Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in exodus31_3's LiveJournal:

Saturday, April 28th, 2007
9:27 am	I haven't posted for awhile. I am having issues with my 3D modeling software. However I have been drawing and thought I'd post a picture. The soldier is a rough sketch, but I like the Helmet.  I drew it from a illustration I saw in a book on Roman Legionary  58 BC - AD 69 (Comment on this)
Monday, July 3rd, 2006
5:00 pm	Just a cute GIF. =) <b>Phillip Morris' new mascot:</b> (Comment on this)
Thursday, June 15th, 2006
10:29 pm	More updates to come My portfolio is going well. I gotta do a little more touch-up in Photoshop. Should get more updates done in the next week, then post some on here. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 23rd, 2006
9:59 pm	Wis. Governor Signs Abstinence Bill By RYAN J. FOLEY, Associated Press Writer Tue May 23, 8:47 PM ET MADISON, Wis. - Sex education teachers must present abstinence as the preferred behavior for unmarried people under a bill signed Tuesday by Gov. Jim Doyle The legislation means teachers must emphasize that refraining from sex before marriage is the most effective way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. A spokesman for the governor, a Democrat, said most Wisconsin school districts already take that approach. "The governor thinks that abstinence should be an important part of the message that kids hear from adults as part of their classes," spokesman Dan Leistikow said. Republican Sen. Mary Lazich, a bill's sponsor, said sex education teachers can still teach about birth control, but must emphasize that abstinence is the only 100 percent effective method to avoid health risks. Kelda Helen Roys, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, called the bill, which takes effect July 1, shortsighted. "They ignored the overwhelming public testimony, support and expert information about the importance of comprehensive sex education that talks about abstinence as well as contraceptive use," she said. "Abstinence is an important part but it is not the only part." The birth rate among Wisconsin teens ages 15-19 decreased by 27 percent between 1993 and 2004, from 41 to 30 births per 1,000 females, according to the most recent government survey. But the overall infection rate of the four top sexually transmitted diseases increased by 3 percent among teens during that time. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 25th, 2006
3:17 pm	Matthew 17:20 (New International Version) He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 12th, 2006
8:37 pm	Elecric Blue I have a song stuck in my head and here our the lyrics to it. "Electric Blue" by Ice House If a boy had a chance, a chance with someone like you Are you gonna break his heart, let him cry for the moon Are you hiding somewhere behind those eyes? I just freeze every time you see through me And it's all over you, electric blue. On my knees, help me baby, Tell me, what can I do, electric blue. Oh I had a dream, For a moment I believed it was true Oh I'd have given anything just to be there with you Are you hiding somewhere behind those eyes? I just freeze every time you see through me And it's all over you, electric blue. In too deep, standing here waiting As I'm breaking in two, electric blue. I can see, can see that it may be Just a vision of you, electric blue. On my knees, help me baby, tell me what can I do, electric blue. (help me baby) Are you hiding somewhere behind those eyes? I just freeze every time you see through me And it's all over you, electric blue. In too deep, standing here waiting As I'm breaking in two, electric blue. I can see, can see that it may be Just a vision of you, electric blue. On my knees, help me baby, Tell me, what can I do, electric blue. I just freeze every time you see through me And it's all over you, electric blue. In too deep, standing here waiting As I'm breaking into, electric blue. I can see, can see that it may be Just a vision of you, electric blue. On my knees, help me baby, Tell me, what can I do, electric blue. Electric blue Electric blue Electric blue (Comment on this)
Saturday, April 8th, 2006
11:10 am	Newsletter from Senator Feinstein Senator Dianne Feinstein Here is a newsletter put out by Senator Feinstein. My comments on the end.This section is on Iraq only: If success depends solely on the United States military, the outcome of this war would never be in doubt. We have the finest armed forces in the world. But it has become clear that the only solution is political. So the time has come to transition the mission in Iraq. We must begin a structured downsizing of the American troop presence. But success also depends upon our countrys political leadership making smart choices, and the Iraqis making the political compromises necessary to unite their country and defeat this burgeoning insurgency. So the President must lay out a plan. He must urgently exercise the leadership necessary to bring Iraqs political factions together. He must immediately inform the Iraqi people -- in no uncertain terms -- that they must get their political house in order. And the Iraqi government must step up to the plate as well. Nice try Feinstein. The democrats dont have any solution. They just want to blame republicans. All they say is pull out or downsize the troops. Since when do politicans become experts on war? Look what happend with Vietnam. Let's let the military make that decision. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 4th, 2006
5:12 pm	Should I take my old truck on a 3 and half road trip in the rain, or should I stick with the communter car? (Comment on this)
Thursday, March 30th, 2006
2:27 pm	Ananias and Sapphira Scripture that is interesting to me. =) Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira 1There was also a man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2He brought part of the money to the apostles, but he claimed it was the full amount. His wife had agreed to this deception. 3Then Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God." 5As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6Then some young men wrapped him in a sheet and took him out and buried him. 7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, "Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?" "Yes," she replied, "that was the price." 9And Peter said, "How could the two of you even think of doing a thing like this--conspiring together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Just outside that door are the young men who buried your husband, and they will carry you out, too." 10Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear gripped the entire church and all others who heard what had happened. (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 26th, 2006
10:19 am	Toilet Cleaning Instructions Toilet Cleaning Instructions: 1. Put both lids of the toilet up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl. 2. Pick up the cat and sooth him while you carry him towards the bathroom. 3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids. You may need to stand on the lid. 4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this. 5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "power-wash" and rinse". 6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are NO people between the bathroom and the front door. 7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids. 8. The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom and run outside where he will dry himself. 9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean. Sincerely, The Dog (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, March 13th, 2006
8:03 pm	The Trade Last Tuesday, as President Bush got off the helicopter in front of the White House, he was carrying a baby piglet under each arm. The squared away Marine guard snaps to attention, salutes, and says: "Nice pigs, sir." The President replies: "These are not pigs, these are authentic Arkansas Razorback Hogs. I got one for Senator Ted Kennedy, and I got one for Senator John Kerry." The squared away Marine again snaps to attention, salutes, and says, "Excellent trade, sir." (Comment on this)
Friday, March 10th, 2006
9:56 pm	Brazil Leading Effort to Boost Ethanol Use By ALAN CLENDENNING, AP Business Writer Fri Mar 10, 12:37 PM ET SAO TOME, Brazil - In an agroindustrial complex ringed by fields of 12-foot-high sugarcane, a giant mechanical claw dumps stalks by the tons into an even larger crushing machine. Here's where the renewable fuel used to power seven of every 10 new Brazilian cars gets its start. Sugary slurry flows into a row of gleaming stainless steel distilling tanks, transforming cane harvested only hours earlier by machete-wielding farm laborers into ethanol, the alternative fuel now promoted by President George Bush to end what he calls America's addiction to imported oil. While Bush set 2025 as the target date for replacing three-fourths of the oil imported from the Middle East with American ethanol, Brazil already satisfies nearly half of its domestic passenger vehicle fuel demand with ethanol. After decades of government intervention and subsidies, the industry here is a thriving free market business, complete with ethanol pumps at every filling station in Latin America's largest country. Millions of cars run on either ethanol, gas or any combination of the two. And there's plenty more land available for sugar cane cultivation as the planet's biggest sugar producer gears up to become its undisputed long-term ethanol supplier. Brazilian ethanol producers and international energy experts agree that the United States will probably never come close to reaching Brazil's potential as an ethanol superpower. But they say Brazil offers clear lessons on how to boost domestic ethanol use. What the United States needs most, they say, are more cars that run on the fuel, and filling stations that offer it. "Petroleum is almost history," warned Celso dos Santos, commercial director of the Cocamar farmers cooperative that owns the Sao Tome distillery. "People stopped using wood for fuel and replaced it with coal. Then came petroleum, but we're getting to the end of the petroleum era." With the sickly scent of pure alcohol wafting through the air around the Cocamar plant, a thousand workers toil around the clock during the March to November cane harvest season, distilling 92,500 gallons of ethanol daily that is trucked away for immediate sale at the pumps. Sugarcane waste is burned to generate steam for the turbines, meeting all the plant's electricity needs. Excess power will soon light up half the homes in Sao Tome, a southern Brazilian town of 6,000 people. The technology isn't even cutting edge, but the industry is making profits like never before and has a bright future thanks to a 1970s decision by Brazil's former military dictators to subsidize ethanol production and require distribution at every gas station. A 1980s Brazilian fad with cars that ran only on ethanol petered out when oil prices fell in the early 1990s. But the fuel came back into vogue in 2003 when automakers started rolling out cars that run on gasoline, ethanol or any combination of the two. With international oil prices reaching record highs, Brazilian drivers turned to "flex-fuel" cars, buying ethanol at half the price of gas until late last year. Some experts predict flex-fuel car sales will reach 90 percent of Brazil's new car market within several years, while others say recent ethanol price hikes could keep penetration at the current level. Getting a fraction of that acceptance in the United States could take decades, analysts say, even with new incentives and regulations. "Since the government does not dictate what happens in the marketplace, the process will be much slower than what Brazil experienced," said Amani Elobeid, an economist and international sugar analyst at Iowa State University. A small but growing percentage of American-made vehicles are manufactured to run on the U.S. version of ethanol called E85, which is 85 percent alcohol distilled from corn and 15 percent gasoline. But many American drivers don't even know their vehicles can run on E85, and the fuel is available at only 610 American filling stations. Brazil's state-imposed pump price for gasoline includes much higher taxes than the price U.S. consumers pay. Gas in Brazil now costs the equivalent of $4.69 per gallon. Pure ethanol — taxed at slightly lower levels and cheaper to produce — goes for about $3.59 per gallon at all of the nation's 30,000 stations. It fueled 48 percent of Brazil's passenger vehicles last year. Meanwhile, Brazil is trying to encourage ethanol use in countries from Asia to Europe. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in Britain this week that Brazil wants "to plant the oil of the future" and promote radical changes in how world generates energy. Brazilian ethanol makers intent on boosting exports have been beaming ever since Bush used his January State of the Union address to plug ethanol. "We felt that in our share price," said a smiling Paulo Diniz, chief financial officer of Grupo Cosan, Brazil's largest ethanol producer and the world's second largest after the U.S.-based Archer Daniels Midland Co. A few years ago, Cosan was lucky to host a tour every four or five months for big foreign investors. Now the firm gets visits every two weeks, including a VIP tour in February for Google Inc. billionaires Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Cosan is considering an initial public offering on Wall Street within the next year and a half, Diniz said. Other foreign companies may consider jumping on the bandwagon by buying Brazilian ethanol firms. "Phones have been ringing all over the world after Mr. Bush spoke," said Cristoph Berg, an ethanol analyst with Germany's F.O. Licht, a commodities research firm. Investors "are waking up to the notion that ethanol really seems to have entered the mainstream." Brazil's ethanol experience hasn't been so rosy for consumers in recent months. Prices surged during the annual November-March production lull while the cane grew. Ethanol remains cheaper than gas, but flex-fuel car drivers can get better fuel efficiency with gas when the price difference between the two narrows significantly. In Sao Tome, the cooperative that owns the ethanol distillery is betting on its best profits since it bought the operation in 1993. Cocamar's production cost is $1.10 per gallon, and wholesalers are buying the fuel for $2.68 — up from $1.44 last year. About the only thing that could hurt Brazil's ethanol industry now would be an almost unimaginable plunge in international crude oil prices, currently trading above $60 per barrel, said Almir Hawthorne, the distillery's industrial manager. "Oil could drop to $35 or $40 per barrel, and ethanol producers would still make money." (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 8th, 2006
10:59 pm	N. Korea Launches Test Missiles Near China Border SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles Wednesday, an unsettling reminder of the reclusive communist regime's ability to cause instability in the region where a standoff persists over its nuclear program. The development underscored the dangers posed by the country's longer-range missiles and professed nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang shocked Tokyo and other nations when it test-fired a ballistic missile over northern Japan in 1998. It has since test-fired short-range missiles many times, including one launched into the Sea of Japan in May. In 2003, North Korea test-fired short-range land-to-ship missiles at least three times during heightened tensions over its nuclear program. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the U.S. government had independently confirmed that North Korea fired the two surface-to-air missiles. Hours later, the test was also confirmed by a South Korean military intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information. The official told The Associated Press that there had been indications of a missile launch over the past two days, including the transfer of equipment to the area of the launch site at Sabujin, just below the city of Kim Chaek on North Korea's northeast coast. Japan's Kyodo News agency gave conflicting details about Wednesday's launches, saying a security source in China told it the missiles were fired by mistake in the direction of China and apparently landed in North Korean territory. However, the agency also quoted a Western military source as saying the missiles were test-fired from North Korea's eastern coast toward the Sea of Japan. At least one missile landed in the sea about 60 miles northeast of the launch site, Kyodo said, citing a Japanese defense official. "Indications are that North Korea launched two short-range missiles," McClellan said in an e-mail to reporters traveling with President Bush. "We have consistently pointed out that North Korea's missile program is a concern that poses a threat to the region and the larger international community," he said. The White House said Wednesday's launches demonstrated the importance of six-party negotiations aimed at resolving the crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program. "We work closely with our allies in the region on ballistic missile defense and to maintain a strong deterrent against the threat North Korea poses," McClellan said. "We believe the six-party talks remain the way to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions and deal with the threat from its missile program and activities." Although North Korea announced a moratorium on missile tests a year later, it has since test-fired short-range missiles many times, including one launched into the Sea of Japan in May. U.S. officials said North Korea should abide by its missile moratorium, and that its activities demonstrated the importance of getting Pyongyang to drop its boycott of six-nation talks on halting its nuclear weapons program. "So we would call upon North Korea to abide by the moratorium concerning missile tests," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington. North Korea would be extremely hesitant to do anything to offend China, its last major benefactor, and the type of missiles reportedly fired wouldn't pose much of a threat far beyond its borders. Despite remaining technically at war with South Korea, the sides have embarked on reconciliation efforts since a 2000 summit between their leaders, and many South Koreans don't view the North as a threat. Pyongyang recently has pursued diplomacy to resolve its nuclear standoff, sending a top diplomat to New York for a briefing Tuesday by U.S. officials on the country's alleged illicit financial activities. The U.S. last year blacklisted a Macau bank and North Korean companies it said were involved in counterfeiting, money laundering and weapons proliferation — a move that prompted the North to boycott international arms talks. After the New York briefing, the North maintained it won't return to disarmament negotiations but said it has proposed ways to resolve the issue. "At a time when North Korea is trying to play the diplomatic card, it wouldn't necessarily make sense for them to try and pull out the military card as well," said Jon Wolfstahl, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. The commander of the U.S. military in South Korea, Army Gen. B.B. Bell, said Tuesday in Washington that reports indicated the North was "preparing to field a new intermediate-range ballistic missile which could easily reach United States facilities in Okinawa, Guam and possibly Alaska," according to prepared comments. However, Bell noted the North Koreans had done "very little" in recent years on long-range ballistic missiles. Instead, he said officials have seen increasing work on short-range missiles that could be used on the Korean Peninsula. Besides producing a large number of weapons, Bell said North Korea also "appears willing to sell to anyone." It isn't known if the North has built a functioning nuclear weapon as it claims, since the country isn't believed to have performed any nuclear tests. Putting a device on a missile is even more complicated, and there's no evidence the North has done that either. Still, experts believe the North has extracted enough plutonium from its main nuclear reactor for at least a half-dozen nuclear weapons or more — a concern that has lately been getting less attention due to the intense diplomacy surrounding the Iranian nuclear crisis. "We're getting 24-7 coverage on Iran — which is still likely several years away from being able to produce a single nuclear weapon — and little coverage on North Korea, which any day could shut down its nuclear reactor and obtain the plutonium for what could be its 10th, 11th or 12th nuclear weapon," Wolfstahl said. (Comment on this)
Friday, March 3rd, 2006
8:10 am	Amateur Cracks Secret Nazi Code http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20060303/bs_nf/41894 Nazi code that eluded the best cryptographers the Allied forces had to offer during World War II has been solved by an amateur codebreaker with the assistance of a network of computers. The three uncracked ciphers -- a cipher is a method of transforming text in order to conceal its meaning -- were encrypted in 1942 with a new version of the infamous German Enigma machine, which was used to direct attacks against Allied shipping in the Atlantic. The M4 Project, the brainchild of Stefan Krah, a violinist and amateur cryptographer of German birth, is credited with cracking one of the three remaining ciphers. The project was named in honor of the M4 Enigma machine that originally encoded the messages. To solve the puzzling mystery, details of which had been published in a cryptography journal in 1995, Krah wrote a codebreaking program and then went online in January to post information about his project and ask for assistance. In an interview with the BBC, Krah, a resident of Utrecht, The Netherlands, said it was "basic human curiosity" that prompted him to attempt to break the code. "Clearly, the project is from the 'because-we-can' department," Krah wrote on a bulletin board online. Super Sleuths Unite Krah was not looking for additional brain power when he posted his request for help online. Rather, he was trolling for more computer power. The program Krah created required the might of a series of connected computers to process his mathematical codebreaking formula. When the response to his request for help came, Krah said, he was astonished by "the exponential growth of participants." On January 9, when the project began, Krah counted himself as the only participant. After his announcement online, another five or so people joined and became regular participants. That number expanded to some 2,500 computers whirring away as they ran through the 150 million permutations of each letter to crack the Enigma cipher, the top priority for Allied codebreakers at the vaunted Bletchley Park complex in Buckinghamshire, England. Amateurs One, Pros Zero Success for Krah came on February 20, when a jumble of 196 letters became a legible message once again after 63 years. In its encrypted form, the message appeared as follows: NCZW VUSX PNYM INHZ XMQX SFWX WLKJ AHSH NMCO CCAK UQPM KCSM HKSE INJU SBLK IOSX CKUB HMLL XCSJ USRR DVKO HULX WCCB GVLI YXEO AHXR HKKF VDRE WEZL XOBA FGYU JQUK GRTV UKAM EURB VEKS UHHV OYHA BCJW MAKL FKLM YFVN RIZR VVRT KOFD ANJM OLBG FFLE OPRG TFLV RHOW OPBE KVWM UQFM PWPA RMFH AGKX IIBG The unencrypted message has been translated into English and verified using existing records from Hartwig Looks, commander of the German submarine U264, that was later sunk in the North Atlantic in February 1944. The message, sent on November 25, 1942, reads: "Forced to submerge during attack. Depth charges. Last enemy position 0830h AJ 9863, [course] 220 degrees, [speed] 8 knots. [I am] following [the enemy]. [barometer] falls 14 mb, [wind] nor-nor-east, [force] 4, visibility 10 [nautical miles]." Krah said that he is not sure the remaining two codes will be cracked. So far, the power of thousands of PCs joined in this effort has resulted in little success. "There is no guarantee that another break will occur at all," Krah was quoted as saying. "There is simply a fair chance." To volunteer your computer's processing power to crack the final two codes, go to www.bytereef.org/m4_project.html (Comment on this)
Thursday, February 23rd, 2006
2:15 pm	China Bans Cartoons That Blend Animation By ALEXA OLESEN, Associated Press Writer 56 minutes ago BEIJING - "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" could be out of the picture in China — along with many other cartoon favorites. China has announced a ban on TV shows and movies that blend animated elements with live-action actors, a move aimed at nurturing local animators and apparently curbing the use of foreign cartoons. Besides "Roger Rabbit," the 1988 feature film in which actor Bob Hoskins performed beside several animated characters, popular children's TV shows featuring human hosts and animated elements such as "Blue's Clues" from the United States and Britain's "Teletubbies" could be included in the ban. And "Space Jam," the 1996 film featuring basketball great Michael Jordan alongside Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck could also be shelved. The government's main television and film regulator sent notice Feb. 15 to broadcasters and theaters that such films and shows could no longer be shown and that violators would be punished. It did not say what the penalties would be. It also did not give examples of banned programs but described them as "so-called cartoons that mainly feature real people and only occasionally have computer-generated elements." Communist authorities are eager to expand the country's animation industry and also are worried about the influence of foreign pop culture on Chinese children. The cartoon ban is intended to "promote the development and prosperity of the cartoon industry in China," said the statement issued by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. The broadcast administration's statement said it planned to review programs that had previously been granted licenses to make sure none of the banned programming is aired. Phone calls to the administration's main office on Thursday weren't answered. Japanese and Western animated programs have gained a foothold in China but the government wants to develop its own industry. China already limits foreign cartoons on television to 40 percent of all cartoons broadcast. It has said it might ban all foreign cartoons from prime time television once the quantity and quality of domestic productions is considered adequate. Yet foreign cartoons dubbed into Chinese are a staple on late afternoon and weekend television. Chinese studios have taken advantage of low labor costs to build a growing business handling the labor-intensive animation of cartoons for foreign studios. But they've had little luck building up their own brands. There are few Chinese-made cartoons aside from a handful of traditional tales such as "Journey to the West" and some government-financed titles. (Comment on this)
Sunday, February 19th, 2006
1:29 pm	Gifts benefit others So our series of spirtual gifts at church. Today it was on on the Gift of Tongues. The purpose is to connect with others. The power of a single tongue is very powerful. For example a judge with just a few words can sentence a man to prison for life or set him free. The Highest expression is to praise God. This is also done by communticatin God's truth. The sermon is on Acts 2:1-13. Verses 2-4 Suddenly a sound like the bvlowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and bean to speak in other tongues as teh spirit enable them. (Comment on this)
9:23 am	Spirtual gifts I think today will be good at church. We have a on going sermon on spirutal gifts. Last week it was leadership. I'll have to post later on when I hear this one. =-) (Comment on this)
Friday, February 17th, 2006
10:01 pm	Fast I got my degree in the mail, and the college overnighted my degree! Its a nice feeling to acutally have it. Though personaly I thinking having a job will the real deal of having something to show as results of the Bacharlor Arts degree. (Comment on this)
Thursday, February 16th, 2006
11:08 am	long time I graduated from the tech college in April of 2003. I moved out 4 months before that. A year later I moved up to my parents house. In that time I never received my actual degree on paper. I finally emailed the college and they said that my degree was in the registrar office. I am frankly suprised they still have it. I was very angry with them for quite sometime of not receving it. Today is another day of working on my portfolio. I go through periods of where it seems like there is no end to geting my work done. I get angry and frustrated and wonder why I wasn't ready to get a job after I graduated. To pour a little salt in my wound, the college asked the Alumni awhile back to help by either contributing money to the college or to come in person to help current students with their studies. In my situation I can do neither. (Comment on this)
Monday, February 13th, 2006
8:08 am	3d Axe (Comment on this)