A New Blog?!

Within a few days, my Olympus Evolt E-410 will be arriving at my house. For those of you who don’t know, over the past year I’ve developed a strong liking for photography (due mainly to the influence and support of a good friend of mine, Martha). I currently have my photos posted to a flickr site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/throughjakseyes). However, most of the photos have been taken with a simple digital camera, with about 3mega pixels. The more detailed photos were taken with 10megapixel cameras that were borrowed either from Martha or my boyfriend’s dad.

 

Anyway, I am finally able to afford my own, and I couldn’t be more excited. I am definitely thinking about starting a second blog with my photos and possibly an “article” to accompany them. This is just an idea I wanted to get out there, so keep checking in, and I’ll be sure to post to keep you guys updated

 

 

Till then, here are a couple of my favorites:

(All rights reserved)

 

All rights reserved

 

All rights reserved

An Anecdote

While treating myself to a mini manicure in my hometown, I overheard two women speaking qute loudly about the current state of the neighborhood, a low middle-class area with a very large Latino population.

 

These two refined caucasion women discussed oh-so-eloquently their disgust with the Mexican community. They’re low class. They don’t believe in education. They’re lazy. All of the wonderfully insightful criticisms you could think of were mentioned.

I sat in the waiting area so angered by what I was hearing. I couldn’t bring myself to speak up only because the two women looked about thirty and forty years my superior, and I just cannot disrespect my elders. Every time one of the women caught my eye, I was sure to portray a look of shock and disapproval.

I listened to them rant on. I was embarrassed to be caucasion at that point. I was embarrassed to be a white woman, to look like them. I was embarrassed to be in the same room as they were and even to speak the same language! I experienced a combination of emotions which I could not even begin to describe.

Soon, it was my turn to get my nails done. I sat with a Vietnamese man, named Tony, who does my nails better than anyone else I have ever gone to (so if you want to know the place, I totally recommend it). After softening the cuticles (wow, I sound like such a girly girl…), he sent me to the sink to wash and dry my hands. As I walked over, I passed one of the women who had been bashing Latinos returning from washing her hands. I honestly could not bear to look her in the eye.

 

When I reached the sink, to my amazement, I realized she had left her wet paper towels, lying in a fresh pool of soapy water on the edge of the sink.

 

I guess she was waiting for one of those “lazy ass Mexicans” to come clean them up.  Maybe the woman was just too educated to have to pick up after herself. Or MAYBE she was just SO high-class she couldn’t tolerate the thought of throwing her garbage into the trash can, located conveniently next to the sink.

 

Whatever it was, at least she’s better than those damn Mexicans.

Odious Oprah

Before anyone continues to read, I would like to make it clear that this post is going to be ridiculously one-sided. I hate Oprah. She does nothing for society. You can tell me all you want about her charity or whatever good dead you want to harp on, but how often does she do these deeds?

In 2007, Oprah was worth $1.8 billion. Put simply: When Oprah shells out a couple thousand to this or that charity, it’s like me pulling nickels out from under my couch.  She is not brave. She is not overly intelligent. She DEFINITELY doesn’t even have good looks going for her!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA

My grandpa sent me this link. It’s about “Oprah’s Church”. So the gist of the story is that she is telling people that there are many paths to heaven and that Christ is not the only way.

WHY DO YOU PEOPLE CARE?! Let her say what she wants and believe what she needs. It’s a free country. She is obviously just trying to get more people to pay attention to her and worship the ground she walks on. Plus she hangs out with that doofus, Tom Cruise. He is probably converting her to scientology, slowly but surely.

I mean, she does have a lot of money to give… she’ll probably become a church elder after about a week.

The comments on the video say things like, “Well, I guess she won’t be walking through the Gates of Heaven with any of us.” Who the hell are you to proclaim you’re going to heaven? That is the most self-righteous, pedantic thing I’ve ever heard. Man, get a life.

Oprah continues to say that, while in church, she was listening to the minister discuss how all-knowing and all-existing God is. She then stated that the minster said that God is a jealous God.

I dunno what kind of wack-job church you’re going to lady, but I can tell you that in all my years of Catholic-school-going and  church attendance, I have never ever heard that phrase.

Other than to tell Oprah that she is a dummy, we should all just stop paying attention to her. Stop buying her books. Stop watching her boringly redundant show. Don’t buy her magazine, her clothing line, or her cocaine products (joke?). Just stop giving her the time of day. Let her say and think whatever she wants. It’s not hurting anyone. She is vapid and self-centered. By paying attention we feed into her cravings for money and popularity.

Why in God’s name would you buy her magazine anyway? The woman can’t stay in shape. She can’t stay young. She isn’t good looking. Unless you are worth 1.8 billion you’re not going to be able to buy half the junk she advertises.

Pick up a book.

Thomas Paine’s most influential writings are now available in paperback.
How about Alex de Toqueville ’s Democracy in America?
To Kill a Mockingbird
Boy’s Life
1984 is my favorite
Fahrenheit 451?!

Anything but Oprah! For God’s sake, feed your intellect!!

(Re-reading this post has made me realize how ridiculous it is, but I don’t really care. I’m entitled to a good nonsensical rant every now and then, right?)

VH1’s Black History Month…It’s everything you’d expect from VH1

I’ll admit it, I’m addicted to “Rock of Love”. I really don’t watch a lot of television, but something about that smutty filth we call television has sucked me in. As embarrassed as I am, I cannot look away.

While skimming through the channels to see if any Rock of Love reruns were on, I noticed VH1 was celebrating Black History Month. Is “celebrating” the right word?

For anyone who’s watched VH1, its celebration of Black History Month was set up just like their other shows: A series of men and women are interviewed, and in between the clips of their answers/statements are pieces of movies and TV shows to illustrate their points.

Well I happened to come to the station just as various black comedians, actors, and musicians were discussing the image of the black man/woman in movies before the 1980’s. The statement was made, “Before 1985, if you were a black man in Hollywood, you could never get a job as an actor unless you played a pimp.” Another interviewee came up and stated, “It was basically blacks playing out the white stereotype that all black men are pimps and all black women are hookers. Whites couldn’t see beyond that.”

WOW. Hold on… just one second please. The stereotypes that whites have about blacks…Seriously?
I am as liberal as they come as far as fighting inequality, racism, etc., but when I hear statements that seem to be blatant hypocrisy and absurdity, well I just can’t stand and fight for the minority.

How many songs have been written with the word “pimp” embedded at any point in the lyrics? Dear God. I know nothing about rap and pop culture, but I’ve heard enough rap at dances and parties to know how often the artists in rap and R&B songs profess to be pimps.

“I don’t know what you heard about me
But a b*tch can’t get a dollar out of me
No Cadillac, no perms, you can’t see
That I’m a motherf*cking P-I-M-P”
-50 Cent/Snoop Dogg

“Wait I got a snow bunny, and a black girl too
You pay the right price and they’ll both do you
That’s the way the game goes, gotta keep it strictly pimpin
Gotta have my hustle tight, makin change off these women, yeah

You know it’s hard out here for a pimp
When he tryin to get this money for the rent
For the Cadillacs and gas money spent
Because a whole lot of bitches talkin sh*t”
-Djay f/ Shug

“You know I thug ‘em, f*ck ‘em, love ‘em, leave ‘em
Cause I don’t f*ckin’ need ‘em
Take ‘em out the hood
Keep ‘em looking good
But I don’t f*ckin’ feed em
First time they fuss I’m breezin’
Talking ’bout what’s the reasons
I’m a pimp in every sense of the word, b*tch “
-Jay-Z

“Pimpin them hoes and put the b*tch on the track
And tell the ho to bring all my money back”
-Pimp C

The list goes on…

I don’t understand how the group of people on VH1, assuming that they are expressing the majority opinion, could possibly say that it was white stereotyping alone that kept them playing pimp roles in movies. Look at these lyrics! African Americans, by their own free will, categorizing themselves as pimping, degrading their women and selling their dignity for money. These rappers are PROMOTING THE VERY IMAGE ABOUT WHICH THEY COMPLAIN?! How can you claim to be kept down by the white man, to be disgusted with the image you have been given by whites in America, and still, by your own accord, calling yourself the very thing from which you are trying to shake free? I don’t understand… And don’t get me started on the things these lyrics do to black women.

To be honest, I almost started crying as I was searching for these lyrics. My eyes began to tear up. How can you talk about other human beings in this way and get away with it? How is this right? Why are black rappers willing to rob their own race of dignity, especially their females?

Ah yes…
The Almighty Dollar.

Most of my friends don’t understand how I can hate rap as much as I do, but there is my reason. I believe there is worth in every human being, and in my opinion, words like these rob that worth for all its value.

VH1’s charming Black History Month special continued with discussing the size of a black man’s penis. What a way to celebrate the solidarity, accomplishments, and advancements of the black culture by discussing the rumor of a black man’s penis size. Black men and women came on the screen making statements such as, “Oh yes. I am sure the majority of white women have fantasized about being with a black man… just to see if the rumor is true.” “Oh yeah, I’m sure white men are often belittled by our size. They know they can’t compete and wonder if their women would leave them for us for more sexual pleasure.”

This is the way you want to promote Black History Month??? THIS is the way you want to show the legitimacy of your race? Especially with so many young and old teens tuning in to VH1 on a daily basis, this is the opinion you want them to have of blacks? THIS is what you want them to think of when they think of black culture?

I turned the VH1 special off after this. I couldn’t take it anymore. Perhaps it went into details on the courage, honor, and determination of people like Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks. Maybe it mentioned the intelligence, talent, and skill of others like Oprah Winfrey, Muhammad Ali, and Maya Angelou.

If I am wrong about VH1’s special, please correct me. If anyone watched the whole thing and would like to point out my errors, please do. I honestly encourage this.

But until then…

“I know why the caged bird sings.
Ah, me, when its wings are bruised and its bosom sore.
It beats its bars and would be free.
It’s not a carol of joy or glee,
but a prayer that it sends from its heart’s deep core,
a plea that upward to heaven it flings.
I know why the caged bird sings.”
-Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

My Most Pointless Post

The boyfriend bought me the Signet Classic’s collection of Thomas Paine’s most influential works. I must now say that he has joined Ben Franklin and G-Wash (George Washington, for those who didn’t grasp that) as one of my all-time heroes.

I am so absolutely in love with the extraordinary beauty of “average” citizens doing absolutely wonderful things. Maybe I’ve bought into the whole American Dream thing a bit too much, but I can’t help it. Franklin was the fifteenth of seventeen children; his dad was a soap-boiler for crying out loud… now he’s the face on the $100 bill?!
Paine was just an average citizens yet he remains one of the most important pieces of the American Revolution. He was just a regular guy, but I am enveloped by the power of his language. His ability to articulate ideas eloquently, yet simply is amazing, and his insight is so advanced and wise.

I really don’t know why I am posting this. I suppose I just wanted to get these ideas out there. This really wasn’t political/social commentary, but it WAS an opinion… so I guess I haven’t strayed too far from my overall theme.

Anyway, here are some quotes that I’ve found particularly moving thus far:

“My country is the world, and my religion is to do good”

“I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.”

“Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”

“If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.”

“I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.”

“He who is the author of a war lets loose the whole contagion of hell and opens a vein that bleeds a nation to death.“
^^That’s for President Bush.

I wish I could write like this some day…

Some rambling till I post my next blog…

I haven’t written in quite some time… finals had consumed my life for a few weeks. But I’m back! I’m working on a more complex blog at the moment, although until I’m done, enjoy this appetizer:

While watching ESPN coverage of the Mitchell Report with my boyfriend, Bob, he mentioned something that I had never really thought of: Think of the millions of dollars funding dozens of scientists to find a way to detect HGH in humans… imagine if that was all directed toward cancer research.

Man. Good point, Bob.

While I was flipping through a weekly magazine that my sister receives in school, an article titled, “Smell This” caught my attention. The article was about posters advertising the new film, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. A new product developed by scientists from the company, Scientisphere, has allowed advertisements to be printed in scented ink. Advertisers have taken advantage of this development with the logic that scent is so closely tied to memory that ads using this new ink will have a leg-up in the consumer’s mind.

Again, how much funding was put into this product that could have possibly made a difference in Alzheimer’s, Cancer, or AIDS research?

I guess this is just some food for thought. Think of all the major product lines (Nike, iPod, Ford) that spend millions every quarter on advertising. Think of the gajillion, bazillion dollars being spent on a war in Iraq.

Now think of the quality of our VA hospitals.

I’m not even going to delve into issues like public housing, public schooling, national health care, etc. I doubt many can argue with finding a cure for cancer or treating our veterans to the treatment they deserve while in the hospital. I suppose this is more of an ethical question rather than a political one, but it’s becoming a rather tiring sight for me.

Our money has become so misguided and misdirected.  I just don’t understand how we can continue to be so selfish and so self-centered- so oblivious to pain and ignorant to suffering. What’s the solution? Is there a solution? Is this merely my bleeding heart idealism taking over my rationality? Has my young, untainted hopefulness rendered me completely unable to see reality?

I dunno. Criticism welcomed, encouraged.

This is a reply blog to a friend of mine

A conservative friend of mine (Trent, we are friends, right? haha) posted a blog that I just HAD to comment on. However, my comment was extremely long, so I decided to make it a post instead. This is the link to Trent’s post that I am replying to. The World According to Trent

Trent, I love your writing. It’s solid, thought-provoking, and makes me so angry I don’t know what to do with myself! Hahaha. Alright, so let me try to hit on everything I want to. Hopefully this doesn’t get too long:

I believe in global warming; it’s a reality in my eyes. The basic principle is this: certain gases react with light in a manner such that, when the sun hits them, they move very quickly. They bend and stretch and wobble around. As many know, things in motion create heat. When you’re cold in the winter, you jump up and down and wiggle about. It warms you. Well, the moving particles (CO2 is just one type) heat up the air around them as the sun hits them by all the bending and stretching. The greenhouse effect is NOT heat being trapped around the earth by the ozone or anything like that, and I just wanted to clear that up with… well whoever is reading.

Secondly, I DO understand what you mean when you say that global warming actually hurts the poor. Countries in Africa that are trying to develop do not have the technology developed nations do, and they end up really hurting the environment. They clear-cut forests to make farms and utilize other such harmful practices just so that they can get by. (Which, in my opinion, is just another reason why we need to give them a hand, not so much monetarily, but through teaching). Similarly, emissions tests in this country ban cars from the road that do not pass whatever pollution rates. However, who are the people who own cars so old/beat up that they emit too many pollutants? Ah yes. The poor ( a person making $150,000 is not driving around in a 1989 Ford Tempo). This takes away the cars that THEY NEED to travel to their jobs. So, tough choice on that one, huh? Cleaner air or keep low-income people employed?

The Kyoto Protocol took into account a country’s population, economic status, and rate of development when determining the reduction of pollutants. For example, the U.S. would have to reduce a greater percentage of our CO2 emissions than, for example, a country in South Africa would.

I don’t see global warming as something that will decimate our economy. I hate so much that liberals have to turn global warming into something so unbelievably radical while conservatives need to deny it outright. There is a middle-ground! I read an article in Time Magazine a while back on how business people (to be politically correct! hahaha) and entrepreneurs in the U.S. are developing amazing technology that will lower greenhouse emissions and put the U.S. back on the forefront of scientific/technological advancements (something that NO ONE, left or right, can say is a bad thing). I also have an earlier post titled Global Warming: An Economic Tale, which I believe you commented on, Trent, discussing how much money people can save while conserving energy at the same time.

Personally, I don’t see how taking reasonable steps to care for the environment and putting the brakes on global warming is a terrible thing. I know that I want my children to grow up in a safe, healthy future. How horrible would our generation feel if our children or children’s children had to deal with, for example, flooded coast lines, almost unlivable air quality, and sky-rocketing temperatures that lead to famines and water shortages? Although those are drastic ideas right now, if we push things too far for too long, they are definite possibilities for the future. I would not want two generations down the line to resent and hate us for something we could have prevented. I would like them to believe that we did what we could to make their futures good places to live. Decimation of the environment really is a problem in that we are stewards to this place that, well, isn’t really ours. And yes, taking care of global warming and the enviro as a whole will cost a couple bucks, but that’s why it is something we need to plan and work on logically and REASONABLY. Let’s start with basic steps before we jump around and get ahead of ourselves. Advancing our technology to find different sources of energy could help boost our economy a great deal, rather than hurt it.

All in all, Trent, I think you bring up awesome points. It is so hard to choose between our environment and our poor. Issues such as these are going to take a ton of compromise, discussion, and give-and-take. None of it will be easy, but there IS a middle ground, and there ARE answers. We just have to find the people (or hell…Let’s BE the people) who are open-minded enough to get it done.

I love quotes

Just a quick quote to tag on (rather belated) to my blog regarding the Second Amendment. These words come from one of the most cunning politicians the world has ever seen. He is world renown as one of the greatest speakers of all time with the power to mobilize and motivate millions with just a few firery words. He is also recognized as one of the most evil men in history: Adolf Hitler.

‘‘The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subjected people to carry arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subjected peoples to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing.”
-Adolf Hitler, Edict of March 18, 1938

I hope to get in another (real) post in the next few days.

When you outlaw guns…

A wild boar head sits proudly over our mantle in the livingroom; a few quail feathers from a very memorable hunting trip hang high on the wall inside our garage; some of the most perfectly assassinated paper-person-targets are kept as memorabelia in our basement. I know the exact size and shape of the bright orange discs used in trap shooting; I’ve tasted (and enjoyed) fresh deer jerkey. I am the daughter of a gun owner, the daughter of a member of the NRA.

I have often heard a cascade of pro-gun propoganda pour into my ears on more occasions than I could ever possibly count, and although these constant reminders of one of my dad’s favorite hobbies can be found just about anywhere in my house, when it comes to the actual guns themselves, well they’re just about never seen. Although I know that some of his guns are held in a massive bank safe (to which no one but my father knows the combination) I’m honestly not sure where the bullets are. The only time I see his guns out are when he is cleaning them, and at that point, they’re in about 15 different pieces. Especially as a child, I can claim for a fact that I never saw one of those weapons out unattended.

This long introduction was pretty much to show everyone that I grew up around a law-abiding, cautious, responsible gun owner. I’ve personally seen firearms used for nothing except extremely safe sport and enjoyment. So, of course, when it comes to the 2nd Amendment, for me, there’s no question. Recently, Mayor Daley (Chicago) has promoted SB16, a gun control act that, above all, states that it is prohibited to “knowingly manufacture, deliver, sell, purchase, or possess or cause to be manufactured, delivered, sold, purchased, or possessed a semi-automatic assault weapon, an assault weapon attachment, any .50 caliber rifle, or .50 caliber cartridge”. Yikes! All around the country, gun control laws and laws banning the ownership of firearms are popping up more and more often.

In my opinion (and remember, opinions are like…) the banning and severe restriction of firearms is a route that the U.S. should be hesitant to travel down. Let’s take the ever-classic example of prohibition. When alcohol was prohibited, mob activity flourished and thrived. Speakeasies had massive profits. Those willing to break the law got the most out of prohibition and benefited greatly from it. Violence of all sorts (mostly mob related, as different groups tried to control the flow of alcohol) ran through the country. The bottom line is: Prohibition did not work. Rather, it increased illegal activity and made alcohol something that was no longer regulated by government to reach safety and quality requirements. People continued to drink.

My history classes here at school have taught me, among other things, that we have to look to history and learn from it. We have to find parallels that will help us prepare for the future (and yeah, even the present). History DOES tend to repeat itself, and outlawing firearms poses a number of threats to our society. When guns are made illegal, law abiding citizens will not possess them, but convicts will.

While I do agree that strict background checks should be done before one is allowed to buy a firearm, we must remember that the black market exists. Just look at how easy it is for millions of people to obtain illicit drugs. I am 19 years old, and I have already witnessed friends use marijuana, cocaine, and speed. The black market is far-reaching, and this is probably the area in which our law enforcement officials should focus. The upstanding citizen selling guns from his privately owned shop is not the person we need to worry about. And while the “good citizens” of this country would discard and destroy their weapons, what type of opportunity would this pose for the criminals of the U.S.?

Ah, and to finish my title, a quote my dad has shared with me time and time again:
When you outlaw guns, only the outlaws have them.

Some education, please, with a side of opportunity.

I am currently a freshman at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, double-majoring in political science and Spanish, and upon graduation, I would like to attend law school and hopefully become an active player in the world of politics. Coming from a lower-middle-class family in a Chicago suburb, this was no easy feat. My parents scraped and saved to send me to Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill. (roughly $8,000 per year) where I worked diligently for four years and was surrounded by students who wanted to learn and a faculty and staff who would give anything to teach the subjects for which they were so passionate. The standards for success were placed high up on a pinnacle that turned my high school into a journey toward knowledge that helped students develop a strong desire for personal achievement. I finally ended up at my dream school here in Milwaukee, and needless to say, I consider education to be one of the most important values within any society.

I participate in service work at an urban middle school here in Milwaukee, most of which is done with 12- and 13-year-old children, many of whom only speak Spanish. However, you cannot possibly imagine my surprise, and even my sadness, when I discovered that most of the children I would be working with were barely literate. While fundamental development of literacy skills begins at home, I still cannot help but feel mortified that even the English-speaking children passed 4^th, 5^th, 6^th and 7^th grade and were still unable to recognize basic words in their texts.

I am by no means an advocate for equality of outcome, but I am a vehement believer in equality of opportunity. Many parents, especially those in urban areas, simply cannot afford Catholic schooling, and public education is their only option. To me, this would not be a real problem if so many American public schools weren’t such a disgrace. Low property taxes and a lack of state funding leave the poorest towns with the worst education systems, creating a cycle of poverty and illiteracy that is extremely difficult to escape. While wealthier towns are able to support better public schools, the poorer towns are left with little resources. Even students with all the drive and determination in the world become stuck as they are surrounded by thousands of other students who just don’t care and dozens of teachers who don’t care enough to MAKE them care. The standards are set horrifically low and the road to success is short and unchallenging.

For example, “Yearbook” is offered as an English credit at my town’s high school to fulfill the state’s mandatory four-year English requirement. How will skills in yearbook help students perform well on their ACTs and SATs or write adequate essays for college applications? They won’t. While I am not saying that a typical four-year college is for everyone, the opportunity is. Even if students do not wish to attend a university, it is still crucial that they have the basic skills to file their taxes, read the newspaper, create monthly budgets for themselves, write a letter to a state representative, keep track of their checking accounts or finance a mortgage.

Bottom line: let’s give these kids a fighting chance. Stop cheating them out of their right to an adequate education. Stop stealing their ability to succeed. Stop un-equalizing opportunity.