I voted!

Today, I voted. I wanted to go with Lesley to vote because I didn't think that she would vote if I didn't accompany her. We weren't planning to vote today, and I was reluctant to vote when we did because I thought that the polls would be busy because a lot of people off early from work would be there.

We showed up like at 4:45 and we only had to wait in line for 15 minutes. Although I was tempted to vote for Libertarian Michael Badnarik because he was the only third-party candidate on the ballot for president, I stuck with my plan to write-in John McCain. I voted for the Libertarian whenever possible, including railroad commissioner, judges of two courts of criminal appeals, and tax assessor-collector. Why wouldn't you want a libertarian tax assessor-collector? I voted for a couple Republicans for House and Senate and I voted for a Democratic candidate for judge of a Court of Criminal Appeals. I didn't vote in any of the races in which the candidates ran unopposed. I am glad I voted, you should go vote.

Keyboard problems?

The past few days I have had some difficulty with my Virtually Indestructible Keyboard, I believe. For example, last night the main enter key and backspace key were not working. Today they were still not working, so in order to determine that the computer was at fault, I unplugged it and connected it to another computer only to find that it was working. Another keyboard plugged into my computer worked, and when I brought my keyboard back, it worked. I can't think of any reason why a couple buttons would stop working temporarily on my computer and then be fixed when I plug it in again. I'm baffled...and now the enter key doesn't work again... Solutions, anyone?

Follow-up post here.

Why students drop out of high school

When I leave for work in the morning, usually between 6:45 and 7:00, there are usually kids standing outside waiting for the school bus. If they're already at the bus stop waiting for the bus when I'm just leaving for work, when did they leave their house? When did they wake up? If you had to get up at 6 AM to be at the bus stop by 6:45 so you could wait in the cold to sit in the cold bus for an hour before going to a boring day of class, would you want to stay in school?

I don't understand why schools start so early in the morning, does anyone know? If I had control over the schools, I would give students some power to decide when they wanted the school day to start.

I don't know if I'll see Team America

I've heard a lot about Team America, the latest movie from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and while most of the reviews have been fairly positive, I don't think I'll trouble myself by going to the theater to see it.

And, while we're on the subject of movies that you shouldn't take seriously, I still haven't seen Fahrenheit 9/11 and I don't know if I will, but if I do, I'm going to watch a movie that counterbalances it, like Fahrenhype 9/11.

Also, I'm looking forward to voting. I was planning to go this Friday, but Lesley wants me to go with her, so I'll have to go at some other time. I hope everyone here of voting age will be voting, if nothing else, you can write in yourself...or John McCain.

Red Sox win

I'm extremely glad that the Red Sox won, it's about damn time.

re: Ignorant journalism major

I have doubts about the necessity of an engineering major.

try being a journalism major and see if you think it's unecessary.

dac

Yeah I kind of take offense to that because I want to be a sports broadcaster and I may have to minor in journalism. What makes your major so much better than journalism? If you think its about money then you are wrong. There are some journalist that make a ton of more money than you ever will.

- Bryan

Troy just thinks that there's nothing much to "learn" in the field, but yes, he's wrong.

dac

This has nothing to do with my major or engineering or money. First of all, I was trying to point out the importance of journalism majors knowing things other than journalism and secondly, I was questioning the necessity of learning how to be a journalist. Rather than offering condescending retorts, you could try explaining why a journalism major is necessary in order to be a journalist.

Previous post here.

Ignorant journalism major

I have wondered how necessary it is to receive four years of instruction in order to be a journalist. I think this blog entry from Michael J. Totten expresses some sentiments that have crossed my mind before about the value of a major in journalism.

Follow-up post here.

'If this isn't genocide, then what on earth is?'

This is a good report on the killings, rape, burnings, and looting that continue unabated in Darfur.

Three months ago, the UN described the situation in Darfur as "the world's worst humanitarian crisis". On my two-day visit, I found that nothing much has changed. The government of Sudan has reneged on its promise to disarm the Janjaweed. Their campaign has the sole objective of eradicating the black tribes and installing the Arabs in their place. If this isn't genocide, then it's difficult to imagine what on earth is.

There's a lot more, go ahead and at least skim it.

Voting for the Libertarian Party

if you really do want a small government, I'd still encourage you to vote Libertarian since third parties need the help...

dac

Good point, I would like to vote for some Libertarians, but they could benefit much more from my votes in local elections than from a vote for Michael Badnarik. So, if there is a Libertarian on the ballot for any state races, I'll cosider voting for him/her.

Also, I honestly must say that I don't understand the role of the judicial positions that are on the ballot. Are these judges responsible for criminal sentencing? I mean, I don't know, what do these judges do? If they're criminal judges, then I'm reluctant to vote for a Libertarian or even a Democratic judge because I think that strict Republican sentencing is more effective in most cases.

Texas General Election Candidates

There are more races than the one for president. If you live in Texas, here is a list of all the races with the competing candidates and their respective parties. I have no idea who to vote for in all these elections, I mean, all I can do is kind of guess who I'd prefer based on their party affiliation. I wish there were a better way.

Steelers vs. Cowboys: Review

The Cowboys played much better than they had been playing, but it still wasn't good enough. The Cowboys played well enough to win, but the Steelers benefitted from an untimely turnover. Throughout the whole game, though, the Cowboys were unable to stop the Steelers partially because Terrence Newman was beaten consistently. The Cowboys' running game is still struggling, and for some reason the Cowboys have been unable to dominate with their passing attack. The Cowboys should have won the last two games. This morning in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, I saw Bill Parcells' Jets started the season 2-3 and finished the season 12-4, so that's a bit encouraging, I stand by my 10-6 prediction because this team is potentially very good, they just haven't put things together for long enough, and I trust that Bill Parcells will be able to have things fixed for a strong finish this season.

New poll: voting

There is a new poll that asks you who you plan to vote for.

My Vote: John McCain (write-in)

Early voting has started, so I figure it's time to figure out who I'll vote for. Foreign policy is the most important issue to me, followed by economic policy. I also have to consider the fact that my vote in Texas won't affect anything since Bush will handily win the state. I have now figured out why people live in Florida despite the high risk for hurricanes: it's because everyone's vote matters in Florida.

• George W. Bush (Republican) - I am convinced that he will aggressively fight the war on terror, but I don't think he is managing it well. He did not have a plan for reconstruction in Iraq and he seems to be oblivious of his mistakes. Domestically, I like his dedication to cutting taxes, but I don't like his excessive spending.
• John F. Kerry (Democrat) - I am convinced that he will aggressively try to convince us that he will aggressively fight the war on terror. I think that popular opinion will require him to take the war on terror seriously and he has pledged to wage it more intelligently, but based on his record I still have some doubts as to whether he will be aggressively effective enough to keep us safe. Domestically, he has made himself seem surprisingly conservative, I'm glad he has said he won't raise taxes for the middle class, and I'm intrigued by his healthcare plan, but I don't agree with some Democratic domestic ideals. One of the biggest reasons to vote for him is that because he will be working with a Republican congress, the legislation passed will be more moderate, less expensive, and more effective.
• Ralph Nader (Independent) - I like his consumer activism, I'll never buy another Corvair, but I don't agree with his big-government tendencies and since he's unlikely to receive more than 2% of the vote nationally, there is little reason to vote for him.
• David Cobb (Green) - The Green Party is too liberal for me and I don't think I should give them my vote.
• Michael Badnarik (Libertarian) - I agree with the fundamental Libertarian belief in smaller government, but I think that the Libertarian Party takes it to too much of an extreme. And, while I wouldn't want to see a Libertarian running the country, I would definitely like to see the party gain more power.
• John McCain (Republican - write-in) - He's not running this time, but I hope he runs in 2008. A vote for him would be a way to encourage him to consider running in 2008, it would send message to the main parties that their candidates suck, and it would be a vote for fiscal conservatism and reform

I slightly prefer Kerry over Bush overall, but I don't think either one deserves my vote. While the Libertarian Party makes a strong case for my vote and I really would like for them to receive more attention, because of the terrorist threats that face our nation I just cannot give a vote of support to the Libertarian Party's head-in-the-sand foreign policy. So, I think that my best choice is to write in John McCain. He will receive thousands of votes nationwide, and I have set up a lame campaign to encourage people to write him in.

China fights UN sanctions on Sudan to safeguard oil

China fights UN sanctions on Sudan to safeguard oil:

China is trying to stop the United Nations imposing sanctions on Sudan over the crisis in the Darfur region to protect its oil imports from the country, say western diplomats...

China was identified by diplomats as the member responsible for watering down last month's Security Council resolution which threatened to halt Sudan's oil exports if it did not stop atrocities in the Darfur region, where Arab militias are terrorising African villagers...

The UN Security Council is committed to reviewing the situation on a monthly basis. Given the stream of bad news, it could soon move to embargo Sudan's oil exports. China's ambassador to the UN, Wang Guangya, has already threatened to veto any such resolution, but diplomats say Beijing may have to give in to mounting international pressure.

China is trying to protect its national interests; if Sudan is sanctioned, its economy will suffer. Where's the "no war for oil" crowd on this one, they should be protesting "no genocide for oil." If China is successful at blocking sanctions, the legitimacy of the UN must be severely put in question. If the UN can't firmly oppose genocide because of the misguided interests of some of its rogue members, then what good is it?

Write-in McCain

After a brief search of the internet I was unable to find any websites that aim to promote writing-in John McCain for president. Therefore, since I'm a fan of the guy, I created a half-assed attempt. I might add more to it sometime, I dunno, we'll see what happens.

Eatery Review: Jason's Deli

The California Club at Jason's Deli is the best sandwich I've ever had. Just a few months ago, I had never even eaten at Jason's Deli, and while I still haven't had many different things there, I'm a big fan of the excellent-tasting California club. Every ingredient of the California Club is an integral part of the sandwich, including the turkey, bacon, swiss cheese, guacamole, mayonnaise, alfalfa sprouts, and the croissant bread. It comes with your choice of fruit (melon and strawberries) or chips for like $6.

Rating: 8/10

IRL at Texas Motor Speedway

I had never been to Fort Worth's Texas Motor Speedway until today, when I had the opportunity to see an Indy Racing League race for free. I had four tickets, but I could only get Lesley to come with me. I was expecting to arrive a little late, but the route I took wasn't very busy, and we arrived before the race started. There were thousands of cars there and I knew that leaving would be terribly slow if I had stayed for the entire race. Lesley and I found our seats before the cars had even started their engines. Upon taking my seat, I was initially awed by how big the speedway was and then when the cars started moving I was awed by how fast the cars moved, they traveled around the 1.5 mile long speedway in less than 30 seconds. Neither of us had ever been to a race before, but we both had a good time and we're glad that we went.

More backgrounds

I have added more backgrounds to my page. I hope you like them.

You know, a lot of people, perhaps most people, call them "wallpapers" but I would much rather not do that because of the fact that they neither go on your wall, nor are they made of paper. "Background" is the term used in web editing and it just makes much more sense.

Iraq war analysis

Knight Ridder has some good analysis on the problems with the war in Iraq, including too little planning for how to secure Iraq after the invasion and the problems that our president will have to face and the options he might have. While it is too early to say that the war in Iraq failed, it's clear to me that the Bush administration screwed things up. Hopefully, our leadership can improve the situation in Iraq so that Iraq doesn't become a tumultuous anti-US military dictatorship.

A Month of Blogger

Despite some initial vociferous protests to my transition to Blogger, I think that after a month of the new location and format of Troy's Thoughts, things are now better than they were a month ago.

I don't know whether the quality and quantity of my posts has changed, but I'd be inclined to say that both have increased. I am also pleased that my page is now more accessible and receives more visits than before.

Though the fact that visitors' comments would no longer appear on the main page was initially a drawback, I think I am more satisfied with this format. All comments are sent to me, so I never miss a comment (though unfortunately some readers might). I have tried to post comments on the main page if I feel they are important. Not all comments are important, so I don't think they all need to be posted on the main page. Of course some people might be disappointed that their comments are not chosen to be seen on the main page, but I try to post quality comments, though I might underpost some quality comments that I have no response for.

The new automated commenting process does encourage commenting. Yes, you do have to do more clicking, but comments appear immediately, encouraging interaction between readers.

Things are good for me, posting takes only slightly longer than the amount of time it takes for me to write the post. I'm glad I switched and I hope you are too.