AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/30/2003 08:46:00 PM ----- BODY: Anti/Pro-War Rally

As I walked to join some friends for one of my many group projets this afternoon, I came across something that stretched a smile across my face. On the north side of the intersection of Welch and Lincoln Way stood a large mass of people shouting and holding signs. Those to the west of Welch were dressed in anti-war propaganda. Their handcrafted signs displayed clever little phrases denouncing our war overseas. Directly across Welch, pro-war individuals paraded their views on our country's foreign affairs with clever signs of their own. I couldn't help but wonder if these people sat in their rooms brainstorming the most unique war slogan to marker onto their posters so they could not only impress their peers but so that they could be the one person to make a difference in the war effort: "Man, this slogan is so clever! It's gonna for sure turn some heads and change people's minds about the war!" The pro-war people even went so far as to blare patriotic audio clips from President Bush through a loud speaker. As if this scene wasn't entertaining enough, each "team" had their own large signs that said either "Honk For Peace" or "Honk For War". Ok, remember when you were a child and everyone would do the international honk sign to a truck that was right next to you on the schoolbus, and when the truck driver honked the whole bus cheered with excitement? Imagine that happening among adults but with an element of competition thrown in. Each side would try to get cars to honk for them. When one did, the "winning" side would roar with applause, rubbing it in to the opposing "team". I was really tempted to walk between them and yell, "Keep up the good work everybody! You're really making a difference!", just to see how many people would actually believe it. I'm expecting Dubya to make an appearance on t.v. tonight to say, "Ya know, for months I have stuck to my guns despite an overwhelming worldwide disapproval for waging an unprovoked war with Iraq. I just knew in my heart of hearts that it was the right thing to do. But today something changed my mind. This afternoon, the anti-war protesters collected more honks than the pro-war assemblers along Lincoln Way in Ames, Iowa. We will begin withdrawing troops starting tomorrow and will surrender to Iraq. Thank you." -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/29/2003 05:04:00 PM ----- BODY: Madonna: The Struggling Diva

I've always found Madonna interesting. She's a diva who gained popularity by writing songs about sex and by publicly leading a pro-sex lifestyle. Many women have since followed in her footsteps a la Ms. Spears and Christina, and Madonna has voiced her support for Spears in her concerts. The thing that I find amusing is how Madonna has suddenly transformed her trashy New Yorker image into one of a European intellect, fully equipped with a British accent and everything. Are people really fooled by this? If Britney Spears pulled the same stunt 15 years from now and voiced her political concerns to the media would anyone really care? I really hope no one would, which is why I can't help but think even less of Madonna after her latest lame attempt to revamp her falling career (and boost her large ego even more). Her new music video, titled "American Life", ends with a scene in which Madonna throws a grenade at President Bush. Bush then grabs the grenade and lights a cigar with it. Is this really the material that the Material Girl feels is important to draw attention to herself? As if winning the Raspberry Award for her acting in Swept Away didn't give her enough negative publicity. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/26/2003 11:57:00 PM ----- BODY: Iowa State Univerty College of Business Rant

I have a bone to pick with the business college here in Ames, Iowa. I was under the impression when I enrolled here four years ago that I would not only be furthering my education, but that I would also be enhancing my chances of being successful in life. Call me crazy, but I believe landing a job out of college is an essential part of what should come after graduation. If landing a job and starting a career were actual concerns of the administration at this university, then why do they feel the need to pile on so many projects and papers at such a critical time in a young student's life? Do they not see how poor the job market is right now? I currently have ONE promising job opportunity that would require a day and a half to fly out and make a second interview to secure the position. Unfortunately, I am too overwhelmed with pointless projects that I am unable to follow through with it for at least a few weeks. Such pointless projects should not, in any way, jeopardize my career aspirations. If I can't even take time out to interview, how am I supposed to spend the appropriate amount of time needed to search for other jobs? It's absolutely insane, and it's unfortunate that such practices are going to lead to low job placement come graduation. Mark my words, there will be a small percentage of business graduates who land decent jobs come May...and it won't be our poor economy's fault to blame. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/26/2003 01:33:00 AM ----- BODY: Creative Inventions

The following are products and services that I've always thought could be promising: "I Don't Care" Restaurants -- it doesn't matter what food it makes. It seems like whenever someone is asked where they want to eat, they reply, "I don't care." This way their wish shall be granted, and the company will be able to cash in on peoples' indecisiveness. "The Divorce Story" on TLC -- The network already makes a feel-good show about weddings so why not a fiery drama capturing its demise? With America flocking to reality television that thrives on hurt feelings and backstabbing (see: The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Joe Millionaire, The Real World, basically any of them), I believe this show will be a hit. The best would be special shows shown during sweeps week when cute couples that previously appeared on The Wedding Story are given a spot on The Divorce Story so the audience can witness the progression of a once-loving marriage to one of hatred due to years of abuse, neglect, adultery, etc. "Sure-Lock Homes" -- I really don't know much about home security systems, but this spoof of Sherlock Holmes is just too good to go unused. A "Lessis Mower" -- Another spoof on the term "less is more", this lawnmower would have a built-in chip that would record your mowing patterns. All you have to is push the "record" button and mow your lawn. When finished, push stop, and your mowing pattern will be stored in a chip in the machine. Next time your lawn is in need of a trim, just start the Lessis Mower at the exact spot you started at originally, rid your lawn of any random garbage or twigs, and push the "Mow" button. The magical machine will mow your lawn for you! Think about all the hours you'll save every month! Of course, once sales start to plateau we'll have to come out with upgraded models. Gradually, models will be created that have heat sensors good for a certain radius to prevent injury of animals or children. Also, the mowers will be created to have multiple presets for times when you want to mix it up with a box design, diagonal design, or the standard back-and-forth design for your yard. My Own Line of Hotels -- I have yet to come up with a good name for this one yet, but our gimmick would be that we wash ALL off the bed sheets everyday. Virtually all hotels wash all the sheets except the bedspread. Studies have shown that the average hotel bedspread has all kinds of disgusting things imbedded in them, which will serve as the basis of our introductory advertising campaign. It'll show fibers from bedspreads in typical hotels like Marriott, Embassy Suites, Holiday Inn, and Adam's Mark. Underneath the photo would be a listing of all the dirt, beverages, and bodily fluids that studies have proven are in the average bed sheet. A narrator with a slight English accent (they seem to be more proper and, thus, more clean) would talk over the ad. Then, he'd say the name of my hotel, the logo would come up, and then the slogan "We wash the top sheet" would be read at the very end. That would do it for me. If I saw that, I wouldn't stay anywhere else. Ok, those are all of my ideas to date. I'm sure I'll think of more eventually, which I'll make a point of posting when that day comes. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/24/2003 12:41:00 AM ----- BODY: Oscar Night

I've decided that I really need to see Chicago, Gangs of New York, and The Hours. I just haven't had time to see them, especially with a college student's budget. I was disapointed with the recognition About Schmidt and Adaptation had tonight. Those two movies are done so amazingly well, that I can't imagine the others really being that much more deserving of the awards. Actually, that's the main reason I want to see those movies -- to see if they're really deserving of the hype. All in all, it was a pretty good night with Steve Martin doing a great job as host. Michael Moore's comments were pretty out of hand, I thought. I loved Bowling For Columbine, but what he said was pretty crazy. Nothing he could say would actually matter to anyone of authority with this war so he might as well at least show his support for the troops who are risking their lives for our country, regardless of if it is "a war for fictitious reasons". -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/23/2003 02:08:00 PM ----- BODY: My Spring Break

Oh boy, what a wild and crazy spring break it was for me this year! Lots of beer bonging, warm weather, and boobs-for-beads viewing...ok, I'm totally kidding. Last weekend (the start of break) I went to my dad's in northwest Iowa with my sister to hang out with my dad, stepmom, and half-sister. We mostly just took it easy and hung out. One night we went to nearby Wall Lake to visit some relatives that were in town from Indiana. They're all very nice and they have some pretty cute kids. What amazed me, though, is how crazy these people were for the Hoosiers. They kept talking about how much they hate coach Mike Davis and they want him canned because he's a big crybaby who isn't very good. Not very good? The guy brought took an Indiana program that had been struggling for a few years and brought them to the championship in only his second year of coaching. How in the world would someone want to fire a coach for doing that? My relatives want Steve Alford to come in and coach soon. That's understandable. I mean, I'd totally want to hire a guy who hasn't had a winning season in the Big Ten in his five years of coaching over someone who made it to the national championship in only his second. They also cheered for Texas Tech now because Bobby Knight now coaches them. After talking to another friend of mine who went to Indiana, I can see that it seems to be the general attitude of Hoosier fans. Sorta nuts if you ask me. On Monday, my sister drive me to Des Moines and dropped me off to get my new car. I absolutely love it. My sister left, and I drove down to Kansas City in time to go out with a couple friends for St. Patrick's Day. The streets around Westport were completely packed with people wearing green. Sadly, I own no green clothing so I was the odd freak amidst the crowd of partiers. We went to a few bars and I even got to party with a midget dressed as a leprechaun (sp?). We went back early because my friends had to work early and I had my interviews the next day. The interview with Maxim Healthcare went very well. I got the interview because a friend of mine happens to be a recruiter for the company. Ironically, the guy who intereviewed me was a Phi Delt at KU. We hit it off pretty well. The interview was for a couple positions that have just opened up in Raleigh, North Carolina so I hope it works out. The location would be perfect -- two hours to the beach, two hours to the mountains, and right in the middle of some great universities. It's not my first choice which is something in the music industry, but it's pretty darn scarce to find something out east for that. The only thing that would not be fun for the company is that I would have to work about 60 hours a week my first year. The pay is pretty good for an entry-level job, but I worry about letting work taking over my life. We'll see, I guess. The second person I spoke with was the HR Director for Bernstein-Rein, a largely successful advertising company. That was a very good learning experience for me, but it's doubtful anything will pan out with it. The next day, I headed to the Quad Cities to my mom's new house. It's older and in a different area of Davenport than I'm used to, but it's a pretty good house. I really didn't do a whole lot when I was home besides unpack and put together shelves. I did get to see a friend of mine one night which was good. Both nights I was there the basement flooded. Being that it is a two bedroom house and I was sleeping on a pull-out in the basement, I was forced to crash on a couch upstairs my last night there. At that point, I had slept on as many couches as I had beds during break (I slept on a couch in KC). Because I had some work I needed to do over the internet (our internet was down) and I didn't have a bed, I decided to head back to Ames on Friday. Later that afternoon I met up with my dad, stepmom, and sis and we bought tickets from scalpers to get into the Iowa State/Iowa game in the second round of the NIT. It was absolutely crazy in there. ISU came from behind to almost win, but Iowa pulled through and won by one. It's nights like that that make my hatred for the Hawks grow even stronger. The worst part is going to the ISU message board on ESPN's website and hearing all the clever insults from Hawk fans like "Cyclones Suck!" It's funny to me that Iowa only sold 2,700 tickets for their first round game, and Iowa State sold over 12,000 for theirs. I guess it shows the fan support of each university's athletic program. Yet, once Iowa wins, everyone turns into a big Hawkeye fan. It kind of reminds me of football, too. Comments like those posted on that messageboard are void of any thought and are only written to get under the skin of Cyclone fans. Unfortunately, it works. So here I am, six weeks away from closing another chapter on my life at graduation. I have no motivation for school. I want a job now, which should be the first thing students my age should be concerned about. Sadly, the business school doesn't see it that way. Instead, they pile on papers, exams, and group projects to interfere with job hunting. It seems sort of pointless, if you ask me. Anyway, it's good to be back around my friends here again. I can't wait to hear all the crazy stories people have to share about their vacations. All I'll be able to tell them is that I partied with a midget. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/19/2003 01:32:00 AM ----- BODY: Interesting Pro-War Post

I'm sitting here in Kansas City at about 1:30 in the morning unable to sleep due to a friend calling and waking me up. It's strange to me that at this time tomorrow our lives will have changed yet again. With war starting in Iraq, an attack on the United States in the near future is almost certain. Our generation has been lucky thus far. We have not endured massive wars, had friends that were drafted to fight and die for our country, or had to struggle through drastic economic hardships. Many of us, including myself, were naive in thinking such things were issues in the past and that we had things "figured out" so it wouldn't happen again. I want to believe and trust our government. Since so many protests have proven to be useless in changing the minds of our government, I can't help but see a growing trend of people saying, "Well, if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em". It's sad to me that a trend like that is one of the largest reasons support for this war is growing. Personally, as someone who was against a pre-emptive war, find myself just crossing my fingers hoping the best comes out of all this. I find myself clinging to the hope that there is a lot they aren't telling us citizens so that we may quickly and effectively deal with matters in Iraq. My gut tells me, though, that there's probably a lot we don't know because we would have caught Iraq on it already if we did. That's what worries me. While our country is busy with their attempts to rally the world together and their efforts to increase patriotism with lame slogans (Operation Iraqi Freedom? Are you kidding me!?) and pro-war propaganda, Iraq is not just sitting around waiting to get bombed. What they have up their sleeves will be discovered soon. I consider myself lucky right now. I am in the midwest right now after a couple promising interviews in a relatively difficult job market. I do not foresee the market improving any time soon with war starting. Maybe I'm crazy for wanting to head east, away from the supposed safehaven of the midwest. I guess only time will tell what really is safe. Below is a very interesting case for war with Iraq from Rick Bruner: We should respect Iraq's sovereignty. Saddam's rule of that country hardly demonstrates respect for his own country's sovereignty, much less that of Kuwait, Iran, Israel or Saudi Arabia, or the U.N. for that matter. He has squandered any claim to respect of sovereignty he might have had. I wrote six months ago about a drunken neighbor when I was a kid who more than once threatened the neighborhood with his arsenal of guns when he went on a bender. I was only too happy when the police came to get rid of him. Although they actually succeeded in talking him out, they were there in flack jackets, and I wouldn't have been sorry to see them kick in his door to do it. He had lost the right to be treated in a good neighborly fashion. World public opinion is against it. As a professional researcher, I can assure you that public opinion is a poor gauge of what is right and true. I really wonder if European public opinion in 1938 about whether Jews were human beings or not would have supported Hitler's view, or, for that matter, whether the majority of Americans in the late 1800s would have deemed blacks as worthy of citizenship. Thankfully, leadership is not about doing what is popular, it's about doing what is right. Let history be the judge. We should give the U.N. weapons inspectors more time. More time for what? How is it that so many can ignore the fact that the weapons inspectors are not there to play hide and seek? They are there to confirm that Saddam is actively and enthusiastically disarming, which, despite crumpling a handful of missles, he clearly is not. He's playing the U.N. for fools, as he has done for years, and I really don't see the point in taking it up the ass any longer for the sake of delaying the inevitable. More to the point, there is no question that Saddam would not be cooperating at all, and for that matter no other members of the world community would have put the issue of renewed inspections on the table at all had it not been for the U.S.'s clear willingness to advance the very credible threat of force to make him comply. If the French et al had their way, we'd be blithely halfway into the fifth year of no inspectors and no attention to the real threat Saddam's regime represents. The US is acting unilaterally. This one really pisses me off, as it's so obviously untrue. Granted, we do not have unanimous world support for a war, but Afghanistan, Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Britain, Bulgaria, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and Uzbekistan are all publicly on board. What are they, chopped liver? I wonder what all those countries think about being considered non-entities by headline writers around the world. The truth is, world opinion is divided, pretty much down the middle, as far as I can tell, but to say we're going it alone is just blatantly false. The U.N. should be the forum to solve this. We should get allies behind us first. So what the hell are they waiting for? This is a catch 22. Public opinion in France and everywhere else says that were the U.N. to get behind the war effort, then the majority of all those countries would agree to support the war. So...all that's lacking is France et al supporting U.N. action. And they accuse the Bush administration of circular logic? No one can argue the U.S. hasn't tried to rally its allies. Granted, our approach to diplomacy could have been more diplomatic, but we've been at it for months. At what point do we give up trying? (Tomorrow, apparently.) What is most galling is that those balking in the U.N. are not willing to call a spade a spade. On paper (1441), they have given Saddam one last chance to actively and fully disarm, but it's clear to all (including Hans Blix) he is not doing so. Yet rather than coming out and clearly saying that what the opponents of war prefer to do is appease this ruthless dictator because they don't have the balls to deal with him, they are pretending to be giving him the benefit of the doubt, pretending that inspections are "working" (towards what end?). That is the voice of authority and leadership that should command the world's respect? No, it is not the U.S. that is dividing the world against itself, it is the gutless prevaricators within U.N. who are doing so. Besides, in the 200+ wars the world has witnessed in the last 50 years or so, only three had U.N. blessing, namely Korea (1950), Iraq (1991) and Afghanistan (2001). Notably, those do not include Kosovo, Bosnia or Somalia, where, in each case, it was the U.S. that stuck its neck out to attempt to prevent genocide that it had no direct stake in. And, at the rist of sanctimony, let's not forget WWII, where the U.S. sacrificed thousands of lives to preserve the democracy in Europe that now gives France and Germany the freedom to snub their noses at us today. Saddam hasn't done anything reckless in 12 years. Yes, but the only reason he hasn't succeeded in his ambitions of Kurdish genocide or regional domination is thanks to the no-fly zone enforced by the U.S. and England that are so unpopular with peaceniks in the free world. There's that word again: genocide. I love how the media keeps referring to Saddam gassing "his own people." Actually, from his point of view, the Kurds he was gassing are not "his own people." That's exactly the point. Left to his own devices, it would be genocide, pure and simple. Saddam has no active nuclear program. With all due respect to Muhammad al-Baradei, we really don't know that. Let's not forget that in 1991, Saddam's nuclear program was much further developed than international intelligence agencies or the International Atomic Energy Agency had imagined. He is a master of cat and mouse. We're never going to know for sure how far along he is until we can gain unfettered access to the place, and that is clearly not going to happen in today's inspection environment. Besides, even without nukes, the large stores of chemical and biological weapons he is widely believed to be hiding are good enough for me to constitute a clear and present danger to the world. Al Qaeda wouldn't collaborate with Saddam because they're religious zealots and he's a secular tyrant. Gimme a break. Al Qaeda demonstrated clearly in their planning for September 11th they'll do whatever it takes to smite their enemy, even if that means suffering through lapdances in the strip clubs of the Great Satan. If they can buy box cutters in our Wal-Marts, I'm sure they could suck it up to borrow a few kilos of anthrax from Saddam. And as for Saddam, if his prior support of religious terrorists (e.g., paying off widows of Hamas suicide bombers) were not enough, how about his latest threat to retaliate against an attack "wherever there is sky, land or water." France has the moral high ground and is giving voice to world opinion. Hey, I've been to France several times and love the place and its people, but in this debate, France can suck my weener. Please remind me of one time in the 20th Century when France demonstrated moral authority. How about inviting Mugabe for champagne in Paris last month while the rest of the world is ratcheting up sanctions against that bastard? That was a nice move. France is perhaps the only democracy with a worse record than us when it comes to coddling dictators, notably including Saddam (then and now). Bush is arrogant. Yes he is. And rather stupid, too. And...so what? This isn't charm school, it's a test of right or wrong. This is a bad time to be arguing about style over substance. France is willing to sacrifice unity in the Western world and reward a vicious despot in order to teach us boorish Americans a lesson in manners? I mean, what really matters here? Don't the Iraqi people deserve better? France's only interest in this whole thing is its ego, pretending they're still a world power. They know perfectly well we're going to do this with or without them (I recently heard someone quip that going to war without France by our side is like going hunting without an accordion), yet they've decided it would be in the world's best interest to let us bear the burden alone while they make us look as bad as possible in the process. What makes me so sad is that this is the right thing to do -- Saddam is a danger to all around him and he no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt; and even if you don't believe that, the bottom line is it's going to happen regardless, as there is no practical way Bush could back down at this point anyway (what message would that send to Saddam and his ilk if Bush did so at this point?) -- and therefore it would be so much better for the whole world in the long run if our "allies" presented a united front with us. You can't convince me that France (and by France I really mean by proxy all those objecting in the Security Council) honestly has the best interest of the Iraqi people or even world security at heart. No, I think they just want 15 minutes of glory in having stood up to "the big bully," regardless of whether what the supposed bully is proposing in this case is right or not. So, from now on it's every man for himself? That's just great. The truth is, we can take care of ourselves, if that's what it's going to come down to. But if the next plane does fly into the Eiffel Tower, packed with anthrax, bon chance, bebe. We'll see how helpful good manners are for you then. It's too bad Clinton is no longer president, because he was charming and smart. My opinion on Clinton: what a tragic waste of potential. All those brains and yet he failed to really recognize the opportunity he had to profoundly shape the world order in the obvious power vacuum of the post-Cold War. Nothing makes me angrier than thinking he was perfectly well aware of the growing discontent in the Third World and mounting threat of terrorism, watching as thousands marched through Bin Laden's training camps in Afghanistan and yet, instead of recasting the role of the CIA and using his ample charms and intelligence to try to lead the direction for the New World Order -- or even just keep tabs on who Bin Laden was training -- he spent his time gloating about the bubble economy, hand-holding in Northern Ireland, befriending North Korea while they schemed behind our backs, morphing his party into Republicans Lite, and getting blow jobs under the desk. What a sorry self-aggrandizing ass he turned out to be. I'm so glad I voted for Nader in '98. What about North Korea? Aren't they the greater immediate threat? Sure, but the problem is North Korea already has nukes, which makes holding them to account for it a lot more complicated. And I can't understand how it makes me a hawk to think so, but I do subscribe to the principle that you don't reward their aggression by negotiating with them on their terms. As long as we refuse to let them dictate the agenda, the ball is still in our court. I can't say I really know what the best course of action is there (although I do like the Chuck Barris idea), but frankly I think that the whole North Korea crisis is that much more reason why we should act now with Saddam instead of waiting till we're in the same situation with him as with Mr Il (a more aptly name crackpot I can't think of, though I do like that Saddam Hussein sounds so much like So Damn Insane). Bush is rushing to war. Going to war with Iraq has been this administration's agenda for well over a year (actually, since he first came into office). The inspectors have been in Iraq again for nearly six months. That's a rush? Remind me not to call your fire department. How long should we wait? Another 12 years? If we go after Iraq today, who's next? Who indeed. Just because we can't go after all the evil doers in the world (and, yes, I'm using that phrase ironically) doesn't mean we shouldn't confront any of them. We're all guilty of coddling dictators too long in this world. I love that according to the peaceniks we can't win for losing: in supporting the Saudis and other evil bastards, we're collaborating to suppress innocent civilians in those countries, yet when we impose sanctions on Iraq because its bastard is especially evil, then we're starving babies to death. What exactly is the consistent position we're supposed to be abiding by? Should we do business with dictators or not? Or, like France, should we do so and just try to keep a low profile about it? If attacking Iraq is making all the other tyrants around the world right now soil their drawers, terrific. Realistically, we're going to pick our battles. But, in my opinion (as I've suppose made tediously clear by now), this is one worth fighting. Our foreign policy created all these monsters in the first place. Maybe. Well, us, together with France, Germany, England and the rest, anyway. But that is supposed to be a good reason why we shouldn't realize the errors of our ways and try to right our own wrongs now? We should solve the Palestinian problem first. Yeah, like that's a realistic answer. The Palestinian problem has been there for 100 years or so. It will still be waiting for us in a few months. Besides, if mighty Clinton was no match for it, you actually think Bush is going to figure it out? That said, he seems already to have gone farther towards a commitment to a Palestinian state than I remember Clinton ever doing. War is hell. No shit. So is life under Saddam. Besides, better them than us. I was a pacifist when I was 18, but I've lived long enough to realize sometimes you have to do unto other before they do unto you. Yes, many Americans will die in this war, and many more Iraqis, and I'm sad for both cases, but not as many Iraqis will die in a war as would continue to suffer and die under the sanctions and Saddam's dictatorship for another 10 years. More to the point, I'd much rather we bring it to them than wait for Saddam to bring it to us. There are no good options here. It's a crass analogy, but to my mind it's like ripping off a BandAid: it's going to hurt like hell for a little bit, but better to endure that short pain now than let the wound fester any longer. Going to war in the Middle East is just going to fuel more terrorism. If September 11th taught us anything it is that we don't have to provoke terrorists for them to attack us. I live in NYC (i.e., likely to be ground zero yet again for future terrorist ambitions). I'm not saying that makes me as brave as signing up to serve on the front lines, but I don't think that cowering in fear from a possible terrorist backlash is the responsible way to face the threats of the new millennium. It's so hackneyed as to almost have lost all meaning, but in that case the terrorists truly would have won. In all likelihood, war with Iraq will help Bin Laden recruit more angry young men to his cause, but it will also doubtless do more to raise the hopes of dissidents and everyday misserable wretches living under the thumb of wicked dictators in that part of the world and elsewhere than would sticking our heads in the sand like so many "allies" recommend. It may all go horribly wrong. Yes, that's a real risk. But honestly I believe it's much more likely to go (more or less) the way the Pentagon predicts: swift U.S. victory. So much so that I've decided to go on record here supporting it, come what may. Iraqi soldiers are already tripping over themselves to surrender right now. It's a risk worth taking. Frankly, the status quo in the Middle East is so screwed up today, I say let's go ahead and stir things up and see what happens when the dust settles. Obviously, we can't predict exactly how it's going play out, but I really believe whatever comes next for Iraq can't be worse than Saddam. At this point, better the devil we don't know. Chances are it will not be a flowering of democracy there over night, if ever, but any measure of freedom that may result will be an improvement. And let's just imagine that, like in Afghanistan, the citizens there actually do feel liberated and some measure of gratitude after all is done. Is that such an extreme fantasy? I don't think so. And I, for one, look very forward to seeing what the French are going to have to say for themselves to the Iraqi people then. He mentions some very good points that seem to have been overlooked by many. It's hard for me to say at this point if I am for or against the war. I guess it reminds me of watching a basketball game where a player selfishly throws up a difficult shot to win the game. If that person misses, everyone hates them for making such a dumb choice. If they make it, they are hailed as a hero. Right now, the ball is in the air...and all I can do is cross my fingers... -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/15/2003 10:00:00 PM ----- BODY: The Talking Fish: The Voice of God, the Devil, or Just a Bunch of Weirdos?

A Jewish sect on New York has reported that they caught a 20 pound carp and it began shouting apocalyptic warnings in Hebrew! Some believe it was the return of God in fish form to warn everyone that the end was near. Some believe it was the voice of the Devil. Some also seem to believe the carp was channeling the spirit of a recently deceased person in the area. Pretty interesting, I guess, considering all the gnarly stuff going on in the world. I'm still a skeptic, though. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/14/2003 02:30:00 PM ----- BODY: Fun Poop Creations For The Whole Family!

This new product is sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike. The Turd Twister allows you to place a special piece of plastice between your cheeks so that your poop can come out in many different designs. It's obvious the inventor of this thing played with a Play-Dough Factory when they were little because the concept is basically the same. My favorite one is the heart design. Nothing says "I Love You" like a heart-shaped turd. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/13/2003 07:53:00 PM ----- BODY: Spring (Break) Has Sprung!

The moment of truth is finally here. I don't have class on Fridays so I am officially able to celebrate my week off. I won't be doing the traditional break where you head down and pay a ton of money to head south to watch girls flash their boobs while in a drunken haze. Instead, I'll be traveling with my sister to my dad's place for the weekend. It'll be good to see my littlest sister again as she gets excited to decorate for St. Paddy's day. On Monday, we're going to head to Des Moines where my sister will drop my off. Once again, the moment of truth has arrived. By moment of truth, I mean my new car, and by arrived I mean I can drive it off the lot that day. I seriously can't wait. Anyway, I'll be heading from Des Moines to Kansas City where I'll be staying with an old friend for a couple days so I can interview with a couple companies. I'm most excited for this portion of my week because it's like a mini-vaction that could maybe land me a job. On Wednesday, I'll be cruisin' on up to the Quad Cities to help my mom unpack into her new house in Davenport. It's sad to be moving away from Bettendorf, but at least she's staying pretty close to home. This leg of the break will probably be the least fun because I'll just be unpacking the whole time while none of my friends will be home. Oh well, though. A break is a break, and lately with all the work my classes have forced upon me, I'll take it and be happy. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/13/2003 07:37:00 PM ----- BODY: Getting Our Story Told

Apparently I'm not the only one who found our basketball experience to be entertaining. Ethos Magazine has contacted the two men from our team that were charged with technical fouls (well, one was ejected) and they are going to publish our story in next month's issue. Just when I thought the story couldn't get any more funny, the best magazine in Ames swoops in to crank the hilarity meter up to eleven...excellent! -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/11/2003 03:32:00 PM ----- BODY: Confessions of a Frat Boy

A couple weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to preview the then-unreleased episodes of "Fraternity Life" and "Sorority Life". Afterwards, a group of about seven of us talked to a reporter from the Iowa State Daily about what we thought. Though there were definitely aspects of the show that were sad but true depictions of Greek life at ISU, there were also quite a few that are not true at all. Unfortunately, shows like those broadcast by MTV are only reinforcing the negative stereotypes many people hold about Greeks. I, for one, never wear Greek letters in public. It's not really that I'm embarassed, per se. It's mostly because I hate being judged the second I walk into the room. Without saying a word, the majority of the room (only about 10% of students here are Greek) classify me as the typical ignorant, party-crazy, spoiled, frat guy who takes advantage of young drunk girls on weekends. Why would anyone want that? I remember my early days of living in the fraternity. I would wear my letters proudly because I really thought I was a part of something everyone saw as special. As if someone would see me and be like, "Oh wow, that guy must be a good guy because those letters show he's in a good house" or "Jeez, I want to be like him". I live out of the house now, and I wish every Greek person could experience it just once. People who aren't Greek can't read Greek, therefore those letters just signify stereotypes. One of the biggest compliments to me is when I get to know someone, and they eventually find out I am a member of a fraternity and they act surprised. I also haven't been too pleased of what is going on with the Greek community ("Greek system" is no longer supposed to be used. Neither are words like "rush" and "pledge"). I'm bothered by the large amount of regulation going on lately. Controlled fraternity afterhours are basically a thing of the past because there is such a risk involved with the university if they don't meet the long list of standards. Instead, the individuals seek out ways to have fun in other, less-controlled environments. Either they just go to a frat house and get wasted without any supervision or limitation on alcohol consuption, or they just go to an off campus party to drink as much beer they can out of a keg to get their money's worth. Is such intense regulation really the problem? What I'm seeing is a trend of people that move in and enjoy a year or two of living in the house. Then they see that the benefits of moving out are more attractive than living in. They aren't bound by the rules of the house, they don't have to devote as much time to it, they can party at their place whenever they want without getting in trouble, etc. I worry about the future. Anyway, the whole Greek letter thing has made me think about what it would be like to be a minority. All it takes for me not to be labeled as a Greek is to never wear my letters. What if I was stuck with that label and couldn't do anything about it? I can't imagine the frustration I would feel to be helpless as the subject of such stereotypes. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/11/2003 02:57:00 PM ----- BODY: Truth the Media Has a Grasp On My Imagination

I had another dream last night. This one took place at our condo on Okoboji. My stepmom and I were on in the water at the end of our dock. Actually, I was on a Fun Island floated in the water by our dock while my stepmom was swimming. Looking to the south towards Arnolds Park, I saw a large plane flying closely to the lake like it was trying to land. The plane slammed into the water and blew up on contact. My stepmom and I frantically swam to the dock and ran inside to escape shelter. It ends up, terrorists had hijacked the plane, not with weapons or explosives, but by sneaking vials of poisenous gas onto the plane. The news reported that the hijackers got into the cockpit and released the gas, rendering the pilots unable to fly the plane. There was a huge uproar about the occurance because previously held beliefs that Iowa was safe of terrorist activity had been shattered. I think it's pretty obvious that reading articles before I go to bed about how al Qaeda strikes via boat are being feared, evidence Iraq has explosives at oil fields, and guarantees that Iraq will use chemical weapons if invaded have contributed to my unconscious designing such crazy scenerios. Thank goodness we have developed a massive bomb to scare those bad guys away, and we are sticking it to the French for not helping us in our war efforts as Congress has just started renaming American food named after the French That's right, the lawmakers of our country are now encouraging the use of "Freedom Fries" and "Freedom Toast". The chairman of the House Administration Committee, Bob Ney of Ohio had this to say, "This action today is a small but symbolic effort to show the strong displeasure of many on Capitol Hill with the actions of our so-called ally, France...once the French government comes around we can get back to talking about french fries." That's just hilarious. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/10/2003 12:23:00 AM ----- BODY: Conspiracy or Hoax?

I discovered this site a while back, and I found it to be pretty interesting. The guy who runs the site kept saying for months that on March 8, 2003, he was going to reveal some shocking news. Well, this weekend the moment of truth arrived. His news is that, while hiking in Australia, he found a camera that was practically destroyed. Luckily, the film inside had not be ruined and the film was able to be developed. The photos, it turns out, were taken from a small plane. The pictures show a huge ship being built inside a cave in a mountain. Looking closer, the letters on the ship say "ARK II". The next photo was taken as the plane was crashing. In the distance you can see a helicopter, giving the impression that the plane was shot down. The author seems to believe this is a cover up by the government for something huge that no one seems to know about since it was being patrolled by helicopters and the ship was high up in the mountains. His concerns: Whatever it is, it would obviously cause the polar ice-caps to melt, making the sea level rise hundreds of feet above the current line. But what could cause this? A Meteor strike? A pole shift? An earth-crust displacement? The Earth tilting on its axis? An alien invasion? A massive solar flare? The near passing of another celestial body such as planet X? Or… could it be something as simple as the stupidity of Man - the polluting of the world by our unrelenting consumption of the planets resources, the burning of fossil fuels, the felling of endless forests, the putrefying of our oceans and the depletion of the ozone layer? It's pretty crazy to think about. It's very hard to think such a story is true, and is almost laughable to think someone plotted a story like this for so long. On the other hand, with more and more sketchy government practices being reported almost daily, I guess anything is possible. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/07/2003 07:00:00 PM ----- BODY: Questionable Actions...

It seems that more and more articles are coming out lately about our government and its sketchy affairs. Just today there have been reports of tons of rapes in the Air Force and evidence that the deaths of a couple of our captured terrorist suspects were the result of torture. Their causes of their deaths were reported by the U.S. to be that one had died of a heart attack and the other from a pulmonary embolism. The causes have now been ruled a homicide. So basically, not only has our own country (the supposed "good guys") been using cruel and unusual punishment, but they've been caught lying about their causes of death. It kind of makes me wonder what else our "truthful" country is lying about. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 3/06/2003 03:18:00 PM ----- BODY: An Announcement With A Twist?

President Bush is scheduled to face the press tonight in a news conference covering the topics of progress in the terrorist hunt and about our current situation with Iraq. Rumors seem to be circulating around the world that Bush is going to announce the capture of Osama Bin Laden tonight. Though the White House is denying these claims, a Jerusalem post and Israel Radio have stated that the arrest should be expected tonight. In related criminal news, the feds are being called in after a sandwich was stolen from a break room in the Des Moines Airport. Crazy stuff here in Iowa, I tell ya. --------