As most or all of you know, I follow a drug-free and alcohol-free lifestyle. There have been a few bumps in the road but I haven't had alcohol in over a year in a half. During the summer before my first year of college and also during my first year of college, I had occasional drinks, but never enough to even get myself drunk. After seeing that I could have just as much fun without alcohol and that I could drink better-tasting things, I decided to go back to my old ways and completely cut it out. I do not have a problem with people who decide to drink for fun. I know it is the social norm and that a lot of people enjoy doing it. Some alcoholic drinks also taste really really good. I do have an issue with people who can't find any other way to enjoy themselves without indulging in alcohol or other drugs though.
I understand some people need that escape, but I also see it as a sign of a lack of self-control. It wasn't until today that a new point came up that is completely unrelated to the topic of what alcohol does to you and instead has to do with the industry itself. I try my hardest to support socially and environmentally-conscious companies, and there are obvious companies I know not to support, but I never had thought about the detriments of the alcohol industry except for the fact that it is promoting consumerism and a less-productive lifestyle. Here is an article about the ties of the industry to the right-wing political agenda. Next time you pick up a cold one, you may want to reconsider what brand to drink or even if you need to be drinking at all.

Put Down That Coors: Why We Should Be Boycotting Big Beer

By Benjamin Dangl, CounterPunch. Posted August 15, 2009.

In order to survive this summer in Dublin, I have been hanging out in SF while I still have free time to do so as I have not yet landed a job or even an interview at this point. So today I was riding around with Fed and I saw the most amazing thing ever on a bicycle. It was a father riding a tandem bicycle with one adorable little girl in the back, and a younger one in a child's seat in front of him. To top it all off he had a little rainbow flag waving in the back. I've realized what I want more out of anything in life, more than things I used to want such as becoming rich and famous (come on we all know we've wanted this at one point in our lives), is to live in a vibrant open-minded community such as San Francisco. I've realized what truly makes me happy is being surrounded by like-minded individuals that give me something to smile about every day. It is things like seeing this father on his bike with his kids today that really warm my heart.
This was originally going to be a bulletin, but I decided to make it a blog since I haven't posted one in a really long time.

Every day like all of us here on Myspace and Facebook, I log on to check my page. We all hope to see that we have received new messages or comments, or maybe a friend request from a cute boy or girl. We see new blog posts from our friends, and new birthday reminders. Now, every day I log onto my myspace page, I am getting more and more irritated by advertisements displaying what is supposedly a 19-year old girl's body and there are two different pictures side-by-side to each other. The first picture on the left is not very pretty. There is a girl holding up her shirt, and the only part of her you see is the side of her torso. The stomach is bloated, coming out over her pants from all sides. There are a few stretch marks as well, both on the side and in the front of the stomach on the bottom part. The picture on the right is nicer to look at. The abs look firm and defined, and the stomach is sitting perfectly inside the skirt that the girl is wearing. If you look closely enough, you can see some faded stretch marks on the side. Under the two photos it says "I went from this.... to this in 4 weeks" the text is black and is bolded to catch your attention.
Under that statement it says "NO DIET- NO EXERCISE". The text is red and capitalized to catch your attention and push urgency. Red is a color of aggression and leadership. Finally there is a link to the website that says "Click here to learn my trick". This statement is typed in red as well, but is not capitalized. The advertiser has used three different types of texts, two different colors and two very distinguished photos to draw you in. Go ahead, click on the link. The website that comes up is a blog about Emma's weight loss success. The blog is not from a blogging website such as blogspot, but is just called emmasweightlosssuccess.com. A little fishy, don't you think? The website states that "My name is Emma Himes. I live in Redding, CA and I wanted to share my weight loss story with you. I'm no medical guru or anything like that. I'm just a mom who figured out a system that works better than all the famous diets you tried (you know, the ones that didn't work?). Hopefully my story can inspire you to try my method and lose some weight!" There is a photo of a girl on the right side of the page holding a cute people. This girl looks right around the age of 21. She has three kids and a husband? You couldn't have fooled me. This posting isn't about the weight loss products that were featured on Oprah. It isn't about the sugarcoated phoniness of the website. It's about the fact that here in the year 2008 we are still so stuck on the idea of the ideal body for a girl. In a time when people are becoming more open-minded about gay marriage, becoming more concerned about animal rights, becoming more concerned about the environment, and becoming more concerned about the state of our country, one thing seems to remain the same-- body image. Magazines still feature stick-skinny models, celebrities are still portrayed as beautiful when they look like they've eaten grass for a week, and advertisements are still being shoved in our face about losing weight.
Even on Facebook, I will see advertisements that say "19 and overweight? CLICK HERE!!!"
What can we do about this? All we really can do is resist. All we really can do is know that we need to be happy with who we are and not let some stupid advertisements make our decisions for us. Eating disorders are still prevalent today and remain far too covert and hush-hush. In 2008, I thought we'd be past this, but I guess we aren't. Show them you're beautiful and show them you're impervious to their desires.

http://www.finddesirenotdemise.com

Today I wanted to ride my bike but there was that little voice that said "Don't do it." I ignored the voice of course and went out on my bike and about 2 miles into riding I got a flat tire. I sat on the side of the road and called my dad. I then saw a man riding and he ended up being a bike shop employee so he was able to fix my flat. I decided to test it out but what I forgot to do was shift my gears because the guy had to take off my back tire to fix it. A few feet after riding I felt very uncomfortable with my gears out of alignment and I tried to fix it but I was unable to do it. I eventually decided that it was not the day for me to be riding my bike. My dad eventually picked me up and put my bike in the car. God is good.

Can be funny sometimes. I went to the mall today because the great semi-annual sale is happening at Victoria's Secret and I bought a super bright orange bra and some workout pants that I'm going to use as pajama pants because they're all sleek and smooth. Anyways, I rarely get a bag from a store anymore because I bring my own bag! I use my awesome Betsey Johnson bag:


I know it's fun to show off where you shop, but I figured I'd get the use out of my birthday present and do some good for the planet at the same time!! And you'd be surprised how much fits into that little bag. Well tonight when I got dinner at Baja Fresh, I was getting out my money to pay and my bag was open and this guy looked inside my bag then looked at me with the expression "Oh my God she stole from the store!!" look on his face. A message to everyone out there: Invest in a good-sized cute handbag/tote to use as a shopping bag!!! Save some plastic and paper and help out the planet!!

So I have a test to do in about 40 minutes and I am studying right before it as most people do. It’s a good thing I pay attention in class, otherwise I’d be fucked. So it’s for my Thought and Image class which is a really cool class that looks at art throughout different cultures. For my test I am choosing to write about the myth of Orpheus and compare it to the Jean Cocteau film Orphee.

The myth: The Greek myth of Orpheus involves the journey of a Greek demigod (born from the union of a deity and a human) named Orpheus, whose lover was named Eurydice. Eurydice dies from a snake bite and her soul goes to Hades. Orpheus follows her in order to retrieve her soul and bring it back into the land of the living. He negotiates with the "leaders" of Hades in the matter, and they agree to let him brin her back to the living, on the condition that he "not look back at her on their return journey until they are back to the land of the living, otherwise he will lose her forever." He cannot help looking back and loses her to Hades again. This myth is used by Cocteau in his film Orfee, but in an updated version so that automobiles serve as transportation for the lost souls, strange radio codes for communications, and motorcycles for the "angels of death".

Jean Cocteau: Cocteau was a Surrealist writer, critic, filmmaker, visual artist, and playwright. He was the author of a twentieth-century version of a stage production on the Greek myth of Orpheus, and also directed a film in 1950. Cocteau claimed he was making a "murder mystery" and complex love story of the Greek myth, but he also interjected a primary role for dreams in his version of the story, consistent with his Surrealist leanings. Much of his version occurs in a dream state, reflecting the Surrealist interest in the subconscious as the source of symbols and images reflecting the human psyche. The portion of his film that involves Orpheus’ entry in Hades has many similarities to the disconnected nature of life in a highly complex and bureaucratic world expressed also in the writings of Kafka. Cocteau’s use of mirrors as the pathway to other (subconscious) worlds is especially noteworthy, and his use of modern technology as the "vehicle" for the imagination reflect his effort to place the myth in the context of twentieth-century realities. As such, he employed a black limousine to transport bodies from the land of the living to Hades, coded radio messages as the poetic source of Orpheus’ creative impulse, and the motorcycles as instruments for the angles of death. He also introduced several new uses of film technology, such as reversals of film footage or water as a substitute for mirrors, to create visual effects that were highly influential upon more recent emphases upon illusions for dramatic portrayals in this medium.

I feel like I need a drastic change. There is no way I can graduate on time. I might only be possibly be doing well in 2 out of my 4 classes. I'm almost ready to say good-bye to a regular 4-year university. I need a job more than anything. This is my top priority, although school should be, it simply isn't. I was so happy this summer when I was working for Greenpeace and making money. I felt like I was really doing something worthwhile and I had a blast doing it and my bank account fattened up. I still have my activism activities that I do, but school has become my third priority. I know it's not good, but I just can't get myself to really concentrate in this environment. It's not my roommates that are the issue, it's living on campus. I feel like I'm on vacation in a hotel. I've felt this way since I moved in. I'm able to sleep at night but I'm not able to wake up in the morning. I really do enjoy living in S.F., but I will eventually make a move to Seattle. I just don't know how soon. Going to the Green Festival yesterday made me realize how much more there is out there other than your typical 9-5 lifestyle. I really need to move off-campus. Living by myself might help too. I think I should go talk to my R.A............. I just can't get myself to do anything academic right now. I really should consider that semester or year off people were recommending to me.

Absolute advantage: A country's ability to produce more of a given product than another country can.

Comparative advantage: Country's ability to produce a given product relatively more efficiently than another country.

Import= goods and services that a nation BUYS from other nations.

Export= goods and services that a nation produces and sells to other nations.

Specialization= assignment of tasks so that each worker performs fewer functions more frequently.

Voluntary exchange= act of buyers and sellers freely and willingly engaging in market transactions.

Free trade= market model in which trade in goods and services between or within countries flows unhindered by government imposed restrictions. In other words, trade without barriers.
Benefits for trade= more jobs and increase in consumption.
The US has a trade DEFICIT.

Foreign Exchange= Foreign currencies used by countries to conduct international trade.

Foreign Exchange Rate= The price of one country's currency in terms of another country's currency.

Fixed exchange rate= a system under which the price of one currency is fixed in the terms of another so the rate does not change.

Devaluation= a reduction in the value of a currency with respect to other monetary units.

Floating exchange rate- Same as flexible xchange rate. System that relies on supply and demand to determine the value of one currency in terms of another.

The value of foreign exchange rate is determined by supply and demand.

TRADE DEFICITS CORRECT THEMSELVES! RESTRICTIONS ON TRADE DO NOT HELP CORRECT THEM!

A tariff is a tax placed on an imported product.

A quota is a limit placed on the quantities of a product that can be imported.

So it helps me when I write things in blogs or bulletins to study for tests and such. So here I go again:

The Civil War started in 1861:
The first battle:
Fort Sumpter (April) Charleston, North Carolina.
Generals: Anderson & Beauregard.
Statistics: 11, 4 casualties
Facts: Edmond Ruffin fired the first shot and immediately after he commits suicide. Since Beauregard can't get along with anyone, he is bounced back in between the eastern and western theatres. Anderson taught Beauregard at West Point and now they are fighting against each other. President Lincoln told the South that the Confederates had to be the ones to fire the first shot in order for the Civil War to start. The North can take Fort Sumpter as long as it is not resupplied.

First Battle of Bull Run (aka First Manassas aka the "Great Skidaddle"):
July 1861
Generals: McDowell & Beauregard
Statistics: 2896, 1982 casualties
Victory: Confederate
Facts: McDowell was not a very nice guy, he had never commanded anything so he took forever to get to Manassas. He told Lincoln that he wasn't ready to go and Lincoln didn't care. The newspapers even printed where the opposing troops were going. McDowell was so stubborn to leave that he decided to have a parade! Only to be delayed for 7 more days before leaving. While McDowell was enjoying his fancy parade, Beauregarde gets to Manassas first. Even after McDowell finally decides to get off his ass and go, he waits FOUR MORE DAYS before finally deciding to attack Beauregarde's troops. The Union needs to capture Richmond. The railroads are important because they help transport the supplies and they connect Richmond to D.C. Things that went wrong: the 7-day parade, Burnside gets lost at Sudly Springs (he doesn't get out of the trees until 9:00 AM), Jackson was in the middle, they waited too many days, and the artillery was turned.
Sidenotes:
Unioners run to DC, DC is completely undefended, and McDowell is fired.

1862
Battle of Monitor and Merrimack (March)
Battle of Shiloh (April)
Generals: Grant & Buell, Beauregard & AS Johnson
Statistics: 13047, 11694 casualties
Victory: none
Facts: On April 6, 1862, 40,000 Confederate men under Albert Sidney Johnson surprised and attacked a Union army of 45,000 under command of Ulysses S. Grant. During the battle (lasting from dusk until dawn), Union troops were steadily driven back, but Johnson was killed, and his successor, Beauregard, ordered operations suspended a few hours later. The next day, Grant came with 25,000 reinforcements under command of Buell and attacked the Confederates, forcing them to withdraw to Corinth, Mississippi.
Sidenotes: Johnson wanted to leave April 2nd and fight April 3rd. His men couldn't leave because they didn't know the order they were supposed to leave. On April 3rd, it rains and the troops march and don't get there till the 5th and they are disorganized, wet, and muddy. If your powder is wet, then you can't fire it, so 40,000 men tested their rifles. Peabody told the Union there were rebels in the woods (he sees wild animals running from the woods), and there is no one there the first day or the the second day, and on the third day, there really are rebels but no one believes Peabody so he has to march out and find them himself. He is wounded 4 times before dying. During Shiloh, Grant's horse falls on him and the mud saves Grant's life. Halleck blames this on Grant's alcohol fetish. Sherman was in charge of the camp but didn't defend it because he didn't think anyone would attack. After Shiloh, Sherman realizes he should've dug trenches. Sherman didn't want to dig trenches because he thought his soldiers would be offended. The Confederates began fighting at Hornet's Nest (the most famous spot). The first assault is at 12:30. Bragg never coordinates a big enough assault because he was trying to fold the flank. Breckenridge attacks at the Peach Orchard. Johnson leads the victory at the Peach Orchard, but later bleeds to death because of a bullet wound behind his knee. By 4:00 Confederates get assaulted. By 5:45 Prentiss wants to pull the Confederate flag down and surrender, but since no one else would do it, he strikes it down himself. Lew Wallace arrives at 7:00 and wanted to slow down and he got very nervous. Wounded men called for their moms, water, and God. Rain falls. Wild boars ate at the wounded soldiers. Beauregarde has a Confederate retreat. Grant says "Go after 'em." Nathan Bedford Forrest charged the Union Army and he gets away, he is never captured in ANY battles. A union infantryman on the ground beside him fired a rifle at Forrest, hitting him in the side, the shot lifting him out of his saddle. The ball went through his pelvis and lodged near his spine. Steadying himself and his mount, with one arm, he lifted the Union soldier by the shirt collar, and used him as a human shield to avoid more gunfire before casting him aside. Forrest is acknowledged to have been the last man wounded at the Battle of Shiloh.

Peninsular Campaign (from May-August '62)
*Was around the time of Shiloh, Fort Henry, and Fort Donaldson.
Fort Donaldson: was on the Cumberland River (
Fort Henry: was on the Tennessee River
7 days battle (July):
Generals: McClellan, Jackson & Lee
Victory: Confederate
Facts: McClellan thinks Lee is going to attack with 250,000 men, attack never happens until Johnson is forced to attack.

Second Menassas (August '62)
Generals: Pope, Lee
Statistics: 13826, 8353
Facts: In order for Jackson to draw Pope's army into battle, Jackson ordered an attack on a Federal column that was passing across his front on the Warrenton Turnpike on Aug. 28. Pope became convinced that he had trapped Jackson and concentrated most of his army against him. On Aug 29, Pope launched a series of assaults against Jackson's position along an unfinished railroad grade. Later, Longstreet arrived on the field from Thoroughfare Gap and took position on Jackson's right flank. On Aug 30, Pope renewed his attacks, seemingly unaware that Longstreet was on the field. Pope was later relieved of his command, to be replaced by McClellan.
Victory: Confederate

Harper's Ferry (Sept '62)
Generals: Miles & Jackson
Statistics: 12719, 286 casualties
Victory: Confederate

Antietam (Sept '62)
Generals: McClellan & Burnside, Lee
Statistics: 12401, 10318 casualties.
Facts: Lots died, but nothing ultimately changed. Jackson & Hooker went after the cornfield and went back and forth across it about 15 times. Burnside was considered very good at Antietam. AP Hill wore a red shirt to be distinguished. Allen Pinkerton was the Union's "Secret Service" spy. McClellan's advantage was that he had Lee's plans! It is Antietam that Lincoln re-hires McClellan. Lee thought he'd get more supplies and men in Maryland. Burnside gets between Richmond and Lee. Burnside is later fired and Hooker replaces him. Before the battle, Hooker had Lee's army outnumbered 3:1. All Hooker had to do was attack in order to win.
3 parts to Antietam:
Bridge (Worst battle, AP Hill saves the day.)
Bloody Lane (aka Sunken Road)
Cornfield/Dunker
Victory: Lee's army retreated across the Potomac River the next day, making the outcome technically a Union victory.
* After Antietam, the Civil War becomes a war about slavery b/c of Emancipation Proclamation: frees slaves, Great Britain is not with France.

Corinth (October '62)
Generals: Grant, Beauregarde.
Stats: 2350, 4800 casualties
Facts: Grant wants to attack Corinth, but Halleck won't let him.
Victory: Union

First battle of Fredricksburg (December '62)
Generals: Burnside, Lee
Statistics: 12600, 5300 casualties
Facts: Kirkland was considered the angel of Marye's Heights because he supplied water to Yankee soldiers. Burnside waits two weeks for pontoon bridges to cross the Rapahannock river and thinks he'll outsmart Lee, but Lee gets their first. Even Hancock knew the river was shallow enough to cross but Burnside would not listen.

1863
Chancellorsville (April)
Generals: Hooker, Lee
Stats: 17000, 12800
Facts: Jackson was mortally wounded, considered to be Lee's greatest victory. Hooker formed a "U" with his back to the river at United States Ford.
Victory: Confederate

Vicksburg (May)
Generals: Grant, Pemberton
Stats: 10000, 38600
Facts: Longstreet wants to take Vicksburg, because if you get Vicksburg, you get EVERYTHING. Grant won't stop until Vicksburg is taken. Albert S. Johnson was considered the highest ranking of the Confederate army. He is protecting the Miss. River. Vicksburg is the "Nail that holds the half of the South." The Emancipation Proc. changed everything. Lincoln was scared because he thought he'd lose popularity if it was a war to end slavery, but the opposite happened. Europe is not going to help the South. The Vicksburg campaign is one of the top campaigns that lasted for 8 months. Vicksburg gave the Miss. River to the Union. "Gibraltar of the west."
Victory: Union

Gettysburg (June-July)
Generals: Meade, Lee
Stats: 23000, 28000
Victory: Union 

Chickamagua (September)
Generals: Rosencrans, Bragg
Stats: 16170, 18454
Victory: Confederate 

Chattanooga: (November)
Generals: Rosencrans, Bragg
Stats: 5815, 6667
Victory: Union

For a cyclist to ride down a fucking residential street. It's also legal for a cyclist to be in the vehicle lane when there are no other options such as:
Construction going on in the bike lane
Cars being parked in the bike lane
Anything blocking the bike lane
As a MATTER OF FACT, bike lanes are a LUXURY, not a NECESSITY.

Of course, I bet you 99% of drivers or at least all those who drive and are not familiar with riding a bicycle the CORRECT way on a road will disagree on all of the above. Some would even go so far to say that cyclists belong on the SIDEWALK. Well, for your information dimwits, most sidewalks are for PEDESTRIANS only. Bike does not equal pedestrian. Bike equals vehicle, like a car. And don't get into how they're not equal to cars because they can't go as fast. Well no duh.

But what is ridiculous, absolutely stupid, is that I got honked at today for riding down a fucking residential street. The guy driving must have thought I belonged on the sidewalk or something. That and he was probably running late so he was being very impatient. Still, he was an asshole and I'm very lucky that he didn't decide to hit me. I need to start bugging the DMV again about education potential drivers more about cyclists, because it is very important. Be safe on the road, and drink responsibly tomorrow kids. Don't get behind the wheel after you've had your intoxications please, spare some lives.