panda ponders

Last Thursday on the “John & Ken Show,” Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the Arizona-based group known as “The Minuteman Project” on their efforts to reduce the number of illegal immigrants entering the United States.

The governor endorsed the effort, saying, “It just shows that it works.'’
“Our federal government is not doing their job,” Schwarzenegger said. “It’s a shame that the private citizen has to go in there and start patrolling our borders.”~ SFGate article

As unpopular as it may be, I completely agree. Yes, it is different than your local neighborhood watch, but when you see literally hundreds of people breaking the law in your area, what can you do?

Of course, people confuse illegal actions with legal. Schwarzenegger has nothing against legal immigrants or the Mexican people!

“This isn’t the Wild West,” says Assemblymember Hector De La Torre. “This isn’t one of his action movies. The intent of that inflammatory rhetoric is pointed right at us. “
Sir Edmund Burke said, ‘Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel,’” De La Torre continued. “I think scapegoating and immigrant bashing is the last refuge of the wounded politician.”

Inflammatory? I saw nothing inflammatory there. Certainly nothing like the now infamous “Los Angeles, California Mexico” sign.

Also, Sir Edmund Burke said “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” — Which would mean we should let the flow of illegal immigrants continue. Samuel Johnson said “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” He also said

He that wishes to see his country robbed of its rights cannot be a patriot. That man, therefore, is no patriot, who justifies the ridiculous claims of American usurpation; who endeavours to deprive the nation of its natural and lawful authority over its own colonies;

I wish people would see the difference between illegal immigrants and legal immigrants and stop all this nonsense. Very few people have problems with legal immigrats, those few people who truly want to be part of this country. I am not nor do I know anyone who is against legal immigration. One of my best friends has dual citizenship with Ecuador. I have a serious problem with illegal immigrats who come to the U.S. to the “land of opportunity,” and best case, do not bother to learn the language, become a citizen but do create drains on the economy or — worst case — commit horrible crimes and walk away as if they have diplomatic immunity (another thing that should be abolished). We do need to close our borders to illegal immigrants and the very real possibility of terrorists also filtering on over.

Three years ago today a Deputy for Los Angeles County in California was gunned down in the streets. During a routine traffic stop, this deputy who was wearing a bullet-proof vest, was shot once in the side just missing the vest, hitting him in the chest. But that was not enough so the gunman shot him again in the head. That policeman was Deputy David March.

Unfortunately, the murder of a policeman at any level of government is not all that uncommon. It happens far too frequently. However, when the suspect is known, his whereabouts are known, and yet is still not brought to justice there must be a good reason, right?

Wrong. Turns out no matter who you kill, if you are an illegal immigrant and hop back over the border to Mexico, it is as if nothing happened. The Mexican Government refuses to extradite this slime, Armando Garcia, and our government seems incapable of wanting to making them. I have no doubt that if our government wanted to get this done, it would get done.

I am fairly sure Congress is useless and I hope I am wrong but the most current bill I could find related to this subject at the Thomas database was S.CON.RES.79 which stated:

Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should secure the sovereign right of the United States of America and the States to prosecute and punish, according to the laws of the United States and the several States, crimes committed in the United States by individuals who subsequently flee to Mexico to escape prosecution…

Whereas these individuals include the persons responsible for the April 29, 2002, murder of Deputy Sheriff David March, the July 17, 2000, killing of Officer Michael Dunman, the August 29, 1998, murder of 12 year old Stephen Morales, the April 9, 1999, attempted murder of Anabella Van Perez and the subsequent August 26, 1999, murder of her father, Carlos Vara, and the December 22, 1989, murder of Mike Juan;

Latest Major Action: 11/7/2003 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

At a time when national security is a hot topic, as it should be, one would think that any act of violence against our nation and her people would be of paramount concern. Thousands did not die in a day, but this was an attack nonetheless on the people of this nation. How long did the former administration let our military get picked off overseas with no response? Only after 9/11 and a new administration did the murder of our armed forces, those sworn to die for our safety and that of others, matter. I hope the pattern does not repeat itself with policemen and women and “regular” citizens being picked off and harassed by illegal immigrants before something huge and horrible happens.

Hat tip: Michelle Malkin
Additional information:
Los Angeles Sheriff Dept. Report
Crime Victims of Illegal Aliens
Deputy David March Candlelight Vigil
Escaping Justice
S. CON. RES. 79.

My brother finally comes to see my blog and he says … “Wow, it looks like a real blog, like someone else made it.”

But he did set all the basics up so I could have this so, Thanks Jake!

I can’t imagine a wall of dirt coming right at me!

As the storm moved closer the sky changed to a shade of orange until total darkness blanketed the ground. The storm passed over in about 45 minutes, leaving a heavy sheet of dust in its wake. Forecaster say the wall of dust may have reached 4,000 to 5,000 feet, based on the height of the clouds above it.
~ Story & photos by Gunnery Sgt. Shannon Arledge

Incredible pictures and I am happier than ever I do not live near a desert.

Hat tip: John Little @ Blogs of War

I do not watch The David Letterman show regularly but I watched it last night. I did not hear the intro so when this guy came out I was confused as to why he was on the show. Most guests are flashy, outgoing, maybe shy but hiding it well, that kind of thing… this guy was not flashy, dressed normally, seemed really uncomfortable and sat as far away from David’s desk as he could in the big comfy chair.

Turns out he is Daniel Trammet, the newest sensation in autistic savants who stands out among the few other savants because he can explain his thought processes. He can describe how he sees numbers and languages which is something that other savants struggle with.

Now he is 26, and a mathematical genius who can figure out cube roots quicker than a calculator and recall pi to 22,514 decimal places. He also happens to be autistic, which is why he can’t drive a car, wire a plug, or tell right from left. He lives with extraordinary ability and disability.
(This Guardian article has a lot of interesting facts.)

Daniel’s most publicized accomplishment was setting a new British & European record on March 14, 2004 called “Pi in the Sky.” It took him 5 hours, 9 minutes, and 24 seconds to accurately recall the mathematical equation of pi to 22,514 decimal points! He said that it was somewhat like a marathon and was physically draining to accomplish this incredible feat. Pieces of chocolate and bananas helped him. (Chocolate for the win!)

This is Daniel holding the winning timer.
Wow!

This Saturday (April 30) there will be a new Science Channel special called “Brainman” that highlights Daniel’s talents through a series of challenges. Go here to see when the Science Channel special is on in your area … if you have cable and that channel … and I don’t have either

As much as I would love a better memory and be able to master all forms of mathematics, I could not handle the drawbacks. I must be content to stink at higher forms of math and be comfortable in my daily routines or complete lack thereof.

and their family and friends,

Welcome to my blog!

I met a number of you at the last reunion ~5 years ago. It was a lot of fun hearing about my mom when she was a teacher. And I am looking forward to seeing ya’ll again at the upcoming reunion!

I am working on adding a photo gallery to this site to post some pics my mom has but until then … I hope you enjoy my pondering from time to time!

Thomas hung up on me tonight on the phone

I know that everyone that has discovered Mozilla Firefox knows that it is an internet browser far superior to your average browser.

For those you have that have not experienced Firefox … it is one of the many free downloads from Mozilla.org. Their products include the aforementioned internet browser [Firefox], an e-mail and newsgroup client [Thunderbird], an “all-in-one open source Internet application suite” [Mozilla] and several other programs.

Starting yesterday, I am using an altered version of the Firefox browser. I have been using Firefox for over a year now but did not know until a couple of days ago that you could download free themes and plugins! Themes are “skins” for your browser… there are tons available and new ones every day. My current one is called Abstract PC and is a very clean looking format with a light gray background and ice blue highlights. My favorite extension is the one for tabbed browsing.

Tabbed Browsing is “web pages are loaded in “tabs” within the same browser window, making it easy to switch back and forth among multiple web pages.” Like when you like to read pages that have a lot of links (like this and all other blogs), you can open the links in another tab and not leave the original page. The extra extension gives you many more options for tab browsing such as having multiple homepages load when you start Firefox (each opening in a new tab).

Live Bookmarks is another great feature. If a website (any website) can support Live Bookmarks .. an icon appears at the bottom of your browser and will create a special bookmark.

Live Bookmarks is a new technology in Firefox that lets you view RSS news and blog headlines in the bookmarks toolbar or bookmarks menu. With one glance, quickly see the latest headlines from your favorite sites. Go directly to the articles that interest you—saving you time.

There you have a very brief overview of Mozilla Firefox. For more information about Mozilla and their products visit their website or the page I created to highlight the products with links for downloads.

Because I forgot I had his birthday written down thus forgetting to wish him a Happy Birthday when it really was his birthday…
Happy Birthday!!! Frog !!

BTW … like my name is Amanda and people call me Panda,
His name is Josh and people call him Frog! — too cute!

Oh … and today is Danny’s Birthday … I guess I will wish him a great day too HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!:D!!
His name is Danny and people call him … Danny. and he is “Super Awesome.”

Today was our first Downtown Dallas adventure with some friends from Denton. We attempted to eat at the fabulous Corner Bakery, however they are closed on Saturdays! Oh the horror, Whyyyyy??? So we ate at Chipotle instead which is just as yummy!

We rode the DART train (which is really the best way to get around inner Dallas). I cannot wait for the FB extension of the rail line!

The purpose of our little trip was to go to the From Geisha to Diva: The Kimonos of Ichimaru. It is a free exhibit that is a little small but well worth the visit. Several formal and seasonal kimonos were displayed to highlight the elaborate stitching in gold, silver, and rainbow thread. The rainbow thread was my favorite and used only rarely. Also on display were several prints and possessions belonging to Ichimaru. The second floor exhibit (until May 1) is Magic, Myths and Minerals: Chinese Jades which was fascinating to me. (Side note: The second floor of this exhibit had a really comfortable bench and ironically was the briefest part of the entire day, Jake and Jay were sad.) The intense detail of each piece is amazing. Another small exhibit across a sky bridge included a few pieces of Indian (India-Indian that is) architecture. A “guest book” was found to have very interesting remarks proving that a lot of school groups had visited (Art is awsome!) We found an empty page and Jay wrote “nX was here 4/05″ and Katey drew a really cool anime chick.

We then walked across the street to the Dallas Museum of Art to see the not-free Splendors of China’s Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong. This was also a very well displayed exhibit worth your afternoon. Qianlong’s reign spanned 60 years and was the second longest in Chinese history. He retired in 1795 so as to honor his grandfather, Kangxi, and not have a longer reign, although he ruled unofficially until his death four years later.

Oh! I found an adorable little stuffed panda to add to my collection in the China exhibit gift shop for $4.95. Can’t beat that! It is already sitting on top of my monitor with some others of my miniature stuffed animal collection!

Then home again, home again!

I love this.

Orange M&M dressed up as the Emperor changing the regular M&M’s into new Dark Chocolate M&M’s is priceless. Too cute! and the new colors are great.

And did you know that you can customize M&M’s??? They have preset colors and designs or you can choose your own!

This page is cool. Be sure to scroll over the Emperor.

Blue M&M is R2-D2! Click Screensavers on the right and see Green M&M as Princess Leia.

Today seems to have a Star Wars theme and Episode III is not even out yet!

If only I lived in London … I would go to this!

I know a lot of people hate (or have a lot of complaints about) the new movies. I admit the new ones do not have the same pizazz that the original trilogy possess, however they are not that bad.

When the original trilogy was re-released into theaters in 1997?, my family, my mom’s sisters and my cousin .. went to see all three in one day at a theater in Dallas. It was a long day because the showings were not in the same theater, but it was a lot of fun! I think I even have my ticket stubs somewhere.

Some other articles about the marathon: here, here, here and here.

I am constantly updating all the links on the side bar … whether its the blogs I visit frequently or the websites I like. The Quick Games category is for a girl I know in 5th grade that wanted to know what internet games I liked.

Thanks to Chris for helping me add the calender!