test number 2 for ping.fm

More Peace Jam

So last night I went to the main presentation. Each laureate was absolutely incredible. They came literally from all corners of the world to come together for this unprecedented event. On the one side, I felt bad for the other laureates because Desmond Tutu has been significantly hyped up above and beyond all the others. On the other, it was incredible to see the other laureates reverence for him. And if you ever remotely get the chance to see him speak, go for it. You will not be disappointed. Not even remotely close to it. If I have any complaints at all, it would be the fact that we could not understand all the speakers in their own languages. Waiting for translations really interrupted the flow of some great speeches. What really made me laugh was waiting for Spanish translations when half of the audience had already started to clap or laugh or cry. I'm still a bit on the overwhelmed side to be honest. It was quite incredible.

Peace Jam

So there's this awesome event going on in LA called Peace Jam. 3,000 HS student have come to campus to listen to issues affecting the globe and how we can better the world. Tomorrow evening 6 Nobel Laureates will come together to speak. This is going to be a completely unprecedented event. Tix are like $200, but I snagged one for free by doing some good volunteer work today. Really excited!

writing

I realize that I have not been writing lately. Not in my blog, not in my social or professional life. I really need to do so, even if it's nonsensical. This is my 'only way out is through' strategery. Let's see if it works. I"m also going to wake up early to get to work and read or write (i think read mostly) for an hour or so every day before work begins. It gets a 2 week trial run. it may get split with exercise time since i've been TERRIBLE about that. hmmm interesting thought indeed. i'll keep that in mind.

Oh Blog

Oh Blog, how i've neglected thee. I'll cuddle up w/ you again soon.

The Rhythm of the War Drum

Who gave us the right to kill others?
Who gave us the right to kill our own?
The power over life and death is the greatest power of all. S/he who holds this power and wields it without regard for the sanctity of the individual life in mind holds us all prisoner. We must break free of this oppression. We must unite with open hearts and overcome this strictures placed upon us. The fate of all depends on it.





If we don't, we might as well be counting bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drum

Intro to my dissertation

FEEDBACK WELCOME!!! ENJOY

Envision five hundred high school students cheering and chanting at the top of their lungs. Most people would assume after only one simple sentence like this that my next one would include a ticking clock rapidly approaching 0:00 in the 4th with the home team down by one.

My next sentence, however, involves picket signs and a student shouting into a megaphone urging the President to ‘bring our boys home’. Why is it that we get more excited over sporting events than we do the lives of brave young American men and women? How is it that we see sports fans crying over games lost and our daily local TV news spending consistently less than one minute on a war taking lives each and every day?

These students I mentioned back in the first sentence have probably wondered the same thing. And it’s not that I, nor any of them for that matter, necessarily have problems with being passionate about sports. Truthfully, it’s not a pretty sight in my house when the Yankees are losing. I am merely questioning why we are not at least as, if not more passionate about life or death matters that we as a nation forced some of our finest youth into. I’m sure we could blame society, government, mainstream media, big business or any other ‘big evil’ that impacts us on both large and small scales every day for this loss of insight of what’s really important. This very well may be true and I for one have no problem including them on the list of causes. I would, however, be naïve to not include parents, teachers, and other adults in the community that are not addressing these issues face to face with out children on a daily basis.

Turning the conversation once again back to our five hundred screaming students…
   THEY decided to take on a cause
   THEY decided to stand up for what they believe is unjust
   THEY took matters into their own hands

One of the beautiful things about being young is not boxing yourself into what society expects of you. It is natural for youth to resist and reject societal norms. The trick however, is for them to find productive, and not destructive, means to stand up for what they believe in.
The youth mentioned above did just that. They organized a rally to protest the War in Iraq. They set ground rules of no violence or swearing upon themselves to ensure productivity. They marched with picket signs and a loud unified voice. The energy and idealism of youth was captured in this amazing event. They were heard.

The piece of the puzzle I have yet to reveal, however, show the true genius of today’s youth. Other than the actually rally on the streets, this protest was theorized, organized, and promoted solely on MySpace and YouTube. They used the tools that most adults are afraid of to do all the grunt work to stand up against injustice. Once the event took place, they promoted to their peers. All of this right underneath our adult noses, yet we were no the wiser that something so big was about to occur.