Tuesday night the Atomic City Rollergirls (ACRG) were at the 2011 Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo. The ACRG went up against two different teams, the Rodeo City Rollergirls from Ellensburg and the Femme Fianna from Tacoma. To play the two teams, the ACRG divided into two teams, the ACRG Freshmeat and the ACRG Vets. The Vets ended up with a win over the Femme Fiannas but the Freshmeat team lost to Rodeo City.

The announcers, who I believe were ACRG team members, gave a good introduction to the rules of the game as it started and some commentary and chit chat during the event. I think more play-by-play and color commentary would have helped the crowd’s interest.

As a sponsor of the Demolition Derby on Monday night, we had passes to the Sponsor/VIP. For the rodeo, these are great seats (if you get there early enough to get a front row seat at the rail) but for the roller derby they were quite distant from the action. Still it was interesting to watch and the ‘free’ food, catered by Florentina’s in the sponsor area, was good.

I did my best to get some good roller derby photos, but my poor telephoto lens was pushed to its limits in the low lights at such a distance. If you would like to see some great photos of the event, check out those of John Sokol and Kai-Huei Yau.

Anyone who clings to the historically untrue — and thoroughly immoral — doctrine that “violence never solves anything” I would advise to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and of the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Breeds that forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms.

Source: Professor (Lt. Col. (Ret.)) Jean V. Dubois
Book: Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein – Page: 26

Not real sure what to make of this book, Cat’s Cradle. Through satire, the author mocks both science and religion yet, in his mocking he also shows their necessity.

To me it seems that:

• Science is presented as truth but without limits it destroys.
• Religion is presented as false but without it we are hopeless.

This is book #59 towards my goal of 100 books this year. Chosen because it is on a number of Top 100 Science Fiction book lists.

Would be interested in your take on this book if you have had a chance to read it.