Federation Vs. Empire: The Breakdown

Although both sides have advantages over the other I'm going to have to say that in a fleet battle the Federation would defeat the Empire. The Empire's ships are big, slow, and are not designed for ship to ship interstellar combat. Their main purposes are to carry troops across the galaxy as well as to carry fighter squadrons to various rebel hotspots. They are out matched in fire power as well as in range. Their shielding generated from vulnerable exterior shield domes that can be destroyed easily. Also once an Imperial ship's bridge is destroyed it is a sitting duck. As far as the fighter squadrons are concerned they would have very little affect on the shields of the Federation ships due to their very limited power. They would end up being target practice for the Federation's advanced targeting computers. Also another fact that cannot be ignored is the fact that the largest fleet the Empire has ever been known to assemble was 27 ships, this is small compared to the number of ships the Federation has been known to mass for their armadas.


However, in a direct war between the Galactic Empire and the United Federation of Planets I believe the empire would win hands down. The reason is in the logistics. The area controlled by the Empire is proportionately a lot larger than that controlled by the Federation so therefore the Empire has lot more resources available to it. If there was a war the Empire (if they were smart enough to) could simply massively outproduce the Federation and defeat them by shear numbers alone.

I have researched this extensively and this is what I think would happen. If anyone has any other theories or thoughts please leave them. Isn't crossing science fiction universes fun!

Cool fleet battles from the new game "Empire at War"

An eighty-two year old teenager

Lisa and I went to visit my grandmother and my great aunt (they live together) this past weekend. There I noticed something very interesting. It seems that in their old age (80-85) they have reverted back to their teenage years. Both my grandmother and my great aunt entertained Lisa and I with stories of the double dates they have been going on, as well the competition with each other over the little old men they flirt with. One guy, as my grandmother said is a "sly fox" and said that "[she] doesn't want to be left alone with him". This made me chuckle a little and I responded, "Sweetie (my grandmother) I don't think you'll have to worry about that old man trying to seduce you". She said, "well I still don't want to be left alone with him". They also told us about the trips they have been on and the trips they plan to go on. They told us about the friends they have been going to see and my grandmother mentioned going to one of her friend's house to sleep over. After they had recanted their tales my grandmother said, "see what you have to look forward to" and to me it sounds fun. I guess the age old saying is true "you are as young as you feel."

Bush does it again

Our great and glorious president wants to hand over control of six major US ports to an Arab company. Let's analyze what has transpired for the last several months........ The Bush administration has been caught reading US citizen's mail with out a court issued warrant as well as tapping phone lines of US citizens, also without a court issued warrant. (For those of you who see nothing wrong with this, WAKE UP! It is a huge ILLEGAL invasion of privacy) When questioned about his actions the president responded, "My actions are in the interest of national security". Hmmm..... So spying on your own citizens protects the country and giving complete control of six major US ports to an Arab company is not dangerous in the context of national security? (Again, for those of you who don't know, most Arab/Muslim groups and nations are extremely bitter towards the US because of our support of the Israeli government, hence why 911 occurred) Could have fooled me. The Bush administration claims that they have thoroughly investigated the company and have ruled them to be no threat. Thoroughly investigated? Kind of like how the administration thoroughly investigated the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq..... We need a new president.

Math

Well you won't hear me say this often but I'm starting to really enjoy my math class. I have been reading so much lately about World Civ, Psychology, and all of the crap for my GNED 102 class I'm just sick of reading. Math, (because I understand it and can do it) is a welcome relief. There is a certain structure and method to the mathematics I'm doing, nothing abstract to understand like there is in my readings. But alas it is all necessary so I must continue reading as well as computing my math problems. School is fun, isn't it?

The Facebook-off is now over

Well due to the fact that it was occurring on my facebook page and nothing has been posted in forever I declare the Facebook-off over. I also decree that the winner is Anthony. Congrats!

(I will leave the link so the phat rhymes can still be viewed)

Ah, Parents

I went home this past weekend to see my parents and to partake in (one of) my best friend's Eagle Scout Ceremony. At any rate I got home late Saturday evening just in time for dinner. Immediately we started talking about Clemson (for those of you who don't know, I just recently applied to transfer there next semester. Also my father is a big Clemson alumni and was very upset when I wasn't accepted the very first time I applied.).... Long story short, the very first time I applied and was denied Clemson told me in the denial letter that they would take me for sure in 2006 if I had 30 semester hours and at least a 2.5 GPA. They also asked me to mail in a postcard (that came with the letter) if I was interested in their proposal to transfer in the Fall of 2006. I never did the post card. So, roughly a year later I'm in my family's kitchen getting chewed out for not sending the post card as well as being bombarded with instructions on how to correct my "mistake". I told them not to worry because I meet the majority Clemson's transfer requirements (whereas, when I first applied I didn't meet very many of their entrance requirements). I was told that I was being "pig headed" and that I wouldn't be accepted if I didn't do what my parents told me to do. So for the sake of having a civil dinner and not a civil war, I agreed. Then we ate.... It is rather interesting though how fate works because the next morning I was awoken by the dreadful sound of my parents barging into my room singing an off key version to the Tiger Rag. Before I was even coherent to what was going on I was being hugged by my step-mother and being told congratulations from both of my parental units. I then reached for my glasses and took the letter from my father's hands to read it. Turns out that it was a letter from the housing department at Clemson congratulating me on my acceptance (the acceptance letter was waiting for me here at Winthrop) as well as to get me to register for housing. Well there was only one thing I could say to them at that moment....... "I TOLD YOU SO!"

Valentine's Day

This is a poem I wrote for those people who do not have a special some one to spend Valentine's Day with:

Absence and Fulfillment

What makes people separate or part?
What notion surfaces that changes one's heart?
There are people who preach on finding happiness in their rhyme,
And there are those who pray for serenity from the divine.
Is someone somewhere actually hearing them?
Through a small slight voice do they give us clear answers that seem (at the moment) dim?
What is it that makes us long for another?
Why do we always seem lost unable to find the ground we need to cover?
These answers cannot be found with ease.
They don't lie in the forest amongst the trees,
Nor in the ocean with its waters so deep,
Nor in the moore where the grasses like to creep,
Nor in the sky,
Where the stars twinkle and the clouds just roll on by.
The answers to these questions must be real.
Why else would we make such a colossal deal,
On trying to find that, that seems to escape us?
Honestly though, I see no real reason to fuss.
Take life as it comes,
Continually picking up little scraps and crumbs,
And eventually your day will be here,
Where you will be safe, loved, and happy,
With absolutely nothing to fear.

Useful Facts

Here are some useful facts for you to indulge in....

1. A cat's urine glows under a black light.
2. Russians are the least happiest nationality when it comes to their sex lives.
3. New York City was once the capital of the United States.
4. Leave it to Beaver was the first program to mention a toilet.
5. A male voodoo priest is called a "hougan" and a female priestess is a "mambo".
6. Reindeer eat moss to keep warm.
7. A cockroach can withstand over 80 times more radiation than a human being.
8. William Lear, the founder of LearJet, invented the car radio and the 8-track tape player.
9. Johnny Knoxville's real name is Phillip J. Clapp.
10. The actor who portrayed the "Marlboro Man" for the world's best-selling cigarette died of lung cancer.

This is a special fact...... (a bonus for you, my readers)

11. Reggae star Bob Marley's father was white.

The US Postal Service

The US Postal Service has managed to make my day more difficult than usual. Usually the post office either losses the mail I send or virtually destroys it (for once it reaches the person I intended it to do, it is so deformed it barely resembles a letter). Today however, was different. I have a letter of recommendation that I wanted to drop off tonight and be sent out in the morning. So I put a 37-cent stamp on it and walked to the campus post office after dinner to drop it off. As I came towards the drop box for outgoing mail my attention was drawn to a sign that declared that stamps had increased in cost and were now 39 cents. This left my letter, with the 37-cent stamp unable to be sent. The post office at this point had long been closed for the day leaving me no way that this letter could be sent by tomorrow morning (and to those of you who would put two 37 cent stamps on the letter and mail it, I'd do it if I had another stamp to do it with). Damn stamp price gouging! There is no wonder why their employees go crazy and shoot up post offices. The whole thing is just so aggravating.

The Opera

This past Sunday I went to see Henry Purcell's opera Dido & Aeneas presented by Winthrop University's very own Department of Music. The story is very interesting but before I explain the story I have some historical myth to infer. No one knows weather or not the Trojan War (described in Homer's Iliad) actually took place but the rumor is that as Troy was falling to the Greeks the prince of Troy (Aeneas) escaped into the Mediterranean Sea. He then (supposedly) sailed to Italy and founded the city-state of Rome. In this opera Aeneas' ship was caught in a storm and is forced to dock at the city-state of Carthage (in North Africa). There he meets the queen of Carthage, Dido. They fall in love and start enjoying much time together. Meanwhile, there are these evil witches that hate Dido and want to see Carthage burn. They disguise a servant (through magic) to look like the God Hermes and give him instructions to tell Aeneas that he must leave Carthage and Dido (by the order of Zeus) so that glorious Troy can be restored. Aeneas tells Dido he must leave and then goes to make preparations for his departure. Stricken with grief Dido kills herself with a dagger. Aeneas comes back to say goodbye and finds her dead. There then is a funeral for her and then Aeneas departs (presumably for Italy).
Now, there is something very EXTREMELY ironic about this story (given that the historical myths about Troy and the founding of Rome are true). Much later in history during the Punic wars Rome and Carthage fought for supremacy of the Mediterranean. Three long bloody wars were fought and the conflict was ended by the Roman Legions destroying Carthage completely as well as enslaving the entire population. It is ironic that in this opera the future founder of Rome and the ruler of Carthage are lovers. It reminds me of the saying, "love and hate are two sides of the same coin". Very curious.

The Facebook-off continues

Hey everyone there is a facebook-off (freestyle contest) between my friend Stefan and my friend Anthony on my facebook wall. Go to my link and check it out! LMFAO

Questions to Ponder

Here are some interesting inqueries:

1. If you ate pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?
2. Whose cruel idea was it to put an "s" in the word "lisp"?
3. Would a fly without wings be called a walk?
4. What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?
5. Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?
6. Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all"?
7. Is a vegetarian permitted to eat animal crackers?
8. If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?
9. When cheese gets it's picture taken, what does it say?
10. Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Hitler sightings

This happened to me about a year ago at Jones Gap State Park in the mountains of up state South Carolina:
There has been rumors since the fall of Nazi Germany that Hitler escaped with some other high ranking Nazi officials to Venezuela to escape capture by the Allies (especially the Soviet Union). Now these rumors are highly unlikely but it is true that many high ranking Nazi's made it to Venezuela and it is true that the Russians (who claim to have found Hitler's body and keep it in a military archive in St. Petersburg) have never shown his body to anyone. With that said I believe I saw Hitler on a Boy Scout back packing trip. We were loading up to go home after a good 20 mile backpacking trip and I went to use the rest room. After I had relieved myself I washed my hands and was walking out the door when I saw him. It was the Fuhrer himself, in a green state park jump suit with a mop and a mopping bucket rolling close behind as he walked to (presumably) clean the bath room. This janitor seemed a perfect match to all the photos I've studied and seen through history class and my own historical research. He even had the mustache! Do I really think this is Hitler? No way! There wasn't a snow balls chance in hell for him to have gotten out of Berlin. I did, however (and still do) find it amusing to think that the man who once wrote and preached of world domination as well as controlled the largest most powerful land based army ever created could be reduced to a lowly piss-mopper. Does anyone have any other Hitler sightings?

Star Trek Vs. Star Wars

Ok my friend Stefan and I were debating with another friend about what Fleet would will in a battle of an Imperial Fleet (minus the Death Star) versus a Federation Fleet. Stefan and I say the Federation would win but our stubborn friend thinks otherwise. What do you think?