Israeli(?) Air Strikes

Well, there is turmoil again in the Middle East. Or, continuing turmoil I should say.
I start to feel sorry for Israel because they seem to be targeted, especially by its Muslim neighbors.
And when they stand up for themselves, they are always blamed for trying to start wars. But then I remember that Israel has an awesome military who could easily compete with us and I don't worry about them.
As the Washington Post says, following the recent airstrikes on Syria, that Israel neither denied or asserted that they ordered the operation, but did say they were "accidental spillover" from Syria's civil war.  Israel has done a great job of staying neutral in this conflict. However, they are concerned about Syria's alliances. The shipments that were hit in this airstrike and others carried out this year were headed to Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia group. This alliance, as well as Syria's one with Iran, is stirring caution among Israeli officials, as these are two of their biggest rivals.
Lawmakers are trying to keep the peace as well as a straight face, but tensions slowly seem to be rising.
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So, hopefully we can avoid another war over there. I am confident that Israel will be able to hold its own, but at perhaps a great cost to civilians. unfortunately religion has become so violent. And i am certainly not condemning Muslims here. Look at what the Catholic Church did: the Inquisitions, the Crusades, religious punishment, exile, forced conversions.... the list goes on. I just am bothered by how any religion, especially the ones centralled around God/Yahweh/Alla which preach love and peace, can be so violent and hateful towards each other. What is really the difference between these faiths? The Muslims believe in a little more than the Catholics who believe in a little more than the Jews. But out faiths all come from the same person (Abraham), and all of our Scripture is centered around the Torah. Yet all three faiths, especially Christianity and Islam, look at the other like they are a threat to the core values of their faith...I don't know. I just hope there isn't more senseless death and murder for both soldiers and civilians.
God Bless America (and the World)

The Boston Marathon

OK, so this isn't my post for a week and I don't have an article, but I'd like to talk about this.
So, for those of you who are unaware (which will probably be no one by the time they read this) two explosive devices were planted about 100 feet before the finish of the Boston Marathon on Patriot's Day. Now, the Boston  Marathon is like the Superbowl for runners. It is almost every runner's dream to qualify for this international event. But, it is still running, and what I love about runners is that they love what they do and they love when other people love it too. I have never met a runner who was more worried about beating a racer than having a good time, doing their best, and seeing everyone else do their best. Not to say that they aren't competitive, but they are all so friendly and supportive of each other.
This is a family event. It is all about pushing through to achieve a goal, and is a landmark for all the runners. So why is it that there are people (and I am sure there is more than just the guy who planted the bomb) who are willing to do this to innocent people? Violence has been escalating at a massive rate, most recently the Oregon mall shooting, the Aurora Massacre, the Newton Massacre, and now this. I think we can trace it back to two major influences and a minor third.
I will start with the minor one. The media, after an event seems to focus more on the conviction of the offender than the hurt, anger, and frustration felt by those affected. Now, I understand that everyone wants to know the sentencing, but having live coverage of the trial and weeks of talks building up to it. And, while victims require respect and freedom from media if they want it, there never seems to be much concern over the struggles the family and friends must overcome.
A HUGE factor is our entertainment. I hear a lot of talk about violence in movies, and a lot of people call producers out on it, but the hypocritically then go and buy into the movies. A friend recently asked me if I wanted to hang out and watch a movie. I told him I would check to see what was showing, and I was perplexed that I found one movie not rated R at the bottom of the list. Now, I don't think rated R movies are bad. I think most of them are. I admire some movies such as the Passion and A Beautiful Mind, Amadeus and Schindler's List, that bring out important themes and are well written so as to make people think. BUT.....there is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much violence in most movies. Action, shoot'em'up, horror, fantastical....the list goes on. Most movies seem to praise violence, preaching revenge, selfish gain, anarchy, the need for power and money, etc. They all love the pseudo-romatic themes: an impossible task to grab the girls, get the money, and gain control. And while a lot of people condemn these movies, they still go and watch them for the thrill. This can also be traced into video games: Halo, COD, zombie games, all the rest. Same with TV shows. Someone once said something I find very interesting: "They (the companies) keep you in because they make the hero not fully good. That little bit of evil is what pulls you in" Think about it: heroes all the time can't seem to get it right. Sure they have to have a conflict to be a hero, but making them addicts, sexaholics, split personalities etc. are what make people become so attatched.
The other main problem I see is in discipline. This is a fundamental time for children to learn right and wrong. But, America has seemingly become an atheistic country, and easy misunderstanding that separation between God and state makes for an easy merge when you don't believe in a god. But, that isn't it: drugs have become a major part of the system. And not just elsewhere. Need I bring up last year's Junior Encounter? i knew a freshman (unnamed) who was expelled for possesion, use, and dealing of illegal substances. And he had been dealing since 7th grade! But, where is the discipline system. My dad teaches at OPS and is frustrated with the system. There, a student cannot be held back up to and including in junior high unless there is parental consent. Then, in high school, no student can be held back. And even at home, parents can't seem to do much other than "suggest" that their children change their behavior. Now, I don't promote beating your children, but sometimes it takes a spanking or a bar of soap to the mouth or grounding to teach a lesson. Because i would bet 9 out of 10 kids wouldn't do what their parents "suggested" And this carries over into the classroom. A teacher in OPS can only refer students to their administrator. Well, they usually have to wait to get a report through, and by that time it seems futile to punish the kid. And they really don't have a way of enforcing detentions either. Like I said, I don't agree with Romans where the father can do everything up to and including killing his son. But, I think that discipline is necessary, and that lessons can be hard to learn but must be taught.
So, there is my rant. America can't seem to fix its problem, and keeps trying futile tactics while overlooking the fact that discipline has been severely limited. Guns and any other thing, like bombs, are a problem. But as a wise man (well, OK it was Jack Sparrow) said, "The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude towards the problem" So until we start allowing parents to discipline their children and get parents to be more involved with their kids (which could prevent them from seeing such violent movies) we will continue in vain to impose gun control and other restrictions while violence still escalates, and the only difference is that they are using illegal weapons to do already illegal activities. Next time you sneak into an R movie, stop and think about why. I don't think any of you will become mass killers, but We can take a stand to prevent future incidents like the most recent Boston Marathon Bombing.
As of now 2 people are dead, over 80 injured and over 100 being treated. Pray for the families.
God Bless America

Gay Marriage: Into the Future

Wow. I really try to keep most of my political opinions down unless someone specifically asks me. But, I think I'm gonna step out on a limb here.
Well we all hear about same-sex marriage, and why we should or shouldn't allow it. Let me say straight off that I do not agree with this type of marriage. But, don't call me a hater or anything along those lines, because I never said anything of the sort.
I liked the article Dana Milbank wrote in the Washington Post Article because it wasn't another slam at one side of the issue or the other; it didn't seem to me like it was focused on making a political statement as to whether we should or should not allow same-sex marriage. It simply suggested that the shift to legalizing it is inevitable, so it seems.
The article reports that there is still an undecided population, and only nine states plus D.C. have legalized gay marriage. But, it also implies, as seen in a protest, that gay-marriage supporters seem to have more motivation and a more easily-accepted argument to those who are just joining in on the issue.
OK, time for the nitty-griity. I still don't know whether I think it should be legal or not. I am firmly set against the practice, but I DO NOT hate gays. In fact, I have close friends who are. And, while I firmly stand against abortion and contraceptives being legal, this seems to be more an issue of choice and belief, not necessarily protecting life. I don't think people should do it, but that is because of my religion, and if they have a different faith then maybe they should be able to.
I can see where defenders are coming from: is it not wrong to deny them rights? Are we not responsible to defend their rights? Also, from what I can tell, the Bible only specifically forbids gay sex. They certainly have a legitimate argument.
However, I am confused as to why this is such and issue when it never has seemed to be before. Other cultures do not seem to have endorsed the practice, and even today America seems (to me) to stand mostly alone on this controversy. I do believe that in some cases people are born that way, and it isn't their fault. But, I also have an extremely strong suspicion that some people (including some I know) claim to be gay simply for attention, or perhaps because they think the culture is starting to tell them that it is right, perhaps better than straight (depicting them as suppressive and revoking gay rights). Back to the Bible, while it may not specifically say that homosexuality is wrong (at least in most cases) God created MAN and WOMAN to be companions and to love each other to their full extent. And I don't think God looks at technicalities: if you find $100 and keep it, technically you aren't stealing, but you aren't doing the right thing, and God wants you to do the right thing, not just to not do the wrong thing (if you can follow that. That's phrased weird...)
Now, again, I DON'T mean to promote abusing these people. Again, that isn't the right thing to do. I would like to rip people up one side and down the other when they do stuff like that. Literally. But I guess that wouldn't be a very nice thing to do anyways...
But, I think that unless those against gay marriage can get a more appealing argument, those supporting gay marriage will continue to pick up more and more supporters simply because their argument is more pleasing and immediately attractive. Eventually I suspect that there will be a shift and gay marriage will be legal.
So, yea. That was a little weird for me, making a political argument unprovoked (well except in the sensde that I needed to write this blog). I don't know where I stand on the legality of it, I know where I stand on it in a moral sense, but I think change will come. What do you think? Any reasons for or against it that I missed?

God Bless America

P.S. Please don't worry about my ideas. I'll say it again, I don't agree with it but I am totally undecided as to where I think it should stand in terms of legality. I just tried to show some reasons for picking one side or another. I want you to decide for yourselves. Nad maybe your ideas can help me decide too. Thanks for reading

Lion Mauls Intern, Killed

San Francisco Times: Lion Mauls Intern, Killed
A tragic event occurred at the Cat Haven exotic animal refuge Wednesday. Dianna Hanson, a newly hired intern, was mauled by a 4 year old lion named Couscous. Authorities do not know what caused the attack, but do know the mauling occurred inside the cat's enclosure at a time with only a few staff present. When the discovered the injured Hanson, she was alive, but lying on the ground with the lion standing nearby. After several failed attempts to lure the lion into a different pen, authorities had to shoot the lion in order to reach the girl, who died on the scene.
Obviously there is controversy as to the cause of the attack, actions taken by authorities, etc. while what spurred the attack is unknown, Cat Haven officials said that staff is generally not allowed into enclosures. But, all safety requirements were met, and the last infraction on a short list occurred three years ago. Another exotic animal enthusiast, Tippi Hendren, says that, "it is always the human's fault." She also believes that shooting the lion was a poor choice. This was also a drastic change for Couscous, who was seen as a behaved cub on Ellen in 2010.
A few more statisctis: since 1990, 21 people have been killed, 246 mauled. Since that time, 254 cats have also escaped and 143 killed.
I think there was probably a reason the intern was in the enclosure. Co-workers describe her as dedicate and smart, and her father called it her "dream job." How valid that reason is, I do not know. I also would say that shooting the lion, while unfortunate, was necessary, because at that point Hanson was still alive and required attention.
So, what can we learn? We already know to be careful around dangerous animals, so I guess this serves as a harsh reminder. Obviously we are not the top of the food chain unless we have our tools.
Prayers and consolations to the Hanson family in this time of grief.
God Bless America

Ricky the Third

Yes it is early in the week but it's one of those weeks, and so this is about my only chance, for those of you who are wondering.
So we all heard about the discovery of Richard III's bones. But for those of you who didn't get anything more than that, listen up.
It wasn't a chance discovery; and academic crew was actually looking for the bones, says the LA Times, and were simply lucky enough to find them in a spot that wasn't overrun by suburbia.
DNA testing was used to compare an sample to a known ancestor of Ricky's sister, and the match was all but identical.
Turns out we can now make assumptions about his death: all we really knew was that he was the last English king to die in battle, fighting against his successor Henry VII, first Tudor to usurp the throne, in 1485 . But his skull shows signs of extreme trauma, with at least two blade wounds that would have been fatal. Also, his feet were missing, probably caused by later disturbance, and the wrists were crossed, so they were likely tied together.
So who was this guy anyways? He was infamous as a homicidal tyrant, as popularly depicted by William  Shakespeare, who ruled from 1483-85. And yes, for those of you who read the online packet, this was how the Tudors rose to power and led to James I on the throne. So, do keep in mind that history was sort of rewritten to give the Tudors a legitimate claim to the throne, which easily could lead to warped perspectives on Richard.
He died about age 32, which is accurate with the forensics results. He was about 5'8" but had scoliosis, so he probably appeared shorter. As the article reports, "Fans say Richard III was an enlightened, capable ruler whose important social reforms included the presumption of innocence for defendants and the granting of bail, which remain pillars of the legal system in Britain and the U.S."
But, no one does know what happened to his two nephews that he supposedly killed, who were his only competition to the throne.
So, what can we learn? Not much really. I mean, I guess if you're famous and want to stay that way, die in a spot that's hard to find under questionable circumstances, so that way people look for you and in 700 years you pop back up into the news... But if that's useful information to you, well, use it well I guess. But it sure makes for a good story, especially since we're starting Macbeth, and we just read about all this background for the origin of the Tudor line.
God Bless America

Education Reforms

Washington Post
Well, school reform is a hot topic these days, but unfortunately pushed to the back burner because of gun control, health care, et cetera. One of the major conflicts is how to teach, whether a standardized tests or creative projects is the way to go.
Mr. Bernstein reports that standardize tests do more harm than good, claiming that they don't show valid results and focus more on sheer factual knowledge instead of critical thinking. He claims that well-to-do schools often become concerned when results are compared to inner-city schools and some students are at the latter's level. He also suggests that students should be able to set their own personalized learning pace.
Now, ideally, this would be great. However, many students would take advantage of this, so that they went extra slow and spent more time playing around than learning. Because after all, the purpose of school isn't to have fun and be babysat. It is to learn. And obviously it is hard to learn if the learning isn't fun, but the focus must still be on learning.
I will agree with his idea of generating a curriculum that focuses on critical thinking. After all, who is going to remember the dates and people of every event they study, for example in history. But, they should be able to analyze political motives, for example, or characterization, social issues, etc.
I think the most important thing is a balance. Yes, sometimes facts just need to be memorized, but sometimes the thinking is more important. I would say Prep has a pretty good system, as most teachers include essays or critical thinking questions on tests and homework along with a scantron sheet or factual questions. Also, I think that the addition of iPads to the English curriculum will greatly help creativity. I will say there are some subjects probably more based in fact, like science or history, but English certainly involves a lot of critical thinking. I would say overall this will help productivity, allowing us students to be creative and learn to analyze ideas and literature. And I know there are some people who think its a bad idea, but why? ( seriously I'm asking this because I want to know) Yes it may cost money, but ultimately will save you money, paper, space, and likely time without books. It will certainly make it a lot easier on teachers with just one universal set of translations, line numbering s, et cetera.
So, hopefully we (America) can start to figure it out, because the quality of education seems to be declining rapidly. We need to maintain our competitive status on the international level and continue to be a dominant industrial nation.
God Bless America

"Conduction" Innovator Dies at 65

NY Times Article
So, looking back on my past few blogs, I realized I have been talking a lot about politics. Not that that's bad, because debate is always good. But, I think this time I'll turn my attention to another area that is of great importance to me: music.
I'll start of by saying I had never heard of this before, but was more than impressed when I heard about the technique.
"Conduction," a style of music related to jazz but applicable to all genres that was created by Butch Morris, is his own adopted term for "conducted improvisation." Now, for those of you who may already be moving onto the next blog, at least check this out. You don't have to watch the whole thing, but please at least get a feel for the style.youtube Conduction
Which brings up the question: How? Well, some basic communication between bandsmen and  the conductor is worked out. Some of these signals, such as ones to influence tempo, dynamics, or balance, are common to all conductors. Others came from jazz and big band groups, including Morris's peers in the jazz world. And some were invented by Morris to help his purpose.
Now for those of you who aren't music fanatics like me, let me just say that taking something (improvisation in this case) and applying it to classical, pop, rock music, etc., was plain unheard of. In fact, the NY Times reports that Morris originally was rejected, as many people were unwilling to adapt to this new style. However, he went on to perform with "classical orchestras,  electronic instruments and music boxes; dancers, actors and visual artists; and gatherings of 19 poets or 15 trumpets." This is a very unique and innovative concept, certainly objectively notable in the music world.
Mr. Morris began playing in high school. He later joined the Navy, and after serving,  studied music, traveled abroad, and finally settled down in New York. He earned most of his income from commissions and writing music for dancers, movies, etc. He is survived by his brother and sister, and one son.
This is truly a unique concept, and while it may not be as popular as other genres of music, it can be universally applied and appreciated.
God Bless America

The Cause of Cancer?

NY Times Article
Curing cancer. It's been the goal of biochemists for decades. Well, we still haven't gotten to that point, but we are now one step closer. While studying melanoma cancers (caused by a buildup of melanin, or pigments that cause skin and hair color), a group of researchers discovered that the cause maybe found in the control center of the genes.
This is a revolutionary concept. Before, researchers had always simply studied the genes, but as one scientist said, “The brakes or the gas that control the genes that cause cancer are as important as gene mutations." 
Other studies based on this finding show that mutations in the control region of the gene, not just the gene mutations themselves, are inherited and linked to cancer, and thus are genetically linked.

So what does the mutation do anyways? Basically it promotes the production of telomerase. What is that? Picture your DNA, coiled like a ladder. Telomerase is the chemical that holds together the ends of the "ladder," called telomeres, and with this extra substance, the cells become basically immortal. Now doesn't that sound appealing?! The problem is, only the cancerous cells are the immortal ones, which actually is worse. 

Telomerase also reportedly has other overlooked functions, which are still being researched.

We certainly haven't come close to curing cancer, but now we can start that process. After all, could you build a plane without the blueprints? With the knowledge of the inheritance of cancerous genes, as well as new information on telome

rase and gene control malfunctions, we now can start to assemble the plane and cure cancer.

So what do you think? Can we do it? Can we actually cure cancer? Well, that is up to one of us. Maybe one of our peers will do it. Or maybe their research will help a future generation cure cancer. Who knows? Maybe it will be you! Are you up to the challenge?

God Bless America

Washington Post: 40th Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade

As pointed out by the Washington Post, we now near the fortieth anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade trial. This trial legalized abortion, and yet the nation still seems divided as to what defines a new life. The Post also reports through polling that less and less people are able to connect the trial with abortion. This has a twofold statement. First of all, people are becoming less and less aware of the political situation. Secondly, it seems to imply that they simply don't care.
One interesting fact stated that more than half of Catholics support the ruling, despite the insistency of the Church in its stance on preserving life. The author does, however report that most people who attend religious services weekly do oppose the court's ruling.
What have we become, where distinct life forms are being killed? Pregnancy is not a disease! The solution isn't abortion, it is being responsible with your sexuality. We must stand to protect these innocent children of God.
How can the court's ruling still dictate our practices when the country is still completely undecided? And yet, it is, and now Mr. Obama is intruding further on our rights, requiring companies to provide contraceptives despite their beliefs?
How can more than half of American Catholics support abortion and still call themselves Catholics? We have to put an end to this senselessness before it ruins us. American government is separated from Church, but this does not mean it is an organization of atheists that is free to dictate and impose their wills upon those who disagree with them.
What can we do to stand up for ourselves? Ask yourself this, see if you can find an answer, and perhaps you can be the change that we need. I just ask you to think about it.
God Bless America, and so help us all

I am an avid musician, playing piano, guitar, and drums/percussion. My family owned a music store, and I was a friend of one of the best jazz musicians in Omaha and a student of another. I am an Eagle Scout, and through this program learned to love hiking, nature, woodcarving, etc. I live on an acreage around other acreages, and love to mow, trim, cut and split wood, and in general work outside (and make money from it). I have a dog, a boxador puppy who can jump over my head. I can't stand cats. The list of what I didn't do to my knee is shorter than the list of what I did to it.