dang, blogger ate my post.
let me sum up.
-working at pizza place
-looking for "real job"...having trouble finding one...
-have an apartment
-still modding Star Wars Battlefront 2, working on Mustafar map...taking a while 'cause it's all curstom models and textures, hooray for Blender and Photoshop.
-going to work at 5:00
-so bye.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Response to "N.H. pastor houses child killer, riles town"
Is it not true that people form lynch mobs to take the focus off of their own legal and moral insufficiencies? Well, among other reasons, but that's always a hidden motive for it.
Also, not to say that the crime was ok or anything, but it seems to me that it's being a bit overblown. The boy was killed by the guy...and in the same moment some other kid across town died of an unknown heart defect, and 6 women had abortions, and two people committed suicides, and one guy got hit by a bus... Death happens, people, and it happens sooner or later to everyone. The crime of killing is not in ending a life, but in determining when to end it. If someone is old enough, we call it assisted suicide. If they are young enough, we call it abortion. Yes, hypocracy is a central theme to this discussion, in more ways than one.
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I'm reminded of the Old Testament system involving "cities of refuge" to hold criminals...to keep them away from "decent" and "innocent" society while allowing them to remain human. Of course, that seems too logical and easy to be implemented in a modern context.
Also, not to say that the crime was ok or anything, but it seems to me that it's being a bit overblown. The boy was killed by the guy...and in the same moment some other kid across town died of an unknown heart defect, and 6 women had abortions, and two people committed suicides, and one guy got hit by a bus... Death happens, people, and it happens sooner or later to everyone. The crime of killing is not in ending a life, but in determining when to end it. If someone is old enough, we call it assisted suicide. If they are young enough, we call it abortion. Yes, hypocracy is a central theme to this discussion, in more ways than one.
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I'm reminded of the Old Testament system involving "cities of refuge" to hold criminals...to keep them away from "decent" and "innocent" society while allowing them to remain human. Of course, that seems too logical and easy to be implemented in a modern context.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
response to: "Recession F-bombs: Why swearing feels great"
You are teaching anger to your children when you do this. They don't care what word it happens to be. They just care that they've seen you being angry so that means that they can be angry too. If I recall correctly, when I was young, younger than 5, my dad still swore. I picked this up until they told me not to do it. I did the typical monkey see, monkey do: My dad got angry fixing the car. I heard him say something, and it sounded impressive: Gaaaahdammit! So I started saying it whenever I was frustrated for a short time until I was suppressively corrected. Now, at that age I knew about God. However, I made absolutely no connection whatsoever between that strange new phrase I had learned and the name of God. What my dad had said sounded like one distinct word. But I did understand that the strange new phrase was to be used against something when I was frustrated with it. So, don't ask the shrinks how swearing affects children, ask those who can actually remember what it was like being a child.
Really, it isn't about what word is being used. It's about the emotion behind the word. And chances are that you don't know what emotion really is. Emotion is our true language. It is what we process directly from inputting stimuli before we translate it automatically into our artificial learned language (e.g., English.) Since information tends to get lost in translation, deliberately or otherwise, your emotional state will always be a truer assesment of your stance on an issue, your values, your hangups, your frustrations, your misgivings, your beliefs, and so on than what you tell yourself in your learned language. The benefit of a learned language is that it can solidify the knowledge held in emotional language so that it can be more easily studied, understood, and, especially, discussed with others.
An interesting side note to this: do animals think in a form of this "emotional" language? I find it apparent that they do. You may draw your own conclusions from this revelation.
But back to the anger thing, since that's what a lot of this swearing is about. We see more swearing than in the past because we have become a different people than we were in the past. What, may I ask, has become of the dignity of being a unique person? Who of us loves others not because they can do stuff for us, but because they need love? We are all empty, and feel worthless, because all we can do to attain satisfactory worth in this age is be perfect. And that is something no one can do. Our families are spread out and separated and everyone works in an emotionally isolated bubble, with business relationships that are focused on ignoring and working around emotional needs rather than meeting them, because they interfere with the task on hand. What we lack in self-worth from acceptance we try to make up for with financial security. Now that that has been removed from us, our frustration is becoming more pronounced.
Really, it isn't about what word is being used. It's about the emotion behind the word. And chances are that you don't know what emotion really is. Emotion is our true language. It is what we process directly from inputting stimuli before we translate it automatically into our artificial learned language (e.g., English.) Since information tends to get lost in translation, deliberately or otherwise, your emotional state will always be a truer assesment of your stance on an issue, your values, your hangups, your frustrations, your misgivings, your beliefs, and so on than what you tell yourself in your learned language. The benefit of a learned language is that it can solidify the knowledge held in emotional language so that it can be more easily studied, understood, and, especially, discussed with others.
An interesting side note to this: do animals think in a form of this "emotional" language? I find it apparent that they do. You may draw your own conclusions from this revelation.
But back to the anger thing, since that's what a lot of this swearing is about. We see more swearing than in the past because we have become a different people than we were in the past. What, may I ask, has become of the dignity of being a unique person? Who of us loves others not because they can do stuff for us, but because they need love? We are all empty, and feel worthless, because all we can do to attain satisfactory worth in this age is be perfect. And that is something no one can do. Our families are spread out and separated and everyone works in an emotionally isolated bubble, with business relationships that are focused on ignoring and working around emotional needs rather than meeting them, because they interfere with the task on hand. What we lack in self-worth from acceptance we try to make up for with financial security. Now that that has been removed from us, our frustration is becoming more pronounced.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
News article title: "Study: 1 in 31 U.S. adults in prison system"
The title says all...absolutely incredible. And completely unacceptable. The newsvine comments included many, many murmurings of "police state," "prison nation," and "because of the failed war on drugs." Fortunately there is hope for all this. Someone suggested googling "restorative justice." Really, that seems to be what we need instead of lock-ups in most situations. And it looks like there's quite a few places taking that approach--(google it yourself)
Also someone provided a link to this interesting site:
www.leap.cc/
Also someone provided a link to this interesting site:
www.leap.cc/
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Response to: "Dobson resigns as chair of Focus on the Family"
Chuck_454
With this much love it is clear he quit too soon or realizes there is no hope for some people.
John Ball
Huh?
Jason Anthony Gieske
I detect intense sarcasm from one who hasn't been brainwashed by the forces that brainwashed the strong majority here...if we must refer to upbringing as such...
With this much love it is clear he quit too soon or realizes there is no hope for some people.
John Ball
Huh?
Jason Anthony Gieske
I detect intense sarcasm from one who hasn't been brainwashed by the forces that brainwashed the strong majority here...if we must refer to upbringing as such...
Response to: "Vick OK'd for home confinement, official says"
This article is about the football player arrested because of his dogfighting ring.
Jail for life for killing animals is somewhat equal to jail for life for lying, in my opinion...so just because we don't eat what we kill it's a crime? Cruel, yes, and would I recommend it, no, but legal penalties? Come on, dogs aren't anywhere near being an endangered species...pets are actually overpopulating right now. Hence all the "have your pet spayed or neutered" campaigning...which I would think PETA ought to see as animal torture anyway...
Now, making lots of cash off an operation like that is a bit dirty, yes, but unlike so many people who always cry "there ought to be a law..." about just about everything that isn't perfect with the world according to their point of view, I am more in favor of limiting the power of government so that if it goes corrupt it won't do as much damage.
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But really, all the gloating over his downfall going around on this forum is equally inhumane and rather hypocritical as well, don't you think? Surely you don't think the rest of us are perfect...and those of you who are "basically good," know that you'd keep telling yourself that if you ever got involved in anything illegal, because you'd still be able to rationalize your actions.
...And what good does it do anyone for you to take up a judgemental position against a fellow man for the sake of heaping guilt and shame upon his head? A bad person can only get worse with such input. If you used such self-appointed authority, while still acknowledging the severity of whatever crime was commited, to try to improve his position through rehabilitation in the interest of improving humanity, perhaps such self-appointment would be tolerable. I was under the impression that the notion of simply removing bad people from society without trying to make them good first was supposed to be left in the Dark Ages...I guess I was wrong.
...And no, actually dogs don't need to depend on humans. There are plenty of wild dogs out there. And they do a pretty good job of doing what they are designed to do--kill stuff to stay alive. Just like everything else.
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The following is an excerpt from the debate, with my response...it highlights the prevailing tone of the debate quite well actually. Scary, isn't it? People are awful.
bopdaddytoo
I have owned several dogs from rabbit dogs to house pets and have had to put several down. I didn't go to a vet but used a 12 gage shot gun a lot cheaper and the dogs never complained.
Stella, Tucson
I wish you the same exact fate. Today.
SkiCO267
Well, I certainly wouldn't feel bad for you if your head got blown off with a shotgun. I can only assume that you A) don't give a crap about animals, or B) are a cheap [vulgarity removed]who won't go pay to have an animal humanely put down. Get a life, hilljack!
Jason Anthony Gieske
Watch out, bopdaddytoo, it's getting a lot less safe to admit that sort of thing in this wonderful, free country of ours...everything in the justice system is now decided by whether it offends someone, and someone is sure to be offended by pretty much everything, so we all should be losing all of our freedoms in 3...2...1...
The only thing slowing down the process is the government's inefficiency and failure to communicate effectively with itself.
Jail for life for killing animals is somewhat equal to jail for life for lying, in my opinion...so just because we don't eat what we kill it's a crime? Cruel, yes, and would I recommend it, no, but legal penalties? Come on, dogs aren't anywhere near being an endangered species...pets are actually overpopulating right now. Hence all the "have your pet spayed or neutered" campaigning...which I would think PETA ought to see as animal torture anyway...
Now, making lots of cash off an operation like that is a bit dirty, yes, but unlike so many people who always cry "there ought to be a law..." about just about everything that isn't perfect with the world according to their point of view, I am more in favor of limiting the power of government so that if it goes corrupt it won't do as much damage.
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But really, all the gloating over his downfall going around on this forum is equally inhumane and rather hypocritical as well, don't you think? Surely you don't think the rest of us are perfect...and those of you who are "basically good," know that you'd keep telling yourself that if you ever got involved in anything illegal, because you'd still be able to rationalize your actions.
...And what good does it do anyone for you to take up a judgemental position against a fellow man for the sake of heaping guilt and shame upon his head? A bad person can only get worse with such input. If you used such self-appointed authority, while still acknowledging the severity of whatever crime was commited, to try to improve his position through rehabilitation in the interest of improving humanity, perhaps such self-appointment would be tolerable. I was under the impression that the notion of simply removing bad people from society without trying to make them good first was supposed to be left in the Dark Ages...I guess I was wrong.
...And no, actually dogs don't need to depend on humans. There are plenty of wild dogs out there. And they do a pretty good job of doing what they are designed to do--kill stuff to stay alive. Just like everything else.
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The following is an excerpt from the debate, with my response...it highlights the prevailing tone of the debate quite well actually. Scary, isn't it? People are awful.
bopdaddytoo
I have owned several dogs from rabbit dogs to house pets and have had to put several down. I didn't go to a vet but used a 12 gage shot gun a lot cheaper and the dogs never complained.
Stella, Tucson
I wish you the same exact fate. Today.
SkiCO267
Well, I certainly wouldn't feel bad for you if your head got blown off with a shotgun. I can only assume that you A) don't give a crap about animals, or B) are a cheap [vulgarity removed]who won't go pay to have an animal humanely put down. Get a life, hilljack!
Jason Anthony Gieske
Watch out, bopdaddytoo, it's getting a lot less safe to admit that sort of thing in this wonderful, free country of ours...everything in the justice system is now decided by whether it offends someone, and someone is sure to be offended by pretty much everything, so we all should be losing all of our freedoms in 3...2...1...
The only thing slowing down the process is the government's inefficiency and failure to communicate effectively with itself.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Response to: "Owner of New York Post apologizes for cartoon"
"People making dumb comparisons like Bush depicted as a monkey are clueless and have no comprehension whatsover of what racism is all about. The comparison between Bush and a monkey was his level of intelligence- not something that he was born with and has no control over." -DSVet
You need to take another look at what you just said there, in relation to the context. This cartoon was clearly discussing the very qualification you just said is legitimate--intelligence. It says nothing about race, and nothing about Obama.The cartoon is mocking the people who wrote the stimulus bill...that's a sizeable group, definitely not a black majority, and all that Obama did with it was sign it. I highly doubt that he read even a tenth of it...the whole thing took a book cart to move it was so huge.
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Ok, America, you must choose one of two options. Which will it be? Cultural pride and seperate but equal or melting pot culture where all are just human? The reason there is so much chaos and confusion regarding racism is that the black community identifies themselves as just that--a specific community of humans that supports each other in dealings with dissimilar humans, thereby implementing the first mindset, while white (or whatever color the rest of us are...and most black people aren't black either...) people have been thouroughly indoctrinated to go with the flow in whatever group of people we find ourselves being a part of, thereby being more consistent with the second mindset.
So, to all the people of African origin, know this...you can't have it both ways. You can't be a distinct group while being truly on the same level as everyone else (whatever level that is...) because even if your intent of supporting one another is good, doing so still causes division, and that division is based soley on race. To identify by race is in fact to be racist, for the only way to not be racist would be to ignore race entirely and judge not by color of skin, but by content of character. The U.S. Government would be equally wise to know this. ENOUGH! Enough of the race surveys! Enough of the categorization according to race! Enough of the statistics comparing the livelihoods of various people by RACE! I know they often lame-duck it by saying it's "culture" instead, but that is equally foolish. I thought we were supposed to be done with seperate but equal in the '50s. All I know that it was not my generation's idea to make these distinctions (gen Y). It's all the black establishment and the US government keeping the chaos going. And holidays? Having a black holiday is just asking to have every race wanting thier peice of the pie, which requires that they realize that being a distinct race matters, which creates racism. Racism, as in the belief that race matters when distinguishing between people, not as in "ooohhh she said something mean about me because of my race." But, if no one cares about distinguishing by race, then no one will insult according to race. It's about time everyone figures this out.
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Oh, yeah, and the Media needs to shut up about race too.
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Wow, MLIL, that's an excellent angle you just brought up. I feel I have become much, much more racist due to what I've learned about race in the public school system--not less, as is their intent. Before public school, black people were just humans with darker skin to me. Now, they are black people. The schools keep rubbing salt into the sores of the past by bringing it up again and again, saying how awful it is to behave that way towards each other...don't they know that humans are always tempted to behave in whatever way is forbidden to them? And that in informing people of a sin previously unknown, they have given new life to an otherwise eradicated illness? Kids will experience certain groups' disdain for each other in their own social interactions. Teachers would be much, much better off working out the basic solutions to this kind of thing using the situations at hand as examples. Building good character in that way would prevent strife between factions later in life rather than emphasize it.
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The "doomed to repeat it" line is a popular one...but from what I've seen, bad things repeat themselves in history whether we know about them or not, because they always take a slightly different form which people don't recognize. It is core values that must be changed; more education does NOT automatically solve the world's problems, contrary to VERY popular belief.
You need to take another look at what you just said there, in relation to the context. This cartoon was clearly discussing the very qualification you just said is legitimate--intelligence. It says nothing about race, and nothing about Obama.The cartoon is mocking the people who wrote the stimulus bill...that's a sizeable group, definitely not a black majority, and all that Obama did with it was sign it. I highly doubt that he read even a tenth of it...the whole thing took a book cart to move it was so huge.
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Ok, America, you must choose one of two options. Which will it be? Cultural pride and seperate but equal or melting pot culture where all are just human? The reason there is so much chaos and confusion regarding racism is that the black community identifies themselves as just that--a specific community of humans that supports each other in dealings with dissimilar humans, thereby implementing the first mindset, while white (or whatever color the rest of us are...and most black people aren't black either...) people have been thouroughly indoctrinated to go with the flow in whatever group of people we find ourselves being a part of, thereby being more consistent with the second mindset.
So, to all the people of African origin, know this...you can't have it both ways. You can't be a distinct group while being truly on the same level as everyone else (whatever level that is...) because even if your intent of supporting one another is good, doing so still causes division, and that division is based soley on race. To identify by race is in fact to be racist, for the only way to not be racist would be to ignore race entirely and judge not by color of skin, but by content of character. The U.S. Government would be equally wise to know this. ENOUGH! Enough of the race surveys! Enough of the categorization according to race! Enough of the statistics comparing the livelihoods of various people by RACE! I know they often lame-duck it by saying it's "culture" instead, but that is equally foolish. I thought we were supposed to be done with seperate but equal in the '50s. All I know that it was not my generation's idea to make these distinctions (gen Y). It's all the black establishment and the US government keeping the chaos going. And holidays? Having a black holiday is just asking to have every race wanting thier peice of the pie, which requires that they realize that being a distinct race matters, which creates racism. Racism, as in the belief that race matters when distinguishing between people, not as in "ooohhh she said something mean about me because of my race." But, if no one cares about distinguishing by race, then no one will insult according to race. It's about time everyone figures this out.
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Oh, yeah, and the Media needs to shut up about race too.
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Wow, MLIL, that's an excellent angle you just brought up. I feel I have become much, much more racist due to what I've learned about race in the public school system--not less, as is their intent. Before public school, black people were just humans with darker skin to me. Now, they are black people. The schools keep rubbing salt into the sores of the past by bringing it up again and again, saying how awful it is to behave that way towards each other...don't they know that humans are always tempted to behave in whatever way is forbidden to them? And that in informing people of a sin previously unknown, they have given new life to an otherwise eradicated illness? Kids will experience certain groups' disdain for each other in their own social interactions. Teachers would be much, much better off working out the basic solutions to this kind of thing using the situations at hand as examples. Building good character in that way would prevent strife between factions later in life rather than emphasize it.
-
The "doomed to repeat it" line is a popular one...but from what I've seen, bad things repeat themselves in history whether we know about them or not, because they always take a slightly different form which people don't recognize. It is core values that must be changed; more education does NOT automatically solve the world's problems, contrary to VERY popular belief.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Response to "9-year-old pleads guilty in shooting death"
"He is completely rehabilitatable..."
Well, this brings up some interesting thoughts. In reality there is no way to know if that is true or not without trying rehabilitation. His crime seems to be like many crimes...I really don't care if it's adult crimes or kid crimes, by the way, since I prefer to view kids as younger humans and adults as older humans...the mandatory division between kids and adults seems unhealthy in some ways...as does the division between generations...but anyway, this was apparently a crime with a reason behind it. As opposed to a crime for the sake of crime. Was it a legitimate reason? Well, in the eyes of the murderer, yes. In the eyes of the law, no, since vigilante justice is only legal in the movies, and for good reason, since a reasonable-to-the-perpetrator excuse can be made for doing literally any crime. Even, "'cause it felt right." In this case, the criminal apparently sought to solve whatever problem he was having by removing it's source... apparently without thinking about the implications of doing so much...or maybe he realized that since he wasn't legally human yet (18, 21), he could get away with it without getting punished severely, and going to juvie seemed like a better option than his current situation anyway. It's interesting, our society's take on murder and the value of human life. We are extreme on both ends simultaniously. On the one hand, we see the ending of a life as a terribly shocking occurance that must be dealt with with the greatest possible degree of care, fear, and media hype. On the other, we kill foreign enemies of the government without remorse, as they do to us, we throw the lives of the accused and convicted in the trash and forget about them forever, and we could care less about how many people are dying in Africa at any given moment. Also our entertainment industry has a mysterious fascination with death. So much death and negligence that I don't even need to mention abortion (oops, I just did.) It seems we only value about the lives of humans we care about (our good, upstanding citizenry, I guess) and could care less about the rest. The plight of our prison occupants leads us back to the original comment that I am responding to. Rehabilitable? Surely this does not apply only to children. Unrehabilitable? Surely this does not apply only to adults. Rehabilitation simply is the process of getting the criminal to view things as the justice system views them...a justice system which tends to change it's mind on things over the years, I might add...since it's judgement is not anchored in anything greater than human reason. So some criminals will see the "error of their ways" and become conformist to society (if we give them a chance, anyway), while others will not. Also I feel that our society doesn't realize the importance of authority and the responsibility and accountability that ought to be attached inseperably to it...that is, regarding the placing of one human's will over another's or others', when all are legally created equal. So basically, to those who work in the justice system, please observe the golden rule above all else, especially to those who obviously don't deserve such treatment, for they are the the hardest to do so with but also the most in need of such treatment, and to those who believe it, keep in mind that you will be held accountable to God for your influence in the lives of others when your time to die comes. That's another interesting twist on the topic of death...everybody dies sooner or later.
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Born with a clean slate? Ok, it's time to ignore the old dead philosophers who did more thinking than was good for them and the airheads who don't take any time to think at all and use our own powers of observation to figure out the obvious:
a) humans are born with the "programming" necessary to recieve and interpret stimuli from all available sensory organs.
b) humans have a completely self-centered outlook on life upon entering the world, and therefore are inherently selfish until trained to be otherwise.
c) selfish ambition typically translates neither as "clean slate" nor "basically good."
(ah, it felt good to finally have an excuse to release that tidbit of wisdom into the thought pool)
Well, this brings up some interesting thoughts. In reality there is no way to know if that is true or not without trying rehabilitation. His crime seems to be like many crimes...I really don't care if it's adult crimes or kid crimes, by the way, since I prefer to view kids as younger humans and adults as older humans...the mandatory division between kids and adults seems unhealthy in some ways...as does the division between generations...but anyway, this was apparently a crime with a reason behind it. As opposed to a crime for the sake of crime. Was it a legitimate reason? Well, in the eyes of the murderer, yes. In the eyes of the law, no, since vigilante justice is only legal in the movies, and for good reason, since a reasonable-to-the-perpetrator excuse can be made for doing literally any crime. Even, "'cause it felt right." In this case, the criminal apparently sought to solve whatever problem he was having by removing it's source... apparently without thinking about the implications of doing so much...or maybe he realized that since he wasn't legally human yet (18, 21), he could get away with it without getting punished severely, and going to juvie seemed like a better option than his current situation anyway. It's interesting, our society's take on murder and the value of human life. We are extreme on both ends simultaniously. On the one hand, we see the ending of a life as a terribly shocking occurance that must be dealt with with the greatest possible degree of care, fear, and media hype. On the other, we kill foreign enemies of the government without remorse, as they do to us, we throw the lives of the accused and convicted in the trash and forget about them forever, and we could care less about how many people are dying in Africa at any given moment. Also our entertainment industry has a mysterious fascination with death. So much death and negligence that I don't even need to mention abortion (oops, I just did.) It seems we only value about the lives of humans we care about (our good, upstanding citizenry, I guess) and could care less about the rest. The plight of our prison occupants leads us back to the original comment that I am responding to. Rehabilitable? Surely this does not apply only to children. Unrehabilitable? Surely this does not apply only to adults. Rehabilitation simply is the process of getting the criminal to view things as the justice system views them...a justice system which tends to change it's mind on things over the years, I might add...since it's judgement is not anchored in anything greater than human reason. So some criminals will see the "error of their ways" and become conformist to society (if we give them a chance, anyway), while others will not. Also I feel that our society doesn't realize the importance of authority and the responsibility and accountability that ought to be attached inseperably to it...that is, regarding the placing of one human's will over another's or others', when all are legally created equal. So basically, to those who work in the justice system, please observe the golden rule above all else, especially to those who obviously don't deserve such treatment, for they are the the hardest to do so with but also the most in need of such treatment, and to those who believe it, keep in mind that you will be held accountable to God for your influence in the lives of others when your time to die comes. That's another interesting twist on the topic of death...everybody dies sooner or later.
-
Born with a clean slate? Ok, it's time to ignore the old dead philosophers who did more thinking than was good for them and the airheads who don't take any time to think at all and use our own powers of observation to figure out the obvious:
a) humans are born with the "programming" necessary to recieve and interpret stimuli from all available sensory organs.
b) humans have a completely self-centered outlook on life upon entering the world, and therefore are inherently selfish until trained to be otherwise.
c) selfish ambition typically translates neither as "clean slate" nor "basically good."
(ah, it felt good to finally have an excuse to release that tidbit of wisdom into the thought pool)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Ancient Battlegrounds has good ratings on YoYo games.
Currently rated 4.0/5 with 16 votes, Ancient Battlegrounds is ranked 5th by rating out of all strategy games, and is near the top of page 5 when ranked by rating in all genres. Each page has 20 games on it...and there's now 1533 pages of games on the site. I have yet to accquire the elusive "featured" recognition and have only 63 total plays.
Monday, February 9, 2009
I went bowling.
I went bowling with people from my hall (it was a different floor's activity and they didn't have enough people)
The first game I got a 64.
The second game I got a turkey (3 strikes in a row) and a 146. Oh, and I almost got four strikes in a row but the center pin stayed up :(.
The first game I got a 64.
The second game I got a turkey (3 strikes in a row) and a 146. Oh, and I almost got four strikes in a row but the center pin stayed up :(.
Monday, February 2, 2009
I have released the completed version of Ancient Battlegrounds!
This is the link to Ancient Battlegrounds.
See the screenshots and ad in posts below...
Basic gist of the game: command the Caananites or Cushites and conquer the Mesopotamia war map in a series of battlefront-esque battles.
It's a game created by me using Game Maker 7.0, a free but upgradable program available here.
See the screenshots and ad in posts below...
Basic gist of the game: command the Caananites or Cushites and conquer the Mesopotamia war map in a series of battlefront-esque battles.
It's a game created by me using Game Maker 7.0, a free but upgradable program available here.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Response to: "Katrina 'divine retribution' pastor promoted"
"All this article shows me is that no matter what you believe, people think you're intolerant if it's a different point of view from their own."
Very true...and on that tangent if there is ever a law made that disallows "hate speech" a very large percentage of the populace will lose a very large percentage of their freedom of speech. Think about it... a law against intolerance and hate speech in a relativist society...justice would become, even moreso than it is now, nothing but a power grab. The intolerant label is nothing more than a tool to shut up opposing viewpoints.
Very true...and on that tangent if there is ever a law made that disallows "hate speech" a very large percentage of the populace will lose a very large percentage of their freedom of speech. Think about it... a law against intolerance and hate speech in a relativist society...justice would become, even moreso than it is now, nothing but a power grab. The intolerant label is nothing more than a tool to shut up opposing viewpoints.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Response to "Pushy Yanks saved themselves on Titanic"
I've read the account of the Titanic, and know for a fact: that particular generation of first class people was exceptionally snobby. And class was everything. If you were first class and died, it was a free hero label back home. That's why they stayed on board. They were sensationalized by the press for such heroic deeds as keeping the 3rd class male scum off the lifeboats so the wealthy women and children could get on board without any problems. If the societally important people did so much as lift a finger they became heros, or perhaps by just existing on the boat. But the third class? What third class? Oh, that filth that goes groveling around in the bottom of the ship? What of it? Let it drown, there's no better way to decrease the surplus population. We just let them aboard to serve as ballast anyway.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Eh, it's back to commenting on the Arab Israeli conflict again...
Someone had speculated that if religion were made punishable by death, there would be no more violence. Well, first of all, what part of "punishable by death" isn't violent? Second of all, people are born self-serving, and tend to remain that way unless strongly motivated by some legitimate authority to become otherwise. Without God, all I can say is, good luck finding legitimate authority. Without religion, violence would still remain. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, vengeance ever upon those who offend. If you are stuck in Utopia land, I would suggest that you go live with the more desperate members of society for a healthy period of time to cure your delirium.
Now, it is important to always distinguish between religion and truth. Truth just is, and nobody can claim to know exactly what it is. Religion is man's best attempt to discover the truth assuming God to be the only one who knows what truth is. All attempts by man naturally fall short. So yes, you can often rightfully blame religion for acting stupidly, but it will certainly produce results no worse than any other human endeavor.
Now, it is important to always distinguish between religion and truth. Truth just is, and nobody can claim to know exactly what it is. Religion is man's best attempt to discover the truth assuming God to be the only one who knows what truth is. All attempts by man naturally fall short. So yes, you can often rightfully blame religion for acting stupidly, but it will certainly produce results no worse than any other human endeavor.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Response to "Flying car goes to market?"
People don't typically treat driving as a game either, at least not the ones with kids in the back seat.
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Entrepreneurs make the economy grow, not get worse.
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Well, I assume since they will be flying this year it's a bit more far along than just a 3D render. Also, these people are based in Oshkosh, which makes me inclined to think they know what they are doing. I do wonder what it has for propulsion, that can go 500 miles on a tank of regular gas--this aside from it's road engine, no less, or is it like a tank, with a jet engine for the road? and what mpg does it get while driving?
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The article seemed to be hinting that you take off and land at small airports, and drive from there to wherever you have to go. This seems to be the ideal mode of transportation for those who live (well) outside the big city and have a job in the city. And why do you think it isn't roadworthy? Obviously it was made to be--the wings fold up more than is shown in the picture.
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Entrepreneurs make the economy grow, not get worse.
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Well, I assume since they will be flying this year it's a bit more far along than just a 3D render. Also, these people are based in Oshkosh, which makes me inclined to think they know what they are doing. I do wonder what it has for propulsion, that can go 500 miles on a tank of regular gas--this aside from it's road engine, no less, or is it like a tank, with a jet engine for the road? and what mpg does it get while driving?
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The article seemed to be hinting that you take off and land at small airports, and drive from there to wherever you have to go. This seems to be the ideal mode of transportation for those who live (well) outside the big city and have a job in the city. And why do you think it isn't roadworthy? Obviously it was made to be--the wings fold up more than is shown in the picture.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Response to "Beyonce goes to Washington -- on the train"
Ugh, this isn't news, this is the liberal media worshiping their friends the celebrities as they all go together to worship their new democrat hero (who, due to his position in politics, must certainly be a celebrity himself...who else would be able to tolerate being the president of a nation as huge and screwed up as ours?). Sadly, this is not a democracy in which we live. It's a republican monarchy (not republican as in Republican, republican as in republic.) It kind of feels like a democracy because we are given the ability (sort of) to choose between two monarchs every 4 or 8 years. A real democracy would have no president. Every person would vote on each issue as they saw fit. That which has the most votes would win. With the internet we now have the means to do this. The only organization required would be for recieving requests for things to vote on, notifying the public about them, keeping track of the law as it is voted on, and enforcing it. So that's a real democracy. If it doesn't seem like a good idea, well then by golly, I guess democracy isn't a good idea (*gasp*)
Now, keep in mind that the freedoms I have which allowed me to say that just now are actually completely separate from the concept of democracy per se. Our founding fathers could have easily said, "we'll let y'all vote but won't give you any rights aside from that," or, "we appoint a king but the irrevocable law of the land stands that people are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights."
Now, keep in mind that the freedoms I have which allowed me to say that just now are actually completely separate from the concept of democracy per se. Our founding fathers could have easily said, "we'll let y'all vote but won't give you any rights aside from that," or, "we appoint a king but the irrevocable law of the land stands that people are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights."
More on the post about Mount Sinai and such.
Gabrialle
Jason: What you are saying is true - Thank You!! I believe there have been artifacts found in the Red Sea where they crossed.
Jason Anthony Gieske
Yes, including, allegedly, the wheel of Pharoah's chariot. His was the only one that was metal (bronze?) with four spokes, you see. As for the rest of it: a whole lot of coral shaped like old rotted chariots, and nearby, a whole lot of coral shaped like their wheels. Everyone else had chariots made of wood, you see, and that has long since rotted away, leaving only the coral. And recall that the wheels fell off the chariots, according to the Bible.
It is what is on the mountain itself, however, that is the most telling. An unnaturally charred top. A split rock with water erosion coming from it. A large flat rock at the base of the mountain with egyptian-like cow drawings all over it (Moses made them eat (drink) the actual statue, if you recall.) 12 piles of rocks at the base. A wonderful view of the (split?) rock at Horeb, if I recall. Elijah's cave. A very large, flat area at the foot of the mountain, perfect for pitching a big camp. And more than that, which I don't recall at the moment. All of this on a mountain in the middle of nowhere, yet inexplicably guarded by Saudi Arabian military and with a fence going the whole way around the mountain. And I should mention, I actually saw two distinctly different documentaries on this from two distinctly different and unrelated sources who each performed a spy mission of sorts in the area on their own initiative. You can tell they are unrelated, too, because they disagree on a number of points. On the way to the mountain from the sea crossing, too, they found numerous landmarks mentioned in the Bible. You can't prove that the proof of God's existance isn't out there, you can only choose to ignore it.
Jason: What you are saying is true - Thank You!! I believe there have been artifacts found in the Red Sea where they crossed.
Jason Anthony Gieske
Yes, including, allegedly, the wheel of Pharoah's chariot. His was the only one that was metal (bronze?) with four spokes, you see. As for the rest of it: a whole lot of coral shaped like old rotted chariots, and nearby, a whole lot of coral shaped like their wheels. Everyone else had chariots made of wood, you see, and that has long since rotted away, leaving only the coral. And recall that the wheels fell off the chariots, according to the Bible.
It is what is on the mountain itself, however, that is the most telling. An unnaturally charred top. A split rock with water erosion coming from it. A large flat rock at the base of the mountain with egyptian-like cow drawings all over it (Moses made them eat (drink) the actual statue, if you recall.) 12 piles of rocks at the base. A wonderful view of the (split?) rock at Horeb, if I recall. Elijah's cave. A very large, flat area at the foot of the mountain, perfect for pitching a big camp. And more than that, which I don't recall at the moment. All of this on a mountain in the middle of nowhere, yet inexplicably guarded by Saudi Arabian military and with a fence going the whole way around the mountain. And I should mention, I actually saw two distinctly different documentaries on this from two distinctly different and unrelated sources who each performed a spy mission of sorts in the area on their own initiative. You can tell they are unrelated, too, because they disagree on a number of points. On the way to the mountain from the sea crossing, too, they found numerous landmarks mentioned in the Bible. You can't prove that the proof of God's existance isn't out there, you can only choose to ignore it.
Response to "'sexting' suprise: Teens face child porn charges"
-----------------------------Chapter 1-------------------------------------
Sex offender: that creepy, evil-beyond-human guy who lurks about waiting for any victim to walk by so he can have his way with them.
This is fear mongering sponsored by 1984's Big Brother, who lives today, folks. And contrary to popular opinion he is not a construction of the religious right, so far as I know (I being part of it), but rather of pure legalism, which is separate entirely from morality, yet drives our modern justice system with an iron fist. It operates by placing irreconcileable guilt on those who break it's code. If it were based on God's justice, the focus would be on reconciliation after repentance. Instead, we have what is in reality a crime against humanity: we label a group of people, who have sinned perhaps just once, as OFFENDERS FOR LIFE. All have sinned, and all can repent, all can change thier ways. If someone was an offender when they were, say, 30, why on earth would he necessarily still be an offender when he is 80? People change. Labeling a group in this way, criminals though they may be (though keep in mind that many things that get people labeled as sex offenders are not actually worth the title) is far too chillingly similar to a certain time in history, where a certain group of people were awarded with pretty little six sided stars to wear by a certain government, so that the rest of society would know to stay away from these inferior beings, and when they could not, to treat them like dirt.
There is that poem, in which they took all these groups of people away...and the author didn't protest, because he wasn't a member of one of those groups. And then they took him, and there was no one left to protest on his behalf.
So yes, fear the evil sex offender, loathe him, and relive...1945.
Hypocracy. What would Jesus do? Actually, we know what He did. He said, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone."
Our justice system in this area is a witch hunt. A wolf hunt. A lynch mob. And there is, in all reality, very little that we the people can do about it.
-----------------------------Chapter 2-------------------------------------
It makes you wonder, too, any time the government has this much power in a sector of life as private as this. And yes, what happened to parent's rights? Aren't they technically the ones in charge of these dependents? These kids aren't living in Big Brother's orphanage, you know. Let the government deal with those it has labeled as its citizens, let parents deal with those the government has labeled as their children (keep in mind, it is the legalist government who set the magical age to 18 in the first place, for a lack of a better standard by which sexual morality could be determined by consent rather than marital legitimacy). And some cultures allow marriage by the age of 14...
-----------------------------Chapter 3-------------------------------------
Now, with all that said, many sex offenders do need to be dealt with somehow or they will (possibly) harm others again (assuming that they did in the first place, which in a few cases is actually rather debatable.) Sending them to prison to rot the rest of their lives is an option, but it doesn't better their situation at all, and costs the government a lot of money that of course it doesn't have. Labeling them as lifelong offenders does nothing but prevent them from being able to make any sort of change for the better, so that's the worst option, wildly popular among our legal ...people... though it may be. I actually propose this, in addition to whatever counseling, etc is appropriate, and no, you aren't reading it wrong:
Slavery
Now let me explain. We all know the common and seemingly correct theory that work keeps people out of trouble and doing nothing gets them into more trouble. This is because it's harder to do two things at once than one thing at once...its a distraction. Work also builds character, a willingness to serve, and a sense of purpose, worth, and accomplishment, which may well have missing from the life of the sex offender previously in some way or another. They may even pick up some vibes of gratitude here and there for a job well done. Medicine for the soul, it is. So, in combination with counseling and the like, they might turn out to be decent ordinary citizens after all, at which point they could cease to be slaves and go back to being their own person. And recall all that money that prison was wasting with them rotting in it? Chain gangs are great for a country that needs rebuilding. Just look at all the public works projects that got done by chain gangs earlier in the century. Free labor, how can you complain about that? Good slavery (yes, there is such a thing, apparently) is slavery that is earned (through exemplary bad behavior, I mean). Bad slavery is slavery that one is tricked into, forced into or born into, or placed in based on circumstances beyond one's control (such as the color of one's skin).
Sex offender: that creepy, evil-beyond-human guy who lurks about waiting for any victim to walk by so he can have his way with them.
This is fear mongering sponsored by 1984's Big Brother, who lives today, folks. And contrary to popular opinion he is not a construction of the religious right, so far as I know (I being part of it), but rather of pure legalism, which is separate entirely from morality, yet drives our modern justice system with an iron fist. It operates by placing irreconcileable guilt on those who break it's code. If it were based on God's justice, the focus would be on reconciliation after repentance. Instead, we have what is in reality a crime against humanity: we label a group of people, who have sinned perhaps just once, as OFFENDERS FOR LIFE. All have sinned, and all can repent, all can change thier ways. If someone was an offender when they were, say, 30, why on earth would he necessarily still be an offender when he is 80? People change. Labeling a group in this way, criminals though they may be (though keep in mind that many things that get people labeled as sex offenders are not actually worth the title) is far too chillingly similar to a certain time in history, where a certain group of people were awarded with pretty little six sided stars to wear by a certain government, so that the rest of society would know to stay away from these inferior beings, and when they could not, to treat them like dirt.
There is that poem, in which they took all these groups of people away...and the author didn't protest, because he wasn't a member of one of those groups. And then they took him, and there was no one left to protest on his behalf.
So yes, fear the evil sex offender, loathe him, and relive...1945.
Hypocracy. What would Jesus do? Actually, we know what He did. He said, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone."
Our justice system in this area is a witch hunt. A wolf hunt. A lynch mob. And there is, in all reality, very little that we the people can do about it.
-----------------------------Chapter 2-------------------------------------
It makes you wonder, too, any time the government has this much power in a sector of life as private as this. And yes, what happened to parent's rights? Aren't they technically the ones in charge of these dependents? These kids aren't living in Big Brother's orphanage, you know. Let the government deal with those it has labeled as its citizens, let parents deal with those the government has labeled as their children (keep in mind, it is the legalist government who set the magical age to 18 in the first place, for a lack of a better standard by which sexual morality could be determined by consent rather than marital legitimacy). And some cultures allow marriage by the age of 14...
-----------------------------Chapter 3-------------------------------------
Now, with all that said, many sex offenders do need to be dealt with somehow or they will (possibly) harm others again (assuming that they did in the first place, which in a few cases is actually rather debatable.) Sending them to prison to rot the rest of their lives is an option, but it doesn't better their situation at all, and costs the government a lot of money that of course it doesn't have. Labeling them as lifelong offenders does nothing but prevent them from being able to make any sort of change for the better, so that's the worst option, wildly popular among our legal ...people... though it may be. I actually propose this, in addition to whatever counseling, etc is appropriate, and no, you aren't reading it wrong:
Slavery
Now let me explain. We all know the common and seemingly correct theory that work keeps people out of trouble and doing nothing gets them into more trouble. This is because it's harder to do two things at once than one thing at once...its a distraction. Work also builds character, a willingness to serve, and a sense of purpose, worth, and accomplishment, which may well have missing from the life of the sex offender previously in some way or another. They may even pick up some vibes of gratitude here and there for a job well done. Medicine for the soul, it is. So, in combination with counseling and the like, they might turn out to be decent ordinary citizens after all, at which point they could cease to be slaves and go back to being their own person. And recall all that money that prison was wasting with them rotting in it? Chain gangs are great for a country that needs rebuilding. Just look at all the public works projects that got done by chain gangs earlier in the century. Free labor, how can you complain about that? Good slavery (yes, there is such a thing, apparently) is slavery that is earned (through exemplary bad behavior, I mean). Bad slavery is slavery that one is tricked into, forced into or born into, or placed in based on circumstances beyond one's control (such as the color of one's skin).
Another Newsvine post, and a good standalone blog post too.
Anger may be irrational, but probably is not illogical. Research has shown that our gut feelings are typically more accurate than long thought out conclusions. That is because when we think things out (now we're entering the realm of my theory, just so you know) what we are actually doing is translating information from our instinctive language into English, our artificial language. Now, you probably know that in any translating job, information can tend to get lost or distorted. Keep in mind, we are born with an empty knowlege slate and the ability to think--and that thinking is in our instinctive language, until we learn English (or whatever) which is useful for communicating with others, and solidifying concepts. I believe animals think with this same instinctive language, though maybe not to the same extent. They just never go verbal with it. But it's pretty obvious that they think, and in a manner very similar to ours in some ways. They also express emotion.
We do not seem to understand truly what emotion is. It is not some terrible behavioral quirk that needs to be suppressed. In reality, it is simply the more noticeable part of this instinctive language. If you observe your thought process, you will find that a thought begins as a feeling, possibly originating from sensory input of some kind, and is then immediately translated by your brain into an English phrase, so quickly that you won't notice that that is how it happened unless you pay close attention.
So next time you have that nagging feeling, or that hanging sense of gloom, or that just plain weird feeling, or incomprehensible joy, or, to be Biblical about it, the "peace that passes understanding" or "groans that words cannot express," pay attention, and try to translate it. You may be suprised at what you find out.
We do not seem to understand truly what emotion is. It is not some terrible behavioral quirk that needs to be suppressed. In reality, it is simply the more noticeable part of this instinctive language. If you observe your thought process, you will find that a thought begins as a feeling, possibly originating from sensory input of some kind, and is then immediately translated by your brain into an English phrase, so quickly that you won't notice that that is how it happened unless you pay close attention.
So next time you have that nagging feeling, or that hanging sense of gloom, or that just plain weird feeling, or incomprehensible joy, or, to be Biblical about it, the "peace that passes understanding" or "groans that words cannot express," pay attention, and try to translate it. You may be suprised at what you find out.
Response to "Generation Y job-seekers hit hard"
I am a 21 year old college student. With that said, here is a direct quote, from a typical piece of baby boomer propaganda, the likes of which our generation comes in frequent contact with, and not by our choosing per se, which happens to be on my desk at this very moment:
"What will your PayDay look like?
Some High School $21,600
High School Graduate $30,800
Associate Degree $37,600
Bachelor's Degree $49,900
Master's Degree $59,500
Source: The College Board, "Education Pays, 2005: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society""
If this article is correct in implying that there is in fact no real link (at least in the current economic situation) between level of education and a well paying job, then we have truly been fed a continual load of total bunk by the older generations for the entirety of our thus far short life spans. I don't see how we could possibly be the ones to blame for that. And I'll be graduating this spring, just so y'all know. What fun. And thanks. (sarcasm intended)
Basically we've all been told to rack up a bunch of debt to accquire an empty promise.
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(the previous post had ended: "We spoiled Gen X and they in turned are failing us all now with their greed which will ultimately destroy them, they will never ever be satisfied or happy. They will always be searching for the next best thing to fill the empty hole we all have in our hearts. A hole only Love can fill and who is Love Gen Y? Who is Love?")
God is love, and He does not rely on money for His strength.
I am a Y, and so I guess it is appropriate that I answered your question...but sadly, I am a poor representative of my generation. It would seem that most of us don't know the answer to the question. If we no longer have our dreams to chase, we will be...so... ...lost.
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Well, there are good jobs...it's just that it's something of a gamble to get one of them, and they are relatively few and far between. But yes, a very few people still rake in millions...which I assume could be considered a good job.
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Crying is an incredibly healthy activity, just like laughing. So is losing. Stoicism is a faulty concept. Supressed emotions can cause a world of harm. They must be let out, albeit in a healthy manner. And yes, the "everybody's a winner" bit does make me sick, and it seemed to be a movement gaining momentum as I left the public school prison system. I am now a college Senior--and a rather frightened one at that, considering the loathing for my generation that I sense eminating from the older generations throughout this conversation. And yes, I did get spankings as a child. I am not scarred for life, at least not any more than I would have been by not getting spankings as a child. Corporal punishment isn't the fix-all solution, however. It works better for some than for others. It didn't work that well for me. I'm not sure what I needed, but actually I don't think whatever it was ever got done...but no parent is going to be able to perfectly raise their children, and I think I turned out ok despite everything...depending on who you ask...
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(in response to a grumpy old man doing the "we worked hard and you're a bunch of slackers" bit--the first part is my response to his assertion that we need to, and don't know how to, do...well, the following)
21 y.o. Yer here...Well, maybe I would have scooped some poop if my uncle hadn't gotten rid of the cows (nowadays it's "farming? what farming?"...or so it would seem--at least regarding small family-run operations. My older cousin(s) helped out there quite a lot when they were in high school though) and let's see...digging ditches...as in construction work? I hear that actually pays fairly well, and with today's machinery isn't that bad of a job anyway. Working in a warehouse? Well, I was transfered there for a while after shoving a piece of metal through my thumb (accidentally, of course) at the fabrication building where I worked the past two summers, when not in school. That was after 3 or so summers of McDonald's.
And yet, while all this work experience would appear to serve as a rebuttal to your accusations, I still feel like I am indeed missing something...knowledge, or wisdom...an overall understanding of how things really work, and what is really wanted of me, and how hard it will be to finally enter the "real world" "for real" upon college graduation.
Others have pointed to a disconnect between the goals of our educational system and the demands of the workplace. I am inclined to agree with this observation.
Back at it's ancient origins, the university was simply a place for people to discuss issues in a controlled manner...in many ways similar to this site. Conversations such as these are where the real learning takes place...not in the overly formalized educational system which we have come to mistakenly know as the only way to reap real knowledge. It has become scarcely more than jumping through the right hoops, moreso for some majors than others, however.
This conversation as a whole has been very informative and helpful, and I would like to thank all of it's participants, grumpy, offended and/or defensive though a number of them may be, as well as the geniuses who invented this site.
My advice to fellow posters: put aside the offendedness and defensiveness and learn, and contribute, and seek solutions. And rejoice where you find disagreement, for that means that free speech is yet alive and well.
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Well, ok, so we have two groups outlined in this tidbit: Parents who did a crappy job and produced spoiled brats, and parents who did a good job and produced better (nobody's really good) kids. So the original point stands: those who have sown poorly, now reap poorly. Kaotcgd said nothing of the children raised correctly, so I don't know why those of you who raised children correctly are getting so upset about it.
If the description (indictment?) fits, learn from it, if it doesn't, ignore it.
You will have a much more peaceful life if you follow this way of thinking.
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(the post was describing unruly behavior of gen Y airline workers)
How does this compare to what the other generations were like when they first started out? Is this ignorance just part of the learning process? If not, what vital bit of behavioral instruction was left out, and when, and by whom?
Now I'm curious, too. They don't clean up in the breakroom? What all do you mean by that? I'm genY, I cleaned up my trash at McD's when I was working summers during high school (and that was 4-5 years ago already)...so what's up with that?
And yes, cell phones ARE evil. In an odd twist on this phenomenon, considering your comments regarding it, I plan only on purchasing one if and when my future job demands one.
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Why are we all getting so defensive? Why do we need to protect our respective generations? Do we not know that a human is a very special kind of being, one which can exhibit the greatest intelligence here and greatest stupidity there, the pinnacle of moral achievement one moment, the greatest of all sins the next? There is no limit to what each of us individually can do, be it for good or ill. But this is the concept of free will. Throw us all together and it's no wonder the world isn't perfect. Why do we expect it to be? It isn't going to happen. Ever.
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"That seems to be very true...watching TV shows..."
Well, that's a definite problem...you're getting your information about our generation from TV??? Good grief. TV only chronicles the lives of the rich, famous, and spoiled. I can't believe you would try to use that as your source. Maybe if you didn't watch as much you'd be better off. As my generation is to computers, yours is to the TV. And re: the post above yours, a SUV and a BMW? What in the world? Generation Y abhors SUVs, and BMW??? That's what our hippie/yuppie professors drive around, not what we drive. We drive those rust-bucket 4 cylinder cars from the 80's that y'all sold to the 2nd-hand auto dealers 20 years ago. You know, the ones that make a lot of noise 'cause the muffler fell off, which makes you grumpy 'cause you're trying to sleep when we drive by. Most of us are happy just to have cars start up more often than not in the winter. And I personally haven't even had a car for the entire length of my college career.
(Ok, I'm liking this space-and-dash-and-parethetical-italics format, I think that's how I'll do it now)
"What will your PayDay look like?
Some High School $21,600
High School Graduate $30,800
Associate Degree $37,600
Bachelor's Degree $49,900
Master's Degree $59,500
Source: The College Board, "Education Pays, 2005: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society""
If this article is correct in implying that there is in fact no real link (at least in the current economic situation) between level of education and a well paying job, then we have truly been fed a continual load of total bunk by the older generations for the entirety of our thus far short life spans. I don't see how we could possibly be the ones to blame for that. And I'll be graduating this spring, just so y'all know. What fun. And thanks. (sarcasm intended)
Basically we've all been told to rack up a bunch of debt to accquire an empty promise.
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(the previous post had ended: "We spoiled Gen X and they in turned are failing us all now with their greed which will ultimately destroy them, they will never ever be satisfied or happy. They will always be searching for the next best thing to fill the empty hole we all have in our hearts. A hole only Love can fill and who is Love Gen Y? Who is Love?")
God is love, and He does not rely on money for His strength.
I am a Y, and so I guess it is appropriate that I answered your question...but sadly, I am a poor representative of my generation. It would seem that most of us don't know the answer to the question. If we no longer have our dreams to chase, we will be...so... ...lost.
-
Well, there are good jobs...it's just that it's something of a gamble to get one of them, and they are relatively few and far between. But yes, a very few people still rake in millions...which I assume could be considered a good job.
-
Crying is an incredibly healthy activity, just like laughing. So is losing. Stoicism is a faulty concept. Supressed emotions can cause a world of harm. They must be let out, albeit in a healthy manner. And yes, the "everybody's a winner" bit does make me sick, and it seemed to be a movement gaining momentum as I left the public school prison system. I am now a college Senior--and a rather frightened one at that, considering the loathing for my generation that I sense eminating from the older generations throughout this conversation. And yes, I did get spankings as a child. I am not scarred for life, at least not any more than I would have been by not getting spankings as a child. Corporal punishment isn't the fix-all solution, however. It works better for some than for others. It didn't work that well for me. I'm not sure what I needed, but actually I don't think whatever it was ever got done...but no parent is going to be able to perfectly raise their children, and I think I turned out ok despite everything...depending on who you ask...
-
(in response to a grumpy old man doing the "we worked hard and you're a bunch of slackers" bit--the first part is my response to his assertion that we need to, and don't know how to, do...well, the following)
21 y.o. Yer here...Well, maybe I would have scooped some poop if my uncle hadn't gotten rid of the cows (nowadays it's "farming? what farming?"...or so it would seem--at least regarding small family-run operations. My older cousin(s) helped out there quite a lot when they were in high school though) and let's see...digging ditches...as in construction work? I hear that actually pays fairly well, and with today's machinery isn't that bad of a job anyway. Working in a warehouse? Well, I was transfered there for a while after shoving a piece of metal through my thumb (accidentally, of course) at the fabrication building where I worked the past two summers, when not in school. That was after 3 or so summers of McDonald's.
And yet, while all this work experience would appear to serve as a rebuttal to your accusations, I still feel like I am indeed missing something...knowledge, or wisdom...an overall understanding of how things really work, and what is really wanted of me, and how hard it will be to finally enter the "real world" "for real" upon college graduation.
Others have pointed to a disconnect between the goals of our educational system and the demands of the workplace. I am inclined to agree with this observation.
Back at it's ancient origins, the university was simply a place for people to discuss issues in a controlled manner...in many ways similar to this site. Conversations such as these are where the real learning takes place...not in the overly formalized educational system which we have come to mistakenly know as the only way to reap real knowledge. It has become scarcely more than jumping through the right hoops, moreso for some majors than others, however.
This conversation as a whole has been very informative and helpful, and I would like to thank all of it's participants, grumpy, offended and/or defensive though a number of them may be, as well as the geniuses who invented this site.
My advice to fellow posters: put aside the offendedness and defensiveness and learn, and contribute, and seek solutions. And rejoice where you find disagreement, for that means that free speech is yet alive and well.
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Well, ok, so we have two groups outlined in this tidbit: Parents who did a crappy job and produced spoiled brats, and parents who did a good job and produced better (nobody's really good) kids. So the original point stands: those who have sown poorly, now reap poorly. Kaotcgd said nothing of the children raised correctly, so I don't know why those of you who raised children correctly are getting so upset about it.
If the description (indictment?) fits, learn from it, if it doesn't, ignore it.
You will have a much more peaceful life if you follow this way of thinking.
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(the post was describing unruly behavior of gen Y airline workers)
How does this compare to what the other generations were like when they first started out? Is this ignorance just part of the learning process? If not, what vital bit of behavioral instruction was left out, and when, and by whom?
Now I'm curious, too. They don't clean up in the breakroom? What all do you mean by that? I'm genY, I cleaned up my trash at McD's when I was working summers during high school (and that was 4-5 years ago already)...so what's up with that?
And yes, cell phones ARE evil. In an odd twist on this phenomenon, considering your comments regarding it, I plan only on purchasing one if and when my future job demands one.
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Why are we all getting so defensive? Why do we need to protect our respective generations? Do we not know that a human is a very special kind of being, one which can exhibit the greatest intelligence here and greatest stupidity there, the pinnacle of moral achievement one moment, the greatest of all sins the next? There is no limit to what each of us individually can do, be it for good or ill. But this is the concept of free will. Throw us all together and it's no wonder the world isn't perfect. Why do we expect it to be? It isn't going to happen. Ever.
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"That seems to be very true...watching TV shows..."
Well, that's a definite problem...you're getting your information about our generation from TV??? Good grief. TV only chronicles the lives of the rich, famous, and spoiled. I can't believe you would try to use that as your source. Maybe if you didn't watch as much you'd be better off. As my generation is to computers, yours is to the TV. And re: the post above yours, a SUV and a BMW? What in the world? Generation Y abhors SUVs, and BMW??? That's what our hippie/yuppie professors drive around, not what we drive. We drive those rust-bucket 4 cylinder cars from the 80's that y'all sold to the 2nd-hand auto dealers 20 years ago. You know, the ones that make a lot of noise 'cause the muffler fell off, which makes you grumpy 'cause you're trying to sleep when we drive by. Most of us are happy just to have cars start up more often than not in the winter. And I personally haven't even had a car for the entire length of my college career.
(Ok, I'm liking this space-and-dash-and-parethetical-italics format, I think that's how I'll do it now)
Response to "Is California dreaming over?"
I'm livin' the cash flow, the California Dream
To make the Great you gotta make the Green
My friends are all champions, I got no time for losers
Never ask for nothin', cause beggars can't be choosers...
Oh, Oh, let my pride fall down, I'm a little man.
Mammon is an unforgiving god, I cast him away
I live my life to God, not to get payed
Money can't save my soul, don't think I can
I look to God and I feel like a little man.
-from Little Man, by... hmm, let's see, either Five Iron Frenzy or Audio Adrenaline...
It's the song for these times.
To make the Great you gotta make the Green
My friends are all champions, I got no time for losers
Never ask for nothin', cause beggars can't be choosers...
Oh, Oh, let my pride fall down, I'm a little man.
Mammon is an unforgiving god, I cast him away
I live my life to God, not to get payed
Money can't save my soul, don't think I can
I look to God and I feel like a little man.
-from Little Man, by... hmm, let's see, either Five Iron Frenzy or Audio Adrenaline...
It's the song for these times.
Response to article: "Is conflict between God and science hardwired?"
The unborn child: a human in the parasitic phase. Has absolutely nothing to do with the female host, as far as rights are concerned. General rule of thumb...I know this doesn't apply to rape and such but anyway:
Only put it in your body if you really want it and it's good for you. Responsibility, folks. Responsibility.
This rule of thumb works for drugs, food, and piercings too. Nifty, eh?
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I'd like to point out an interesting thing I have observed regarding origins theory:
It is assumed by the natural selection camp that organisms are similar because they are related to each other. This was an easy assumption, considering that not long before all organisms had been systematically grouped by similarity.
What this reasoning overlooks however, is the concept that everything "tastes more or less like chicken." Surely, if you dip into the pool of life and take out one random organism, you will be able to find an organism that is most like it, and also one that is least like it. Does this necessarily mean that the one most similar to it is related to it? There is nothing concrete which asserts that they are related; this is just assumed by modern scientific theory. That doesn't seem particularly scientific to me.
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Gaaahhhkkgk! first reply to this post. God is not tolerant! Truer to say, he is not tolerant of everything, namely, what is evil. "Tolerant" has a too-positive connotation these days. If someone tolerated everything, well, just think about it. And for God, the only one who could possibly claim any sort of legitimate authority out of the whole lot of us, to have such a quality? Aurgkh!
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So those who can't write can't be right? Excellent logic there, good chap! NOT!! Not to offend you or anything, I'm just sick of people playing educated-ness as a trump card.
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No dual belief? How about all the stories of indigenous tribes that follow both the missionary's teaching and their own religion?
And even if we aren't dual belief, we sure are compartmentalized. Why do we view science as entirely separate from God, and God separate from our daily lives, and from our working lives? If God created everything, and is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, He could not be separated from anything. Athiest scientists should not wonder about Christianity's attempt to unify all these things. And to oppose it would seriously interfere with the religious freedom of Christians. Yet it seems that that is what is expected of Christians by our culture today...to put God in a compartment far, far away from all practical aspects of life, so as to avoid any disturbance. Enter the one-world-faith: relativism.
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What type of arrogance does it take to authoritatively proclaim something fact? Seriously! We could be living in the Matrix for all we know. You spoke very foolishly, billytw.
(he did the "religion is belief, science is fact" bit)
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He meant "middle ages". As in the dark age. Too bad that isn't when God began...only the "Catholic" religion.
And whether or not there are hallucinogens in Palestine is a moot point; the real Mount Sinai is a mountain known today as Jabal Al Lawz, in Saudi Arabia. The Isrealites really did cross the Red Sea, and there's actually two distinct places they could have done it, one being much more likely due to it's geography (and yes, I did find the spot on Google Earth, so the source I got this info from (video documentary, by the way) wasn't just making it up.
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Assuming God to be real, He could no longer be purely philosophical. And what is saying that He is indeed not a physical reality? I don't know why anyone who is Christian would consider Him not to be. A physical reality, but on a different dimension...and there is not a complete absence of physical evidence for at least the supernatural, if not God per se, by any stretch of the imagination. Anyone who has spent any length of time around dying people, or in the occult, for examples, will know this.
Science's problem with God is that it can't figure Him out...not that it really tries, anymore, but anyway...
The issue here really isn't a choice between God and science, it's a choice of whether or not to accept the latest theories within science which attempt to replace God. God, as maker of everything, would have no problem whatsoever being compatible with the rest of science.
And yes, how could science be synonymous with Atheism? Why is it forced to be these days? If science is supposed to be the bold exploration of everything undiscovered, why does modern science come to a screeching halt when confronting the paranormal?
I say it is fear, fear of the inability to find out, and pride, pride in Human accomplishment and perfection, that drives the wedge between the two.
Funny thing, science is, it can never bring itself to say, "I don't know", or "I know I'm not supposed to know." That was Adam's problem in the garden, by the way. He wasn't satisfied with not knowing.
Only put it in your body if you really want it and it's good for you. Responsibility, folks. Responsibility.
This rule of thumb works for drugs, food, and piercings too. Nifty, eh?
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I'd like to point out an interesting thing I have observed regarding origins theory:
It is assumed by the natural selection camp that organisms are similar because they are related to each other. This was an easy assumption, considering that not long before all organisms had been systematically grouped by similarity.
What this reasoning overlooks however, is the concept that everything "tastes more or less like chicken." Surely, if you dip into the pool of life and take out one random organism, you will be able to find an organism that is most like it, and also one that is least like it. Does this necessarily mean that the one most similar to it is related to it? There is nothing concrete which asserts that they are related; this is just assumed by modern scientific theory. That doesn't seem particularly scientific to me.
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Gaaahhhkkgk! first reply to this post. God is not tolerant! Truer to say, he is not tolerant of everything, namely, what is evil. "Tolerant" has a too-positive connotation these days. If someone tolerated everything, well, just think about it. And for God, the only one who could possibly claim any sort of legitimate authority out of the whole lot of us, to have such a quality? Aurgkh!
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So those who can't write can't be right? Excellent logic there, good chap! NOT!! Not to offend you or anything, I'm just sick of people playing educated-ness as a trump card.
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No dual belief? How about all the stories of indigenous tribes that follow both the missionary's teaching and their own religion?
And even if we aren't dual belief, we sure are compartmentalized. Why do we view science as entirely separate from God, and God separate from our daily lives, and from our working lives? If God created everything, and is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, He could not be separated from anything. Athiest scientists should not wonder about Christianity's attempt to unify all these things. And to oppose it would seriously interfere with the religious freedom of Christians. Yet it seems that that is what is expected of Christians by our culture today...to put God in a compartment far, far away from all practical aspects of life, so as to avoid any disturbance. Enter the one-world-faith: relativism.
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What type of arrogance does it take to authoritatively proclaim something fact? Seriously! We could be living in the Matrix for all we know. You spoke very foolishly, billytw.
(he did the "religion is belief, science is fact" bit)
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He meant "middle ages". As in the dark age. Too bad that isn't when God began...only the "Catholic" religion.
And whether or not there are hallucinogens in Palestine is a moot point; the real Mount Sinai is a mountain known today as Jabal Al Lawz, in Saudi Arabia. The Isrealites really did cross the Red Sea, and there's actually two distinct places they could have done it, one being much more likely due to it's geography (and yes, I did find the spot on Google Earth, so the source I got this info from (video documentary, by the way) wasn't just making it up.
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Assuming God to be real, He could no longer be purely philosophical. And what is saying that He is indeed not a physical reality? I don't know why anyone who is Christian would consider Him not to be. A physical reality, but on a different dimension...and there is not a complete absence of physical evidence for at least the supernatural, if not God per se, by any stretch of the imagination. Anyone who has spent any length of time around dying people, or in the occult, for examples, will know this.
Science's problem with God is that it can't figure Him out...not that it really tries, anymore, but anyway...
The issue here really isn't a choice between God and science, it's a choice of whether or not to accept the latest theories within science which attempt to replace God. God, as maker of everything, would have no problem whatsoever being compatible with the rest of science.
And yes, how could science be synonymous with Atheism? Why is it forced to be these days? If science is supposed to be the bold exploration of everything undiscovered, why does modern science come to a screeching halt when confronting the paranormal?
I say it is fear, fear of the inability to find out, and pride, pride in Human accomplishment and perfection, that drives the wedge between the two.
Funny thing, science is, it can never bring itself to say, "I don't know", or "I know I'm not supposed to know." That was Adam's problem in the garden, by the way. He wasn't satisfied with not knowing.
Newsvine
I recently started posting on newsvine, which lets you comment on the shallow news articles that MSNBC and others generate, and view everyone else's comments on the issues, all in all much more informative and typically more in-depth than the articles themselves. It's wonderful to see the common person capable of such free expression.
Anyway, I thought I'd transfer my posts to my blog, to get them all together in one place.
Anyway, I thought I'd transfer my posts to my blog, to get them all together in one place.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
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