pictures
August 18, 2008

http://gallery.mac.com/grossmanr

My pics from japan, cma, the lamb roast etc.



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My classes are now solid!
June 29, 2008

my classes are:
Chemistry [lecture], Chemistry [lab], US History [to 1870], Engineering Graphics, Intro to Marine Engineering Systems [Lecture], Intro to Marine Engineering Systems [Lab], Intro to Engineering Technology, College Algebra and Trigonometry (?they won't give me Calc?), Beginning Sailing - Basic

my latest class gets out at 2100 and my earliest starts at 0750 so it's not as strenuous as it all sounded at the start and I don't have to stand watch nearly as often as I had imagined so score one for me!

...And on top of that I was one of the first 5 to finish and submit my NROTC app this year so hopefully they won't give it to the wrong school this time :-P

Can't wait for the semester to start, have a happy 4th of July everyone!
-Saigus

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Indeed, Improbable
June 19, 2008

Holy crap am I addicted to this game:

"http://www.improbableisland.com/referral.php?r=Saigus> "

It makes no sense at first then it's like "how many dk's can I get in one day?" crazyness. anywho it's a great time killer on a slow work day, if you dare to get past the first Drive Kill. Distract me for shinies, I'll be Civillian Saigus (you work your way up the rank system, a Civillian is an E-3 basically)
-Saigus

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Woo! College!
February 20, 2008

Okay so I've accepted my school and am getting ready to join the Corps of Cadets by getting a bazillion shots (thats just a guestimation). Anyway I'm excited for a school that gives you a hardhat a knife and requests that you bring steel-toed boots. I can't believe I even applied to Berkeley. I really want to go to the Navy afterwards, and their [Cal Maritime's] training will give me a real boost when it comes to experience etc. The training cruises will probably be the highlight but having a semester in 'Marine Survival' doesn't look too bad either.
-Saigus

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American Civil War
November 1, 2007

I'm competeing to join B team on Academic Decathalon (basically study for hours and then take tests only to find you should have studied for hours more) Our team has a 13 year winning streak so we have to win!
Having said that... the topic is the Civil War and I can't believe how much wasn't taught to us in classes, so I highly suggest researching the topic. VERY INTRESTING. even a book on Jefferson Davis would change your view of the southern mindset and just why the war was fought before the emancipation proclamation.
-Saigus

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College Apps.
October 9, 2007

The class of 2008 is the largest class the world has ever seen or will ever see for over a decade. It has the highest number of valedictorians and honor students. AP credit is so abundant colleges are picking and choosing what they want. Colleges no longer compete for students. Students compete for colleges.
-Saigus

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Academies
July 13, 2007

If you have any information on the Academies, from the application process, to what to major in should one get in, please leave me a message. I'm applying to all of the following Academies and Corps of Cadets:

-USMMA
-USMA
-USNA
-USAFA
-USCGA
-Texas A&M Corps of Cadets

I've got a 3.5 and am 92nd out of my class of 517.
Thanks for the help,
-Saigus

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USNASS
June 9, 2007

The summer seminar was the best thing ever.

We came in on a bus, all of us West Coast kids were late in coming so we went strait to chow (after getting assignments, I was B-2-2), where we learned to kill drinks and open peanut butter. We were all set up in Bancroft, and the guys were in fourth wing, girls in second wing. to get up to Red Beach (in front of Bancroft) we had to 'take the hill' (scream and run up) each floor had a diffrent company, Alpha on deck 1 Bravo on deck 2 Charlie on deck 3 and Delta on deck 4. Climbing 3 sets of ladders was fun after PT.

The second day (sunday) we attended church in the insanely awsome church, and reville was only at 0600 which was 0300 to the west coast people. after some squad time, we went to pep (actually it was before church, I lied) then to general getting settled, after chow (where they gave us choco tacos) they had us do the CFA, which was hard in the rain. we were soaked and our clothes weighed 20+ pounds. our shoes didn't dry out for 3 days. so after that we showered, went to chow, learned drill then hit the rack at 2230.

Day three (Mon) reville at 0500, we went to pep. (we were woken up by detailers screaming "GOOD MORNING, BRAVO! BRAVO LOVES NOISE IN THE MORNING!" while they blew airhorns and threw aluminum tubes on the ground. My detailer was awsome. his name was Mr. Whitney, and he handled all 8 of us well, even if he had like 10 times more work than he had time. Instead of normal pep we had the PRT, which midshipman take biannually, its 1.5 mile run, 2 min pushups, 2min situps, and a sit and reach. then we had chow and went to classes. all the teachers were cool. 2 hours each per class, very informative and showed what we could do. did blue and gold at night. and all of Bancroft could hear our Battalion scream BEAT ARMY!

day 4 (Tue) we had SEAL pep, which was fun, after which we were all exauhsted and had to go to classes, and chow. Physics was fun. we had a drill competition and that was about it.

day five (wed) SEATRIALS! first chow and classes, then chow, then 2 hours at the track doing PT, team building excercizes and casualty runs. then 2 hours at hospital point running zulus racing zulus mud-wrestling, and doing more PT then 2 hours at the e-course log-PT martial arts and relays, then right before the course I sprained my ankle and couldn't run it. I felt like I was going to die. I wanted to do the course so bad. then an MRE and more PT then 2 hours of pool-based PT (we smelled to high heaven so the chlorine was welcomed.) and I could only do half or less of that with my stupid ankle. cry. then a half hour of mock indoc. which was amazingly fun. then squad time until oh-dark-hundred.

Last day (thurs) Battalion run. I was with all the broken people, so I missed it. cry. but I was able to do PT. then we shipped out. my flight was cancelled and bancroft was willing to take us back, but we let them have their much deserved leave and stay at a airline-appointed hotel which was amazingly awsome. it was MOTIVATIONAL.

I got in yesterday 10 min before my bro's graduation.

-Saigus

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AD
May 30, 2007

-3 inch stack of paper on Economics
-Red Badge of courage
-list of test dates
-chit for other packets

Academic Decathalon has begun.

-Saigus




leaving for Annapolis on the second. very nervous. Beginning to doubt my abilities.


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USCGA AIM SS
May 15, 2007

I finally got my letter from the USCGA, I made it into the final round of picks, but because so many qualified students were chosen, they implemented a lottery system. I was not one of the names that came up. Very sad *cry* But there is hope! because I qualified to such a degree they have overridden the application process for a night-stay deemed 'Midshipman for a day' and are shipping me a list of dates to choose from.
I started off telling my parents "I'm joining the military"
It turned into "I want to be a marine"
Now It's "I want to go to an Academy"
Whoever said today's youth arn't driven, I say actions speak louder than words. And that person probably sat on is a$$ and talked about philosophy all day :-D
I have to go study for a Zoology lab on feathers and the evolution of flight, remember, even a lizard can learn to fly.
-Saigus

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YAY!
May 2, 2007

I've been writing to a soldier, who I found is a Marine, Ssgt. JD, [USMC] for a couple weeks now, and I just got an email! I assumed I would be writing to an Army Private or something, but this is great! nothing against Army privates! So he sent me a picture, which I don't think I can post, but I wouldn't want to without consent, it being very rude and all, anyway, I WAS hoping some private on some posh base deep in the green zone wasn't going to recieve my care packages. [not that I wouldn't prefer JD being in a green zone, but you get my feeling.] ANYWAY I'm posting posters all over my school tomorrow that read
'Donate for * *
MILITARY
CAREPACKAGES * *
in your 2nd period class

the * denote the corners of a map of Iraq with the inner part being camo. I'll post a pic when I get a chance to take one.

JOIN Help_Us_Donate [HUD] to give me the address of a unit or person to give the donations to! otherwise I'd be stealing from the troops, and you don't want me to do that right!? I was never really good at reverse psychology.

-Saigus

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Earth Day
April 22, 2007

HAPPY EARTH DAY! this day was a direct response to the river which caught on fire, had 20 foot flames, and could not be put out. A RIVER. anyway, one year later Earth Day was invented.

In other news:

JOIN MY NEW GROUP!! HUD or Help_Us_Donate is going to be a group based upon the fact that servicemembers want and need donations for those things the government doesn't want to generally issue. Join if you want to donate the address of your deployed servicemember, boxes, money, stuff or just the ability to spread the word!

Remember: A group can only do what it's members want it to!!!

-Saigus

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operationmilitarypride.com
April 10, 2007

I've just 'adopted' a military member. I've got a huge list of things they suggest sending. does anyone who'se been deployed know what you want absolute top priority in Iraq?

Support our Troops!

-Saigus

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I'm back! with tales to tell.
April 3, 2007

Hey, Miami was fun and we all had a blast, really uneventful but highly entertaining weekend. it ended in a climactic clash aboard an airplane over my hat. I had a 'navy' cover my friend had bought me as a joke when I got word that West Point had not accepted me into it's summer program. I sat in my seat and waited to take off on a 6 hour flight, cover stowed neatly atop my carry-on under the seat in front of me, which the stewardess kept rushing back to check that it was 'still stowed' aparently if you arn't middle aged you musn't be trusted on a plane. anyway this old woman with a New York accent sits down next to me and strikes up a conversation, being Californian, I have no problem talking with strangers. and we quickly get onto the topic of NYU and how we know people that go there, a few minutes into the conversation, we taxi, and take off, soon after I pulled my carry-on out to get out my book. (she was buying headphones for the in-flight movie[I had never seen an in-flight movie before, so I was naively impressed]) anyway, she catches a glimpse of my cover, and she asks why I have it. I explain about Annapolis and whatnot, and she cuts me off, asking "now I don't understand why it's so hard for you to get into the Navy, it seems like they take anyone nowadays" I slowly explained the hardships a midshipman must go through from application to graduation et c. and this woman gives the pretend-to-understand nod, so I change the topic. she tells me multiple times to 'follow my heart' and explains that I won't be in danger because "The new president with the Congress will have us out of Iraq immediately" as though thats a frickin normal thing to say to anyone much less a go-ram military enthusiast. I slowly explain that infastructure and government must be set up then a militia or army to defend these things and she cuts in with "well look who we're working with, they can't be civilized" I could not stand that. CIVILIZED?! that term which was used to describe English culture when they thought malaria manifested itself from evil air!? the chinese, with their advanced medicines were considered uncivilized. the Africans were allowed to be enslaved because they were uncivilized. Hitler believed that Jews were 'inherantly uncivilized' and she could use that loaded word in a simple conversation!? I began to, very slowly, explain what she had just said implied. she immediatly stated, cutting me off again that "I used to be that way to!" and popped in her earplugs and watched previews. I could not believe people really thought like that!
sorry about the long post.
-Saigus

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update-ness/war questions
March 27, 2007

Well, I'm heading off to Miami on Thursday, this will be my second time on the Eastern Seaboard. the day after I get back, April 3, an Army recruiter and representative of ROTC are scheduled to meet with my parents and I. I had no idea my grandmother was so religious, praying some sense into me I guess, but, to be quite honest, she's not very down to earth so I guess I can understand why after 3 years of talking about it it came as a shock to her to find that, amazingly, I really am serious about the military. ^.^ anyway, I don't know how I'll do running in humidity, I'm used to brush-desert conditions, not humidity! anyway, I'll have to get a travel guide to Miami or something. Oh, and did I mention AMDA is paying for the whole thing? SWEET! anyway, theres my little update.
OTHER THAN THAT: I've heard talk of a left leaning public, does anybody understand how they continue to look at this as another Vietnam? Look, even if we did all agree on how or why we got in, it wouldn't change the fact that now we are in Iraq, we can't leave until we've established infastructure, an economy, a basic government, and troops to protect said government. Otherwise we really are what radicals say, because we would have gone in, bombed, occupied and left. isn't that what democrats fight against?! Even if it doesn't look like it, our valient troops have made great headway in all three aspects. the Iraqi army no longer runs when shots are fired every time, they actually do act like professionals (obviously there are exceptions but we are making headway) The election was held very nicely, and a major roadway was completed, what more do these 'doves' want? and why do they insist on using vietnam-era titles?

-Saigus

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OOH-RAH!!!!!
March 20, 2007

I got into the Annapolis summer program! WOOT-WOOT I'm going 06/02-07 I can't beleive I got in!

GO NAVY!

-Saigus

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I AM SO EXCITED!!!!
March 19, 2007

I just got a call from a Major from the Air Force Academy, i have to call tomorrow to schedule an interview! I know, i know, it's JUST the summer program, not even a real application yet, but supposedly if I'm accepted into the program and stand out, I get a higher recognition and about a 35% raise in my odds to get in. HOOAH!

update: scheduled and ready, interview to commence at 1930

I FEEL LIKE DANCING!!!!

-Saigus

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NOT the most intresting blog ever...
March 11, 2007

So I've applied to 4 academy's summer programs, West Point and Annapolis were just one sheet fillouts and 'we'll get back to you later' but USAFA wanted a full resume with it's fillout and it doubled and a pre-app, which brings me to USCGA which acted like a full app, it wanted transcripts, letters of recomendation, essays (one of which I have yet to finish, but I have a few weeks) and a full resume along with a 3 page fillout form. I'm not sure if I've just applied to the USCGA or not, but with all that paperwork, I better have! haha, saigus out.

-Saigus

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Sorry if this doesn't make sense, I've a sinus infection.
March 6, 2007

Hey, I've got the credits to graduate early, but they won't accept me into NROTC or CSPI unless I graduate with my class, so thats alright (actually it probably helps, take pressure off me for a decision), but now I'm taking the SAT I again and SAT II for the first time (I scored poorly on the SAT I because of a sinus infection wich brought it to mind) And I've been looking at the USCGA (because I can get in, then transfer to a recognized academy[no offense to you Guardsmen]) as well as NROTC (USMC enlistment), and my parents arn't taking it well, they were pretty sure my talking to recruiters, stacking piles of information and military literature was some "twisted way of acting out" my mom, with her uncles being Vietnam Army veterans, was far more accepting than my father who pretty much believes that I've had some sort of mass hemmoraging from snowboarding, causing some sort of retardation of all logical centers in my brain. So, anywho I guess I'm trying to say anything that has ANYTHING to do with college will ALWAYS be stressful. case in point: I called Fresno State for AFROTC information, they gave me an e-mail address and a phone number, the phone number was an unmanned message machine which direced me to it's own phone number, and the e-mail adress thanked me for requesting information and directed me to a page to request information from the SAME e-mail address.

If there were a way to input a wholehearted sigh, it would be here.

-Saigus

...I can't spell.

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Info Please.
March 3, 2007

Having been thwarted in my attempt at general enlistment into the Marine Corps, I rethought my situation and have been hearing the sales pitches for (N)/(AF)ROTC and really haven't gotten any solid information, if anyone has any information, suggestions, cryptographic scyphers, they are welcome

-Saigus

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Holy Crap!
February 21, 2007

My friend directed me to Penny-arcade.com to read this:
"Yesterday I made a post about the teenagers that murdered the homeless guy and then blamed it on violent games. These kids have given the media their angle and just like all the other cases where games are mentioned no one will ever look any further. No one will ask what their family life was like, what their parents were like, what the kid was like before all this happened. Games did it and that’s the end of the story.

In my post I took the absolute extreme opposite approach. I laid blame completely on the parents and that was intentional. Penny Arcade is a satire site and people come here to laugh or get angry and that’s what we try to provide. I will admit that deep down as the father of a two year old I also want to believe that I as a parent can shape my kid into a decent human being. If I don’t believe that then…well I just have to believe that right now.

With that said I’m perfectly aware that the reality of the situation was somewhere between the two extremes. I know full well that violent games did not create this killer and I also know that his parents did not make him a murderer. Nothing outside of a comic strip and a goofy blog is ever that simple.

The sad truth is that the reality we’re talking about here would probably never actually see the light of day. The media will tell the story they want to tell regardless and that story will be about violent games. The parents of these kids will be lucky to get two lines in an article about the crime. If they tell a reporter that their son hardly played games or that he was fucked up long before they bought a Playstation do you really think that will make it into the final article? You’d never see that side of the story, not in a million years.

But you’re about to.

I am about to share with you an email I received from a Penny Arcade reader. She also happens to be involved in this case but obviously she’d like to remain anonymous. She has agreed to let me share her email with all of you and I can’t thank her enough for that. Like I said before, I know why most people come to Penny Arcade. You come every other day looking for a joke and a laugh. What you’re about to read isn’t a joke. It’s an extremely personal email sent by a very brave woman and I’m honored to share it with you.

'Gabe,

Your news post about the kids and the homeless man yesterday made me sick to my stomach, before I even read the CNN article. I knew what it was going to be about before even reading the article. It was not the article itself, or even your post that made me sick, it was the fact that I know this boy. Or, rather that I could be considered one of the “parents” of this boy.

The boy’s father and I have been together for almost seven years, and I had what I guess could be called a “stepmother” relationship with the kid. To say that living with this kid was hell would be a complete understatement.

I don’t think I have ever actively hated anyone in my entire life, but this kid just makes my blood boil.

As I write this, my teeth are clenched, my hands are shaking, and my whole body is seething with the hatred I feel for this kid and what he has done. Seeing the article brings back all the horrible memories from when he lived with us.

He was constantly in trouble in school, with the cops, with us, with his mother, and with anyone else who was an authority figure. Not a week went by that the school or the cops wouldn’t call us for something. His attitude was basically “fuck you, I don’t have to listen to you” said with a shrug.

We tried absolutely everything we could think of to get him to behave like a normal human being… we tried groundings, negative reinforcement / punishment, positive reinforcement, counseling, and anything and everything the counselors suggested. We tried to get him interested and involved in extracurricular activities, like hockey, drama, music, art, anything, but he got himself kicked out of every group he was in with his “make me” attitude. When we would ground him, we took away everything. No TV, no computer, no phone, no leaving the house, no snacks or junk food…. Everything. When he was grounded, he was only allowed to sit in his room and read or draw. He was actually a pretty good artist, and we tried to encourage him to spend his time working with his talent. He would just sit there and take it… the groundings had absolutely no affect on him at all. Most of the time, he didn’t even remember why he was being grounded. At the end of it, we would ask him if it was worth it to have everything taken away in exchange for what he did… he usually just shrugged. He could be grounded for weeks, or a month at a time, and then the very next day would do something to get back in trouble again. Most kids get grounded or punished a couple of times, and then they want to avoid having to go through it again… not this kid, nothing seemed to phase him.

And we’re not talking the usual teenager stuff, like coming home late, or refusing to do the dishes. We’re talking stealing cars, setting fires, drinking, getting picked up for drugs, beating up handicapped kids at school (yes, really) stealing things out of our house… all with this “I’ll do whatever the fuck I want” attitude.

We had absolutely no idea what else we could do. We already had him in counseling, and we did everything the counselors suggested. We tried rewarding his good behavior (what little there was) to try to get him to see that when he behaves like a normal human being, things are good and people enjoy being around him. Nothing phased him at all.

Then, things took an even worse turn when he decided that whenever he didn’t get his way, or we did something he didn’t like, he told his counselors and teachers that we were abusing him. (Never happened.) And for some inexplicable reason, everybody believed him. I understand that child abuse is a very serious situation, and that they have to take every possible case seriously, but this was clearly a case of him manipulating people to get what he wanted. We had people from the school, cops, and social services over at our house or calling us on a weekly basis stating some new abuse that he had made up. At 14, the boy was already 6’3” and over 200 pounds. Of course, there was never a mark on him, because no such abuse ever took place.

One particular night (cops involved, as always) he decided that he didn’t have to listen to anything we said, and that he wasn’t coming home. He went to live with his mother, where things got worse by the day. He stole everything out of her home and sold it. He invited gang-bangers and drug dealers to her home, and she feared for her safety constantly. She called the cops numerous times because she feared for her safety, but again, the boy said that she abused him, and the cops always took his side. (For reference, the mother is about 5’3” and barely clocks in at 115.) He planted a loaded gun in her room, called the cops and told them that it belonged to the mother’s boyfriend. The boyfriend actually ended up serving time because of this fucking bastard kid. She had two other young children in the house, and the gun and the abuse charges were an intentional plot to get the other two kids taken away from her. She tried restraining orders against the kid, but since he was a minor, they wouldn’t allow it. Every time he got picked up, she pleaded with the cops to take him to jail, maybe that would finally get though to him, but they just kept bringing him home to her. I don’t understand why everyone who was involved with this kid just blindly took this juvenile delinquent’s word over all else!

The night that he and his friends murdered that poor homeless man, the mother said that he was acting particularly cocky. Then he threatened to kill her. We had absolutely no idea of what he had done until they found the man’s body. He was immediately waived into adult court (at 15) and sentenced to 15 years. We were all absolutely sick with grief for this man.

We were also sick with guilt… “What could we have done differently?” was a constant question in all of our heads. After the kid was sentenced, all the cops, counselors, social workers, and people at the school that had been dealing with him contacted us and his mother and apologized for not taking us seriously. They are all trained to take all accusations of child abuse seriously, and as a part of that they blindly took the kid’s side for everything, and dismissed us as “the lying abusers”. Many of them told us that they wished they would have taken our pleas for help seriously. Everyone thought we were exaggerating about how fucked up this kid was.

I completely agree with your statement of “These kids were twelve kinds of nuts and that’s a fact.” But the reason I am writing this to you is that, after reading your news post yesterday, I felt that I needed to defend the boy’s parents. His mother and father and I did absolutely everything we could think of to try to keep this kid in line. Even the kinds of things that normal teenagers get in trouble for would have been a blessing compared to what we’ve been through with him.

What I gave you today is a very small sampling of the kinds of things we were dealing with every single fucking day with this kid. When people hear about what he’s done, I can always sense the “I’m sure there was something you could have done” comment coming up. What would you have done? How do you deal with a kid like this? Like I said, we did everything the counselors suggested, and nothing seemed to matter.

If you want to add another element to the “nature vs. nurture” idea, this boy has a brother. Both boys were raised in the same house, with the same values. The brother has developed into a kind, considerate, responsible, and independent young man. He is currently working his butt off right now to save up money to go to school for architecture. The only thing I regret is that we spent so much time and energy dealing with the bad kid that this boy missed out on having a normal family life with a normal sibling relationship.

I am sorry this got so long. I have been reading PA since the very beginning, and I feel that both of you are very much like me. I think we are the same age (29) and I have been a lifelong gamer like the two of you. I can’t stand hearing about the so-called correlation between games and real-life violence. Video games DID NOT make this kid who he was, and it’s unfortunate that the correlation is there.

The thing that really gets me with this whole thing is that the kid knows full well that by equating what he’s done to a video game, that he will generate controversy and media coverage. It makes me sick that the media is jumping all over this, because that is exactly the result that he wants.

The only good thing (if there is such a thing) that has come out of this whole ordeal is that the kid is behind bars. That is exactly where he needs to be.

Again, I’m sorry about the length of this. Thanks for allowing me to “tell my side” of the story.'

So there you go. There’s the real story. This kid was broken. He’s decided to use videogames as a scapegoat because as crazy as he is, he’s not stupid. He knows exactly what he’s doing. The sad thing is that it will probably work.

-Gabe out"

-Saigus

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lead in lunchboxes
February 18, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/02/18/lunchbox.lead.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

I understand their reasoning with their tests, and why they didn't report it as unsafe, what I DON'T understand is why they wouldn't put a health hazard for children within the teething range, due to the exposure one would get if they chewed on a lunchpail.

-Saigus

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Verizon can't do math!
February 16, 2007

http://verizonfails.ytmnd.com/
.002cents*40000chargableunits=80cents/100=.8 dollars
thats why highschool dropouts shouldn't answer phones in accounting.
-Saigus

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Progress
February 15, 2007

Today I heard on the radio that the US had captured 2 major terrorists and 10 major labor strikes were being held in Iran. I turned on the tv to learn more...
I learned about Anna Nicole Smith.

Sometimes I hate American tv.

-Saigus

1 Comments |

Mammoth Mountain
February 12, 2007

Wow, Mammoth is expensive! I went there on friday night, got there around 2200, and it was raining, there was about a foot of snow on the ground turning into slush fast. I had brought two friends, one who I had snowboarded with multiple times, the other I was going to teach, but it didn't look good. The next morning I woke up around 0300 (the furnace was broken and no-one had stoked the fire) and fed the fire, I took the dog out, and had to run back inside, there was a huge blizzard, by 1200 there was a good 2 feet of fresh powder, so we went out and taught my friend the basics (stopping, starting, getting up, etc.) the next day we woke up to more flurries and bought lift tickets to find that the runs had around 4 feet of snow cumulative from the last 2 days and that, even if the lifts were windy as hell, the runs had the trees as natural windbreaks! It was really awsome, and, living in a desert, I got home today (monday) and immediately started planning my next snowboarding trip.

I LOVE SNOW. I'm sick of brushdeserts where half the people have never had to put chains on their cars.

-Saigus

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crazy, crazy people.
February 6, 2007

I went to an antiques show recently, and vainly attempted to sell some old watches (they wouldn't buy without 'prominent alien features') and couldn't beleive what people would buy for over a hundred dollars! Stuff I wouldn't deem worthy to stay in a dingy garage or even on the street for city cleanup, its that stuff a dumpster diver uses for footholds and doesn't think twice when looking over. everything from ripped nazi propaganda posters to paper cups (which may have been used) as long as it prominently displayed colors catching to the eye it was there. I swear to you a woman was selling BROKEN ROCKS. Ironically it was across the street from the swap meet... which seemed to have more sane items (and vendors who bought the old watches for a sum total of a bill.)

in conclusion; to reiterate my previous points:
people are crazy


-Saigus

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I hate reality TV... just, by the way...
January 30, 2007

Every single show that is labled reality is stupid dreck. Flip through some and prove me wrong. I DARE YOU.

-Saigus

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Sierra Summit
January 16, 2007

Man, I finally kicked off the season with my friend Frank and found that (drumroll please) he's afraid of speed. Well, thats OK and really natural for beginners who are used to *ahem* cross-country skiing... I guess we'll forgive him. But the WIND up there was terrible, a stretch of almost flat ground back to a good chair lift (dubbed 'easy street') got windy enought that I saw a little kid, with his snowboard on his shoulders, walking having run out of momentum, start walking near the edge where theres a good 6 foot drop, but it was still and it's really firmly packed snow so there was no real risk, and all of a sudden, this gust of wind comes out of nowhere, catches this kids snowboard and sends him sliding down the ravine! it was crazy. There was an emergency services snomobile only a few meters away with rope under his seat so it was OK but I'd never seen that before!

Did you all have a good MLK Jr. vacation? or did you just Milk the day off? (yeah, you should call the pun police but it's once a year, sue me! ^.^)

-Saigus

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Man, college dorms are weird.
January 3, 2007

I just dropped my friend off at what UC Davis has dubbed their 'honors dorm' it looks like their normal dorm (about 15 feet long and 7 feet wide, with 3 bunks, 3 chairs, and 2 desks) except 3 feet wider and a better study area. this confuses me because the UC's claim that they are equal, and together as seen by their colors (blue and gold) so when I helped move him in, I was thinking about moving my cousin into her Berkley dorm 2 years earlier, 2 people to a dorm room, large windows, 15 feet by 15 feet large desk and closet (taking up most the extra room) and slugs that climbed into the beds, and realized that the new buildings have finally bought into the new efficient way of housing people, even placing the DC's on the second floors of buildings so they wouldn't have to share rooms with the mail rooms. I wanted to check out this new way of dorming, that is, without wasted space and extra fluff, so I checked out FSU's new housing, smaller rooms than the UC's (as expected) but i was suprised to find that they had the new efficiency tactic in use, as opposed to their old dorms which were not well done, and barley useful with a third (extra) bed crammed in for the enlarging classes.

anyway I was just pondering it, not that it matters to your daily life (unless you dorm in Berkley and are deathly afraid of slugs)

-Saigus

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happy holidays
December 26, 2006

Jolly Christmahannuquansikah!!!

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What About the United Nations?
December 5, 2006

The united nations recently have seen upstarts from Michael Bolton, who, finally, has stepped down as the American representative, what does this mean, exactly? Well, Bolton was known for two things, his mustache and his attitude toward the United Nations on behalf of the US which could be summed up with one finger, and it isn't the thumb. America has abstained from voting or accepting many controversial issues, everything from the boycott on goods made by slave labor to the kyoto treaty have been scorned by the US, so was that Bolton's doing? Many say so, but I don't think so, Although America is the most powerful country and the only Superpower left, it is not seen as such on the supposedly level playing field of the UN, so why should we take the UN seriously? Many Americans, most residing in the three branches of government, agree with that statement. But what happens to the debates on infastructure if the US is only halfway intrested in the security council, much less the social and economic council. recently the Congo attempted to pass a measure which would allow them to suspend funding for infastructure to allow the current government in power to check rebel troop movements, the problem with this is that the UK and US decided that if they wanted a suspension of the funding there was no reason to fund them at all. This is simultaneous with the desicion to attempt to pump money for more railroads built in the Amazon basin which has been found to be absolutely inaccesable and unable to become such. Much of the UN has become a money pit, so why does anyone continue to patronize it? Firstly the level field helps with the smaller countries issues, and forgetting for the moment that the peacekeeping forces and security resolutions have little to no effect on the real world the Ivory Coast and United African Nations can easily battle with northern Eruopean government's delegates abouth the boycott of diamonds and copper and such forth which without the UN would be impossible, it also allows for organized action for aid and relief, even if the security council has become a joke. So why is there an uproar over Bolton? He wasn't the humblest of people, first of all, secondly he loved his veto power, apparently never wishing to abstain from voting in the security council, instead he would rather C-29 or call a caucuss before he sided with someone he disliked. I'm not sure if he did the best things for the US politically, but his obsession with our economy actually lead to inadvertently funding warlords a few times (all of these times, after the realization, Bolton withdrew his vote of approval for the resolutions) In the end the UN is a good place to debate, but not much else, so let's hope for a more eloquent speaker next time.

-Saigus

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YOU-SEE-EL-AY FIGHT!FIGHT!FIGHT!
December 3, 2006

OOH-RAH! USC finally vanquished!!

-Saigus

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christmas wha-?
November 30, 2006

Does anybody else find it crazy to christmas shop Thanksgiving morning? Anybody? Am I alone in the utter absurdity of some consumers?

HAS THE WHOLE WORLD GONE MAD!?

-Saigus






...soooo tired, 2 weeks till midterms.

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mmm... yummy
November 25, 2006

I like pie. do you like pie? mmmm... pie.

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Gears vs. Halo
November 19, 2006

I have seen the light! what is to become of shooters after the reign of Halo has ended? Who shall take the mantle of ultimate game? will it be Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, Prey, or even Fight Night? No. Halo has already been usurped. only a weapon with a chainsaw bayonet could ever overcome the bruteshot! they predicted. And they were right. Of course we wait with baited breath for Halo 3, Gears is our new Mecca of online play. If you havint heard of it, think GRAW mixed with Halo play and Enders Game mixed with Quake mixed with Tremors storyline.

Everyone loves chainsaws, it was only a matter of time before they made a chainsaw bayonet.

-Saigus

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Kids too sexually explicit?
November 8, 2006

Read This.
I was shocked! I don't condone how many people let their thirteen year olds dress, but telling them it's okay to do this, and not only is it okay, they SHOULD do this, is just disgusting.

-Saigus

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Signing up is WAY underemphasized.
November 6, 2006

So my recruiter screwed up. Apparently he was doing something wrong, and me and my Buddy were the first to be recruited through him, and now all our stuff is wrong, and we have to go through everything again and my buddy's birth certificate (in hmong) which we thought said August translates to April, so we have to wait 6 months to sign up together, and the delayed entry package our recruiter told us is wrong if we wait 6 months, so It's back to hurry up and wait. SOOOOOOO frustrating. but thats what happens when you can't read legal documents. Of course Thipavong is all excited to be able to tell the family that they need to throw a second birthday party. Now THAT would be an upside. : )

-Saigus

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I love MG(S) + CO2(S)
November 2, 2006

THE FOLLOWING IS A RAMBLING STORY IF SCIENCE IN A MATH CLASSROOM

you've been warned.



To prove a point about bouyancy to some tutor-ee's I placed a scrap of metal in the only liquid on hand, vinager. I had no idea it was Magnesium, and there was a candle next to the cup of vinager (we were in a kitchen that smelled really bad due to some rotten fruit stuck somewhere by the cat) and the fireball this produced shocked everyone involved.

This, of course, lead to incentives, if they brought their grades up ___ percent we can do ___ expariment with Magnesium (which was from basement they were renevating, I wish I got a picture of that house) anyway, a week goes by, and their grades have not wavered from their steady track upwards. this, plus ten dollars and a dry-ice place a mile or so from my school, pursuades me to show them the "lit ice" expariment on large scale. I took a ball of Aluminum and spun it on each half of the dry ice (It's really cool to have it spin without help for a half an hour) so there was a hollow spot when the two halves were placed together, and when tutoring session came around, I filled the hollow spot with Magnesium and lit it on fire, then placed the CO2(S) on top and the whole room (which we had gotten pitch black) was completely lit up, in retrospect we probably shouldn't have disposed of the dry ice the way we did (don't worry we used a blast shield) and I won't go into details but OF COURSE we didn't put it in bottles and get them to explode because thats a Fellony, even if it does carbonate your drinks when you do it right. or that you can set bubble on fire, or that balloons lose mass. but we would NEVER think of misusing it.

-Saigus

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U^238 doesn't seem to bother people...
October 29, 2006

What the hell is wrong with California!?

I was at a rally for Fresno State (GO DOGS!) and these two old women were in a discussion about world politics with some poly-sci majors, I was blown away that both the old ladies, and the college seniors agreed to nuke North Korea, Peyong-Yang to be exact. I couldn't beleive what they were saying. I interjected the ramifications of a nuclear conflict, expecially with a former superpower (now great-power) backing them, the world's fragile political system would melt down instantly. Understandably the elderly women seemed unnafected by, this, but they had never left California, the well traveled poly-sci majors cited that Israel would help us, and that the arms race had ended. WHAT?! did I hear that correctly? after a few minutes of getting nowhere along the lines or reasonable thought, I asked what their plans were for Iraq, if one of them became Commander in Chief, and the other the head of the Congress. They immediatly said they would nuke the Iraqis. I couldn't believe this. another, sane-er (note the -er being separate) womar interjected that it would be foolish to bomb Kim Jong Il, and just as I breathed a sigh of relief at having some sane Californians in Fresburg, she backs the Poly-sci majors on bombing Iraq. "we take all our troops out, of course" she said "but we should just bomb them all to hell, they deserve it anyway" I talked to them about nuclear fallout, how the surrounding countries would hate us more, and how, unlike the Japanese they would not be friendly, but Hesbollah, Al-Q'uaida, the Tal'iban, and many more organizations would have their resolve strenthened to destroy us. After a long speech about politics and the reactions of U^238 fallout in the atmosphere, they called me a hippie.
If not wanting to spark World War III means I'm a hippie, I embrace the title.
I hate to bring It back to science fiction books, but Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is a very good political commentary, ahead of it's time, that, although sci-fi, has as much of a symbolic meaning today, as George Orwell's Animal Farm had in the days of communism, and this discussion just seems like the perfect argument for Demonshenes, setting up for the rise of Locke.

Sorry if you havn't read it, it's not really about Ancient greek philosophers and Rennaisance thinkers, I swear.

*I apologize if this is a bit discombobulated*

-Saigus

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Fox News
October 26, 2006

What are your thoughts on the Fox News Channel's shows, in particular, the O'Reilly Factor?

----

Personally I think he's unjournalistic, and needs to base his reporting more on fact than on his personal opinions, but that may just be the Californian in me talking...

-Saigus

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Let's all stare pointedly at the school system!
October 23, 2006

I recently volenteered to help kids with their homework.

Let's reiterate that point a bit more clearly:
I recently went to a place that is supposed to help kids, who need help in school, with basic assignments. how many kids show up? Three. How many get ridiculed by peers who are playing pool in the corner for being "dumbasses"? Four. yes. one more than three.

I sincerely believe the Joy of learning has been stamped out of students at the youngest possible age, then buried, dug up, burned, and shredded. how?

Case study: Redondo high school - gym teacher teaching chemistrey
Case study: Participation points in Fresno Unified School District are defined as "applicable to all students present, reguardless of participation of individual students"
Case study: Houston high school's honors trig teacher teaches out of the book she doesn't understand, because her masters degree is in English, but they needed a trig spot filled.

Some day, we will find a way to privatize the school system, to create competition, without cutting the availabilitiy of schools. Some day, the schools will be deunionized, and some day, the principle will know before the press does when a riot breaks out on campus. some day pigs will fly.

I bet they are just waiting for 'Ender's Game' style learning to emerge: desks teach you, teachers sit back. why be paid to do a job? overrated.

-Saigus

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The freedom of expression.
October 19, 2006

Recently I have been asked the question 'are you a democrat or republican?', this is somewhat bothersome, can't I be moderate without supporting the 'green party' It seems to me Center-Left to Radical is seen as Democrat, and Center-Right to Reactionary is seen as Republican. but if you look at anyone, with the exception of Jefferson and Hamilton and their affiliations with the Jeffersonians and Federalists respectively, they have views that differ from their declared party. I consider my self moderate, leaning toward center right, yet I am seen as a Reactionary by Californians and a Radical by Virginians, so why, if I am a reactionary, do I find Bill O'Reilly just as unapealing as Air America? political associations are interspersed and baisically run off eachother, there is a very small political spectrum that most Americans fit into, and we are splitting hairs, I would assume that 90% of Americans want to be safe, have a home, and a secure economic foundation. This is where the political parties forget, They forget about the They forget that this country is blessed with neighboring countries who do not want to incite war. That, We have the fortitude to produce enough agricultural products in California alone to feed all of Europe plus some. That we have the world's best military, and no draft. That We have a permanent rights of man. That You can take your children to public parks and museums which other countries do not have the luxury of. That we support eachother in times of crisis and have the freedom to squabble over miniscule details of political affiliation. Yet they make it seem like murder in the streets in political ad campaigns, when two candidates who preach the same thing under diffrent affiliations are vying for the same spot. Isn't it amazing, that we have the liberty to decide?

-Saigus

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Cardinals game/plug for group
October 17, 2006

Did anyone else groan when he missed that last field-goal? Oh, man did that suck! They should have won, but they let up on their offensive, they didn't throw defensively, they could take a couple lessons from college games in that respect.

awsome game though, both teams played well right up until the end.


On another note, I've started a new group per the request of some of my friends who don't know where to find discussions to read that are informative, I hope we can get some people to join and start threads that can help military hopefuls who are uninformed/confused/worried, and maybe discuss some of the current events with military themes (i.e. the long time ignored Kim Jong Il)

-Saigus

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American Public Education From a Student's Perspective
October 15, 2006

Has anyone seen or heard the campaign ad's for the Unified School District of your city or town?

It seems that if someone is a teacher, they are suddenly seen as a hero by the administration. Unfortunately, the teachers who the administration favores are the teachers the students, usually backed by their parent or guardian deem unworthy of being in the same classroom of the few good teachers. I'm not sure about you guys, but I don't think that our public school system is worthy of the praise it recieves. Yes, I understand it is phenominal to have free public schooling for everyone up through high school and sometimes beyond. Yes, I understand that teachers have gone through colledge and are close to being masters of their subject. What I do not understand, is that many get away with pushing kids forward because they do not like the student. Others teach for the Benchmark tests and throughout schooling (Kindergarten through 12th grade) use coloring as an accepted classroom activity.
Honors classes have depressed their standards to the point that one feels as if one is in third grade. The unsung heros who keep students from loosing faith in the school system forevermore, fall into three categories:

1) The Advanced Placment teacher who has a depth of knowledge previously unknown to High School teachers. The good teachers in this field understand there is "so much [insert subject here] so little time" unfortunately, when these teachers finally become recognized, the CLASS is what gains the recognition, and multiple teachers are hired to have more of that class, leading to more undeserving teachers in a position that hurts their students academically.

2) The enthusiastic teacher who takes their job seriously and who teaches to the lowest common denomenator in the class yet keeps the highest educated students intrested. these teachers lead to the same problems of multiplicity of the classroom that the AP teacher had.

3) The teacher who puts in good faith honest effort and has subject oriented lectures and homework every night, and if the students pay attention and do the assignments, they will pass. this type of teacher is mainly found in the math departments, and students have a tendency to call them by foul words starting with B. yet they easily gain the respect of their audience.

I said all that to say this:

The people that you are voting for, no matter who, will end up in the first category who enjoy teaching to benchmark, not to inform, and favor coloring over mental endurance tests.

-Saigus

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California and the Military
October 12, 2006

I live in California.

Yes, the land of fruits and nuts.

Unfortunately, I live in California and hope to join the military. What's wrong with this? My home-town is only a few hours away from San Fransisco, center of political and ani-military protest. Try telling your friends and family you have contacted recruiters of all the military branches in a society like that.

But before I jump to that, hear this: The military's sphere of influence may be less here, but it is surely felt. the liberal beliefs of San Francisco's hardest-core radical utopian communist* is accepted in my school and community. So why start a blog on a site no-one in CA has heard about?

Because I was born in Texas.

Radical diffrence. CA may be better in alot of ways, but TX will always win out in my mind because of a few things that stood out. The patriotic banners and open display of American pride, which is unheard of on the West Coast, is just as amazing to me as the undivided support of our troops, no matter how much they like or dislike the war.

So now that you have some background information, It probably makes more sense when I say that when I told my parents I had contacted recruiters for the first time, they immediatly contacted a psychologist.

welcome to the land of Fruits and Nuts.


- Saigus








*this isn't an exaggeration, there are no less than 9 students in my high school alone, who dress in Trotsky's Red-Army uniform.

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