I feel like one of the guys that crewed the boat in The Perfect Storm. My life has changed in some major ways recently and the result is a certain choppiness to it all. At the same time I am looking ahead to the calm of what it will be when it is over. God has been showing me purpose and direction that has given me a determination and a peace that really transcends words. Though I am assailed, I shall not falter.
I am graduating from Eastern University with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology this May of 2009. I've been growing quite nostalgic at the thought of leaving. It has been an incredible experience as a whole. God continually points out events and happenings in my life that could only take place because I followed through with the decision to go to Eastern, which I felt God was telling me in a very real way to do.
Living with my grandparents has taught me so much about growing and maturing in a healthy way. I praise God for their love- they have cared for me when others have not. Being a part of my church and some of the ministries they run has been so good to learn from. The jobs that I have had, working in a cafeteria, working with the elderly, working with autistic children, and even landscaping; each has taught me more than I could have ever expected about teamwork and leadership and confrontation/conflict resolution. I am truly blessed to have had so many awesome experiences in such a short time.
I have slowed things down this semester- only school and work for me now. I decided that I wanted to be focused on what God has in store for me in the next stage of my life. I am in a strange time because my life is coming to a close in one stage, and in another I am being born afresh. Here I run a race of transition, one in which it is difficult to know what pace I should be setting for myself. I am truly excited for all that God has for me in the coming years!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Madness in the Senate
I am truly blown away by the antics of the people we put in charge of our country. By now Blagojevich's name is pretty well known, the Illinois Governor charged with being an idiot in broad daylight. That is how I would define it, though it is much graver than that. In reality he was attempting to sell President-Elect Obama's nearly vacant seat to the highest bidder, saying:
"I've got this thing, and it's ****ing golden. And I'm just not giving it up for ****ing nothing. I'm not going to do it, and I can always use it; I can parachute me there"
I'm not going to point out the obvious and say that this guy shouldn't be in office. Everyone knows that. A federal prosecution team is currently putting their case together, which the court will begin hearing on the projected 7th of April, this 2009. Originally they were to try Blagojevich starting on the 7th of January and felt the need for an extension, hopefully because they plan to nail this guy to the wall.
All pending presupposition as to the outcome of Blagojevich's hearing aside, this is only the back-story for the latest events. For some unknown (and a string of other colorful adjectives) reason, Blagojevich is still acting as Governor with virtual impunity. Our representatives in Illinois did nothing to hold him to task presently, such as seeking impeachment. In my wildest of dreams I hope that it is only because they assumed that Blagojevich would be too busy defending himself in court to do anything of real consequence, and completely neglected to be in communication with the prosecution team as to their plan of action - appearing to be caught with their pants down when realizing that Blagojevich is suffering no consequences at least until the time that they do finally bring a statement of impeachment against him.
Alas, it is already too late. The monster has reared its grotesque head. In another incredible twist to the Blagojevich story, Blagojevich used his unchallenged and currently valid authority to appoint Roland Burris to the vacant Senate seat. When Mr. Burris attempted to claim the seat, he was confronted and told that his credentials were not in order, and that he would not be able to proceed to the floor. He was turned away by his own party because of the glaringly obvious reason that he was appointed by a man who clearly has no respect for positions of governing power.
The problem is that in typical political fashion, it is too little too late. Roland Burris was denied on the grounds that the Secretary of State of Illinois, Jesse White, has not certified the appointment. This is merely a stall tactic however, and when Mr. Burris lodges a formal complaint in court he will certainly be motioned into the seat. Hopefully he has the character that Blagojevich lacks. Meanwhile Illinois congressmen are finally getting into gear in dropping a statement of impeachment on Blagojevich's desk.
In other Senate news, there is a huge debate as to who the newly elected Minnesota Senator is: Al Franken or Norm Coleman. The problem stems from an original count that placed Norm Coleman as the winner by 215 votes, which was then reversed to a win by Al Franken of 225 votes. With such a drastic change it seems there is a need for further investigation - both Franken and Coleman need to have respect for the position by ensuring that the correct result is sought carefully and thoroughly.
Do not be discouraged - it is important for us as citizens to know that we hold the power to change this country. When we believe that the politicians know better than we do, and that we should let them do what they feel is best, we relinquish our constitutional rights as human beings.
What can we do? We can email these people until their servers crash. Get on this website (that I am now posting for the third time, it is infinitely useful):
Congress - http://www.webslingerz.com/jhoffman/congress-email.html
and tell your representatives that they need to do something. If you aren't from Illinois, email your representatives and tell them to pressure the guys in Illinois to step up. If you are from Illinois, pressure your represenatives to drag Blagojevich into impeachment hearings. Email your representatives, tell them that they need to insist on the importance of truth in the Minnesota Senatorial Election over uncomplicated transition. Yes it is a hassle. Then again, not many things valuable are easily attained.
References:
Blagojevich Indictment:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-blagojevich6-2009jan06,0,7972612.story
Blagojevich Transcript:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/us/politics/09text-illinois.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2
Roland Burris Turned Away:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-010609-burris-senate-jan07,0,684314.story
Franken Vs. Coleman:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/01/06/franken_wins_minn_seat_but_lawsuit_likely/
"I've got this thing, and it's ****ing golden. And I'm just not giving it up for ****ing nothing. I'm not going to do it, and I can always use it; I can parachute me there"
I'm not going to point out the obvious and say that this guy shouldn't be in office. Everyone knows that. A federal prosecution team is currently putting their case together, which the court will begin hearing on the projected 7th of April, this 2009. Originally they were to try Blagojevich starting on the 7th of January and felt the need for an extension, hopefully because they plan to nail this guy to the wall.
All pending presupposition as to the outcome of Blagojevich's hearing aside, this is only the back-story for the latest events. For some unknown (and a string of other colorful adjectives) reason, Blagojevich is still acting as Governor with virtual impunity. Our representatives in Illinois did nothing to hold him to task presently, such as seeking impeachment. In my wildest of dreams I hope that it is only because they assumed that Blagojevich would be too busy defending himself in court to do anything of real consequence, and completely neglected to be in communication with the prosecution team as to their plan of action - appearing to be caught with their pants down when realizing that Blagojevich is suffering no consequences at least until the time that they do finally bring a statement of impeachment against him.
Alas, it is already too late. The monster has reared its grotesque head. In another incredible twist to the Blagojevich story, Blagojevich used his unchallenged and currently valid authority to appoint Roland Burris to the vacant Senate seat. When Mr. Burris attempted to claim the seat, he was confronted and told that his credentials were not in order, and that he would not be able to proceed to the floor. He was turned away by his own party because of the glaringly obvious reason that he was appointed by a man who clearly has no respect for positions of governing power.
The problem is that in typical political fashion, it is too little too late. Roland Burris was denied on the grounds that the Secretary of State of Illinois, Jesse White, has not certified the appointment. This is merely a stall tactic however, and when Mr. Burris lodges a formal complaint in court he will certainly be motioned into the seat. Hopefully he has the character that Blagojevich lacks. Meanwhile Illinois congressmen are finally getting into gear in dropping a statement of impeachment on Blagojevich's desk.
In other Senate news, there is a huge debate as to who the newly elected Minnesota Senator is: Al Franken or Norm Coleman. The problem stems from an original count that placed Norm Coleman as the winner by 215 votes, which was then reversed to a win by Al Franken of 225 votes. With such a drastic change it seems there is a need for further investigation - both Franken and Coleman need to have respect for the position by ensuring that the correct result is sought carefully and thoroughly.
Do not be discouraged - it is important for us as citizens to know that we hold the power to change this country. When we believe that the politicians know better than we do, and that we should let them do what they feel is best, we relinquish our constitutional rights as human beings.
What can we do? We can email these people until their servers crash. Get on this website (that I am now posting for the third time, it is infinitely useful):
Congress - http://www.webslingerz.com/jhoffman/congress-email.html
and tell your representatives that they need to do something. If you aren't from Illinois, email your representatives and tell them to pressure the guys in Illinois to step up. If you are from Illinois, pressure your represenatives to drag Blagojevich into impeachment hearings. Email your representatives, tell them that they need to insist on the importance of truth in the Minnesota Senatorial Election over uncomplicated transition. Yes it is a hassle. Then again, not many things valuable are easily attained.
References:
Blagojevich Indictment:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-blagojevich6-2009jan06,0,7972612.story
Blagojevich Transcript:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/us/politics/09text-illinois.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2
Roland Burris Turned Away:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-010609-burris-senate-jan07,0,684314.story
Franken Vs. Coleman:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/01/06/franken_wins_minn_seat_but_lawsuit_likely/
Monday, January 5, 2009
DJ Earworm is a genius
Here is a classic example of something awesome that should be shared.
http://djearworm.com/no-more-gas.htm
If you are into music in the least bit you need to check this out - it is absolutely amazing! Not only is this guy an absolute wizard with these mash-ups, he's actually intelligent and insightful! Below the song and video mash-ups of 'No More Gas' he posts this:
"…Lately in pop music there’s been this growing undercurrent of dysfunction and desperation.
Leona Lewis talks about love in terms of flesh wounds, Akon sings of girls being dangerous, Danity Kane complains of being damaged, Ne-Yo is unable to control himself, Rihanna is going crazy.
Meanwhile a burning hunger for more cries out: The Pussycat Dolls, Britney, and Lupe Fiasco all desire fame, attention, recognition, and they encourage the listener to feel the same way. All this, mixed in with Madonna’s pre-apocalyptic pop song plus Estelle and Kanye’s transatlantic lovefest, starts to paint a picture of where our culture is today, overwhelmed by our own raging appetites, even as we run out of what we need.
And you can dance to it!"
If you can't appreciate this guy for his music, you have to hand it to him for his understanding of our culture.
http://djearworm.com/no-more-gas.htm
If you are into music in the least bit you need to check this out - it is absolutely amazing! Not only is this guy an absolute wizard with these mash-ups, he's actually intelligent and insightful! Below the song and video mash-ups of 'No More Gas' he posts this:
"…Lately in pop music there’s been this growing undercurrent of dysfunction and desperation.
Leona Lewis talks about love in terms of flesh wounds, Akon sings of girls being dangerous, Danity Kane complains of being damaged, Ne-Yo is unable to control himself, Rihanna is going crazy.
Meanwhile a burning hunger for more cries out: The Pussycat Dolls, Britney, and Lupe Fiasco all desire fame, attention, recognition, and they encourage the listener to feel the same way. All this, mixed in with Madonna’s pre-apocalyptic pop song plus Estelle and Kanye’s transatlantic lovefest, starts to paint a picture of where our culture is today, overwhelmed by our own raging appetites, even as we run out of what we need.
And you can dance to it!"
If you can't appreciate this guy for his music, you have to hand it to him for his understanding of our culture.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Rights and Privileges
Right (definition 1) - in accordance with what is good, proper, or just
Privilege (definition 1) - a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most
Below is a link to the full constitution, marked at the Amendments:
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Amends
As citizens of the United States, we are given great rights. We have the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to resist search and seizure (barring probable cause), and on it goes.
We also have a great many privileges - perhaps we are over-privileged. Individual car ownership is a good example. Driving is a wonderful and enjoyable thing for most people, granting autonomy and control to the individual. However, owning a car is not a right. It is a privilege. Here is where I think in the United States, we have lost sight of that line.
In the definitions provided above, it is clear that a right is in accordance with what is good, proper, or just. Ownership of a car may or may not fall into that category, depending on how one argues. I don't think that an argument of owning a car as being 'just' would be very compelling though. A privilege is defined as a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most. This is where we have become blind to the world. In my opinion, we who live in the United States have come to believe that something such as owning a car is a right. This is because a privilege is a right enjoyed only by an overwhelming minority, and owning a car is not just enjoyed by the minority in the United States. No, in fact most people in the United States are able to own a car, or multiple cars. So to own a car is not enjoying a right beyond the advantages of most is it?
That is true - until you start to actually look at the idea of rights and privileges in a global perspective. Suddenly the picture changes entirely. Not only can we quickly realize that owning a car is beyond the advantages of most, we realize that also is the ownership of a computer, television sets, land area per person, and large houses (Sourced from NationMaster - actual websources below)
It is quite clear that we enjoy 'rights' beyond the advantages of most. I'm not writing this to make people feel guilty for owning these things - I would be a hypocrite. I'm just trying to put it into perspective. We don't deserve these things, we are blessed with these things. So we should remember that. I am tired of hearing stories about people like Stephanie Muir and her crusade against Facebook (Facebook Won't Budge) over them taking down her breastfeeding pictures. Facebook is not a right, it is a privilege. When you sign up for it, you agree to the Terms of Use, in which is stated:
".....you agree not to use the Service or the Site to: upload, post, transmit, share, store or otherwise make available content that, in the sole judgment of Company, is objectionable or which restricts or inhibits any other person from using or enjoying the Site, or which may expose Company or its users to any harm or liability of any type."
Don't confuse the issue here - I'm not saying whether breast feeding pictures are offensive or not. All I am saying is that she needs to accept the fact that Facebook can do whatever they want as far as their policies are concerned. She thinks that they are being unfair - I think they run the site according to user responses. People were complaining about the breast feeding pictures and she needs to understand that.
Here are some reference links for anyone who gets heated enough to question my radical claims of American wealth or anything else I put in here. If you spot anything questionable let me know and I'll look it up.
The U.S. Constitution (this deserves to be posted on every website) -
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html
House sizes in the U.S. -
http://fortworthology.com/2008/10/20/square-feet-per-person/
NationMaster Information (I actually went through the labor of finding each stat individually for the readers benefit...treasure those links)
Global comparisons:
Televisions per capita - U.S. #3
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_tel_percap-media-televisions-per-capita
Computers per capita - U.S. #4
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_per_com_percap-media-personal-computers-per-capita
Cell Phones per capita - U.S. #4
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_tel_mob_cel-media-telephones-mobile-cellular_percap
Land Area per person - U.S. #54
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/geo_are_lan_percap-geography-area-land-per-capita
Motor Vehicles per capita - U.S. #1
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/tra_mot_veh-transportation-motor-vehicles
Lastly, the article from the New York Times that inspired me to begin with:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/breastfeeding-facebook-photos/?ref=technology
Privilege (definition 1) - a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most
Below is a link to the full constitution, marked at the Amendments:
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Amends
As citizens of the United States, we are given great rights. We have the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to resist search and seizure (barring probable cause), and on it goes.
We also have a great many privileges - perhaps we are over-privileged. Individual car ownership is a good example. Driving is a wonderful and enjoyable thing for most people, granting autonomy and control to the individual. However, owning a car is not a right. It is a privilege. Here is where I think in the United States, we have lost sight of that line.
In the definitions provided above, it is clear that a right is in accordance with what is good, proper, or just. Ownership of a car may or may not fall into that category, depending on how one argues. I don't think that an argument of owning a car as being 'just' would be very compelling though. A privilege is defined as a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most. This is where we have become blind to the world. In my opinion, we who live in the United States have come to believe that something such as owning a car is a right. This is because a privilege is a right enjoyed only by an overwhelming minority, and owning a car is not just enjoyed by the minority in the United States. No, in fact most people in the United States are able to own a car, or multiple cars. So to own a car is not enjoying a right beyond the advantages of most is it?
That is true - until you start to actually look at the idea of rights and privileges in a global perspective. Suddenly the picture changes entirely. Not only can we quickly realize that owning a car is beyond the advantages of most, we realize that also is the ownership of a computer, television sets, land area per person, and large houses (Sourced from NationMaster - actual websources below)
It is quite clear that we enjoy 'rights' beyond the advantages of most. I'm not writing this to make people feel guilty for owning these things - I would be a hypocrite. I'm just trying to put it into perspective. We don't deserve these things, we are blessed with these things. So we should remember that. I am tired of hearing stories about people like Stephanie Muir and her crusade against Facebook (Facebook Won't Budge) over them taking down her breastfeeding pictures. Facebook is not a right, it is a privilege. When you sign up for it, you agree to the Terms of Use, in which is stated:
".....you agree not to use the Service or the Site to: upload, post, transmit, share, store or otherwise make available content that, in the sole judgment of Company, is objectionable or which restricts or inhibits any other person from using or enjoying the Site, or which may expose Company or its users to any harm or liability of any type."
Don't confuse the issue here - I'm not saying whether breast feeding pictures are offensive or not. All I am saying is that she needs to accept the fact that Facebook can do whatever they want as far as their policies are concerned. She thinks that they are being unfair - I think they run the site according to user responses. People were complaining about the breast feeding pictures and she needs to understand that.
Here are some reference links for anyone who gets heated enough to question my radical claims of American wealth or anything else I put in here. If you spot anything questionable let me know and I'll look it up.
The U.S. Constitution (this deserves to be posted on every website) -
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html
House sizes in the U.S. -
http://fortworthology.com/2008/10/20/square-feet-per-person/
NationMaster Information (I actually went through the labor of finding each stat individually for the readers benefit...treasure those links)
Global comparisons:
Televisions per capita - U.S. #3
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_tel_percap-media-televisions-per-capita
Computers per capita - U.S. #4
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_per_com_percap-media-personal-computers-per-capita
Cell Phones per capita - U.S. #4
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_tel_mob_cel-media-telephones-mobile-cellular_percap
Land Area per person - U.S. #54
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/geo_are_lan_percap-geography-area-land-per-capita
Motor Vehicles per capita - U.S. #1
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/tra_mot_veh-transportation-motor-vehicles
Lastly, the article from the New York Times that inspired me to begin with:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/breastfeeding-facebook-photos/?ref=technology
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