Movie Magic
Topic: Normal
OK, I can understand how movie makers can make billion-year-old, dead dinosaurs come to life on the big screen. As a matter of fact, I have made a few movies myself. You can check them out at MSHV.

Anyway, one thing I can't understand is how the characters in a movie cannot see something that would be physically right in front of their eyes until they get right next to it. The characters in a movie can walk right toward a giant monster in an open field but they won't acknowledge it's existence until they are three feet from it. Then they are finally like "holy crap, a giant monster!"

How is that?

Then, in the same movie, a character might be able to spot someone very far away. They see a spec on the horizon and all of a sudden "holy crap, they're alive!"

It's crazy.

I mean, it would make sense in an animated movie cause the monster wouldn't be drawn yet. But in a live action movie something like a half torn down house is right there. It's right frickin there! Why can't they see it!!

Please leave comments.... you

Law and Order
I love watching Law and Order. There is one problem though. After watching a couple of shows in one day I want to crawl into a small hole and watch a couple of hours of Full House.

Law and Order is a good show, and yes it is fictional. However, many of the original Law and Order episodes were based on real life court cases. That means that some of the new ones are probably not entirely made up in the imagination of the creator. (and if he does make them all up, then he must be pretty sick inside)

After watching so many episodes in a row, I begin to feel down and sad. It's like "all this is going on in our world. How could somebody do that." I especially hate the ones about kids who get kidnapped, murdered, or raped. It's sick. I would hope the intent of Law and Order is to warn people that if they do this bad stuff they will be jailed forever, but then they have that episode where the killer is never found, or they get away near scott free.

Oh what a world we live in. Just remember, though, like Paul Harvey said, "In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these."

Buy and Return
Mood:  silly
Topic: Normal

If you don't have much money but would like a cheep thrill (sort of) then go to the nearest store.

Find a place like a Target or a Walmart. Pick a store that will give you cash back for a return.

Buy something like a radio or some other electronic device that costs a bit of money. Make sure it's a device that you really don't need or don't really want.

Make sure you pay with cash.

Take it home, open it up, listen to it or use it for a while.

After a day or two take it back and return it.

Are you ready for this...

When they refund you your money you will now have a bunch of money in your packet. It is actually a rather neat feeling. No you cannot get the same feeling by going to the bank. This is totaly different for some reason. It's great.

So I dare you to do it. I dare you. I so dare you. I so so dare you to do it. Do it, I dare you.


.......
poo

How to test for intelligence
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: People

What is a better way to test for intelligence, such as IQ testing?

**Testing how well people know or how much people know about things they have never been told about...

**Testing how well people pick up on and are able to comprehend new things...

Well, which way is a better way to test for IQ or intelligence? What kind of questions should be on an IQ test? Is testing people on theories and ideas that they have never had the chance to learn about fair?

The Red Cross is the best thing to happen to the USA...
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Poli-ticks

OMG!!!

People are soooooo needy! They wine and complain and that is how it goes. What am I talking about?

I'm sure you knew about Hurricane Katrina. Well apparently there were many people who were mad at the Red Cross. Not just for Katrina, but for 9/11 also. They were mad because the Red Cross was not doing enough. What the @#%& do you want them to do! The Red Cross is a Disaster Relief organization, which has always been it's mission. The Mission of the Red Cross has never been to rebuild houses! They are there to give survivors counseling, food, temporary shelter, and a little help to get them back on their feet.

And this is for those of you who think you are so smart --->>> Why don't you start an organization and take care of every idiot who refuses to leave an area even though they were told to evacuate because their house will be flooded! Why don't you organize over 1 million people simultaneously trafficking food, water, and counseling & health care! Why don't you try to find places to put people up for a month until they get back on their feet! Stop being such an ass and start doing something about it!

If you wine and complain nothing will ever get done. If you don't think people are doing enough, then get out there and do something yourself. Don't be a hypocrite! All these news people sit around and say the Red Cross isn't helping at all, but they just sit in their precious little news room reading off the teleprompter like monkeys: "read the words and you get a banana."

Give 'em a break! They are trying their hardest. Nobody is perfect!

And we all forget that one little detail that makes Katrina different than something like 9/11... People were warned that Katrina will flood their neighborhood, but they chose to stay anyway and got swept away with their houses or stuck on their roofs or separated from their kids. If they would have acted like mature adults and left they wouldn't have gotten stuck. Where should they have gone you ask? Drive north stoping every now and then and drive back after its over. Stop at all rest stops and take your time. Your family would be safe and material things would be all that was lost.

But hey, I'm only 22 years old with no college degree. I don't know what I'm talking about, do I? Or do I?

.........................

Trying Something New
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: People


I have decided to try something new and you'll never guess what it is.

In the (recent) past I have always wanted to volunteer to do things for people who need volunteers. The problem is I don't have any money. In order to be able to devote time to volunteering, I need to have money to live off of while I am not working. So I figured that I would work and build up some money so I would end up having time to volunteer later on. Eventually working and volunteering at the same time but having a good job, from which I could take off time if need be. Sound good?

Well, it didn't work. I work here and there and that is all I can find. I have no money but plenty of time. So I am going to try the opposite of what I planned on doing. I am going to volunteer despite the fact that I have no money. I decided to volunteer time to a pool I work at developing Safety procedures. I will volunteer time to the Red Cross teaching CPR and First Aid classes. I will be volunteering my time very soon with Big Brother/Big Sisters (as a Big Brother). And I have also decided to volunteer time working with Boy Scout groups in the area, doing work with First Aid and Aquatics. I have a job guarding at the college pool in the mornings and will teaching Lifeguard Training classes on Sundays...so I have some money income.

My plan is now to do something like what I heard alot about from those religious tv shows. People who gave and gave even though they did not have anything to give. They ended up getting in return and while my goal is not to end up getting because I gave a bunch, maybe everything will turn out OK.

If it doesn't work you'll know, because the Big Blog will go under and you will never hear from he again. Sorry reader. (that's not a typo)


Happy Hunting!

BMG Music Service
Mood:  down
Topic: Services
Ever used the BMG Music Service? Well, don't. If you buy CD's from the store (meaning you're not a digital music file type person) then you would get better prices from BMG than you would from a store (via the buy one get ten for free, + shipping and handling of course). Yet, you will never find the selection from BMG that you could even from a Target or Walmart. BMG just does not have the selection that anyone who listens to music would like.

So if you don't like to leave your house, but must have physical CD-ROM disks, then BMG has some good prices, but probably not what you're looking for.

However, if you love selection more than you care about physical vs digital then go with Napster or iTunes. You'll pay about the same if you don't go downloading entire CD's. With BMG I get my free CD for $2.99 actually (S&H). That is about 10 songs for three dollars vs 3 songs for 3 dollars with iTunes. But how many of those songs did you really want to have?

You must weigh the odds. If you own the CD and make a copy of it for personal backup use only, then you always have a backup of your files. If you delete an mp3, then it's gone forever, and iTunes does not give out replacements.

Lifeguard Trainer
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: I'm gonna be a Lifeguard Trainer
Topic: Normal
Well, just 2 more days to go and I will be a certified American Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor. I am so happy. Yet I am also a little concerned. I had to take the LGI class in another Red Cross Chapter because my chapter doesn't have anyone who can teach me so I can teach Lifeguarding. So, over there, they have rules set out and speak about certain rules and regulations as if they are obvious. Where I work, certain rules and regulations are not set up.

Like this thing called an Emergency Action Plan (EAP). Neither of the pools I work at had EAPs until last year, when I wrote one up for one of my pools. The equipment we have is horrible, the rules are not written down anywhere for reference, and no one knows what to do in the case of an emergency. Its horrible.

So now that I know more about safety and emergency preparedness, I feel an obligation to make sure that the pools I work at get their act together. If they refuse to get stuff working, I will have to quit. If I am working there and something happens, and we get sued, I could be sued because I knew about the problems but chose to work there even though the problems exist. But I don't want to quit.

So you see my dilemma.

And that is the problem of the day... for Big that is. See you all next time when we discuss more things that don't matter to you, but are my life.

Big, out.

Free Speech for you, Law Suit for me?
Mood:  quizzical
Now Playing: .......?
Topic: Poli-ticks
I want to know what the deal is with this world. Today specifically, I want to know why something can be considered free speech by one person, but against the law by another. Here's my example:

Scientists have created these things they call "theories." Now for those of you who don't know, a theory is a hypothetical situation that, after much research, has data to back up but not prove the theory most of the time. This means that theories are not fact. Any real scientist will not say a certain theory is 100% proven. Why? Because if it was 100% proven, it would be called fact, not theory. Certain theories you may have heard of: Theory of Evolution, Theory of Relativity, Quantum Physics is mostly theory also. None of these can be proven 100%. Many scientists, however, will say that these theories must be true because the data supporting the theory is overwhelming. This still does not make the theory true. These scientists push for these theories to be accepted by all text book publishers. They also wish for these theories to be accepted by the community as a whole, because to them, these theories are the truth. Many scientists are scientists because they need things to be explained. They need to have reasons why things work. Why else would they hypothesize and then try to prove their hypotheses. That's what scientists do; biologists, physicists, chemists, all study their respective science. In studying, they propose something should be happening a certain way and then try to prove it.

So if scientists are always trying to prove things one way or another with cold hard facts, then it only makes sense that they would be the lasts ones to be able to accept abstract ideas like much art, and especially religion, which people have a hard time proving through hard facts. Consider that many people follow the Bible, or the Koran, or the Jewish Bible the same way scientists follow natural law, physical laws, and all those other theories and science laws and rules. Religion states how the world was created, how we are expected to act, it gives us laws and rules to follow as well as much good advice to live by. As a matter of fact, if people followed the Bible and how God tells us we should live the world would be a much better place. Even if God really didn't exist (I don't mean it) if people followed the Bible and believed it was all true, the world would still be a better place. You can follow everything that Science says and you won't be able to live a great life. (science says one day we might get hit by an asteroid, and the universe is collapsing, and the sun will explode; man this is great...?) So where am I going with this?

Liberals, scientists, lawyers, and judges can all say that the Theory of Evolution and the Big Bang Theory are allowed to be taught in public schools and anything else which is not scientifically accepted is not allowed. Yet, when a Christian teacher tells his students that the Theory of Evolution is in fact just a theory, and there is other explanations for the creation of man, he can easily be sued for freedom of speech. Why? Because he imposed his ideals, opinions, and religion on children who are susceptible to influence and will believe what a teacher tells them? No! People sue teachers like him because they are trying to prove a point. If I did a speech in class on the Chinese, and in that speech went over their religion briefly and how they believe the world began, there may be a kid in my class who will think that it makes sense and want to learn more. Can I be sued for influencing that kid and pushing my ideals on him? No, because all I did was state facts: that fact being that this is what the Chinese believed back in the day. So how come I can't say "this is what I believe," without the threat of a law suit. Even if all I was doing was stating that is what I believe, with the expectation that others would say what they believe and we would have a nice discussion about the differences (not forcing religions on each other, and not getting offended by each other).

The answer is, because religion is not accepted as fact because it cannot be proven. People are afraid to believe in God because they have been let down by religion before, or are afraid to believe in something that cannot be proven by hard fact. Jesus dying for my sins is enough fact for me, but others have a harder time with it. But this still does not answer my question.

For me to say "I believe that God created the earth in 7 days," is my belief. For someone else to say " scientists have shown it's possible the earth was created by the rapid expansion of the universe over a billion years ago," is someone else's belief (whether they call it "belief" or not). From an English speech point of view, these two statements are nothing but statements, or opinions. Only if I say "God created the earth and if you don't believe that then you are going to Hell!" then I am imposing my religion on other a little. But then again, if a scientist was to say that anyone who believes the Biblical story of creation is ignorant, he can get away with that. Why is it scientists can say the religion is wrong, but Christians, Jews or people from other religions can't say that science is wrong?

I will probably never get my question answered. Mostly because people from both sides do not believe the other side nor do they agree on anything.

Even the new thing that has arisen from the religion-scientists, called Intelligent Design, is not popular with both crowds. (for those who don't know, Intelligent Design says that the laws of nature govern everything we see, but something was set in motion by a creator of some sort. Creator meaning God, aliens, or some other entity. It states that there are so many complex items in nature that could not of possibly happened on their own, that someone had to start it all.)

So my questions are out there, and everyone has their own answer, so I don't expect much. But I would like to be able to talk about what ever I want to talk about (that free speech thing) without the fear of being sued for imposing on others beliefs. After all, isn't freedom the whole point of the USA? If we can't be free, and the government is going to tell us we can only talk about religion in our homes and churches and can't talk to others about our religion unless they tell us we can, then what's the point of calling ourselves free?

6 in a row
Mood:  lucky
Now Playing: I just won 6 solitare games in a row!
Topic: Normal

Ok, this may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but then again, some of the things I write may not be a big deal to anyone else either. So who cares. I just won 6 solitare games in a row. This is neat to me, so just be happy for me (nod and say "that's nice").

I had begun my nightly game of solitare (played to strengthen my mind, not for lack of no life) and I first noticed that I had won the first deal that was presented to me. As I played along, I won the second game and was a little excited at the fact that I had won two games in a row. Shoving it off as mere luck, I played another game (I either play till I lose [which normally happens quickly] or I play until I've won a game or two). I also won that game, and spread the word around of my achievement. (Yes, I do realize you can see where this is going) I got something to drink and proceeded to see what would happen if I continued, cautioning myself to not get cocky. As I played this deal I realized soon that I would have four wins behind me. "see what happens when you don't get cocky and full of yourself, and actually still concentrate and play the game," I thought to myself. This proved useful as I played through the fifth game. I was going along as smoothly as any other deal I had played before when I got into a pickle. I did not have anywhere to move anything, except for the four discard piles, but moving up there what I had on the field would not prove useful. So I moved a couple cards from the discard piles, to the discard piles and then the key card revealed itself. The game, after that, was over quickly.
Number 5! I ran to tell my brother. He was unamused because I only draw one card from the deck at a time, instead of the usual three. Hey! If they didn't want people to be able to draw only one card, the program would not have that option. Oh, by the way, I was playing the solitare that comes with Windows. Proof that I did not cheat (unless you count the one card draw as cheating).
So I am now repeating to my self not to get cocky, and instead of relying on "bad luck, good luck," I started to remind myself of what I learned in Statistics class. The laws of chance and probability. If you flip a coin 100 times and it lands on heads 68% of the time, you do not have a 68% chance of getting heads on the 101st flip. There is only two options, and on a normal coin there are only two sides (the coin having a similar weight on both side of the coin). You will either get heads or tails on a single flip. That's only a 50% chance of getting heads. So the number of heads before the 101st flip does not help determine the chance of getting heads on the 101st flip. Likewise, the number of times I won Solitare before does not determine my chance of winning the next game I play. It is simply my stats of how many games I have won versus how many games I have lost, up to that point in time. Well, book smarts don't help at all, because I lost the seventh game.
And, oh ya, I won the Sixth, but lost the seventh. You gotta admit, that's pretty neat. I won six games in a row. Six. Well, I thought it was neat.
So basically, don't get cocky about things, and pay attention in school, because I must haved missed something in stats class. That only makes sense, since I was winning until I thought about statistics. So school is useful if you pay attention, and if you (ya, you sitting there stareing at the screen) don't pay attention in school, then maybe you should cause you wouldn't lose at solitare.

Big, out.