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March 25, 2005
Terri Schiavo
I don't know if it's right. I don't know if it's wrong. I know that there are those, especially the left, who are so desperate to adhere to the law. But there are times that the law is wrong. Sometimes the legal thing isn't the moral thing. No matter what the law says, letting Terri Schiavo starve to death because her husband (who lives with another woman and has two children by her) says so... that's wrong.
And when the news comes around, when the networks flash "Terri Schiavo dead" I tell you something. America will not think "thank goodness, the law has been upheld!" They will think "Oh my, that poor woman!"
They used to say that if you were under 30 and a conservative, that you had no heart. But I don't think that's true. Liberals only care about you if you're gay or impoverished. If you rely on a feeding tube, or better yet an umbilical cord, for life, then you have no rights, even to one as simple as the right to live.
It's just mad!
Posted by March at 02:28 PM | TrackBack
March 18, 2005
The Results Are In...
What results? Lots of results.
I'm not lazy for sleeping in late and having very little energy to do much! I'm anemic! So says the doctor, anyway, so I have to take iron pills three times a day. I also have thalassemia minor, just like my dad did, but my doctor says that nothing can be done about that, so we can only treat the anemia. Thalassemia minor is a disorder where the blood cells are mishaped or something like that. She says instead of round blood cells, I have some oval-like ones, so oxygen isn't carried through my body as effectively. And without oxygen, you can't have energy. She was also very impressed with the knowledge I already had about a lot of what she was discussing with me (stuff I learned in my Nutrition class) and asked me if I was in healthcare because I knew so much! She's a really good doctor! Yay! Let's hope my energy level improves now!
In other results, Cat Country Litter turned out to be stinky. Well, actually, it smelled great, but it didn't clump very well, so it ended up making huge messes of Fluff pee all over the box when I attempted to scoop it. We tried World's Best Cat Litter again, this time a different formula that was slightly smaller, but Melvin decided to start using the floor as the bathroom in protest, I guess. Not the bathroom floor either. The kitchen floor. The living room floor. The dining room floor. I spent eight hours today cleaning the house completely, including scrubbing the carpet with carpet cleaner that burned my hands. But it looks really nice! I'd been so tired from school all this quarter that the quality of my cleaning had declined drastically, so it felt REALLY good to get all of the cleaning done.
And the last result... Michael is the world's best husband! It's official! He bought me a beautiful potted flower. It's a little yellow thing. I don't know what kind it is, but it's so pretty! He surprised me with it after his final! Now let's see if I can keep this one alive...
Posted by December at 01:15 AM | TrackBack
March 16, 2005
Finals Finally Finished!
I'm finished with my finals. I had them all in one day today, so it seemed to take forever. But it's nice to get them all out of the way. Now I don't have to worry about school for... well, for a week or so anyway, and I have been studying for Biology a bit, in hopes of easing the load of taking two lab sciences.
I spoke to a few pre-nursing students who have had to take much harder lab sciences at the same time, so I'm not too worried. Although someone said they don't know why Organic Chemistry is required. That's a pre-medical class and is used to weed out pre-med students, I guess. Two of the three nursing schools in this area that I'm going to apply for (for good measure) require it. I'm also going to apply for a couple out of state nursing schools, so Michael and I can keep our options open, but I'd like to finish up in this area if I could. I really enjoy the hospitals and the schools around here.
I think I did really well in my Nutrition class. If I don't get a 4.0, I'll be very surprised. I only missed one class the entire quarter (which is really good for me!) and I worked extra hard in that class, since it is one of the determining pre-requisites of if I get in to nursing school. You need a minimum of 3.0 in your pre-requisite sciences to be considered to my top choice. I'm sure you need something similar for all the nursing schools, just because it's so competetive to get in.
My baby Fluff is getting fixed this Friday. He's so gigantic, I guess I can't call him my baby, but he will always be that to me! He's so sweet, even if I he did wake me up from my nap just so I would pet him. Right now he is currently in the cupboard. What a silly, mischievous kitten he is!
It's going to be nice to relax this week and a half off. I hope everyone has a great Spring Break!
P.S. March redesigned MarchDecember again! It looks ultra-cool, in my opinion, but March is always ultra-cool!
Posted by December at 05:38 PM | TrackBack
Support Kerry '08
I've been stuck at Shoreline while Jennifer has been doing final classes and class finals for the past couple days, so I've been taking the opportunity to work on MarchDecember. You'll notice a whole new look on the front page, and a slightly modified look on this page. I want the big picture circle on the front page too, but it's not working out properly. I'll try anyway, but I used to have a good knack for designs, and it seems I've lost it. My last site went through eight major redesigns in nearly seven years. This one has been through four now in one year. And keep in mind I have a lot less time than I did back then.
Anyway, I digress. I added some Google Adsense thingys to the daily pages, just because I could and I'm curious what they'll do. In other words, I'm bored. Anyway, as I was thumbing through the pages to make sure they were working, I came across an add for Support Kerry bracelets.
You know, like those Livestrong bracelets, except these are to show that you support Kerry in 08.
From their site:
These 100% blue silicone bracelets, similar to the Lance Armstrong, "LIVE STRONG" yellow bracelets, are becoming very popular and being worn by DEMOCRATS and some republicans from all walks of life. It is even noted that school-aged children have caught on to the "Democrat Blue Bracelet" fashion trend in some American cities.
Apparently some "republicans" are wearing these. Does this mean actual Republicans, or just members of a republic, because technically I suppose we are ALL republicans.
But as a Republican, I guess I'd wear one of these. I mean, could the Democrats have nominated a more pathetic candidate? I'd like to see him up against Condi in 08.
Posted by March at 03:15 PM | TrackBack
March 14, 2005
If It's Not Boeing, I'm Not Going
Q: What Made an Airbus Rudder Snap in Mid-Air? A: It's an Airbus
From the Mail & Guardian via Instapundit
At 35 000 feet above the Caribbean, Air Transat flight 961 was heading home to Quebec with 270 passengers and crew. At 3.45pm last Sunday, the pilot noticed something very unusual. His Airbus A310's rudder -- a structure over 8m high -- had fallen off and tumbled into the sea. In the world of aviation, the shock waves have yet to subside.One former Airbus pilot, who now flies Boeings for a major United States airline, told The Observer: "This just isn't supposed to happen. No one I know has ever seen an airliner's rudder disintegrate like that. It raises worrying questions about the materials and build of the aircraft, and about its maintenance and inspection regime. We have to ask as things stand, would evidence of this type of deterioration ever be noticed before an incident like this in the air?"
He and his colleagues also believe that what happened may shed new light on a previous disaster. In November 2001, 265 people died when American Airlines flight 587, an Airbus A300 model which is almost identical to the A310, crashed shortly after take-off from JFK airport in New York. According to the official report into the crash, the immediate cause was the loss of the plane's rudder and tailfin, though this was blamed on an error by the pilots.
There have been other non-fatal incidents. One came in 2002 when a FedEx A300 freight pilot complained about strange "uncommanded inputs" -- rudder movements which the plane was making without his moving his control pedals. In FedEx's own test on the rudder on the ground, engineers claimed its "acuators" -- the hydraulic system which causes the rudder to move -- tore a large hole around its hinges, in exactly the spot where the rudders of both flight 961 and flight 587 parted company from the rest of the aircraft.
Next time buy a Boeing. For that matter, for the rest of you, next time fly a Boeing. Airbus has now surpassed Boeing as the #1 airliner manufacturer in the world. Meanwhile, their planes are government subsidized by the Europeans. If Airbus loses money, no one cares!
So what's the excuse for the shoddy planes falling apart, if they're not cutting costs? There's no reward, beyond pride, for selling more planes and making more profit than Airbus. I'm not sure on the numbers, but selling more planes might actually COST the company more.
Either way, you know... if it's not Boeing...
Posted by March at 12:18 PM | TrackBack
March 08, 2005
Hasta La Vista, Español!
I've decided to not take Spanish 103. Spanish 102 has been too time consuming and I have zero interest in it, which makes it ten times more difficult. I don't need it for my BSN degree, and even if I studied my behind off, emersed myself in learning the language to the point that I could speak fluently, after a couple months of being out of Spanish class, I'd forget everything I learned. That's why I don't understand why so many degrees require a foreign language. Ninety percent of the people are not going to remember anything from it. My class only meets four times a week and over the three day break I forget half the stuff we've learned. I memorize all of the vocabulary (I haven't gotten below a 100% of the vocab quizzes), but a day after the vocab quizzes, I don't remember any of the words. It's ridiculous. Yet I don't have a problem in my Nutrition class, a class that I am very interested in and will actually apply toward my degree.
So next quarter, with no Spanish to take, I've decided to increase my science load in hopes of finishing my pre-requisites in Fall 2006. I'm taking Chemistry 101 and Biological Sciences 201. I'm also taking an art class, just because that's a lot of science, and I do need to fulfill my VLS with something.
Anyway, everyone at school feels bad for me because they think I'm taking too much in terms of the sciences. But I'm excited! I really enjoy sciences, so in a way, it will probably be a lot easier for me than a class like Spanish, which I have very little interest in.
Posted by December at 11:48 PM | TrackBack
March 05, 2005
If They Outlaw Bumper Stickers...
The other day Jennifer and I ended up behind another beater covered in leftist bumper stickers. These seem to be very popular around here, filled with clever phrases designed to make you say "hmmm... what a good point!"
Problem is, sometimes the bumper stickers contradict themselves. This car was a shining example of the critical thinking skills these people lack. It featured a sticker that said "If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will accidentally shoot their children." Well, that does seem true enough, though it panders to emotion rather than logic.
The reason this bumper sticker rings true is because gun owners WON'T simply give up their right to bear arms. Instead, such a law would make "outlaws" of decent, law-abiding citizens. Meanwhile, ACTUAL outlaws don't CARE if guns are illegal, because they're planning on using them for illegal acts anyway, and the only way to protect yourself from these people is to arm yourself.
But then, right next to it was another sticker.
"If they outlaw teaching evolution, only outlaws will evolve."
Well, first off, this doesn't make any sense. I mean, it's not funny, and it obviously isn't true. Only outlaws will evolve? No, only outlaws will teach evolution. If evolution is a biological fact, no law will stop it from happening.
Although technically people don't evolve anyway. A species can evolve, but unless you're a character on Star Trek, you can not. You can't suddenly sprout gills.
And finally, the two bumper stickers just don't work together. Are they claiming that outlawing guns is a good thing, and that outlawing evolution is bad? Or is the other way around? The problem is that they use the same reasoning to come to two different conclusions.
But it's okay. Lots of lefty bumper stickers don't make any sense in the first place. Here's a webpage FULL of fun stickers you might see on old Volvos!
Remember what I said about the Democrats living in a different reality?
Earlier, in response to the Bush campaigns claim that they were leading in Ohio, the Kerry campaign claimed they were living in a very different reality and saw things in a very different way. And that reality showed Ohio for Kerry. Well isn't that the problem? The Democrats are living in a very different reality. And the problem is... their "reality" isn't REAL.
I like this one because most unobservant drivers would just assume it's in support of Bush. Geesh.
There are lots more you can check out yourself. I've never understood the need to express yourself like this on your car. Our car has a UW sticker in rear left window, and a Shoreline one in the rear right. Both are just static cling stickers... and they're only there because we go to those schools.
But using your car as your vocal mouthpiece just makes no sense to me. For one, if you've got anti-Bush stuff all over your car, and you need in my lane, tough. And two, when you show yourself to be a horrible driver (as these people tend to be) you really don't make me think "yeah, Bush IS bad!" You make me think "What an idiot. And look, his/her beliefs are idiotic too."