boogle.com : google with quotes: "I do not want to die... until I have faithfully made the most of my talent and cultivated the seed that was placed in me until the last small twig has grown.
Kathe Kollwitz"

Here's that link to the alias contest I entered. Glick on gallery to see the wonderful art everyone has done, and find the two I've submitted :) I really have no hope of winning with so many great artists vying for the prizes, but it was fun to try.
Alias SketchBook Pro(tm) Contest

Here's a great article on the situation in Africa by the awesome Cato Institute.FOXNews.com - Views - CATO - What's Wrong with Africa?

The latest articles on the disaster that is our public school system. Why is it a disaster ? Incompetence ? No, I know and love most everyone I meet at the local schools and have family who are dedicated teachers. Bad kids ? Britney Spears ? No, NO! Its all about the difficulty inherent in large government programs. It is simply silly for a poltiician in D.C. to decide what Brigadoon Elementary is supposed to do with little Sallie who is gifted, and Little Sam who is behind.

And, the answer as always is to decentralize. To make alternatives like gifted schools, homeschools, etc. available. I did like Bush's plan to involve local professionals to earn extra by teaching kids.

Only 35% of 10th graders pass WASL in Seattle

FOXNews.com - Politics - 'No Child' Law Leaves Gifted Kids Behind

This is terrific. Think what you will of President Bush -- he's got it right on the space issue. He said that manned spaceflight to mars in 2030. They better make it before I die !!! :)

FOXNews.com - Politics - Raw Data: Text of Bush Speech

Seatle, my town, has a higher tax than NY !?!? AHHHHHGGGH! Best and worst states for taxes

My good friend Tim Bowling showed me this site, and a wonderful morality play called Everyman.
Medieval Sourcebook: Everyman, 15th Century

So, 5 great Extinctions, where most of the life on earth perished. Giant uncontrollable events. Is there any better argument for space colonization ? I mean these things happen every couple of million years, so we probably have time. Maybe.
MSNBC - Theory links ancient extinction to supernova

They are renaming Pit Bull to New Yorkies to make it sound nicer ? ? NEW YORKIES ?? I hear new york and I prepare for the most mean grumpy angry thing out there. "Ahh! Run ! its a New Yorkie !!!!" They should have named it a Wisconsin, or a Seattle -- then it'd be an image change. :P

FOXNews.com - Foxlife - Pit Bulls: What's in a Name?

Greetings and Happy new year to all ! I had a wonderfully relaxing new year, with snow (its exceptional in Seattle), and hot cocoa and new toys to play with ( Age of Mythology - Titans expansion/WCIII -- Frozen Throne, and a bunch of stuff from teach12.com).

A local radio station had the most incredible caller before this war in Iraq. He was Iraqi and with passion and eloquence totally defeated a "Little Girl" from the ridiculously leftist moveon.org. His main point ? "I have one question for you little girl: how will keeping Saddam Hussein in power make the world a safer place ? " She stammered, laughed, giggled....but had NOTHING to say. That was on Brian Suites( sp ) show on KVI. It was amazing his passion.

Better yet, he's back. He gives out his name, now that he's safe since Saddam is captured. He speaks with John Carlson, and I have the link right here .

This is so passionate and honorable. I got watery eyes listening to it, and couldn't recommend it more.

What I cannot understand is the left's position on this war. I know, no WMDs. Its shocking. Its possible that this was overstated to get us to stop Saddam's war machine from coming to our shores. Its not the first time the US had to be forced to participate in world events.

Other dictators ? Yep, put them on the list too.

Here is the logic for the war:
Saddam is against the US
Saddam is wealthy and powerful
Terrorists are wetly and powerful
Terrorists hate the US for things that we cannot change, such as our freedoms and our heritage.
Terrorists and Saddam met many times, and terrorists trained in Iraq.
Eventually, with State-sponsorship, WMDs would be developed and used on the US via Saddam's help.

It was a matter of time, and Bush probably saved a US City, and he certainly saved Iraqi lives. As in 9/11, some times things are what they seem to be. There is no conspiracy, there is no Haliburton connection. This war was about establishing a beachhead in the center of hate, and stopping them before they get to us. As we're seeing in the NFL, a good defense rushes, blitzes and scores. Get them before the play gets a chance to develop.

Finally, with the Lord of the Rings, there is, despite Viggo's ( Aragorn ) dismay in Vanity Fair, a clear connection between fighting against terror and the theme of this movie. Now Tolkien probably had WWI in mind, and he says the books are for entertainment and not instruction, but nevertheless, everyone should understand that we must stand against "reckless hate". Reckless hate is what terrorism is. Women and children died in those towers, and I will never forget it. These animals are opponents not of the US, but of civilization. They attack the US only because we are the City on the Hill.

Finally, if they do, God forbid, succeed in hitting a city, what does that do to Bush ? Why is that Bush's fault ? Bush has done much to stop it, and I am hopeful after '04's landslide re-election that he will get alot more support for action such as the Iraq war.