Opinion: Megan Fox

Ok, I have to hand it to her - she is DAMN HOT. However, she comes off as a bitch.

Anderson Cooper is THE man!

Humongo Jellyfish

Nomura's Jellyfish can grow up to 6 feet. They are currently being a pest in the Sea of Japan according to the CNN article: Japanese fishermen brace for giant jellyfish

Some of my friends are scuba divers and I definitely don't want to swim beside these ridiculous things. Well, I think I am afraid of deep water anyways, but still.

North Korea

The United States and the United Nations have already taken steps in order to control North Korea's nuclear capabilities. North Korea has shown the world (more like announced) its nuclear weapons capability. If the nuclear technology was used for peaceful means like nuclear energy then I would lean towards leaving them alone, but in this case, North Korea will obviously use the technology for military purposes.

The United States has met with Russia, China, Japan and South Korea and together they have created a plan to deal with North Korea. The United Nations has created sanctions against North Korea and will become stricter if the nation continues its nuclear testing.

I suggest doing two things:
1) Passing HR2647 National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2010 ASAP to increase military capabilities on the island of Guam.
2) Involve the Philippines in the plan to deal with North Korea. The Philippines is the only truly democratic nation in the region and has an excellent relationship with the United States. The archipelago also proved to be critical ground during World War II. I believe that the Philippines has the capability of being a great civil asset (not a military one, although it may contribute some).

Michael Jackson

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

There is a debate right now whether MJ's legacy will be his past contribution to music or his more recent controversies. I think, in the end, MJ's music and contribution to the world will win out. His music shed light on race issues and global problems of the time. However, his recent controversies currently flood the media and I, to be honest, am interested in the coroner's report and the truth about his skin condition and the deal with his kids.

I think favorite song of MJ's at the moment is "Man in the Mirror"

Transformers Response

First: Why did the Decepticons have significantly more robots than the Autobots?

Anyways, moving on. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but the Autobot cars were all made in the United States while the enemy Decepticon cars were all made in foreign countries. This reminds me of the time when the comic/superhero world created Captain America and Red Skull in the late 1940s to represent America and Democracy v. Communism and the Soviet Union, respectively. So, instead of nuclear weapons in the Transformers 2 movie, the opposing sides represent the current economic situation of the world in a larger sense. One can also view the two sides on a more specific level - U.S. auto companies v. Foreign auto companies. If real life and the movie were juxtaposed, then currently we would be in the middle of the movie when Optimus Prime has died and the Autobots are getting their ass kicked.

Barrel Monster

I love it! Article by NCSU's Technician here: Barrel Monster Creates a Stir on Campus

The guy that created this urban art has a blog with pretty cool night pictures: nopromiseofsafety.com

NC Budget Deficit

I haven't really researched much into the NC deficit, but from what I am seeing that the media is reporting, I don't like how they are trying to close the gap.

First, they have cut state employees' pay by 0.5%. Then they are trying to increase public university tuition by 8%. And finally, they are also cutting public education budgets and laying off teachers.

I hope that when they cut state employees' salaries that the cut involved the salaries of the NC General Assembly. I just think its really hypocritical when government officials cut peoples' salaries and not their own. And I mean, I think members of the NC General Assembly are already well-to-do people, often being partners in law firms or having their own private businesses.

I have a problem with them increasing tuition and decreasing the education budget. I think that education should be one of the last or actually, THE LAST place where a state should look to close the gap on its budget deficit. I mean, really, this is EDUCATION. Education = jobs = contribute to the economy.

Like I said, I haven't researched much into this topic or thought about it that much so my comments may be ignorant. But I am seeing it from the perspective of a regular citizen who doesn't research budget policy and how the media is portraying it.

New York City Assessment

I went to New York City over Memorial Day weekend and I have concluded that the city is not my cup of tea. I have always thought that NYC would be one of the cities that I would want to live in 'just for the experience' and well, I have experienced all that I want in 5 days.

New York City is an acquired location, like beers are acquired tastes. The city is just too busy for me. The subway is really dirty (I can handle the Washington, DC Metro). And everything is expensive. Even if I was a millionaire CEO, I wouldn't want to live in NYC. I would find someplace in the suburbs of NYC to settle. I guess, I like a significant separation between commercial and residential areas. I mean, seriously, one Avenue is a conglomerate of shops, like a walk-around mall, and then you would turn the corner onto a Street and it would be residential. A nice condo would be right across a restaurant or a antique shop.

Oh and about the subway - its complex. We tried asking for subway directions from natives and they argued between themselves on the best way to get from point A to point B. I mean, jeez, if the natives don't have it down then who does? Maybe take a taxi everywhere? Nope, that gets expensive after a few trips. There is basically a $3 charge for just sitting in one, even before the meter starts to move.

Also, there are tourists EVERYWHERE speaking different languages. Funny thing, I was in Chinatown and the language I heard spoken the most was French.

There are some good things about NYC though. There are some awesome places to eat. There are awesome boutiques everywhere that you can get a bargain. Then there are also the expensive places. I guess you have to live there and find out where the good places are. For example, Big Wong Restaurant is a place where you would never go but the food is AWESOME and its CHEAP! Sure you have to sit with Chinese families and their kids - its not a place where you have to use etiquette, let me tell you. Haha.

For those who are visiting New York, I would suggest to go and buy a Frommer's NYC guide. That book is awesome. It has everything you can think of and tells you the real deal from a NYC native's perspective.

My personal conclusion - visit NYC, don't live there.

Washington, DC Internships

I think unpaid Washington, D.C. internships in Federal Government are unfair. How do they expect us to to live in DC for the summer/semester without any income. I mean sure they urge us to look for funding through non-profits, but those are rare. So, the majority of individuals who take unpaid DC government internships are rich. So they have every financial advantage in life (and probably education too) and now they have a political advantage. How about us who come from the middle class and who are on college loans? I can go on and on but I will stop there. Just frustrated.