More Extraction

• If anyone's looking for epic music combined with beauty, I say check out Hans Zimmer.
  
  
• Hey, wouldn't it we sweet to have your whole house wired installed with speakers, so that everyone could listen to the same music at the same time, enabling everyone to vote on moving on and such? OK, maybe it isn't such a cool idea. . . .
  
  
• This is a Star Wars related piece of writing, back from '03. I think it's hilarious. Basically, it's raw, un-edited work from a 12-year-old:
  
  Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away there lived a young man named Icaf Zemcoid. This man was a rejected Jedi outcast. In his fourth year of training, he was seriously injured in a T-wing accident. During the accident, he lost all memory of his child hood, his parents, and himself. Once he left the Jedi order, he was left to fend for himself in the dark universe. All that he had was his repaired T-wing and D2-3A his mechanic droid.
  
  Soon after this, he made the deadly decision of becoming a bounty hunter! Two and half years later he got his first job, he was asked to catch the nitroagen breathing Glimbo Chlang. Glimbo Chlang being of the shi'lek decent was 212 years old, and in the condition of a 25 year old man. The female being who was hiring him was Shelom-Bero. Sherlom-Bero being about 8'10" was the captain of the merchant ship Shap 'es. Sherlom-Bero said that she would pay him 850 credits, also she said if he caught him in less then a fort-night she would pay him a bonus of 150 credits.
  
  Soon he was on his way to the planet Lakaiok, home planet of Glimbo Chang. Although this was his first bounty, he felt as if he had been doing for years. Soon he arrived at the spaceport O'Laka. As soon as he landed, he set his drones on high alert for any evidence Glimbo's whereabouts. Soon he was talking to the spaceport attendant. Approaching him calmly, he said, "Excuse me sir, but do you happen to know were the residents of Glimbo Chlang is located at?" Nervously the attendant he replied "No, he doesn't even exist, and if he did he wouldn't live here." Icaf replied "Oh, he doesn't; well I guess someone isn't going to well then." With that, the man replied quickly, "Okay fine he does exist, but I don't know were his house is." Icaf then said with a force wave, "You say you don't know were his house is, tell me anyway." With that, the attendant said motionless, " Glimbo Chlang lives on Lek Lane-4400." Icaf replied thankfully, "Your generosity is over whelming, thank you."
  
  
• What follows is the foreword to An Autobiography by Theodore Roosevelt:
  
  Naturally, there are chapters of my autobiography which cannot now be written.
  
  It seems to me that, for the nation as for the individual, what is most important is to insist on the vital need of combining certain sets of qualities, which separately are common enough, and, alas, useless enough. Practical efficiency is common, and lofty idealism not uncommon; it is the combination which is necessary, and the combination is rare. Love of peace is common among weak, short-sighted, timid, and lazy persons; and on the other hand courage is found among many men of evil temper and bad character. Neither quality shall by itself avail. Justice among the nations of mankind, and the uplifting of humanity, can be brought about only by those strong and daring men who with wisdom love peace, but who love righteousness more than peace. Facing the immense complexity of modern social and industrial conditions, there is need to use freely and unhesitatingly the collective power of all of us ; and yet no exercise of collective power will ever avail if the average individual does not keep his or her sense of personal duty, initiative, and responsibility. There is need to develop all the virtues that have the state for their sphere of action ; but these virtues are as dust in a windy street unless back of them lie the strong and tender virtues of a family life based on the love of the one man for the one woman and on their joyous and fearless acceptance of their common obligation to the children that are theirs. There must be the keenest sense of duty, and with it must go the joy of living; there must be shame at the thought of shirking the hard work of the world, and at the same time delight in the many-sided beauty of life. With soul of flame and temper of steel we must act as our coolest judgment bids us. We must exercise the largest charity towards the wrong-doer that is compatible with relentless war against the wrongdoing. We must be just to others, generous to others, and yet we must realize that it is a shameful and a wicked thing not to withstand oppression with high heart and ready hand. With gentleness and tenderness there must go dauntless bravery and grim acceptance of labor and hardship and peril. All for each, and each for all, is a good motto ; but only on condition that each works with might and main to so maintain himself as not to be a burden to others.
  
  We of the great modern democracies must strive unceasingly to make our several countries lands in which a poor man who works hard can live comfortably and honestly, and in which a rich man cannot live dishonestly nor in slothful avoidance of duty; and yet we must judge rich man and poor man alike by a standard which rests on conduct and not on caste, and we must frown with the same stern severity on the mean and vicious envy which hates and would plunder a man because he is well off and on the brutal and selfish arrogance which looks down on and exploits the man with whom life has gone hard.
  
  Theodore Roosevelt
  Sagamore Hill, his home in Cove Neck, New York
  October 1, 1913
  
  
• I've read approximately 16,441 pages from the combined works of Terry Brooks, Frank Herbert, and Isaac Asimov. Except for literally a few words in all of Brooks's writing, he is clean. Frank Herbert and Isaac Asimov are lazy with their creative speech pen (though not unrealistic, I may add), and sporadically throughout their work, sexuality is discussed in too much of a logical mindset. Sexuality should not be discussed "logically"; it must be discussed "morally."
  
  
• Athletes race to win. Some have ill motives, some have honorable motives, but they all share one mentality: “I compete.” In their competing, they become stronger and healthier. As the athlete competes, resulting in strength and health, so competing students enrich their mental and interpersonal well-being.
  
  Many people believe that competition degrades students, that competition brings students down to a base mode of humanity, a single-mindedness of “I must be better than you.” In part, they are correct. Competition frequently causes destructive rivalries. “Victors” flaunt and gloat over the “defeated.” Elitism develops. The gloater's actions may even cause the “failure” to lose hope or to feel worthless. In the eyes of many people, competition ultimately causes students to do worse because it belittles equality, fair-treatment, and justice.
  
  Fortunately, this degradation is only one side of a many-faceted gem. Yes, some students will form rivalries. Yes, some students will gloat. But because people desire to have good relationships with others, it is unlikely that all students will be only rivals. As in a relay race, some students will encourage one another to “run harder,” to be on time, to listen attentively, to study consistently, and to not cheat. The good attitudes, discipline, work, and leadership of these students will stimulate those who would otherwise be of low motivation.
  
  Competition does not remove all possibility of having proud or discouraged students; it provides a gateway to help develop selfless, stimulated students. Simply put, the carnal things of humanity cannot be avoided. There will always be students who cannot stop gloating and bullying. Competition, however, can offset these undesirable characteristics. With or without competition, students will naturally tend toward selfishness, pride, mediocrity, and worse, but with competition, they are at least provided with incentive to improve themselves and others.
  
  In conclusion, competition has ups and downs. The runner cannot know if he will finish the race, but he has every right to utilize the proper tools to do so. Whether in a race or in a classroom, competition is one of those “proper” tools.
  
  
• John 8:31-32: [31] Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. [32] And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
  
  If we listen to Jesus' words, have faith in God, and apply them, God's Holy Spirit will become manifest to us, and we will know truth. God's Spirit is truth. Now, I have explained what I believe to be the case, but what does it mean? I do not pretend to know how God reveals truth to us. A whisper in the ear? A prodding in a particular direction? A surety of heart and feeling? A gifted logic that reasons us to the truth? Maybe all, maybe some, maybe none. For myself, I have never felt that someone supernatural was literally speaking to me, as with prophets, but I believe that, whether I feel it or not, am prodded to make appropriate decisions when I am prayerfully depending on Christ. In Scripture, logic seems to be a predominate trait of getting into the meat of Scripture, though I also know Scripture can be understood by everyone, whether or not we are strong or weak in our logical reasoning skills. (And whether gifted or humble, neither is areason to brag. "Love is patient; love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant" [1 Corinthians 13:4].)
  
  
• And yes, I pulled a whole bunch of this stuff from previous writing. =P