Don't Quote Me

Angry Writing

2011-10-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

you know how they say when you are mad you shouldn't say anything you might regret?
FUCK THAT.

im pissed off right now and the only thing that cares are these keys. there is not a single person on this earth that fully understands me and my mind. i am not saying that my mind is anymore complicated than any other person's, but i am saying that there is no other that is so drastically misunderstood.

not my friends nor my family even has a clue. my dad is the closest to understanding because his father is the source of our mutual problems. but, i am confident that even he, the one man who shares these vary things that he himself has passed down, does not fully understand. if you know me, i am sorry to say that you only know a small portion, and that portion is most likely the same one that everyone else "knows".

there is a hidden majority of me inside that i rarely disclose. if you have witnessed this disclosure then you surely didn't understand it the way it was meant, because if you did i wouldn't have ever left your side since.

this feeling of alienation is nothing novel to me, for i have grown used to it over years of introspection. i thought that fitting in was only important when you actually cared about fitting in. i am wrong. not fitting in is much harder than anyone who fits in could know (if you fit in you are laughing at this). one can not care about fitting in all they want, but the gap between those who fit and those who don't is still there and it is constantly getting wider. and let me tell you, its really lonely on my side.

aside: i love all of my friends and value our relationships very much for i wouldn't be me if it weren't for you.

I Miss My Team

2011-10-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

i just wanna compete again. i wanna go back to junior year and look through that face mask again. i want it all again. i want the sweat and the blood. i want the sprints, the super sets, and the plate workouts. i want the coaches' spit back on my face after he just got done telling me to put that fuckin' kid in the hospital. I want that controlled anger that I used to use. i want that competitive fire back; that one that drives you to do things you never would.
one practice is all i need, i don't even need a game. just one practice with my team again would be all that i could ask for. i wanna practice til the sun goes down then turn those lights on that everyone used to hate and practice til the sun comes back up. i loved my team and i miss the security in knowing my boys wouldn't hesitate to flat back somebody i don't see. i remember when Carlos knocked himself out and tore the ligaments in that kid's neck because we always did the hitting, never took em. i remember freshmen year when Carey sent the quarterback out of the game screaming "i can't see anything". call me sick but i feed off that shit.

2011-09-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

The peoples effort to govern themselves has resulted in, for me, a mistrust of men and an utter reliance on my own ideas, beliefs, and thoughts. I realize the dangers of such solitude, but I have subconsciously determined the perils of people to be far greater than that of one man. I find that the gravity of our so called problems is far too much for the variety of human opinion, and I cannot find hope in any physical entity other than my bible.
I am afraid I become what I never wanted to be: a budding conspiracy theorist with an empty trunk of trust and a thick canopy of paranoia for shelter. I have become an individual who is fearful of calculated fallacy and totally void of trust. My own family seems suspect to my suspicions. I feel as though I have been formed into a shape that I want to shed. In fact, being defined by a singular shape is the very thing I try to avoid.
I'm tired of agenda's and being constantly being bombarded with various influences. I need reality and unfortunately I feel as though that is coming harder and harder to come by. When it comes to government and politics, I would rather spend my time "doing me" than worrying about what other people think. Cuz thats all it is to me is everyone's thoughts streaming by the public spotlight without any action. Is this the way to be?

Invisibility Cloaks: From Science Fiction to Reality

2011-07-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

   The idea of invisibility cloaks is no longer a stretch of the human imagination, rather it has become another mere problem for man to solve. If we can.
   According to Alasdair Wilkins, a reporter for io9.com, there is, in theory, an "invisibility cloak that works in both space and time, shielding whole events from history itself."
   The latest development in 'invisibility technology' if you will, is what nationalgeographic.com calls a Space-Time Invisibility Cloak. "According to new research by British physicists, it's theoretically possible to create a material that can hide an entire bank heist from human eyes and surveillance cameras" (nationalgeographic.com).
   Excuse me!? Yes, you heard that right. Not only would the person committing the robbery be invisible, but both the robber and the entire criminal event would almost completely be erased from time and history itself. Almost.
   To realize the 'almost' part of the equation one must first understand how this cloak aims to render its preached invisibility.
   The concept is simple actually. We see our brain's interpretation of visible light coming through our eyes. Before the light reaches our eyes it hits the objects, people, and places we see and then hits our eyeballs at approximately 186,282 miles per SECOND. So, we actually see a slightly delayed image of our world.
   It is this delay that the cloak seeks to exploit. Basically, this cloak or material will slow down the light headed toward the observer, essentially delaying the images of whatever is to be hidden. Yes, the speed of light is constant, but it can slow down depending on the material that it passes through. In fact, researchers have slowed light down to a snail's crawl of 38mph.
   But the slowing of light must be carefully controlled to manipulate the time delay. Alasdair Wilkins describes the theoretical process well:

   "Let's say you're standing a mile away from an observer. You start slowly decreasing the speed of the light traveling towards the observer so that it's only traveling at 60 miles per hour, or a mile per minute. Since you're slowing the light down gradually, the observer won't be able to perceive the change. Once the light has reached 60 miles per hour, the observer is now seeing you as you were one minute ago. You've now created a one minute spacetime corridor. You've now got a minute to do whatever you want without the observer having any idea what you're up to."

"Once your minute is up, you switch off the machine slowing down the light, it speeds back up, and the observer now sees you again as you are right now - or at least as you were a nanosecond ago. That minute is a temporally compressed blip that the observer cannot perceive."

So cool right? I think so. Just the very thought of compressing a minute's worth of actions into an undetectable segment of time and virtually erasing it from history is absolutely mind blowing. But, wouldn't that history be your own memory therefore making it actual history? Maybe it would actually compress history, which is difficult to think about too. Now the question is how to make the 'invisibility machine' invisible, because it's no use if you wheel a heavy hunk of 'light-slowing' material in front of the security cameras before you disappear. Hmm...

Sources:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/07/110711-invisibility-cloak-events-space-time-bank-robbery-science/

http://io9.com/5691060/spacetime-invisibility-cloaks-can-hide-entire-events-inside-temporal-voids

Thank You Subscribers, Enjoy GOOGLE+

2011-07-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

    A big THANK YOU goes out to all our subscribers following food for thought. Your support and participation with the blog and its postings is more than we could ask for. We hope that you all received your invitation to test GOOGLE+ and are exploring its new features as we write this. If you find it worth it, we ask that you spread the word and ask if anyone else you know is hungry for brain food.

   Our readers are always welcome to express their views, offer suggestions, and of course, subscribe, retweet, follow, and comment. If you find us boring. Tell us. If you find us awesome. Well, tell us that too. We want to know.

    PS: its still not to late to test this new GOOGLE+ 'thang'. I have heard good things about it so subscribe to FoodForThought on the right hand side, and you will receive an email with your invitation. Thanks again, and happy reading.

                                                                                 Best: FFT

GOOGLE+: What Is It? And Is It Good?

2011-07-10T04:48:00.000-07:00

   Following life's usual ironic fashion, Google's latest attempt in social networking seems to be blowing up Facebook, leaving some people scratching their noggins and wondering what the %@#! it is. As you may already know its called GOOGLE+. But, what you may have not known is that GOOGLE+ is projected to have the potential to "topple" Facebook. Will history prove consistent? Or will it be "third time's a charm" for Google after their last two major failures, Wave and Buzz (heard of them?)?
   According to Google's Official Blog: "Today, the connections between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of our online tools."In this basic, human way, online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And we aim to fix it."
   In a sense both sites will be similar because GOOGLE+ is also basing its other features off a primary news feed, only they are labeling theirs the Stream. From there, the other four core elements will be called Huddles, Hangouts, Circles, and Sparks.

What Sparks may look like.

Sparks is one feature that could be kind of cool. It's similar to StumbleUpon in that you can choose from a variety of interests, then receive videos, articles, pictures, etc. within that interest range. Obviously the option to share these interest will be easily accessible. However, there is always the risk that it could just become annoying spam.
Now to the first, and maybe the coolest of the social elements, a Huddle. Huddles are usually meant to be short and quick meetings to convey some sort of information to several people, and that's essentially what these 'Huddles' are. They are group chats, in which all participants in the 'Huddle' can see what every other participant is saying. This could prove to be useful, when arranging an outing, party, vacation, you name it. It surely will be easier than juggling multiple friends over multiple text conversations. Okay, now from Huddles to Hangouts we go.
Hangouts are about, well, hanging out with your friends. According to Google's demo, "Until teleportation arrives, it's the next best thing." Its basically a big group video chat in which everyone participating can see everyone else's live video; as if everyone is sitting in one big room. It seems like its just basic video calling. The difference is that you can have more than two calls in each chat, which apparently not all major services offer. We will see how that works.
Now on to Circles. What are they? Well, they basically give you the ability to separate your friends into groups such as 'Band Mates' or 'Relatives'. " For example, you might want to catch up with your pals about your drunken Saturday night out, but you don't necessarily want your parents in your chat. You can keep your conversations separate by putting your contacts into 'circles' such as 'Work crew', 'Unimates' (www.pocket-lint.com). A simple click and drag is all you need to do to separate your friends into your specific 'Circles'.

What the 'Circles' page may look like

   GOOGLE+ also has some new privacy controls and is prepared for the mobile generation. "Supported by the Chrome, IE, Firefox and Safari browsers, Google+ will also be available on mobile devices - a vital element for any social networking platform"(www.pocket-lint.com). Learn more here.
   As of right now GOOGLE+ is currently testing the product with a soft launch, and only some are being invited to try it. To register for an early trial you can go to Google's sign-up page.
   So, what do you think (thanks for reading this far)? Are you going to give it a try? Upon review, it does seem to have some new features that could be pretty handy for our cyber generation. Circles, Hangouts, and especially Huddles could all have their own social niche they satisfy. Sparks could be really entertaining as long as it stays away from ads and things. However, it may be good to give it a second look considering it would most likely involve giving your information to Google, the world's #1 search engine and an information giant that is strapped with the power of the dollar. Besides, is it worth all the time waiting for your friends and contacts to slowly make the transition, if they even do? Is Facebook too far rooted in our time for any major change in social media sites?

ATTENTION: if you subscribe by email you will get your SNEAK PEEK AT THE NEW GOOGLE+ at the end of the day (can't just throw it online you know?). You will be able to start your account before the actual release. I will personally send the link to every new subscriber on the list. thanks for reading :)

   Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/40785/what-is-google-android-iphone-apps

Yao Ming Cuts It Short

2011-07-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

After a recent past riddled with injury Yao Ming , Houston Rockets center and face of NBA basketball in China, has decided to call it quits. Yes, he is one of the tallest to ever play the game, but he has decided to cut his career short according to Yahoo.com.

"He's going to retire now, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. The feet couldn't handle the man. What pair of feet ever could?"
Yao Ming was more than a hunk of flesh in the paint, he had skills, a solid low post game, and footwork better than half his country had on Dance Dance Revolution. He was big, his game was big, and so was his influence.
Yao Ming's international status helped expand the popularity of American sports and the NBA further around the world. Though his jersey isn't even the number one NBA seller in China, he has undoubtedly brought American athletics to the doors of many.
Unfortunately his body may have been more of a burden than a help, as the close to his career was dominated by chronic injury -- mainly dealing with ankles and feet --, which some say forced his hand on his recent decisions.
"That frame was never worth it. Three initial seasons of playing over 80 games a year led to an average of 41 games a season between 2005 and 2011. A 77-game run in 2008-09 led to broken hearts amongst every basketball fan, as they watched him pull up lame on basic cable television on a Friday night, working as best he could to defeat the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs."

He finally gets to move on.
Yao was born on September 12, 1980 in Shanghai, China and would grow to become the first over-all pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.
The Houston Rockets picked him up and it is there he stayed until his decision. Through out his career in Houston, he averaged 19ppg and just over 9 rebounds/game, and certainly would have averaged more if his body held up.
While the league and its other fans may not, I know I will sure miss one of the few asians in the league.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Yao-Ming-is-retiring?urn=nba-wp6200

Who Speaks for Islam?: What A Billion Muslims Really Think

2011-06-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

If you are an American who is old enough remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001, then you most definitely have an opinion of the Arab world and the religion that is most commonly associated with it, Islam. You may believe that the west is the target of the Arab world. You believe the attacks of 9/11 were a direct result of the teachings in the Quran (Islam's Bible, if you didn't know that please please keep reading). You may believe they hate our freedom. No matter what you believe if you are truly committed to reason or just want to learn more, then Who Speaks for Islam?: What A Billion Muslims Really Think is a must read.

Who Speaks for Islam?, by John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed, is an in depth analysis of Islam and its followers and their relationship with the world based on the largest study of its kind, the Gallup World Poll. The reach of the poll is mind blowing as it has surveyed nearly a billion Muslims. "Between 2001 and 2007, Gallup conducted tens of thousands of hour-long, face-to-face interviews with residents of more than 35 nations that are predominantly Muslim or have substantial Muslim populations. The sample represents residents young and old, educated and illiterate, female and male, and from urban and rural settings. With the random sampling method that Gallup used, results are statistically valid within a plus or minus 3-point margin of error. "In totality, we surveyed a sample representing more than 90% of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, making this the largest, most comprehensive study of contemporary Muslims ever done"(Esposito, Mogahed 2007). In my opinion its safe to say this book is based on the truth.
So what is the truth? Well, unlike the American ethnocentric ideals that pin terrorism on Islam's followers, the truth is actually quite complicated. So much so that terrorism itself takes a back seat to all of the issues that help complete the growing picture of the relationship between Islam and the west. Together John Esposito and Dalia Mogahed use the data collected from the Gallup World Poll to show the real ideals, values, hopes, and beliefs of Islam's following body. The book shatters beliefs and provides heavily supported information on this heated subject. It explains what Islam is and the beliefs that divide its various sects, as well as analyze the roll of women in the many different Islamic societies around the world. To say the least, it is an informative and challenging read that should be read by anyone who speaks on their beliefs of the Muslim world. Who Speaks for Islam?: What A Billion Muslims Really Think holds the solution to America's most pressing international conflict. People must realize that understanding is absolutely necessary before any problems are resolved. In this case wars, unnecessary spending, and constant tension can all be avoided if both parties would make efforts to understand the other on a deeper level; a level much more personal than media images and their extremist representatives. What Muslims Really Think? leaves no doubt of this before the book is even half finished.

About the Authors:

John L. Esposito is a professor of both religion & international affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. Before his relative fame he attended Catholic seminary and remains a practicing Catholic today. He funded the Georgetown's Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Chirstian Understanding. Esposito has authored more than 35 other books including Unholy War:Terror in the Name of Islam and What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam. He has consulted the U.S. Department of State and is a recipient of the American Academy of Religion: 2

005 Martin E. Marty Award. Despite this he has been attacked and labeled an apologist for militant Islam. Esposito has authored articles in major publications such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the Washington Post and his co-author's credentials are just as impressive.
Dalia Mogahed has authored article appearing in the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Harvard International Review. Islamic herself she is obviously an advocate for understanding and provided her deep insight as a Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. She has a master's degree in business administration with a emphasis on strategy from Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at University of Pittsburg. On April 26, 2009 President Barack Obama appointed her to the Advisory Counsil on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships where she currently serves.

Becoming A Hyperbolic Prisoner of the Moment

2011-06-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday night there was a roller coaster of roster movement for the Sacramento Kings, which was mirrored by a similar ebb and flow of emotions of many Kings fans, including me. Far too often fans and pundits alike become prisoners of the moment, unable to take a step back and either let things develop or get a perspective of the big picture. In the process they make vast generalizations and statements of hyperbole (i.e. ‘Player X is the greatest of all-time!’ or ‘We’re doomed!’). On draft night, I too found myself failing to gain perspective and making grandiose, reactionary proclamations.

Merely an hour before the draft, the Kings pulled the trigger on a trade that would send Beno Udrih and their seventh pick to the Milwaukee Bucks for former-King, John Salmons and the Bucks’ 10^th pick. The move was perplexing to say the least and left me confused to why the trade was done. Salmons, who is guaranteed $25 million over the next three years, has a worse contract than Udrih who is owed $15 over the next two years (assuming he accepts his player option in 2012). Furthermore, Salmons is widely considered a black hole or a ball stopper on offense, while Udrih had a good veteran presence on the young Kings team as well as arguably one of the best mid-range jumpers in the NBA.

These thoughts and more were running through my head for the hour leading up to the draft, and had me worried as a Kings fan. Things only got worse once the Utah Jazz unexpectedly (for me at least {link to mock draft}) passed on Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight, who I thought was perfect but unattainable for the Kings before the draft, in favor of Turkish big man, Enes Kanter. When the Toronto Raptors, who were expected by many to take a point guard, also passed on Knight, I realized the perfect fit for the Kings would fall past the Washington Wizards (who already have John Wall) to the seventh pick, which the Kings had traded about an hour and a half earlier.

My team had traded for a worse pick and what I believed to be a worse player/contract, a trade that cost them the opportunity to grab their ideal player, or at least who I believed to be their ideal player. I was in full-blown the-sky-is-falling-mode, even calling for Geoff Petrie’s firing on Facebook. I had become an overreacting prisoner of the moment.

I watched the Kings’ selection of Jimmer Fredette, BYU sensation, and then turned off the draft dejected and apathetic. Later, while I was sulking, I was informed that the Kings had selected Tyler Honeycutt, which greatly raised my spirits (as a life-long UCLA fan and soon-to-be Bruin, I am a big fan of Honeycutt). Sacramento also went on to select Washington’s Isiah Thomas, another player I liked for the Kings coming into the draft. I was definitely riding the roller coaster of emotion that comes along with being a passionate fan. This upswing in the night allowed me to take a step back and look at the Kings’ draft night with more perspective and optimism. I still didn’t completely understand the trade (I know they moved Udrih to make room for Fredette, but I think they could’ve done better than Salmons), but when I took a look at the Kings’ draft, I was pretty happy.

Knight could’ve been at seven, but I would’ve been happy with the Kings selecting Fredette if Knight had gone to Utah. Sacramento was 26^th in the NBA in 3P% (shooting 33.5%), which Fredette will look to change with his great jumper and career 39.4 3P%. Honeycutt is a player that has a lot of potential and does everything well, especially playing defense. Thomas is a solid player who will challenge Pooh Jeter for playing time and a roster spot. He could bring scoring, distributing (averaged 16.8 ppg and 6.1 apg last season) and a lot of speed off of the bench.

As a sports fan, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of putting too much stock into the present, but as a sports writer one must take a step back and get a wider perspective on things. On draft night I fell into the trap as a Kings fan, but learned a valuable lesson as an aspiring journalist. Hindsight is 20/20, and looking back I can see that the Kings had a good draft, so look out Mavs and Heat, here come the Kings!

guest author: Steve Covella
Match Steve's mock draft with the actual results at his blog Layup Line

Bad Big Businesses Going Good?

2011-06-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

Some of America's largest corporations are now pressing Congress for another tax break, allowing them to duck under their usual rate of 35% and move their massive off shore dollars back to the U.S. As is expected the corporations argue economic benefits and say their off shore funds, Apple- $12 billion, Google(grudge from my last article)- $17 billion, and Microsoft- $29 billion, would help "resuscitate the gasping recovery".

These corps. are asking for a 5.25% tax-rate for one year and say the short term could yield billions in tax revenue as the money is coming in. They must have some sort of confidence in their plan,
because they have even gone so far as to promote it as "the next stimulus". According to their reps, their plans would influence the multinational corporations to inject around a trillion dollars or more into the barely surviving economy. Jim Rodgers, the chief of Duke Energy, stated, “For every billion dollars that we invest, that creates 15,000 to 20,000 jobs either directly or indirectly.” So what's wrong and why hasn't this helpful plan been implemented? SHOW US THE MONEY (twisted Jerry Maguire reference, probably a bad one)!!!
Well it may not be as helpful as those big boys on top say it will be. You see, it wasn't that long ago that this was attempted. As a matter of fact it was only back in 2005, under the Bush administration, when a similar tax allowance was...well allowed. According to an article in the NY Times, "Congress and the Bush administration offered companies a similar tax incentive, in 2005, in hopes of spurring domestic hiring and investment, and 800 took advantage"[800 corps.]. Obviously something went wrong and it failed. A study by the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research revealed that the last "stimulus" resulted in $312 billion back into the United States. BUT, yes there is a huge but, and please excuse the pun. A whopping 92% of those tantalizing billions was thrown right back in the fat pockets of the shareholders. "This money comes from overseas operations and in some cases accounting maneuvers that shift domestic profits to low-tax countries. The study concluded that the program “did not increase domestic investment, employment or research and development"(NY Times, June 2011).

So, if history really repeats itself, it isn't looking so good. Take a breathe because it gets worse. In total 60% of the benefits went to just 15% of the largest multinational companies, many of which ended up actually laying off domestic workers. For example, the pharmaceutical giant Merck(i know, the name is kinda ironic if you follow rap lingo at all) cashed in last time the U.S. tried this. Merck brought home $15.9 billion from overseas, which went to "U.S.-based research and development spending, capital investments in U.S. plants, and salaries and wages for the U.S.," according to their spokesman, Steve Campanini. Did it really now Steve???
No. No, it did not. Merck stated they would use the funds to invest in the home land, but as regulatory filings later revealed they actually made cuts to their domestic work force and capital spending in the country(its not over yet). Once their coffers are overflowing you would think the rest would go to what they said it would, but WE THE PEOPLE were wrong again. Unfortunately, we were not the only ones who didn't get their share. While they were shoveling money back to themselves, they were also in the midst of what would become an $8 billion dollar settlement for executive missteps in the past. Add that on top of billions in back taxes owed to the IRS and billions more to various lawsuits filed by consumers of their notorious painkiller Vioxx. Garnish those losses with several hundred millions owed to the Justice Department for accusations of defrauding Medicare and WE are left to fight for the scraps that they ration.
Overall, history should be given more weight in the consideration of this "stimulus". Last time it obviously didn't work, but the problems are known(were they really blind to the problems the first time?). "The tax break, part of the American Jobs Creation Act, lacked safeguards to ensure the companies used the money for investment and job creation in the United States, as Congress intended"(NY Times, June 2011). Its unfortunate that most of those who represent most of the capital in our country also represent most of the greed, selfishness, and moral degradation as well. Bad Big Business must be held to standards that promote the good of the people while inspiring fierce competition to expedite America's progress.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/business/20tax.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=google%20tax%20repatriation&st=cse

Colonizing Space: The Final Frontier

2011-06-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

I embark on this blog to provoke thought from a different perspective. I believe life is all perspective and it is important to modestly and introspectively realize your own. Space programs like NASA are vitally important to the human race. It may be the most important undertaking by intelligent life

witnessed so far. Not only does the program physically and mentally transport us further away from Earth, it brings us closer to understanding who we are. To know we exist as a tiny blue dot endlessly orbiting a gigantic fusion reactor humbles us; we realize how very special this planet is. Our discovery of our insignificance is the very essence of how precious we really are.

Commonly thought of as the final frontier, phenomenon like shooting stars, stars, and the sun were previously thought of as the work of some intelligent force, but astronomers soon discovered just how ordered the universe actually is. In fact Cosmos means order. While we may still have a tenuous grasp on the wonders and teachings of the cosmos, humans understand the importance of inquiry; everything we have can be attributed to the Homo Erectus curiously venturing out of Africa some 1.75 million years ago in search of new hunting grounds. The further we move away from our short and fury ancestors to develop our civilization, we slip arrogantly away from the truth that we are still in the adolescence of technology with terrifying capabilities of harnessing the most powerful force known, nuclear. We must learn to live with ourselves before we defend our borders, once we treat the fear behind nation rivalry, wealth disparity, greed, and ego, we may safely remove the threat of destroying ourselves.

I was inspired by the charismatic Carl Sagan when delivering this convoluted message: with the uncertainty that makes life so exciting and beautiful, we run the risk of losing it all if not by our own fault then by some errant asteroid with a lethal collision path. The space program, under proper

guidance and support, can establish a backup colony on some distant territory, under current space travel technology Mars seems the most viable option. This ensures the proliferation of our species should some tragedy occur on Earth. I do not try to sound pessimistic; humans are the greatest creatures that we have ever known to grace the Earth. Presented with a threat to survival I am confident we can overcome it. But I am also not ignorant; history has repeatedly shown its upsets and surprises. To say it will never happen will be to bury our heads in the sand and flip off the dinosaurs simultaneously. I wish only to remain prepared because advent of another colony could take decades to manufacture. Why not have a sturdy backup in case some feisty country with nuclear capabilities

decides to bring “winter” early. We have a good thing going as intelligent beings. Lets pass on this gift evolution has bestowed on our species, and let future generations develop the unimaginable.

I end this post with a quote from Astronaut Edgar Mitchell who recalls his sentiments on life when he stood upon the moon and viewed the Earth from a perspective only the extremely fortunate are honored with, “You develop and instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, 'Look at that, you son of a bitch’”.

Cheers

Bad Big Business

2011-06-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

So, as much as this blog would love to help the less fortunate, we cannot. Thanks to the greed and power of Big Business we cannot do as we said we would and donate. According to google (fuck a capital G)"...promising to raise money for third parties for such behavior or placing images next to individual ads" is not okay.

I understand that businesses need to protect themselves and their investments, but having such restrictive rules on ads that make your own business money (don't quote me on that, but why would they do it unless it didn't?) seems a little much. Why must all of the money be hoarded in the bellies of bloated bank accounts, while kids' are hungry and haven't even learned to read?
Overall this is pretty disappointing. I thought it would be easier to help someone else. Guess we will have to find another way. Sorry to disappoint everyone, but this blog won't have the impact we first thought. Please, if you want, continue to follow/subscribe/read/enjoy our blog and maybe tell a friend. Again, we are sorry for the false hope.

Joshua Tree Adventure Camping

2011-06-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

Unnecessary Tents: Alex Voge


Multiplicity: Alex Voge

JohnJump: Alex Voge

The bottom photograph was my first try at a multiplicity shot and I like the way it turned out. Some friends and I went out again for another one of our usual camping day trips. Usually we arrive under the cover of night and sleep for free (and in caves when we can find them). By the time the sun is up we are gone without a trace, already climbing and adventuring...free of charge. It really is the best way and always makes for unforgettable memories like these.

Mission Statement?: Hope You're Hungry

2011-06-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

Food For Thought seeks to provide subject matter with substance and depth that sparks intrigue and tickles the curiosities of young college students like ourselves.

We are Jeremy Broad and Alex Voge, two college students at Cal State Long Beach who are subtly similar and hugely different. For now we will keep our options open and just stick to writing everything...; but seriously, we want to post about anything that is interesting and not the daily noise. Topics like Lebron James, Weinergate, last weeks South Park, and Obama are all fair game. Through this variety we seek to explore our own opinions as well as the others.
Our views are ours and are a reflection of no one; we only want to express them through interesting subject matter and maybe inspire a little independent curiosity along the way. Whether our posts are mutual or exclusive please know that you, the viewer, are encouraged to voice your own opinion in the comments section. Or you can create your own blog here and we will follow you;)

By: Alex Voge