Topper's TravelsTopper Kain's blog. Topper Kain is a world-famous kazoo player and traditional norwegian food chef. He wants you to use the comments. Wednesday, September 20, 2006I'm hardly a bleeding heart, but every time I read about the US's situation after Afghanistan and before Iraq I'm struck with how bad an idea the Iraq war really was. I'll admit, I kind of supported it at the time. I was sold on the "It will be easy" arguements, the idea that Saddam really probably did have WMD or at least a program, that that crazy fucker would have used them, and that removing an insane muderous jackass from power was just thing to to do.Additionally I understand that Iraq was a client state to Russia, China, and France, our three greatest rivals in the world. I also understand how much oil we COULD have gotten out of Iraq. However, the facts on the ground say that the US would now be in a better position had we never gone into Iraq. While I understand the political impossibility of this, just THINK what would have happened had we spent all the money we are spending on Iraq on alternative energy R&D in the US. More jobs, more technology, the investment in capital inside the US. Internationally we would not appear bogged down and would not be letting our position in the Caspian, Central Asia, and elsewhere slip. Overall, it was just a bad idea. How we get out of I do not know. .: posted by Topper 2:09 PMFriday, September 08, 2006I just watched a couple episodes of the TV show Numb3rs. I love this show. If you haven't heard of it it's about an FBI agent and his genius, crime solving math professor younger brother. Now the reason I got into the show was it actually had decent math and starred a, well, cool geek. The believable math thing lasted about two episodes. The reason why I still watch it, and love it, is because what it really is is an exploration of male familial relations.Seriously, the best parts of this mathematician fights crime show are the moments at home between the two brothers and thier dad. The episode I just watched dealt with guilt over parental attention. Most touch on the subject how two people from the same family can end up with very different personalities, jobs, etc., but they are still family. Besides How I Met Your Mother, I cannot think of another show on TV for which it is easier to connect with the main characters. It's wonderful. .: posted by Topper 3:53 AMSaturday, July 29, 2006Despite not ever posting on here, I am still not dead. I'm just in Carson City, NV. That's right, I came out here to be with my GF, Jen, working at an automotive test center. It's alright, but Carson City and Reno are making me appreciate real cities.I've been watching a lot of CNN about the Lebanon war. I think I've got a solution: the Israeli's and the Palestinians flip a coin, heads Israel gets the Levant, tails the Palestinians do. The loser gets an equivalent amount of land in the Dakotas. There's just Injun's there anyways, they won't mind, right??? Anyways, I'm not dead, but I don't want to write anymore. .: posted by Topper 12:36 PMMonday, May 15, 2006Today the HMC c/o 2006 graduated. While I don't mind coming back next year that much, I do regret not experiencing graduation with all the '06ers. No offense to my 2007 friends, but I have been I have felt so honored and priveleged to know everyone who graduated this year. You are all great friends, dedicated, interesting, and wonderful people.I'm profoundly sad that the class of 2006 has now passed into the history of Harvey Mudd. While I know that my assocation with many of you will continue, it will be much less frequent and much less reliable. All of you keep in touch. .: posted by Topper 3:09 AMMonday, April 24, 2006I'm not dead.I just wanted to make sure anyone who reads this (I think that number approaches zero after this much inactivity) wasn't getting any ideas about my untimely demise. I'm still quite alive and well. As long as I'm writing here, I might as well put out a blurb saying how amazingly cool the hog roast I put on Saturday was. It was just spectacular! Me, Tavi, and Joe spit roasted a 164 lbs hog. We started the process of cooking the pig at 2 AM and kept cooking it till 4 PM. We might also of consumed a few cool and frothy beverages during taht time... Unfortuantly, when people started showing up at 4, the pig ended up not being done, so we ran it over to dining services and watched chef Reuban chop the pig into manageable pieces and then throw them in the oven. In the oven everything cooked in about an hour. It was soooo good. Pulled pork is TASTY. It was also a lot of fun just hanging out with professors and their kids and everyone else in a totally relaxed setting. We'd pulled couches outside around the spit and everyone just sat around and joked and stuff. It was a lot of fun. I'm totally planning on doing it next year. .: posted by Topper 6:27 PM |
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