Ciao!

Where did the left go?

I just saw this web video of counter-protesters in New York attacked by anti-Bush protesters. Why some people feel that they have a right to protest the president, but other people don't have the right to protest them is beyond me. Freedom of speech? Tolerance for dissenting views? And here I thought hate wasn't a family value. I'm so tired of so-called liberals reducing themselves to violence & fascist tactics to silence opponents.

Posted by Miguel at 05:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Third party options

Since tonight's the "third party" presidential debate in New York City (check your local C-Span), I figured it'd be appropriate to list the candidates. If you're not happy w/ either of the two major parties, you can always vote for a third party. To vote your conscience is not to throw your vote away. Here's a list of other 2004 presidential candidates:

American Party: Diane Templin. The only female presidential candidate opposes NAFTA expansion, UN membership, and restoration of US ownership of the Panama Canal.

Prohibition Party: Gene Armondson. As you can easily guess, Armondson favors repealing the Twenty-First Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, which made alcohol illegal.

Constitution Party: Michael Peroutka. Runs under the slogan: "God, Family, Republic." This means pro-life, fovors deporting all illegal immigrants, opposes the Iraq war, and utterly opposes women in the military (dying, it seems, is men's work).

Green Party: David Cobb. No, Nader is not the Green Party candidate. But the platform's about the same: an immediate pull-out from Iraq, health care for all, living wage legislation, and all the environmental stances you'd expect from the Green party.

Libertarian Party: Michael Badnarik. Along w/ the Greens, the most well-known "third" party. It's fiscally conservative; socially liberal. And their campaign has a blog!

Peace & Freedom Party: Leonard Peltier. Perhaps the only candidate not allowed to vote. Still, the party's devoted to "socialism, democracy, ecology, feminism, and racial equality."

Personal Choice Party: Charles Jay. Opposed to the war in Iraq, as well as affirmative action, strong support for the Second Amendment, and calling to end income taxes. Plus their VP candidate's a porn star.

Reform/Independent: Ralph Nader. Probably the only third party candidate w/ publicity. Basically, the Green Party platform w/ more Nader ego.

Socialist Party USA: Walt Brown. Your standard democratic socialist platform.

Socialist Equality Party: Bill Van Auken. Another socialist party.

Socialist Workers Party: Róger Calero. A more leftist socialist party (it's party paper is called The Militant).

Workers World Party: John Parker. The Beijing-line communist party in the US. Most popularly known as the backbone of ANSWER. It's also allied w/ Peace & Freedom Party candidates in some congressional districts.

See, now you don't have to just write "anyone but Bush" on your ballot!

Posted by Miguel at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Maybe Kerry?

I just saw this short online documentary. And. I gotta say: I think it might sway me to vote for Kerry (not the intention of the short film, to be sure, especially the last half of it). Using video clips from various sources (CNN, MSNBC, FOX) where Kerry spoke about Iraq from 2001 onwards, as well as excerpts from printed columns he authored, which convince me Kerry would've done the same as Dubya on Iraq. Wow.

Posted by Miguel at 03:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Convention blogging

The age of internet journalism is really taking over. Reason, a magazine I like (if not always agree w/) has set up a convention blog. They also link to the anti-RNC convention blog at buzznet.com. The Reason group blog includes some of the biggest names in the punditry blogosphere. The one at buzznet.com lets anyone post (which is pretty cool, IMHO). I'm sure there are others out there; feel free to post their URLs in the comments if you find them.

Posted by Miguel at 11:17 AM | Permalink

Hello, new semester

I gave myself the luxury of sleeping in past noon for the last day today, then headed down to campus to do some last-minute Fall semester prepping. Finally registered for 6 credits of dissertation writing, check. Picked up the key to my office (3438 Friedmann Hall), check. Picked up 61 copies of my course syllabus, check. Manage to get lost on campus during Bronco Bash & not find Kohrman Hall, double check.

Posted by Miguel at 08:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Let’s make the Olympics fun again

The following is my first official opinion column for the Western Herald. The online edition hasn't been updated yet is here; here it is in its unedited form:

Posted by Miguel at 08:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Kerry v. Kerry

An interesting post (at Belgravia Dispatch) on Kerry echoes some of my fears about him in terms of foreign policy, especially Iraq. And it hinges on Kerry's Vietnam record.

Posted by Miguel at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last day of vacation

The new semester starts tomorrow (well, actually on Tuesday). And I've still not finished painting my apartment. But since Shakespeare's Pub was throwing up the same trivia questions from last week, I figured it's a sign to head back home instead & try to at least finish up the kitchen. Sounds good to me.

Posted by Miguel at 08:55 PM | Permalink

How to win my vote

My friend Patrick suggested I spell out what I want to see in a presidential candidate, one that I'd like to vote for. So. Here goes. Forgive if it's a bit rambling.

Posted by Miguel at 01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)

Long hospital nights

Spent the night at Covenant hospital w/ my abuelito. I didn't realize he was as bad as he was, quickly entering into senile dementia. He might get better, but I doubt it. So. I spent most of the night reminding him that he was in a hospital, that the doctor wasn't his son, and helping translate for doctors & nurses. I'm not sure if he'll be able to travel back to Bolivia as scheduled.

Posted by Miguel at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Slight inconveniences

Despite what some think, I'm really not a very patient person. It's all the concentration I can muster to be patient in public. In private, little things quickly irritate me.

Posted by Miguel at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Fourth Estate

Glen Reynolds (aka Instapundit) rarely writes long blog entries — he usually just serves as a blogosphere "gatekeeper", linking to especially good bloggers. But the role the media's playing in this election prompted a lengthy post. Here's an excerpt:

Just as who controlled the Senate in 2002 wasn't the most important thing in the world, who wins the White House in 2004 isn't either, except perhaps to those involved. But if the institutional press is, as Evan Thomas suggested, capable of delivering a 15% margin to its preferred candidate, enough to decide almost any election, and if they're willing to go to almost any lengths in delivering that margin, well, then, we've got a serious problem. (And we don't, really, have a democracy.) To me (and to others) that's a bigger deal than Bush v. Kerry, but it's certainly illustrated by the Kerry issues of the last few months.

What Reynolds refers to is evidence of media giants not following up on stories/controveries involving Kerry, when they do follow them up on Bush. Does it demonstrate a clear bias? It's fine & dandy if you think one candidate or the other is a total schmuck. But it should be up to voters, citizens to decide who will or won't govern this country. And, to decide, voters need objective information. Even if you think you are right (a totally subjective decision), you do not have the right make that decision for other people. Not giving voters objective information renders them incapable of making informed decisions, implicitly violating their right to full democratic participation.

I do not want to be governed by philosopher kings (no matter their intentions). I want to govern myself, in conjunction w/ my fellow citizens. I certainly don't want to live in a utopia run by The Authority.

Posted by Miguel at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Politics & pet peeves

I've been watching too much History Channel high on paint fumes, and totally missed John Kerry's apperance on The Daily Show. But here's a transcript of the apperance (via Wonkette). The buzz is, however, that Kerry wasn't very good on the show. I don't think he realized that the show's cynical edge makes it's audience skeptical of both parties/candidates. But it was nice to read that Jon Stewart was the first journalist to directly ask Kerry questions about Cambodia (Kerry claimed the memory of patrolling in Cambodia was "seared into his memory" but has since admitted he was never in Cambodia).

But what's up w/ his penchant for saluting audiences? It's really rather tacky. I could see if he was Ike, or even William Henry Harrison. But Kerry didn't make his political career based on his military record — until recently. And he never rose above the rank of lieutenant. So. Enough w/ the saluting already. Please? If we'd wanted a military man for the post of president, we'd have voted for Wes Clark in the primaries.

Also, Josh Upson thinks Kerry reminds him of The Smiler from Transmetropolitan, and freaks him out. I agree. Anyone but Bush isn't good enough for me; I want someone I actually would want to vote for. There's still 60 days to go, of course.

Tomorrow I head back to Saginaw for the better part of two days. Family medical stuff; I can't very well not go & help can I?

Also, last night I went dancing again. And here's a dancing pet peeve of mine: If I don't know who you are, I don't want you to hump me on the dance floor. It's not funny, it's not sexy, it only ensures I won't talk to you later. Perhaps these girls just were confused, thinking Tortilla Flats' 80s dance night was The Wayside's meat market everynight. Well, it's not.

Posted by Miguel at 06:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Explaining everyday fallacies

OK. So Tom Lee is way too smart, and has far too much time on his hands. See what I mean? He should teach, rather than join the bar.

And Duane Gundrum's pretty smart, too. Here's an excellent overview of the 2004 campaign. And he does, in fact, teach.

Posted by Miguel at 05:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

IR & Command Decisions

I just finished my Fall PSCI 250 syllabus & put up a very basic course website. I'll update it into more of an actual "site" in coming days. But at least you can dowload my syllabus .doc file. I also checked the university boostore to make sure they ordered the right books. They did. And I found out there's no class before mine in that room. Which means I can indeed do the RISK exercise again (since it takes a good 30 minutes before class to set up).

Posted by Miguel at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

BlogPulse

I just discovered BlogPulse (via BuzzMachine). It's a pretty cool tool for (among other things) seeing how frequently words/phrases come up on blogs. Since it allows for a three-boolean-search-term trend analysis, I checked out which of three issues — health care, the war on terror, and unemployment — featured most prominently on blogs.

Posted by Miguel at 06:13 AM | Permalink

The digital campaign trail

I just hit up both johnkerry.com & georgebush.com. Both have blogs, along w/ a variety of information about the candidates, why they're better for America, yadda, yadda, yadda. And while the Bush blog doesn't allow comments, the Kerry blog doesn't allow any (and they mean that in the broadest possible sense) negative comments (ask my lefty friends). Ah, old-fashioned censorship of any critical voices.

Posted by Miguel at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Postponements

It's painfully obvious that my apartment won't be anywhere near ready by Sunday for any kind of open house soirée. Besides, I've run out of paint. So. I'm postponing everything until the following Sunday. That gives me 10 days to get my bleep together & a clear deadline/incentive to finish before the semester begins.

If you're reading this, you're invited to my house on the afternoon of 29 August. Unless, of course, you've listed me as your personal enemy. In which case, why would you bother coming?

And if you'd like to come over & help me paint, organize, or otherwise keep me company while I work, just invite yourself. Your presence will be greatly appreciated. And if you take me grocery shopping, I'll cook you something delicious.

Meanwhile, I'm changing out of my painting clothes & heading out the door for poker night.

Posted by Miguel at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by Miguel at 03:39 PM | Permalink

My room's a mess

While the living room is progressing (albeit slowly), my bedroom's a total mess. I need a tiny desk (Dave promised me one) & a small dresser or something to keep the clothes explosion in my bedroom in check. At least Sophie enjoys sleeping in my pile of dirty laundry. But. Yeah. My bedroom's a total mess.

Posted by Miguel at 02:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Let's get organized

The first main wall in my living room is painted, and the first four levels of cinder-blocks-and-oak-boards bookshelf is up. Whew! I figure I can finish painting the living room by the end of this week, and get most of the rest of the place organized for a Sunday open-house soirée.

Posted by Miguel at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Phase I

The cable guy just left 15 minutes ago, but I'm back on the grid again. Cable TV & broadband internet. Supposedly, I can't split the bedroom signal — it's either modem or television, but not both — though I'll test that after I re-wake up.

But I've internet at home again. The next step, of course, is to set up a wi-fi network. Or. Maybe the next phase is to finish painting my living room & build a bookshelf?

Posted by Miguel at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Just a brief note

To say that my apartment's starting to look awesome. Mustard yellow's a great color for a living room. And thanks to John Wagner for helping me get 15 cinder blocks & 5 8' oak boards for my bookshelf. I still plan to crush him, of course, at trivia at Shakespeare's Pub.

I'll get back to destroying Bill Brieger in this chess match. He should know better than to lead w/ knights against me.

UPDATES
-----
6:57— OK. Apparently Bill knew what he was doing w/ those knights. Zoot alors!

7:01— Now we're playing w/o our queens, but I'm also down a rook.

7:03— Quick moves, Bill further exposes my king but loses a knight.

7:04— Bill squirms, trying to prevent my king taking his cornered knight.

7:10— Bill loses his second knight.

7:13— Bill's in the back room, ignoring me.

7:16— I'm gaining ground; Bill's bringing more pieces to bear.

7:17— White bishop checks Bill's king.

7:19— I lose a knight, Bill loses a bishop, checks me w/ a rook.

7:22— Bill's attacking my rear, I'm taking my king head on against his defenses.

7:23— Bill loses his last bishop, then his temper.

7:25— My pieces start encircling Bill's king. The Strokes play in the background.

7:27— Ah! White rook on the 7th rank.

7:29— Bill's making the most of his two rooks. Danger, danger!

7:30— So much for that threat. Now I turn up the heat.

7:31— But those two black rooks behind my ranks ...

7:32— Ah! But my white rook on the 7th rank ...

7:34— Bill forces me to lose the knight pinning his king.

7:35— And I force Bill to lose a rook. But he keeps his king on the 8th rank! Huh?

7:37— Next move should be checkmate.

7:38— A desperate check on my king buys time, works.

7:40— This is just ridiculous. Wasting time, killing off black pawns.

7:41— No more black pawns, king cornered.

7:42— I lose the beautiful checkmate, but kill Bill's last piece.

7:43— King alone, it's only a matter of time.

7:45— I've a new queen, Bill's washing dishes.

7:47— Refusing to make his final, forced move before checkmate.

Posted by Miguel at 06:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Busy not being busy

It's amazing how busy you can be when you're back "home" spending time visiting friends you've not seen for a year. I'm not actually getting specific tasks accomplished per se. But I'm spending lots of time shooting pool, playing chess, watching DVDs, and otherwise enjoying the company of my Kalamazoo friends. And I should point out yet again that the Rocket Star Café is the best.

I did enjoy my first night back at Thursday night poker. Drove a few people off the table on some Texas Hold 'Em. That was a nice little highlight.

I took a long nap this afternoon. Since hanging out can actually be a bit exhausting. But I finally gathered all the painting materials I need for the living room. So. Tonight. After whatever it is I'll be doing. I'll paint at least one wall.

BTW. If I'm not keeping up w/ your blog lately, I apologize. I don't yet have internet in my apartment (Monday, perhaps?). So my ISP is the Rocket Star's wi-fi. And I tend to interact in the real world more readily than in the cyberworld. Who knew, eh? But once I get internet at home, I'll be reading & commenting on your blogs w/ a vengeance.

Posted by Miguel at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

A visit to the office

Swung by the department to discover it's been remodeled, w/ Corder settling in as the new chair. My office hasn't been assigned, but I picked up the texts I ordered for my Fall International Relations course. I should have the final syllabus hammered out by week's end. And I've also decided to view The Fog of War w/ my students. I'll work on a simple course website next week.

Posted by Miguel at 02:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Color schemes

These are the colors (eyeball RGB approximations) I plan to use in my apartment. And. Yes. They're based on the 6'x4' painting by Caleb Larsen in my living room.

THE PLAN: The living room in mustard (except the wall the painting hangs on, milk white), w/ black olive trim & avocado venetian blinds. The kitchen in avocado w/ black olive trim & mustard venetian blinds plus cabinets in mustard & tomato red. The bedroom in black olive w/ black olive trim & tomato red venetian blinds & doors. The bathroom in powder blue w/ milk white trim. That's the idea, at least.

I'm open to design suggestions.

Posted by Miguel at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Back in Kalamazoo

Enjoying my first hectic days in Kalamazoo. Moving in, planning a massive redecoration of my apartment (deciding on a color scheme), getting my phone & cable activated, as well as spending time w/ friends.

Posted by Miguel at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Going up north

We're taking a family trip "up north" to the Coates cottage on Pratt Lake (cousins from Arizona & New Jersey will be there). It's my last day w/ my parents; tomorrow I head back to Kalamazoo w/ Annie & Sophie meowing next to me in the rental truck. It's been a good visit back — long enough to be relaxing & fun, not so long that I got bored out of my skull.

Posted by Miguel at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Passing the days

I've mostly been sleeping in, watching DVDs at night (watched the second season of 24 w/ Andy), sitting out in the sun, or other time killers. I do plan on going apartment shopping tonight or tomorrow, especially for more boxes. I move back to Kalamazoo on Saturday.

Posted by Miguel at 04:30 PM | Permalink

Matt & April got married

Posted by Miguel at 03:30 PM | Permalink