Global Warming.... IS FAKE!

I wrote this to comment on my uncle's blog, and instead of rewriting it for my own I just cut and pasted...

I used work as a writing tutor at UVU, helping students with papers and research. One day I had a student come in who was researching the topic of global warming. He said he was having trouble supporting his thesis. When I asked him what his thesis was, he responded "Global warming is entirely man-made", he said he could find lots of statements that said this was true, but no scientific facts to support it! He had actually found a lot of hard evidence to the contrary while looking for an opposing argument! After I suggested to him that maybe he should change his thesis statement to better reflect his hours and hours of research, he assured me that he was quite certain that his thesis statement was true and couldn't be modified. I still think it's too bad that he has been so deceived to the point that he won't even trust his OWN research on the subject! I just hope his professor gave him a bad grade for his poorly researched research paper.

Don't try to sell me anything.

I have been 'duped' before. As a result I am a harsh, hard, calloused, skeptic. I don't buy anything that someone tries to sell me. And if a salesperson suggests something I am less likely to buy it than I would have been had they not.

I just had an experience in which a gentleman stopped me in the hall and asked me questions like "Hey, you look like a smart student! are you an intelligent guy?" and he asked me if I went to school here (UVU) and some other things. I was polite and answered, and then he started showing me some kindof Indian book and started talking about how it was the original text and whatever. I realised that he was proselyting in some way.
I experienced several different emotions at that time. First, I felt excited. I don't think I've ever been proselyted to. Maybe as an LDS missionary. But just as a normal person, not ever. So that was fun and I wanted to enjoy it.
Second, I must've had a flashback of the mission, because I felt a responsibility to help him by sharing my own testimony and proselyting to him.
Third, I felt bothered, because he opened our conversation with questions - like a salesman (I should write a posting about the door to door sales industry). So I decided just to leave.
I told him thank you and handed back his book and left. Mostly because I hate being sold to. If someone needs to use tricky language - or isn't strait forward in some way, it turns me off. I am an honest person. And I believe in open communication. I don't mind hearing a sales pitch, or giving people a moment of my time. But I HATE it when people try to 'rope me in' to a converstion...
Anyway... I wish now that I had slowed down to talk to this gentleman. Mostly becasue I am curious about his book and I would've liked to share my thoughts with him.
On the other hand, maybe he really was selling something and didn't want to have a conversation, or maybe he didn't want to hear my side, or maybe it's just a good thing I didn't waste my time when I don't need to hear from someone who doesn't respect me as a person enough to introduce himself when he approaches. (hence, 'a gentleman')

Another thing, I've been working towards goals, financial and otherwise. And I find that there are a lot of things that I didn't know I needed, or wanted until I heard about them. My life is a lot easier when I don't worry about persuing things that I didn't know about, just a moment ago. That's why I leave Target with exactly what I went in to buy.

Snowboarding and Hitchhikers

So I went snowboarding today.
Alone.
It reminded me of The Family Man, when he talks about how he's going to spend hours and hours skiing, utterly alone. I got there at 8:45, and left at 4:ish. I was so beat. On my last run I thought I was gonna kill myself. I'd had a couple close calls already, and now that I was virtually falling over from fatigue... Needless to say, I enjoyed it. For some reason I feel a tremendous pressure to be good at it. And I just am not. I have to keep reminding myself that I am self taught, and in the process of learning.

Whenever I go do stuff alone, that I enjoy, but have nobody to go with, I meet weirdos. I gave a girl hitchhiker a ride up the canyon, and another guy a ride on my way down, both were employees if Brighton. I didn't feel like they considered it much of a favor - I then realized that they were just moochers. If you got a free ride everyday at someone else's expense it would be hard to be grateful, you'd almost come to expect it. Hm... I wonder if that is what happens to people who take advantage of government programs.

But, I digress.

I was talking about snowboarding. It's not easy. But it never ceases to amaze me how pompous some people can be. If someone is skilled at something they have to make a choice, to befriend those who are not, or to look down on them. The worth of a person is shown by their interaction with others. Financial status, talent, and expertise have nothing to do with it. I have met some nice people, and some inconsiderate people.

Bush is hardcore.

I just wanna say something about my political standpoint now that I have a voice on the world wide web. :D

No matter what you think about George W. Bush, he can take a lot of criticism. Deserved or no. Given the situation, pressure, and onslaught of negative media and political mudslinging, that no other president has ever had to endure, George W. Bush is hardcore. Bravo.

As far as Obama goes, let's wish him luck, shall we?