Let's pat ourselves on the back!

Are y'all gonna watch the Oscars tonight? I must admit that I won't. I will be reading about it tomorrow. I don't care about celebrities getting together in their rented dresses and wallowing in self-appreciation. I am sure that there will be some noteworthy performances to discuss... Heath Ledger maybe? We will see!

More to come!

Just for the record...

I fucking hate Fox News Channel.

I happened to be surfing through the channels and came upon a show hosted by some guy named Sean Hannity. Not only did he have guests on his show that still referred to African Americans as "Blacks," but he wanted to talk about Obama looking like a monkey!

What the hell, is this the damned 1950s? Thanks for throwing some more gasoline on the fire that is racism, Fox News. You're about as irresponsible as that homeless mother with 14 children.

I also want to say that this Hannity guy plays his hate mail on the air. He complains that he and Fox News are the voices of reason. Seems odd to me that the voice of reason would receive hate mail. And if indeed they were the voice of reason, don't you think that voice would be able to deduce that playing hate mail on live TV is an idiotic idea?

Republicans and all of their let's-keep-our-heads-up-our-asses bullshit is really starting to wear on me. The Democrats won in many races across the country in droves. If I had a voice of reason, I think it would tell me to shut the hell up and stop whining already. Until Obama screws our country like Bush did, they have no room to talk at all.

I've been very rant-y lately, haven't I?

This doesn't feel quite right

Remember the eight-year-old boy that shot his father and his father's roomate? You remember, the one that the cops interrogated without the presence of a parent or lawyer? Apparently, he plead guilty today!

The now nine year old (who has remained anonymous due to his age) has allegedly come to the decision on his own. He has not been sentenced yet, but it has been decided that the courts will have say in his life until he is at least eighteen.

The Associated Press broke the story today, and you can check it out here.

This doesn't sit with me well. From the beginning I don't think things have been conducted properly. As I said, the boy's questioning was suspect from the start. Now, I wonder, do the proceedings seem a little off to anyone else but me? What judge would accept a nine-year-old boy's guilty plea? I am not sure that a child of that age, if he has a full understanding of the trial and all of its implications, should be able to submit a guilty plea. Where was his lawyer or his mother? Why was there a trial in the first place? It seems as though there should be a different way to handle something like this. Regardless of what anyone else says, I don't think you can convict a nine year old because it is nearly impossible that he or she understands the affects of his or her actions.

This entire debacle is very suspect to me. What kinds of precedents will this set?

How low can you go?

I haven't spoken a word about this woman thus far because, like mamma says, if you can't say something nice... well, you get the picture.

It's been a rough road for the mother of octuplets, Nadya Suleman. Not only does she have a total of 14 children, live in a three-bedroom home with her mother, and refuse to get a job; but now she's losing her home!

Perez Hilton reports that Nadya's mother has neglected to pay any mortgage payments since May 2008!

After digging around a bit, I've also found that this family has trouble paying for anything. TMZ.com has discovered that around two years ago, she got a boot on her van for having multiple delinquent parking citations while going to class at Cal State Fullerton. Not only was her car disabled, but she had left two of her children in the car while she was in class! Check out the story and the pictures here.

After all the headlines, I have something to say. Buckle up kiddies, it's time for a rant.

I would first like to say that I do not have issues with reproductive aids for those who need them. I understand that many times, one of two partners in a couple may be infertile. I am not sure what Nadya's reasoning is, but again, when it comes to her body, I believe she can do what she wants with it and face the consequences when they come around.

Regardless of my beliefs, however, she has crossed the line into irresponsibility. She is being a reckless mother. I am not one to judge as I am not a parent, but I cannot imagine under the current circumstances that these children will grow up with the resources they need to have a healthy, productive, and meaningful life. No matter what Suleman says, no matter how much love is in her heart, it will be difficult for her to provide herself emotionally to that many children at once.

This woman is being reckless financially as well. She knew that she could not afford her kids. From the looks of this recent website, she was looking to get donations to help raise them all along, just as many multiple-birth couples have had in the past. The difference is that those couples were trying to help themselves, Suleman is not. Allegedly, she has a nanny that takes care of the kids--for $500 a week! Five-hundred dollars a week for a nanny when they can't afford to keep their home? She's not even working to try to support them! This nanny is naive--where is this money coming from? She claims not to be getting help from the government, but recent revelations reveal those claims to be complete bullshit.

I feel sorry for these children and I hope that they are able to reach every goal that they set in their lives. I feel sorry that their mother is so irresponsible and batshit crazy. I can only hope that there is someone out there that will give the kids what they need to succeed. I am not one to advocate families being separating, but if things don't begin to straighten out, maybe the foster system would be a better option.

What this woman does with her life is none of my business--to each her own. My concern is for the children and her irresponsibility, I feel, is going to make lasting impressions on each of them.

Maybe it's just me, but...

I am so sick of hearing about financial problems!

I don't mean to sound like a complainer, it's just starting to clog the news like nothing before.

We all have heard about the financial bailout, the car maker bailout, the economic bailout, and now we will have a homeowner bailout. Not only that but we hear about the scandals with Blagojevich, Burris, and now UBS. When is this crazy train gonna pull up to the station and let everyone off?

Can't we hear about something intriguing? I don't mean to complain, but I would rather hear about the missing little girl in Florida or the crazy chimp that mauled a woman this week. Those are the real stories, everything else is just a broken record with no humanity.

Blame it on Barbie!

Mattel's internationally popular doll, Barbie, turns 50 this year.

After hearing comments about Barbie, I ask you--do you think that the ever-popular doll has shifted the focus from female practicality to female superficiality? Has she played a part in the explosion of materialism? Is she a beauty or a bitch?

Whether life is imitating art, or art imitating life, Barbie has certainly played a roll in the lives of many children for generations. It doesn't look like she's going to stop anytime soon.

It's a cover up I tell you!

So what was the fireball that was seen plummeting to the ground through the skies over Texas on Sunday?

U.S. Strategic Command tracks satellite debris and says that the fireball was not related to the Russian and American satellites that collided last week.

There goes the logical explanation. Others say that it could've been a meteor, through they normally aren't visible during daylight hours.

I don't know what it could be, but it is awfully fishy that it made news about a year after the Texas UFO sightings. I am not one to believe in the unexplainable, but that picture to the right sure does look blurry. Y'all know that's the first sign of a cover-up: low resolution! It's 2009 and it's getting to the point that we can't count the megapixels on our cameras on both hands. Did the photographer smear Vasoline on the lens?

Check out CNN's coverage by clicking on the picture.

Face to face

With all the bad that we hear on the news, it's imperative that we celebrate the little victories.

Back in December, you may remember hearing about an anonymous woman who received the first-ever face transplant. She has suffered face trauma that had disabled her from doing simple things like drinking from a cup. As you can see from the picture to the left, such an injury would drastically change your way of functioning. She couldn't even smell anything!

CNN.com is reporting that the patient is now regaining confidence. Apparently people would call her names when she would walk down the street. How cruel! I can imagine that it would be shocking to see someone who had suffered such injuries, but taunting her is out of line! They should keep their mouths shut. I am sure the woman didn't ask for her face to be disfigured.

Be sure to check out CNN's full story here.

How did I miss this??

I am sure that this is a mock-up by somebody (because we all know how secretive Apple can be), but this would be an awesome idea. I am in the market for one of the new aluminum Macbooks, and in my hunt for consumer reviews, I found this photo on Flickr. Apple believes that there is no market for such a device. I am not sure if there would be or not if it remained in the tablet form, but if it were a convertible touch screen (that is, a keyboard that would fold away), there would be a demand for such a netbook.

What do you guys think? Have you seen this photo before?--it is about a year old now. If you're an Apple fan like I am, what do you think something like this would do for the company?

Pay your bills Kansas!

Kansas is broke, y'all!

The state says that it doesn't have enough money in its main account to pay the bills, nor do they have enough to give income tax refunds or to pay state employees.

This shouldn't be happening! It's a good thing that the bailout was passed, maybe Kansas can use their aid so that all the families that are dependent on state paychecks will end up all right.

Click here to check out the article from The Wichita Eagle to get all the details.

Time to sing "Kumbaya" y'all!

The Senate passed its version of President Obama's stimulus package today. Now that both houses of Congress have passed the measure, it's time for them to reconcile the bill.

It seems that the package's future is just as uncertain as ever. Though it is now certain to happen, to what degree is yet to be seen.

Let's hope that this shiz works! Everyday we are hearing about new layoffs. GM announced today that it will be eliminating 10,000 jobs. These are hard times for everyone.

Check out the full report from CNN.com.

The plots thicken

Well, it seems that singer Chris Brown and swimmer Michael Phelps are going through some similar trials. Both Brown and Phelps are both losing contracts over their alleged crimes. Brown has recently lost his contracts with DoubleMint and has had his "Milk" ads pulled.

It was announced today that there have been eight arrests in association with the party at which Phelps took bong hits--seven for possession and one for distribution. Apparently, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford sees no reason why the sheriff is prosecuting these people.

My opinion? In a word, the Phelps scandal is bull, the Brown scandal is sickening.

Would you like fries with that?

We all knew it was only going to be a matter of time. I knew it when I first saw the spinach quiche at a local store. Turns out that frou-frou coffee giant Starbucks will begin to offer a breakfast menu.

Say what you will, Starbucks brews some damn good coffee--their lattes make me swoon. I am not sure how I feel about their new move--somewhat the inverse of McDonald's recent move to premium coffee offerings. I am sure it will beautify the company's bottom line, but what will it do culturally? Can't Starbucks just remain a coffee house?

The company single-handedly introduced Americans to otherwise unheard of coffee beverages (even if the names of these beverages are someone inaccurate). What will the new menu have to offer? Could be interesting.

Click here to check out the full story on U.S News.com.

Our prayers are being heard

Mac geeks, lend me your ears!

It may have gone under the radar in the news today, but to those of you who find yourselves tied to your Macs and/or iPhones, you may soon have even more reason to stay tied to your televisions. It seems that Apple is considering producing a proper TV set.

Apple already produces a device called Apple TV--a set-top box that is essentially an extension of the iTunes Store. This is not to be confused with the alleged television that is rumored to be somewhere on Apple's drawing board.

Mac NN reported the story yesterday afternoon. Be sure to check it out here for the full details of this exciting story. Maybe I will be able to use my iPhone to change the channels on my TV one day. That would be sweet.

Note to self...

Watch vintage footage of baseball games before all players started juicing. Must everyone in the public eye these days be a bad example for children?

Disgusting!!

Firstly, to both of my readers, I am sorry for my absence, and perhaps my continued absence. I caught a horrible bug that is keeping me in bed. So while I wait for the Nyquil to kick in let me just say:

What I've caught is nothing compared to what former heartthrob Chris Brown is gonna catch.

Brown has allegedly battered his girlfriend, and equally-famous pop icon, Rihanna. There are reports that not only did he hit her (and quite severely I might add), but he also bit her! What a monster.

Violence is not the answer y'all.

What's more, PerezHilton.com posted a video today that shows Brown just before he began dating Rihanna. In the video, he speaks about women and says that he would never abuse a woman. He also keeps talking about the "hood." Um, Chris--last time I checked, Tappahanock, Virginia was not the hood. Way to keep it real buddy!

Though updates and reports will continue to fly in, this seems to be the end for Brown. To me, this is more tragic than the scandal surrounding Michael Phelps. What message does this send to a hip-hop community already plagued with misogyny?

What a way to tell a story...

There is a really cool website called the Electronic Literature Collection which contains several websites that pioneers in creating hypertexts online. As part of my English 344, Digital Writing class, we were asked to critique one of these pages.

I chose one called Solilouy in which writer Kenneth Goldsmith records every word that he says within a week. When I first read the description, I thought "wow, it's like an instant nonfiction story." I couldn't imagine a better way to inspire further writings then to record your own words.

Goldsmith used a voice-activated recorder to be sure every utterance was captured. I must say, he got every word, but nonetheless, I was a bit let down.

Though the concept is wonderful, I am not sure that it was as useful in a hypertext as it could've been. Upon visiting the website, you'll notice that the words that appear are only his own--that is, you don't hear the other end of the conversation and therefore there is no context for a week worth of words. Also, the words appear only as the reader mouses over them, then they disappear. Again, we aren't even allowed the context of what was previously said.

The concept is great, but I believe this project could've been better realized.

Check it out guys, let me know if you agree!

No engines in this drag race...

But there are lots of trannies!

Famous supermodel, singer, and draq queen extraordinaire, RuPaul, has just introduced a new show on MTV's GLBT network, Logo.
It's called "RuPaul's Drag Race" and features a group of female impersonators all vying to be crowned the top queen.

One might think of it as "America's Next Top Model" for the gay community. RuPaul, seen in the photograph to the right, slightly resembles Miss Tyra Banks a bit, don't you think?

Thus far, only one episode has aired--and which they voted off the fat girl! Fat girls need to march on Washington or something because they're always being voted off within the first handful of episodes. With so few episodes having been run, it is difficult to pinpoint a definite format for the show. Aside from discrimination against robust women, the premiere episode consisted of the queens making costumes for their performances (a la "Project Runway"), runway walks, and all-important lip syncing.

The show is actually a lot of fun and holds promise for future episodes. Though everyone remained cordial during the debut, it is sure to get real within the next few episodes.

New episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race air Monday nights on Logo at 10 p.m.

Also, be sure to check out the RuPaul interview about the show on men.style.com.

When the fan blades are turnin'...

You know somebody's gonna throw a handful.

Recently, several news sources are reporting that Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps has been suspended from the USA Swimming for three months.

Yesterday, USA Swimming had this to say:

USA Swimming has reprimanded Michael Phelps under its Code of Conduct by withdrawing financial support and the eligibility to compete for a period of three months effective today, Feb. 5, 2009.

This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero.

And folks, it gets worse. One of Mikey's sponsors, Kellogg's, has decided not to renew his contract when it expires at the end of February. On a side note, how out of touch is Kellogg's with its consumer base? I think this sends a clear message to anyone that has the munchies.

As I said before, I think this is much ado about nothing. Again, I am not endorsing his drug use, but I believe people should do what they want--but they must face the consequences. Looks like the consequence in this situation is a pay cut.

USA Swimming does have a point though, all those children who looked up to Phelps must feel a bit let down. In the same regard, it isn't his responsibility to raise those kids to stay away from drugs. Phelps seems to be a genuine guy, so maybe he will use this opportunity to as a learning experience for the youngsters--Tony the Tiger will fire you if you smoke pot!

I wonder if the people on the boards of those two organizations have ever toked before. Just sayin'...

Stranger! Danger!

CNN.com is reporting today on a couple of stories about identity theft and impersonation on Facebook. It is worth the time to go and read the story. Facebook isn't as secure as one might think, not matter how many features they add to try and make it so.

One man impersonated Bryan Rutberg's profile and posted a status update asking for "urgent help." Rutberg's friends ended up sending the impersonator money that they thought was going to friend.

In another instance, 18-year-old Anthony Stanci posed as a female to persuade high-school boys to send him naked pictures. He used these pictures to blackmail the students into actually having sex with him.

That's some shady shit! I do have to give it to both of them though, they had good plans. You have to be smart to pull off something like this, too bad they weren't smart enough to realize that they weren't smart enough not to get caught. Stanci has now been charged with 12 felony counts. Included within those counts is having sex with minors and possesion of child pornography.

Protect your Facebook ya'll! And don't do anything like these guys...

Get on your knees...

I hope you didn't take the title to this post out of context, 'cause this is serious y'all! I was referring to prayer!

Seventy-five year old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is again being treated for cancer, CNN.com reports. She had undergone treatment at the beginning of the decade for colorectal cancer. This time, it seems, she is being treated for pancreatic cancer--we all know what bad shiz that is.

Ginsburg is one of the more liberal judges on the court as she was appointed by President Clinton the year he took office. All we can do is hope for the best. Treatment for these kinds of things can be rather wearing on a person. Let's hope she makes it through safe and sound; homegurl ain't gettin' any younger.

She's been the counterargument throughout the Bush years and has contributed so much. She knows how to handle her conservatives!

Nope, haven't seen her.

Though I really really really hate to admit it, the infamous YouTube celebrity Chris Crocker makes a really good point about the controversy surrounding Britney Spears's suggestive new single "If You Seek Amy."

Check out his video about the subject here. I am sorry if he is offensive to anyone (he can be quite vulgar at times). I am equally sorry that I've now mentioned him in two of my posts. I will try not to let it happen again.

Oh lord...

She's all over the cover of nearly every magazine. The president has made comments about her. And here you have it folks, the new Jessica Simpson!!

I will admit that this is a very unflattering photo that I've chosen. She actually scares me a little here.

I would like to say, however, who gives a damn if she gained some weight?? I see the freshman here at my school blow up every fall and nobody puts them on the cover of a magazine. I don't wanna sound like Chris Crocker here or anything, but leave Jessica alone!

People couldn't stand to see Britney Spears fat either. You're all sex fiends and if it isn't svelte, it ruins your wet dreams. Get over it, my children.

I'm also a little pissed because I'm way fatter than Miss Simpson and I've never been on a magazine cover. Maybe I should put some sequins on my jeans too, or wear ill-fitting blouses.

On second thought, no; this picture really scares me.

Are they trying to start a scandal?

So, I'm sure that everyone knows about the recent events involving Olympic goldenboy Michael Phelps and a certain piece of marijuana paraphernalia. And the pictures, must not forget the pictures. We've seen them, we've thought about how much of a dumbass he is, and we've moved on. I suggest that that the sheriff of Richland County, South Carolina do the same.

My reaction upon hearing the news about Phelps' drug use was initially, "I don't care." It then became, "Oh, there are pictures," and finally, "I don't care." I do believe that there is something to be said about him getting caught, however. Being that I am a strict believer that one should do what he or she will with his or her body, it's none of my business if homeboy wants to smoke a bong. But when you have million-dollar career riding on it, you should at least smoke it in the bathroom--with the lights off or something. That was what was so terrible about it. Hey Mikey! Cover your ass and protect your career!

This nonsense about the authorities getting involved is, to be frank, utter bullshit. I would love to understand how they plan to discern Phelps' location by using a photograph. Now, I admittedly don't watch a lot of CSI, but I don't remember hearing about technology that can definitively prove that the picture was taken within this particular jurisdiction.

On a side note, my mother grew up just across the river from the University of South Carolina in neighboring Lexington County. I still have family there. One thing that I can tell you about the largest city in the state is that it isn't that big. Another thing I can tell you is that there isn't a lot there and that outside of South Carolina, it isn't noteworthy whatsoever.

I think this is just for attention to be brought to the area. Can you remember the last time that Columbia, South Carolina was in the news? Me neither (actually, it was when Travis Barker and DJ Am's plane crashed just outside the city, but that's neither here nor there). The sheriff of Nottingham needs to untwist his thong and get over it.

Doesn't sorry mean anything these days? Jeez.

If you wake up in a tub of ice...

Check your vagine!

Apparently, there is a new kidney removal procedure that doctors at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have successfully performed.

Click here to read the full article on PerezHilton.com

Can they make the grade?

It was revealed yesterday that the D.C. City Council will soon be voting on a measure that would require restaurants in the District to post a grade given to them during health inspections on the front door.

And as always, I have questions.

I am curious about how stringent these inspections are going to be. I wonder if the restaurants would be able to appeal to the health department the inspection came during an inopportune time. I do believe that restaurants should be held to high standards or cleanliness, but I also understand that there are certain points during a health inspection that have little to do with the cleanliness of the restaurant overall. What's more, these points can drop an inspection by an entire letter grade.

I've worked in many restaurants before enrolling in college. During that time, there was one restaurant that was about as clean as a customer could hope for; it was probably cleaner than many of your own kitchens. This restaurant (the Landmark, for those in the know), constantly received the top grade when the inspectors came and did their thing. One time however, the inspector came during a delivery. The restaurant received a lower than usual grade because there were a few boxes on the floor, something that is in violation. These boxes did not contain food, but generally cleaning supplies and canned goods. Can we really post grades on a door that my drive away customers for having something as trivial as a box on the floor?

If a restaurant is required to post these grades, I believe that inspections should be frequent and that they should be able to be appealed (or reinspected withing a particular time window, say 48 hours). If a good system can be worked out that grade restaurants fairly, perhaps they could consider something more like a GPA system that calculates the good and the bad to give a better idea of the restaurant's track record.

I barely figure out my own taxes....

Poor Tom Daschle. I am a little annoyed by his tax situation. Aside from the bickering that occurs on Capitol Hill as a result of partisan politics, the situation seems to be about as hypocritical as it can get.

How can Tim Geithner get away with not paying his taxes and Tommy face so much scrutiny? It is understandable that Daschle owed quite a bit more than Geithner, but I don't recall Geithner giving any sort of solid reasoning behind his failure to pay Uncle Sam--and he was going to be the Treasury secretary! Daschle explains himself and still the media takes him down like a gazelle in the grasslands. If he were stealing medical records, it would be a bit more understandable to me.

I am not gonna take up for the guy for not paying his taxes, but I am not sure I would realize that using a friend's car service would be taxable income. Hell, I can barely manage to itemize my college-expense deductions, much less organize all the expenses that would come with organizing a car service.

So far, President Obama has been off to a rough start. I find my self being very critical of him, that is, I hold him to a very high standard. The mandate he received in November after such an inspirational campaign makes me hold him to all the promises.

I wonder if Obama himself knew about the taxes that his appointees owed and if he assumed that everything would work out regardless. Perhaps he tried to cover it up the best he could. I trust this guy and I would be very disappointed if he were ever found to be playing unfairly.

Why does this feel like fascism?

If you hadn't heard, I'm an Apple fan. The products that the company makes are nearly irresistible. You will hear from anyone who had been inducted into this cult that the products that bear the logo of the bitten fruit just work! That's all, I don't want to hear any arguments, they really do.

I am not going to preach about how wonderful these machines are, but rather, how sore I am with the company right now.

I am the proud owner of an iPhone 3G. I didn't buy the original iPhone because I had a feeling that a better one was just around the corner. When I finally purchased my phone, it really changed the way I keep myself organized and the way I communicate with others.

I was so excited about the App Store and its promises. Another thing I was excited about was the Push Notification Service. Since Apple won't allow applications to run as background processes, this system was in development to allow third-party servers to send notifications to your phone via Apple servers. It was due to come out in September.

EPIC FAIL! It's February now, and this still hasn't come to fruition. Mac NN reports that it may never materialize because now Apple is considering allowing the next version to allow background processes. iPhone 3.0, if we've learned anything from history, should arrive around June.

My beef with Apple (besides making false promises) is that it throttles the technology it has. It holds back a feature or two so it can include it on a future product. That makes Apple-hungry consumers upgrade before their current systems have worn out.

I am guilty. When I read today that a much better iPhone might be out in June, I began to say my good-byes to my current phone. I will be a smart consumer in the end (if I don't like the design or I have to pay too much for too little, I won't buy it).

I can't wait until the new aluminum MacBooks drop in price just a little. I am really looking forward to that big and beautiful multi-touch track pad. It continues to haunt my dreams.

Podcast!

I have been working on creating a podcast for a few months now, and I think i finally got this stuff right. Before you go running off to listen to it, please understand that it will be the worst five minutes of your life.

Much like a child on Christmas, I just had to play with this thing as soon as I had it all up and running. As I mentioned in the audio itself, I am still trying to work the bugs out and develop a format. There is still a lot to be worked out (and a lot to be desired), but considering the number of hours I put into this think, I should at least get a B for effort (I did take a couple of breaks... so I guess my GPA will suffer).

I am proud of one thing though, I got this shit published on iTunes. Sure, it isn't that hard, but it feels nice to have the album art (which is craptastic at best, but hey, I made it myself) show up in the Cover Flow. That is a nice warm feeling, as though I'd released an album or something.

There is an RSS feed of the podcast in the left-hand column of this page, but for some reason, it isn't promptly showing the new shows as I post them all the time. Click HERE to check out the Feb. 3rd episode. Be warned, it's a trainwreck! Your comments are always welcome.

The Word: My Manifesto

I intend to change the world with the utterance of a word. I will follow suit with the stroke of a pen and a peck at the keyboard. Words cause a domino affect that spread through the minds of others--a communicable idea, infectious humanity.

I have been given the power of the word, as have we all. The word can be used to convey dangerous truths and lovely lies, it can be used to turn one's heart sour or set it aglow. I intend, foremost, to be honest with my use of the word--to embellish as little as possible and to be forthcoming with my opinion. It is this opinion, one that we all possess, that causes the winds to blow in different directions from one generation to the next. Without these words, we have no voice; without a voice, we have no future and our present is stagnant.

I demand that you look into the past and gather your knowledge about the struggles and accomplishments that your forefathers have endured and achieved. This was not possible without the word--the idea, a spark to ignite the wildfires of revolution and change. This was only possible with the sharing of thoughts and the implementation of the desires in a collective people's hearts. We too have desires, we too strive to live in a better place, a place in which our families can rest assured that they will have a tomorrow and that our neighbor will have one too. This is only possible if we safeguard our ideals and put them down on paper, in hypertext, or whisper them to our closest friends.

There is nothing that we cannot accomplish if we keep an ongoing discussion--an open discussion. The words may be hard to accept, at times, but the only way that we can work through to challenges we will face throughout out lives is if we are honest with one another. Honesty is purity of heart and mind. The alternative is deceit, a vile heart and a clouded head.

I call to you today to be compassionate with your words, with your thoughts, and with your deeds. The opposite of compassion is indifference and indifference leads only to inaction and a deferral of our chances to fix the things that plague our lives. I promise to accept my own challenge and fight in the hearts of my brothers and sisters, my neighbors and theirs. I will stir the passions of a generation, even if that be only a few. Join me! Pick up your pens, dust off your keyboard, and clear your throats. There is much work to be done and nothing will be accomplished by being silent.