E! News ftw!

So the other night I was watching one of America's last relevant news shows, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Since I don't have time to sit at home all day and watch C-SPAN, CNN, or Fox News, it's good to have a resource for a summary of the important events that I have missed. Tonight, there was discussion of the attire of our presidential hopefuls. Apparently, the news of the world or the events at Capitol Hill are less important than observing that our presidential candidates don't want to dress to sharp for fear of appearing gay. While I will concede that gay men have impeccable fashion sense, I don't honestly see how this breaking story is worthy of national attention. Also included in the summary was the observation that Hillary Clinton showed cleavage for the first time in her campaign. This prompted me to ask myself: would I vote for her boobs? Or any woman's for that matter? Would you vote for boobs? It may be her biggest advantage over the the other Dem candidates and I hadn't even thought about it until our national news services decided that it should be brought to our attention. How could I have missed such an important issue? I guess I must have skimmed right over it on BBC's website.

So, Hillary Clinton is sporting cleavage? Now, this is may be news since she is the only female candidate, but rest assured that if there were multiple female candidates, cleavage would have been an issue way earlier on, or at least exposed much earlier. After all, women right now are rocking the vote. If we look at the 2004 presidential vote numbers, men only had about a 56.3% turnout of registered voters, while women had a 60.1% turnout. The physical numbers match the percentages, with more women voting than men. Should more cleavage make an appearance at debates, it's arguable that more men would register to vote, as sex tends to sell, regardless of what it's selling. The presidential speeches might be more appealing. Would more men watch the news if the President of the U.S. had partially exposed breasts at every press event?

Speaking of partially exposed breasts, let us not forget about Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. These women can't control themselves and our media can't control themselves either. I've seen news reporters trying to gain credibility by making a big deal about not reporting about these loose women. However, they ultimately fail because the news stations seem to want to be more like E! than an actual news source. Not only does our government need something of an intervention, but our media needs a complete overhaul. Instead of what celebs did what, they should be trying to educate their viewers.

Until that overhaul happens, I'll be watching my mock news shows and cheering on Presidential Hooters.

Posted by Agonizing_Gas @ 2:07 am EDT | Permalink | 2 Comments

A few notes

A while back, I talked about my grandmother who's (whose? damn grammar) health is failing. She's been incredibly strong-willed and is still putting up the good fight. On the other hand, her mental state is deteriorating. She's convinced that everyone is out to get her. For instance, she thinks that both my mom and step-dad are sneaking into her house and stealing stuff to sell so that they can make money for their non-existent drug addiction. She's called the police so often that they actually picked her up and took her in for a mental evaluation. The tricky thing is that she's incredibly sharp most of the time. It seems that her overactive imagination is so vivid that when she's alone, she believes whatever her mind makes up as the truth. She insists that my mom has also been dropping off a little girl at her house, though I have no sister, nor are there any young girls that my mom could leave at my grandmother's. The list goes on, but her trust in her own family is dwindling away, and it's incredibly sad. I guess there's finally enough evidence that she needs to be in an assisted living facility (speaking of which, I can't believe how hard it is to get enough evidence for it), so I guess that will be the focus for her next book of poems. That is if she's still writing of course.

I've decided to put up a space for myself on the internet. Not a community or anything, just a place for me to put crap that I like, links to that which interests me, and some photos. I'm thinking of having a desktop picture of the week kind of thing, in an effort to help give me a focus for my photography. It'll give me an excuse to spend a day of each week driving around absorbing the state of California with my lens. I think it'll be a good way to track the progress of my artistic skill with a camera. I'll put a link to it when it's up and running, but for now, just this friendly warning will have to do.

Been really busy at work, getting overtime (which is nice because I'm broke), and I still really dig my job. Of all the things that have come of my divorce, my job has got to be the best of my luck. I work with great people, sell great products, teach people new things, and just bs about things that I like. I can't ask for much more, but I'm trying to get promoted, or at least work on a development plan to get moving ahead. Gotta keep moving up and making more money so I can get back to a more rural area one day. Montana has been calling my name since the day I left and I'd love to make it back there. Oh, on a work related note, the iPhone comes out on Friday. Have you seen the new demo video? I can't wait. I feel like I'm 7 and waiting for Christmas. This week could possibly be the longest of my life.

More to come later in the week perhaps. Been meaning to blog a bit more, but just haven't gotten around to it.

Edit: Had a cool idea about the photos and the desktop pattern idea.  Of course it involves my latest obsession...  A place to get iPhone wallpapers.  Zomg, I'm such a nerd.  Can't wait to get started...

Posted by Agonizing_Gas @ 2:50 am EDT | Permalink | 3 Comments

Ok, so now it really begins

A while back I titled a post "And so it begins," and then nothing happened.  The post was about losing weight, exercising and eating better.  Shock and amazement, I continued to eat out for every meal, did nothing to exercise, and sat on my ass.  Well done!  All things considered, it was a huge success.

So, I'm not going to boast that I've lost 100 pounds or anything, but I have started exercising, and it feels great.  I can never remember why I stop exercising, but I can always remember how good I feel when I do.  I've been walking about an hour and a half every day (which is a lot for a slug like me) and cut fast food out of my diet (which means a complete revamp of my intake) for about a week now.  I think the proverbial switch has finally flipped, and I can't wait to be in better shape.

I took my "fat" pictures today,  so I can have an image in front of me to remind me why the hell I should be exercising.  I plan to take the same pics about once a month, to try to keep track of progress.  I'm not overly concerned with hitting a weight goal (yet), I'm just more concerned about seeing some progress.  I feel more energy and feel like progress is being made, but the pictures are a great way to motivate myself.  I wanted to post this here, so I can come back and have a reminder about how good it feels to be active, to have a slight burn in my legs after a long walk, to be out in the sun.  Walking for now, more to come later.  Keep at it!

Posted by Agonizing_Gas @ 2:25 pm EDT | Permalink | 3 Comments

A night at the movies

My usual evening consists of unwinding with an hour (or a few) of WoW, then turning on the television to search the several hundred channels that I subscribe to through cable for a movie to watch.  Ordinarily I settle on a mindless action flick or a comedy.  No matter what I pick, I end up staying up way too late, regretting my decision the instant my alarm fires up the next morning.  Tonight I chose a drama, one that I hadn't seen before.  United 93.

When the movie World Trace Center came out, I was sickened by the fact that someone would want to reproduce the events of September 11, 2001.  While a few years had passed, I couldn't help but think about the families that lost loved ones, the graphic images that we replayed over and over in the weeks and months after the attack.  Do we really need reminders like this?  Aren't we still bearing the scars?  I felt about the same emotional response when I heard about United 93.

After watching the movie, I'm surprised to find how much those images still tug at me.  The movie discusses the events of the hijackings that happened that day, as well as the response as it was unraveling by the FAA and US military.  As the title suggests, it focuses more on the only plane that did not hit its intended target, United 93.  Watching the morning unfold again is just as harrowing today as it was five and a half years ago.  And while bumper stickers can still be seen declaring their patriotism and inability to forget, I think that we can't help but lose the magnitude and weight of such events.  It's a result of the passage of time fading over the horizon, more atmosphere gets between us and the things we should remember.

I think that people should watch movies like this for the same reason that they should watch Flags of our Fathers, When Trumpets Fade, Blackhawk Down, Saving Private Ryan or the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers.  We watch movies to remember the sacrifices, the selflessness, the heroism, the brotherhood.  We watch so that we don't forget that others have died for the lifestyle that we are afforded every day.

One day soon I plan to watch World Trade Center.  Not because I'm dying to see it, but because I should not just be reminded every September to bow my head and think of those who were lost.  I will watch to remind myself.  I will watch because there are people that were there that lived through it, people who lost their family members and friends, people that choked on the dust of the crumbling buildings, and no matter how far they distance themselves, they are really the only ones who will truly never forget.

Posted by Agonizing_Gas @ 5:27 am EDT | Permalink | 1 Comments

Violent video games are bad (gasp!)

In a recent story on MSN, a study shows that violent video games can lead to more aggressive preteens and teens.  Just the headline of the article indicates that video games are bad, as it includes "Warning:" at the beginning.  The article then goes on to discuss both sides of the debate, and states the EU (whoever the hell that is) is pushing to ban violent video games in Europe or at least create uniform laws to prevent the sales of such games to minors.  A total ban seems a bit like over kill, but the article is quick to get the correct spin on why it should be okay.

Quote: "Here in the U.S., there are laws that prevent the sale of adult-rated video games to minors. One problem: The Entertainment Software Association reports that more than 80 percent of mature-rated violent video games played by kids are purchased or rented with knowledge or approval from parents."

Um, that's a problem?  For who?  If the parents understand that the kids are buying violent video games, then the responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of parents.  Game makers and the ESRB are doing their part.  Game retailers have to do their part.  So how is it the gaming industry is to blame?

(Before I continue, I'd like to mention that I discovered who the selling of violent video games to minors is a problem for: Me.  When I want to enjoy a good mature title on XBL, it annoys me to no end to have to deal with 10-16 year old, foul-mouthed, racist, neglected miscreants.  It's not my job to teach you manners on XBL, and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay to play with the likes of you.  If I could, I'd charge a babysitting fee every time I log on)

Back when Clinton was running for office, he talked about family values, and it’s not something I've heard about since the 90's I don't think.  I think headlines are misleading, aiming blame at industries that can take the fall, rather than pointing the finger at those directly responsible.  Parents.  Perhaps the press should take a look at parenting habits in the early 21st century.  If they did, I'm sure we would see more accurate and shocking headlines such as:

Family values at an all time low

Parents too self-centered to actually give a damn about their offspring

TV, movies and video games will not raise your children into people that you will actually like

Parenting: It's not for everyone (yes, we're looking at you)

Why you should have had a vasectomy

Now, I could have gotten on board with the "video games are bad" theme if they had been discussing obesity. However, when they talk about the amount of time that kids play or how violent games effect them, I can't do anything but point at the media.  It is the misdirection of the media that is contributing to the fall of family values.  The placement of blame on anyone but those that are actually responsible is an act that must come to a stop.  Only once an issue is brought to light can action be taken and progress be made.

Posted by Agonizing_Gas @ 10:54 pm EDT | Permalink | 8 Comments