I can't help but feel shocks and appalled at the actions of the the Republican GOP in several states, as well as in the Federal Government. They were voted in because people were unhappy with the Democrats, but within the last month, the Republican GOP seems out to destroy everything in its past, whether it is helpful or not. I would have written a blog post about this some time ago, but every week, a new shocker is in the news about what they want or are doing. I can barely keep up, let along wrap my head around it. Here's just a small list of what I have seen within one month of observing:
--South Dakota seeks to expand permissive killing to include the motive to protect an unborn baby, regardless of the age or health of the baby/fetus and/or the mother. In other words, this could include a miscarrying mother that needs an abortion to save an already dead or dying baby. Doctor tries to save the mother, he gets the knife in the back by a "upstanding citizen." Seriously?
--Georgia seeks to have an investigation board solely based to investigate supposed miscarriages of ANY kind to see if they were true miscarriages, or abortion attempts. This ignores the science that the majority of miscarriages happen in the first trimester and that surgery to remove the dead fetus from a miscarriage leaves the same scars as an abortion. What happened to innocent until proven guilty, or even the right to privacy?
--Indiana and Wisconsin have moved for anti-union bills. While this is limited to teachers and other government employees, this is shocking. Unions were designed to protect from exploitation by companies, businesses and so on. Do you want children working in mines again? OH WAIT!!
--Maine and Missouri are seeking to revoke all child labor restrictions, designed to keep underage children from working too many hours so they can do well in school. This will also allow them to work LONG hours in businesses with overnight hours, like hotels and 24-hour restaurants. The limit is already 16 in most states, which is fine. I can see the benefit in letting kids choose their own responsibilities, but look at the kids nowadays. 16-year-olds generally are barely responsible. Just shows that representatives don't represent kids at all since they don't even know them.
--Kansas seeks to resurrect defunct law to make consensual homosexuality a jailable criminal offense, no exceptions. They keep trying evidentially despite the Kansas Supreme Court striking down each attempt because it is unconstitutional. Makes sense. Jailing homosexuals makes as much sense as jailing people born on February 29th, and there are millions of those.
--Minnesota is moving to make it illegal for citizens on welfare to carry more then $20 in their wallets at any times. WHY!?
That's just a nutshell. I didn't vote for these nutbag Tea Partiers, but they are flying under a lying flag. Let's compare, shall we?
Boston Tea Party, 1773
--Outraged citizens attacked the HMS Dartmouth
--Destroyed an entire shipment of tea, but ONLY the tea
--Swept the ships of tea leaves. They cleaned up their mess! I wish all protesters were like that.
--They did it because Parliament was forcing them to accept the tea regardless of colonial embargoes on the tea, thanks to the Tea Act.
Nowadays
--Outraged politicians attack...well...everything.
--Seek to destroy job security, health welfare, the middle class, anything Obama is out to help.
--Leave nothing to replace the supposed messed up laws, only leave wreckage of a bill
--The only motivation is political, no matter what the voters say.
I've already washed my hands of the Republican party. They have betrayed the voters for the last time. I'll be at the polls next time, and I'll be out to VOTE THEM OUT!!
[breathes heavily.]
On a much lighter note, here's some great photos. Mother told me not to play with my food, but this guy can play as much as he wants.
Have a great day, people.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Ripples Into Waves
It's been way too long since I updated this thing. You can blame an extremely busy semester this past fall, and a lot has happened, even outside the academic world.
The semester itself was a trial, sweating to make sure my grades would be passable for graduation, which is quickly coming up. Being a student director was additional pressure, particularly when earning respect from my actors and even other directors to take things seriously. It was an uphill battle. Even after finishing well, I still feel like I didn't get everything that I needed done for the class. Big surprise, I'm a student director this year. Thankfully, this is a look on more of the theory and methodology then the actual system of directing. Should hopefully be better this time around. Only time will tell. On a more positive note, being cast and performing in Ken Ludwig's Treasure Island was definitely the coolest highlight of the past semester.
Also, as my final semester draws ever closer to a close, I have to be ready for the next step and quickly. As of right now, I'm moving to Jefferson City, MO to settle down and work on getting an income to move on to the next step, assuming all goes well on my end.
Yet even with all that, the previous semester and this semester has been dwarfed by a probably the most significant of all: the passing away of my beloved mother. I haven't talked about her in this blog--or much anywhere else for that matter--as it mostly was a personal matter. However, many people have learned about her and have expressed their sympathies. To be frank, I'm glad she died now then later. Don't misunderstand me; I'm not saying that I wanted her dead. I miss her, and I constantly dream about her, reliving the memories of her during the past 23 years of my life. What I mean is that she suffered greatly during the last few months of her life, particularly in the last month. I had returned home for Thanksgiving Break and found Mom unable to walk without assistance. Her legs had swollen to twice their normal size because of severe edema as a part of her being unable to walk and stand, and her voice had become so quiet that I could barely hear her. Either years prior, she had been diagnosed with astrocytoma, which is a generally common brain cancer--common to brain cancers anyway. The fact she survived eight years (seven years in remission) was a miracle of it own. Only within the last year was their decline.
She was ready to go, and I'm glad she died now then later so she wouldn't have to suffer anymore. Had she lived for another six months, she would have become a vegetable. However, the most significant impact was the impact she made in her relatively short life. I would think being raised by her I would have noticed some of the stuff she did. It wasn't until the funeral just after the New Year did I see the impact she made. Thirty minutes before the funeral started, the church was pact and there were two overflows into the so-called fellowship hall and the nursery. To give you an idea on how many people that is, the sanctuary can hold a full crowd of 264 people if every person took a seat in the sitting areas. Add ten to the stage behind the podium, twenty to the nursery in their own seats, and dozens more into the fellowship hall. Most of the people I didn't even know, while a great many were names of the past. Mom was only fifty years old when she died, and she impacted nearly 400 lives that would fit into that church. Needless to say, I was blown away.
If there was anything I learned all the stronger, it was that no matter how we live, we impact someone, somewhere, and the numbers we impact will always be much larger then we can realize. I've always said to my peers that whatever they do, it impacts others profoundly. Drop a stone into a lake, and eventually, the ripples will make it to the other side. Yet as much as I say that, I was still naive in how much it impacts. Mom still had things for me to learn, even after death. This was one lesson that I won't forget anytime soon, if at all.
Thank you, Mom.
The semester itself was a trial, sweating to make sure my grades would be passable for graduation, which is quickly coming up. Being a student director was additional pressure, particularly when earning respect from my actors and even other directors to take things seriously. It was an uphill battle. Even after finishing well, I still feel like I didn't get everything that I needed done for the class. Big surprise, I'm a student director this year. Thankfully, this is a look on more of the theory and methodology then the actual system of directing. Should hopefully be better this time around. Only time will tell. On a more positive note, being cast and performing in Ken Ludwig's Treasure Island was definitely the coolest highlight of the past semester.
Also, as my final semester draws ever closer to a close, I have to be ready for the next step and quickly. As of right now, I'm moving to Jefferson City, MO to settle down and work on getting an income to move on to the next step, assuming all goes well on my end.
Yet even with all that, the previous semester and this semester has been dwarfed by a probably the most significant of all: the passing away of my beloved mother. I haven't talked about her in this blog--or much anywhere else for that matter--as it mostly was a personal matter. However, many people have learned about her and have expressed their sympathies. To be frank, I'm glad she died now then later. Don't misunderstand me; I'm not saying that I wanted her dead. I miss her, and I constantly dream about her, reliving the memories of her during the past 23 years of my life. What I mean is that she suffered greatly during the last few months of her life, particularly in the last month. I had returned home for Thanksgiving Break and found Mom unable to walk without assistance. Her legs had swollen to twice their normal size because of severe edema as a part of her being unable to walk and stand, and her voice had become so quiet that I could barely hear her. Either years prior, she had been diagnosed with astrocytoma, which is a generally common brain cancer--common to brain cancers anyway. The fact she survived eight years (seven years in remission) was a miracle of it own. Only within the last year was their decline.
She was ready to go, and I'm glad she died now then later so she wouldn't have to suffer anymore. Had she lived for another six months, she would have become a vegetable. However, the most significant impact was the impact she made in her relatively short life. I would think being raised by her I would have noticed some of the stuff she did. It wasn't until the funeral just after the New Year did I see the impact she made. Thirty minutes before the funeral started, the church was pact and there were two overflows into the so-called fellowship hall and the nursery. To give you an idea on how many people that is, the sanctuary can hold a full crowd of 264 people if every person took a seat in the sitting areas. Add ten to the stage behind the podium, twenty to the nursery in their own seats, and dozens more into the fellowship hall. Most of the people I didn't even know, while a great many were names of the past. Mom was only fifty years old when she died, and she impacted nearly 400 lives that would fit into that church. Needless to say, I was blown away.
If there was anything I learned all the stronger, it was that no matter how we live, we impact someone, somewhere, and the numbers we impact will always be much larger then we can realize. I've always said to my peers that whatever they do, it impacts others profoundly. Drop a stone into a lake, and eventually, the ripples will make it to the other side. Yet as much as I say that, I was still naive in how much it impacts. Mom still had things for me to learn, even after death. This was one lesson that I won't forget anytime soon, if at all.
Thank you, Mom.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Chains
I was reading the weekly newspaper that is printed by the college I attend, and found a very disturbing entry in the headlines. It is talking about commuting changes for students who just came in this semester: they are not allowed to commute unless they are living with parents or are married. Previously, it also allowed students who were 21 and up and have a 2.5 GPA average at least, but this was thrown out. Why? Because they want to control the students more and also get stronger grants from the government. They even claim this themselves:
"This is aimed to keep the investment on the students. We have students, they are leaders and get involved, then they move off [campus] and are less active. This is a way we can have more involvement on campus."
What they don't say is that a higher percentage of resident students gets them more grants from the state government so they can continue to operate. How to boost that? Get rid of commuting percentage. Also, why this sudden need for student involvement? Why do they need us to get so involved. So they can see we're behaving? To monitor our activities? How do they expect us to do our homework if they want us scurrying around like rats on speed?
"The college feels their presence is valuable...and historically the college has been more of a residential work college then a commuter college. It's beneficial for all the students."
Bullshit! The excuse of because it worked before is faulty reasoning, as the world has changed since then. Also, a student's personality may demand them to have their own residences because it makes them more comfortable. After witnessing all the thefts on this college, I'm inclined to agree that being off-campus is safer. And how is it beneficial to all the students? They fail to explain this at all.
There is no legitimate argument that being involved more in collegiate activities will make this college better. As for me, I have much more important things to do, like completing my studies instead of sacrificing my time for something trivial. Let's see how they'll get the body more involved.
"This is aimed to keep the investment on the students. We have students, they are leaders and get involved, then they move off [campus] and are less active. This is a way we can have more involvement on campus."
What they don't say is that a higher percentage of resident students gets them more grants from the state government so they can continue to operate. How to boost that? Get rid of commuting percentage. Also, why this sudden need for student involvement? Why do they need us to get so involved. So they can see we're behaving? To monitor our activities? How do they expect us to do our homework if they want us scurrying around like rats on speed?
"The college feels their presence is valuable...and historically the college has been more of a residential work college then a commuter college. It's beneficial for all the students."
Bullshit! The excuse of because it worked before is faulty reasoning, as the world has changed since then. Also, a student's personality may demand them to have their own residences because it makes them more comfortable. After witnessing all the thefts on this college, I'm inclined to agree that being off-campus is safer. And how is it beneficial to all the students? They fail to explain this at all.
There is no legitimate argument that being involved more in collegiate activities will make this college better. As for me, I have much more important things to do, like completing my studies instead of sacrificing my time for something trivial. Let's see how they'll get the body more involved.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Oroboros: The Ultimate Price
"In order for mankind to obtain anything, something of equal value must be sacrificed in exchange. In the Garden, the serpent possessed by a devil ripped the chance of eternal life from the grip of man. What must man do in order to obtain that chance again? That is the nature of the Oroboros."
The Oroboros, a snake devouring its own tail, a symbol of the eternal cycle of everlasting life, while at the same time depicts what must be given up for the serpent to live forever: itself. The snake continuously and unceasingly needs to devour itself, its own flesh, in order to live forever.
Here en-lies a chilling allegory. Constantly as a civilization, we human beings are constantly on the search for the fountain of youth, or any means to live forever. There is a craze for finding that ultimate cure for cancer, which is the #2 killing disease in the world. Don't get me wrong, finding a cure for cancer is a good thing, as cancer is a terrible way to die, yet one result a cure for cancer can present is the idea that we can cure anything, so we may live longer lives. Seventy to a hundred years isn't good enough for us anymore, so we constantly look for a means to stretch our life expectancy to pre-Flood times, given you have read Genesis 5, or even believe the Bible; it's merely a visual.
In 2009, there was a project that used human embryos, specifically, to splice their DNA with DNA of an animal. In essence, creating human-animal hybrids, a type of chimera. The ethics regarding experiments on unborn babies, particularly with abortion ethics still raging rampant, were heated enough, but to make chimeras with them was too far for far too many people, and in the end, the research was stopped due to lack of funds. Disturbing still, several reports on its closure were riddled with sentiment towards the scientists that had to stop, calling the cease of the experiments an unfortunate setback for the betterment of mankind. In a sense, they were advocating that for humans to live better lives, we have to become less human by becoming chimeras.
This is the nature of the Oroboros in itself. The research was to help cure cancer so we can live longer lives, but in exchange, we were willing to cast aside a part of our human selves and become chimeras in return, for something that may only grant us an extra twenty years longer to live. Just twenty years! Truly, what must we give up to get a longer time? Fifty years? A hundred years? A thousand? How much to give up in return?
The Oroboros has given us a prophetic warning: to become immortal, we have to become something we are not; to be immortal, is to be not human. Are we prepared to make that sacrifice, and deal with the repercussions of it? Even then, we likely won't be immortal...just ageless. We could still die from less natural means; people already do.
Listen to the tale the Oroboros has graciously told us, and consider.
In a lighter atmosphere, I got to visit the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum in Branson, Missouri, and even took the time to put together a video with pictures and short clips of my experience. Just to show that I don't mindlessly philosophize ALL the time.
Have a great and wonderful day!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Start at the Head
They always say that the first post of a blog will always be the most awkward, and considering I already addressed an undetermined entity as "they," I guess "they" were right. So, how do I start?
Who am I? Well, I suppose that's always a good way to start, if not cliched. Oh, I'm just a rather insignificant college student somewhere in the Midwest trying to work my way through college, what's left of it, while at the same time being a student in forbidden love and training to be in a career where my face may never be seen by the audiences, voice-acting in short. In my free time I enjoy video games, writing and taking long walks if the weather is good.
Most of the things I say are mostly born of observation and experience. Generally, I prefer to keep my head informed in politics and world events, mostly so I can gripe about it knowledgeably and effectively. I've lived too long being ignorant, and I hate the feeling of not being able to talk about something because I have absolutely no knowledge about it.
That's basically what this blog will be about, giving my thoughts on things, varying between seemingly meaningless things and more vital things. Heck, I'll probably even give reviews on video games on the side...maybe.
Only expect an update around once a week. If anyone reads this, then I hope you stick around to see what the Oroboros has to say.
Who am I? Well, I suppose that's always a good way to start, if not cliched. Oh, I'm just a rather insignificant college student somewhere in the Midwest trying to work my way through college, what's left of it, while at the same time being a student in forbidden love and training to be in a career where my face may never be seen by the audiences, voice-acting in short. In my free time I enjoy video games, writing and taking long walks if the weather is good.
Most of the things I say are mostly born of observation and experience. Generally, I prefer to keep my head informed in politics and world events, mostly so I can gripe about it knowledgeably and effectively. I've lived too long being ignorant, and I hate the feeling of not being able to talk about something because I have absolutely no knowledge about it.
That's basically what this blog will be about, giving my thoughts on things, varying between seemingly meaningless things and more vital things. Heck, I'll probably even give reviews on video games on the side...maybe.
Only expect an update around once a week. If anyone reads this, then I hope you stick around to see what the Oroboros has to say.
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