Memory

In case any of you like to study while watching TV or listening to music, let it be known that you are doing yourselves a disservice.  Indeed, research has shown that listening to anything with words divides your attention and causes interference.  In essense, you are not retaining what you are studying.  So, instead of listening to something with deep meaning, why not tune to some classical music.  Your mind will be calm, drink some tea, relax, and study your heart out.

Why note taking is important

I use to take good notes.  That was before I went to college.  Nowadays, I sometimes just can’t help dozing off in the middle of a class.  It isn’t because the content is boring.  The content almost never is.  It’s just that the professors speak in monotonous voice, so no matter what happens, you have no other option than to slowly doze into your own personal nervana in lala land.

When it comes to tests though, ouch.  You see jibberish in your notes.  Everything starts out clear and then slowly you see squiggly lines.  ANd then soon, nothing makes sense anymore.

Shit.

Hookah, the experience

So I tried smoking hookah for the first time tonight.  It was awesome.  But overall, I didn’t feel the buzz.  To be honest, I don’t feel the effects of nicotine that much.  I can smoke a cigar and feel no different than when I started.  It’s kinda sad.

Police: Captive had at least 6 children by her father

Austrian police believe a 73-year-old man held his daughter captive in his cellar for the past two decades and fathered at least six children with her, according to police and state-run news reports Sunday.

The woman, identified as 42-year-old Elisabeth F., has been missing since 1984, when she was 18 years old, police said at a news conference.

The situation came to light earlier this month after her daughter — a 19-year-old woman, identified as Kristen F. — was hospitalized in Amstetten after falling unconscious, according to police.

She was admitted to a hospital in Amstetten, outside Vienna, by her grandfather with a note from her biological mother requesting help. Amstetten is a rural town about 150 km (93 miles) west of Vienna.

But police said a DNA test later revealed her grandfather, Josef F., was also her father, according to ORF, Austria’s state-run news agency.

That sparked a police investigation, which revealed that Josef F. may have fathered at least six children with his daughter, forcing her and three of the surviving children to live in the cellar of his house, according to ORF’s Peter Schmitzberger.

The children are now between 5 and 19 years old.

Police are awaiting DNA tests to verify their relationship to Josef F., who faces arrest for “severe crimes against family members,” according to police. So far, he has not given a statement to police.

Police spokesman Franz Polzer told ORF that the 73-year-old has led police to several hidden rooms in his cellar accessible only by an electronic passcode that he provided to police.

-CNN.com

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Okay guys, this is sick.

Remember the case, I believe it is in Louisiana, where a guy is on death row for rape?  This guy, who has the balls to father 6 children with his daugher, deserves to be on death row.  Sadly, most European countries are against the death penalty because they think that it is too cruel.  What this guy did to his daugher is cruel.  If the death penalty is too cruel, than this guy fits the bill.  Let’s hose him with gasoline and light him on fire.  What he did is a crime against humanity.

To buy or not to buy: the Apple Macbook

I recently bought a Dell Inspiron 1420 after my Acer Aspire 5100 finally coughed and started BSODing on my every few minutes.  For $780 including tax, I thought I got a great deal on my Dell.  Here’s a run down of the specs:

• Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 2.0 GHz 667MHz FSB 2MB L2 Cache
• 3 GB 667MHz RAM
• 120 GB 5400 RPM HD
• 14.1″ 1440×900 WXGA+ TruLife display
• 2.0 MP webcam
• Dual Layer DVD-RW
• Intel X3100 IGP
• Intel 4965N wireless
• Expresso Brown Lid color
• 4 USB ports
• 6 cell battery
• Dell Travel Remote Control
• 5.2 lbs
• Windows Vista Home Premium

The cheapest Apple Macbook, starting at $1099, has the following specs:

• White color
• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1 GHz 800MHz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache
• 1 GB of 667 MHz memory
• 120 GB 5400 RPM HD
• Combo DVD/CD-RW drive (cannot burn DVDs)
• Intel X3100 IGP
• i-Sight camera
• 13.3″ WXGA 1280×800 resolution screen
• 2 USB ports
• Airport Extreme N wireless
• Mac OS X Leopard
• 5.0 lbs

Now, comparing these specs, I believe that my Dell is superior both in terms of price and specs to the Mac.  The only difference worth the price increase is OS X, but even then, it does NOT command a (including tax) $400 premium over my Dell.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Apple products and would love to work on Leopard, but since technology increases at such a fast rate, I don’t see the point of spending thousands on something I can get for a better price in 2-3 years.  Windows Vista works well enough for day to day tasks that I don’t need to pay extra for Leopard.

Justice for All

In the latest New York City fiasco, three undercover cops were acquitted of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell, 23, and the wounding of two of his friends.  I agree with this verdict.

However, there are those among us who believe otherwise.  These people are the civil rights advocates and racist bastards of America.  That’s right.  I called some black people racist.  Here’s why.

Browsing through the tons of comments on CNN’s article about this case, it became clear that most people were calling the verdict a civil rights disaster.  Some were so brazen enough to call our legal system “shameful.”  Some were saying that “it’s sad to be a BLACK man living in this WHITE America.” White America?  Last time I checked, whites made up 69.1%.  None-hispanic whites made up only 66%.  The other 36% are of Latin American decent.  Blacks make up 12.4% of the population.  I don’t see where this “white america” is coming from.  I look out my window, and I see Latinos, Asians, Whites, and yes, Blacks.  Sure, the statistics might indicate a white majority, but honestly, city like New York is probably equal parts black and white.  Kinda of like a latte.

What’s even more interesting is the fact that 2 of the 3 officers charged were BLACK?  Excuse me, I didn’t know black people could be racist against other black people, especially black police officers.  I didn’t know a black person could violate another black person’s civil rights.

So it comes down to this: whenever a black person is shot in NYC, black people start yapping about racism.  What if an Asian person got shot?  Or how about Muslim?  The only time when something isn’t racist to the black community is when a white person get shot.  I bet that’s probably true.  Afterall, why not share the bloodshed.  I lose a brother, so you can lose a brother as well.  That’s justice.

Bull shit.

Another CNN poster said that “this only occurs in the black and latino communities.”  Geez, I wonder why?  Maybe because there are more black and latino gangs in NYC or Los Angeles than there are white gangs?  But why are there gangs?  O shit, my mommy smoked pot, so now I’m a fucking pothead as well.

Wise up America.  In Psych 100, you learn that everyone’s inheritantly racist to some degree.  But does it have to be racism when a black man is shot and the officers go free?  The answer is no.  Sure, they riddled him with 51 rounds.  So what?  If I was shooting someone, I’d probably riddle them with a hundred rounds.  If I saw a car coming at me, I’d probably shit my pants and fire off 200 rounds.

What this country needs is for people to look past black and white hatred and MOVE ON.

Mysterious Illness Forces Girl to Survive on a Diet of Mints

A U.K. teen eats only Tic Tac mints after a mysterious illness has left her unable to tolerate any other food, it is being reported.

According to a report on NewKerala.com, at one time, doctors believed Natalie Cooper, 17, suffered from bulimia because she would vomit after eating any type of solid food. But they soon realized the illness, which remains a mystery, was out of her control.

The girl, from Maidstone, Kent in the U.K., was diagnosed with the condition four years ago. She now receives all her nutrients from a specially formulated feed given to her in through a tube, it was reported.

She eats Tic Tacs, which do not make her vomit, to help her believe she isn’t hungry, the Mail reported.

“I went from Trebor Extra Strong Mints to Polos and ended up with Tic Tacs,” she is quoted as saying.

The feed tube has helped the teen go from a lean 70 pounds to a healthier 98 pounds, according to the report.

-FoxNews.com

Happy New Year!

I hope everything goes as planned for everyone this year.  To all of our soldiers, marines, sailors, and airmen serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world, I hope you’ll find ways to be safe and return to your families soon.

As we near the end of this decade, we must look back and realize that there has been more turmoil around the world in this decade than the 1990s.  For a society that has technologically continued to progress at an amazing rate, we must realize the millions of underprivileged people need help now more than ever.  They cannot be left behind.

World peace is desirable, but weighed against the continued security of the United States and that of the world, terrorists must be pursued and stopped.  The genocide in Darfur must end, and Israel and Palestine must find a common road to peace.  Only then can there be true peace.

As global warming threatens the very existence of the human race, we must stand together and limit waste collectively.  The world is too beautiful to be destroyed.

So, as we go forth into 2008, I hope everyone has a great year and that people make charity to others their most solemn resolution.