Time to pack it in, well maybe. The Miami Heat got they're ass kicked by the Mavericks last night losing 99-85 and they're down 2 - 0, with the next three in Miami. To say I'm embarassed to be a Heat fan watching that game would be an understatement. The only two players that showed up were Udonis Haslem and Alonzo Mourning. You thought I would've put Dwayne Wade or Shaquille O'Neal or even both of them on there but no I put them on another list. The two most EMBARASSING players on the court. Shaquille O'Neal said after game one that he doesn't have two bad games in a row, I wonder what his excuse next will be Shaq doesn't play three bad games in a row. Where is the desire, where is the drive, you no what it's disappeared from him. Now Shaq's kept quite, not speaking to anyone, well I'll get back to him later. Dwayne Wade, you know I thought he played ok in the first game, he could've hit his free throws better, but he did show up and I had no problems with his play. Sunday was a different story. I have never seen someone so out of control on the basketball court in my entire life, he was making plays harder than they were. It's like he wanted to be on Sportscenter with each of his shots, hey Dwayne it's ok if you get the simple layup, Sportscenter may be upset, but your team will be happier. His best plays were off of steals and easy layups. Please no more excuses either, the flu issue is old, very old.

   Pat Riley was saying afterwards that we'll they did there job, they held serve on their home court and said we need to play better. Excuse me where's the passion from Riley has it disappeared, has he gone off in a zone where he's content with his prior championships and is just happy to be in one again. I'm embarassed by his emotions after the game totally PASSIONLESS! Like I said the only two bright spots from the game were Mourning and Haslem. On to Haslem he was playing his game hitting the short jump shot and driving the lane with agression and passion.  Hello, Wade, Jason Williams, take his cue and due something. Oh about Williams he's a guy who only plays well in the first quarter, then packs it in the rest of the game, he NEEDS to step up. Haslem got hurt in the game and last I checked they didn't know the status for him. Walker, was ok, he was settling for jump shots in the first half, but in the mid-3rd quarter to the rest of the game seem to step up his game. But to me the best player on the court was Alonzo Mourning. This guy played with such heart, which is something the Heat aren't. Here's a guy who's been through tons of surgeries and said he probably couldn't play basketball again. He's an inspiration to watch sometimes. Off the bench he was contributing with desire which resulted in points and rebounds off the bench. Speaking of bench, if I were the coach I would start Mourning in game 3 and O'Neal can start off the game on the bench. I know it's not going to happen but why not he seems to be the only one who wants a championship at this point. Also someone needs to tell Shaq hitting one free throw out of like eight to eleven chances isn't going to cut it, it's embarassing and reflects on him. I'm not used to attack Shaq like this but he deserves it. Oh, in case Heat fans are wondering only two teams the 1969 Boston Celtics and 1977 Portland Trailblazers have comeback from a 2-0 deficit to win a championship, maybe the Heat will be the third but if yesterday's games any indiction there still be two teams to hold that feat after the series. I'm still crossing my fingers it'll be three.

P.S.:  Oh also extremist Ann Coulter is in the news for her comments in her book, Godless about four 9-11 widows, headed up by Kristen Breitweiser. I have alot of strong feelings I'll share about this on my next post and hopefully by then the Heat will be in a better position.

Well we have a current uproar about gay marriage this week. President Bush has recently called on Congress to sign a Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage, citing 4 states (Washigntion, California, Maryland, and New York) in which local courts had "overturned laws protecting" marriage since 2004. Bush said Monday, "I call on Congress to pass this amendment, send it to the states for ratification so we can take this issue out of hands of over-reaching judges and put it back where it belongs -- in the hands of the American people." He has support from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist(R-TN), who said "The Senate needs to act now. The American people deserve a full debate ... before marriage is redefined for everyone." First off I believe this is purely political and ridiculous and unnecessary. While some judges have gotten in a away in a few cases, we already have an act that definies marriage between a "man and woman", it is The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act signed into law by President Bill Clinton, it's two main provisions are:

1)It allows each state to decide for itself whether it wants to grant legal status to same-sex marriage.

2)Marriage is the legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife, and a spouse is a husband or wife or the opposite sex.

 So this debate is purely unnecessary. In case your wondering I would vote aganist this current amendment being proposed, but not because I support gay marriage, because I don't. I believe The Defense of Marriage Act already takes care of this. I believe gay marriage should be left to the states. In which the act signed ten years ago did. So Congress and President Bush are wasting our time. This I already said was pure politics by the GOP and religious people like Gary Bauer and James Dobson. Guess what everyone Bill Frist obviously believes we also need to deal with flag burning, what! These my friends are not the issues of our time. The American people need real solutious to current problems like a plan for Iraq, our current energy problem, our immigration problem, and preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. We don't have leadership right know, we need it. Someone please give us this, I feel Joe Biden has done this, most aren't looking out for the American people. At a time we need real solutions to real problems we are getting absoultely NONE!!

I'm back from Philly. I had a good time. I would probably say on a scale of 1-10, it was an 8. I wish I could of seen more sights, but it was a family trip and sometimes people want to see only a certain amount of things. Besides I came there to see my brother graduate from Temple. He did the ceremony was on a Thursday and he is know a dentist, so that's good. Actually for me the highlight of the trip was watching the Boston Red Sox play aganist the Philadelphia Phillies(it was great the schedule worked out that Boston was playing Philly the weekend of the trip). Of course I'm a die hard Red Sox fan, so actually seeing a game was spectacular. I should say I have been to Fenway Park about eight to ten years ago to watch a Sox game, but I hardly remember anything from it, so it really never stood out. But seeing the Sox play live this Friday was something I will truly remember, of course they won(5-3) which makes it all the better. "Big Papi" David Ortiz hit a mammoth two-run  homer that I still think is going, and Lowell and Varitek also hit homers. I had seats in the upper deck but I still was able to get a good view of the action. Also of note was the crowd, the announced attendence was around 44,000, but almost half of those were Boston Red Sox fans, including the group that sat below us. It was so interesting and fun to hear more chants for the Red Sox than the Phillies, then you know your popular. The Phillies fans were so pathetic that they actually shouted let's go Yankees, trying to get to us Sox fans, won't work. Besides it shows how dedicated Sox fans are to there ball club. I've been a Sox fan since I was in the 4th grade and my ethusiasm for them continues, even with a World Series ring and it will never stop. So I had a good time, I enjoyed the ceremony, I thought I would but watching the game live was something to remember.

Hey all well I'm off to Philadelphia tomorrow for my brother's graduation on Thursday from the University of Temple. I'm going to stay all the way til Sunday. It should be fun, like I said Philadelphia is actually a great place to go, anyone who's been there knows there are lots of places to go, so you never get bored. They also have a great hotel (the Doubletree) its 20 miles from the airport, it has a great view.  Take going to Minneapolis for example(ugh!), the only place there is the Mall of Americas, I remember I was bored out of mind also sick as well. Also first day of Latin American Politics class was today(yikes) I don't know if I can keep up, I guess it's more of it being in the summer and trying to keep pace. I can do that for electives, but classes like this well who knows. The summer schedule didn't have much open and the few electives that were disappeared within a day.  Anyway I'll figure something out.. I got a B in my other class Research Methods in Political Science(I had gotten a B- in my World Politics Class) so I'm doing well, I'm no genius, but I get by.

Also Bush gave his speech on immigration last night, the only thing new is he wants to add 6,000 troops to the boarder, some hard line conservatives who are for troops on the border say that isn't nearly enough, but critics say it's a good start. Democrats say the only reason Bush is adding troops is because of his bad poll ratings. Whatever the reason he addressed the issue.  You know it's funny people who are for the military on the border or a fence say if your not for this plan your essentially granting amnesty and not securing the boarder. Critics of adding troops say we're stretched to thin in Iraq and we have other troops stationed in Kosovo and Germany and around the world and it's not feasible to do this. The House bill which contains troops at the border is different than the Senate which doesn't. Bush wants both sides (the House and the Senate) to compromise. But certain House members like Peter King(R-NY) and Tom Tancredo(R-CO) aren't budging, they don't want anything to do with the Senate bill, the Mccain-Kennedy bill, which conservatives and people who want military on the border call this amnesty. They say the Mccain-Kennedy bill doesn't do anything to secure the border. Democrats tend to favor the Senate bill. So there's going to be a battle between the House and the Senate over the bills, which side is right on this well I guess time will dictate that.

Hey sorry I haven't written more entries in Xangas lately, things are a little dull I guess or maybe I'm just being lazy. Whatever the case may be, try not and hold it aganist me.  Most importantly I'm done with finals I got a B- in World Politics and I'm waiting my grade for Research Methods in Politics so hopefully I did well. I'm off until Tuesday May 16 when I start my Latin American Politics class. Also that week I'm traveling off to Philadelphia again, I should say going there was one of my favorites trips ever and I'm looking forward to going there, I'll tell you more later. Also so far George Bush has been in office for five and half years, two and half more are still left. Maybe I'm the only one whose noticed this but don't you feel like George Bush has been in office forever(for the people who are aganist him probably want to pull there hair out, while his supporters are in such delight they can't stop smiling). Honestly though I feel like he's been in office for his full term already, I know he hasn't but it feels like that. Do you feel like me he has been in office forever or do you feel it has gone along in the regular manner?

I have a new award the PLEASE GET OVERSELF AWARD goes to Tom Cruise.  Every single entertainment show he has to show his face, excuse me, you may be a big celebrity but please your not that important to the everyday Americans. I would also have an award for the MOST BRAINWASHED CELEBRITY that goes to Cruise's significant other Katie Holmes, not that Tom Cruise didn't play a major factor in it he did, but I thought Katie was one of the more down-to-earth celebrities well I guess her love for Tom also got in the way of the fact she's a completely different person than she used to be. She used to be a devouted Roman Catholic and now she's converted(with alot of convincing from Tom) to Scientology wow! Talk about brainwashing, last year in an interview she was accompanied by her Scientology minder and spoke for Katie in some of her responses, that's sad. Katie's not the Katie of two or so years ago she had a mind of her own and spoke for herself now she has people speaking for her. Pathetic! Tom should be ashamed, let her be herself.  Tom is well, he's on a track that I don't even think he knows.  I so don't care about their relationship, the media does, it shows how sad they are. I hope there baby at least grows up and doesn't get influenced by this craziness by parents Cruise and Holmes. Also doing MySpace blogs is much tougher than doing Xanga ones.  I always check my blog home and I get alot of views but people don't want to comment, it's frustrating. I've done three blog enties and I've had over 35+ views but only two comments, ugh!  I think I've diversified in my entries or I just don't know what it is. Whatever, if I knew what people were interested in I'd write on it.

Does anybody hate Mondays?  To me they are the worst day of the week.  It seems like nothing goes right, maybe it's the beginning of the week, I'm not sure.  But take for example this past Monday, I felt I couldn't do anything right most importantly I saved my 7 page report to the wrong drive and when I tried to retrieve it I got an error. So I had to do it over again yesterday, and I was shown by the person in the computer lab which drive to save to, what a relief.  I remember I was saying the word fucking alot that night, I hated it, to me I think it's the process of Monday starting the week, once I got settled in, the rest of the week seems to work out and things go as normal, I dread Monday(s) most of the time..

Not that most people watch Hannity and Colmes, but since I do I notice the structure of the show, it's fascinating to me, in my 3 1/2 years of watching I've summed up the show this way it's a pro-Republican, anti-Democratic show, basically it's a Republican show.  I know there are two hosts, one conservative Sean Hannity and one liberal Alan Colmes, but the format of the show doesn't fit both points of views.  Ask yourself this question, do they put on an equal amount of guests from both sides of the aisle, no, and if the Democratic side is represented they usually have to defend outrageous situations, like outrageous statements said by Al Gore or Hilary Clinton, or even Louis Farakan or a celebrity saying something stupid and if it is a senator or congressman from the Democratic side they are usually portrayed as saying some racial slur or outrageous statement. Also if they get into important issues like immigration and so forth, the guests are mostly Republicans, few Democrats. They actually were kind to a Democrat yesterday, who was from Alaska, who announced he's running for president, he's for things like a fair tax, world government, and immediate removal of troops from Iraq. To me that's the exception more than the rule.  Besides that it's unfair and I think, despite its solid ratings, I think the good majority of people who watch it are conservative, some liberal. But I think liberals/Democrats see these stories and feel offended by the show, so they don't watch it. I watch it just to see if they are fair to both sides and to see the quality of the stories.  The stories put Alan in a difficult situation. If both sides want a fair presentation of their side watch The O'Reilly Factor. Granted while I agree that when they show those stories about these people saying these things, I'll more often than not agree it's wrong, But I think they show a bad representative of what Democrats are all about, both sides do try and work hard on the issues and I hate it when shows like this try and hurt another party, which proves to me in the end Sean Hannity decides what the good majority of stories go on the air, fair, well you decide. 

Thanks for the birthday shoutouts everybody. Anyway the subject of illegal immigration has been dominating the news and politics in general. The word amnesty has been brought up a lot, mostly in a negative fashion. I guess amnesty is turning into the what the meaning of "is" is. Everybody has there meaning, mostly it's hardcore people who use it in defining what the protestors want and what the Senate(Kennedy-Mccain) bill is. People who use the word want the military on the boarder and/or fence. It's turning a little nasty upside American flags, Mexican flags(in previous protests) in the protests and the people who are for the military on the boarder put down the other side in calling what they want is amnesty(just there tone). Just a basic question to be asked is how are you going to deport the already 11,000 immigrants already here I have yet to hear a concrete answer to that yet, but then again I'm a learner in this battle of illegal immigration. Also I hate the politicians like Hilary Clinton who pander to these protestors there playing politics with a vital issue, then again Hilary Clinton is a panderer, with a capital P. Bill Clinton, she's not, not even close! Besides that I've already decided or come very close to who I want to be president in 2008, Joe Biden. I was between Mccain, Bill Richardson, and him, but when I heard his speech in South Carolina on C-SPAN and heard him on Real Time with Bill Maher it clinched it for me. But then again Hilary Clinton will get the nomination in all likelihood. What a shame, if she gets nominated Republicans should salivate and no they will get the White House in '08 she is a decisive figure and she doesn't stand for anything. Biden's stance on foreign defense and just him wanting to do things for the American people, I like. I'll explain way later on in further writings. If I vote for someone else it will be, if he doesn't get the Democratic nomination. If Mccain wins the nomination for the Republicans I'll vote for him then if Biden doesn't get it. Richardson could always sneak in if all else fails.  Or well it's a long ways a ways anyway so things change, but last week help make my decision somewhat simpler. Sorry if I went on too long(you must be exhausted just reading it).

Hey to all my fellow Xangites. Today is MY BIRTHDAY.  Yes those years do go by faster than you know it. Hope to hear from you all. Nothing special really planned but birthday's still mean something, I liked them better when I was a preteen going into my teen years, I just had more eventful birthdays thats all. But birthdays are still birthdays. That's why I love April, not only for the weather but for the special day(my day)!

Hey all, a couple of year anniversaries this week.  Today was the anniversary of Pope John Paul II death and Friday was when Terri Schiavo passed away. We all know the significance of the deaths and the political misuse by politicians of one of the occasions. I don't want to rehash, because I've gone over it before just to give you something to think about. Also my birthday is this Thursday, also something to keep in mind. Hope everyone's doing great and I'm over that little incident I spoke about, so I'm doing good. Hope to here from everyone.