country? THe only arguement I ever hear against forming such a system is that the quality of health care would decrease. But then I think, when most people can't afford decent health care anyways, isn't any health care better than none? Are we asking for another black plague here?
Add that to the american tradition of fixing problems after they occur rather than trying preventative measures could be(and I think in many cases are) disastrous.
Canada has standardized health care, so does Germany. They don't seem to have the same problems we do here. Obesity is not such a problem. Who knows what the STD rates are, but I am sure they are lower.
I would like to provide the following example:
Just to take care of one's sexual health, (for a female at least), one must spend (at least) $200 on average a year. This is about the cost for an annual exam, which the AMA strongly reccomends every woman gets. How many low income, single mothers can afford this? Sure, they can go to Planned Parenthood, with a slidding pay scale, but with Bush's lack of funding, how long will these services be available?
Further, for those women that wish to plan for a family and are sexual active, the cost of birth control (for one month) is right around $40. So expect another $480 on top of the exam. Then add the cost of condoms for STD prevention, $5 for 12. We are now pushing $1000/year.
Sure, the alternative is abstinance, but this is not always an option that everyone wants or is able to have. I agree that those who wish to participate in such actions should be responsible. But those that choose to be sexual active, responsibly, should have access to preventative measures more readily.

ANYWAYS (i will leave the abortion/contraception debate for another day)
MY POINT HERE IS: health care needs to be made more affordable. Costs are outragous for many doctors. I think the best option is to have a base free health care. Those that can (and wish to) afford it can hire private specialists for their personal health care. That way, the capitalistic way of life (that is the best way, of course), can still exist and health care (which SHOULD be a basic human right) is provided for all.
:)
That's it
back to work...

A big hell yeah

So I am at work today...and there is country musak on the radio. That's right, I suffered through 3.5 hours of country music today. For you. I took one for the team. Did my service, my duty for all y'alls. I am a patriotic citizAn of this great country of ours. Putting my boot WHERE??
I just don't know what it is about country music that just rubs me the wrong way. The fakeness of the twang. The way they try to sound rock while keeping their country roots. The whole white trash of it all.
Now don't get me wrong, I love all the stuff AROUND country music. Folk and irish traditional (supposibly the origin of country music) are definatly some of my favorite genres of music. Ben Harper, Peter, Paul and Mary, John Denver, Simon and Garfunkel, Arlo Guthrie, Woody Guthrie and Joni Mitchell were all artists that really spoke to me with their music.
Old school bluegrass is pretty neat, I like to hear that when it is on. Slide guitar, fiddles and harmonicas are all instruments that when played in that style, I can truly enjoy listening to.
Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon (from Phish) did an awesome album together called Clone that they use a lot of the bluegrass/folk style.
Maybe what I dislike about modern pop-country so much is the distance from authenticity. I dislike modern pop for much of the same reason. When I listen to music, I want something real to grasp at, not junk food to rot my insides empty. While pop-country claims to have roots in the good old stuff, they don't really listen to it anymore. When was the last "new" Johnny Cash? Even though I don't like all his stuff, I could tolerate and definatly even like some of his material. He was a true artist.
I don't want to be the Rolling Stone advocate here, saying everything old must be good. That too, is not always the case. But when it comes to country music, give me "these boots are made for walking" any day over Toby Keith's shit-covered boot.
Comments welcome!
later