makeshiftmind

As many of you know, I am getting married to my fiancée Brittany on Sunday, July 24th, 2005. That’s four days away. What many of you may not have realized is that I only just proposed to Brittany on Sunday, July 10th, 2005. That’s ten days ago. While I have been paying on a ring for some time now, I just couldn’t bring myself to propose until I had that fine piece of jewelry in my possession. Now, for the ladies among my readership, I will proceed to recite, in painstaking detail, the events of that beautiful evening.

Like a true romantic, I kept our dinner destination a complete surprise. We traveled down to Ballwin to eat at a Russian restaurant called Zhivago’s, which offers a fine assortment of hearty meals and delicious drinks, as well as an upscale romantic atmosphere. The dining area is adorned with dark cherry-wood tables, chairs, and booths, and the walls are adorned with antiqued Russian decor. Our menu was bound in wood-crafted covers. We had a wonderful meal–Brittany had a chicken dish, and I had beef. We both ordered martinis, and I tried an imported Russian beer. Our waiter was extremely classy, and maintained a calm and suave composure the entire time.

After we finished our meal, I ordered a dessert for Brittany and I to share. While the waiter was preparing our dessert in the kitchen, I saw my opportunity and took it. I moved around to the side of the table, kneeled on one knee, and said exactly what was in my heart. I can’t remember exactly what I said, nor did I think about it before I said it. I just opened my mouth, and what came out was perfect. In that moment, I let me deepest feelings and thoughts speak for me, because I knew that they would convey my proposal with a clarity that, had I tried, I could not have achieved.

Our evening was beautiful–the perfect way to “officially” begin our engagement. Even if it will be only fourteen days long. Brittany and I are committed to each other and committed to making our wedding and life together as special as possible.

One of the things that makes the Internet great is that it is, by and large, unregulated by government authority. It is the last truly free means of exchange–it is a forum for free speech, free commerce, free association, etc. Now, however, the UN thinks that the United States has an unfair monopoly on the Internet, and according to this CNet news article, is vying for control of many Internet functions, such as:

“…who decides key questions like adding new top-level domains, assigning chunks of numeric Internet addresses, and operating the root servers that keep the Net humming. Other suggested responsibilities for this new organization include Internet surveillance, ‘consumer protection,’ and perhaps even the power to tax domain names to pay for ‘universal access.’”

Representatives from countries like Syria, Brazil, China, and Ghana (all quoted in the article) support this UN proposition–as if they have a claim to the rich legacy of the Internet. In reality, however, the Internet is the brainchild of the American military and American universities. Ten of the thirteen world-wide Internet root servers reside in the United States. The Internet is an American phenomenon, not a “global community” project. Countries like China, whose policies are diametrically opposed to the purpose of the Internet (the free exchange of information), should not be allowed to dictate terms to the American people, who make it possible for the rest of the world to experience a degree of electronic freedom. China’s censorship policies are so bad, that news organizations have applied the nick-name “The Great Firewall of China” to their corner of the Internet.

The fact is that the Internet is already global, and any country that wishes to participate may have access to it. But the only way the Internet can stay free, uncensored, and global is if it is primarily under the control of a country that values freedom. If other countries want more control, nothing is stopping them from creating their own internet and managing it any way they see fit.

My brother sent me a link to this website, whose authors insist that Star Wars is really a tool of Satan to lead people away from the true light. The site is, according to the authors, a joke — something on par with The Onion, but it’s worth visiting just to see the staged protests during the opening of Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Truly, some people have NO life.

On a similar note, for those of you who didn’t see “Triumph the Insult Dog vs. Star Wars”, you’re missing a superb treat! Triumph mercilessly rips on uber-geeks who live and breathe the Lucas saga — but they stand defiant of his witt and humor, clinging tenaciously to their first love. Worth every minute.