Scattered Thoughts

So, I didn't really want to wake up this morning, but now that I'm awake, here I am. This post is just a bunch of random thoughts that were running through my head while I was at work today. So let's use the ordered list tag to make my entry look pretty…

1. Teach for America – Throughout the last few weeks, I've been trying to figure out more of what I want to do when I graduate. I have definitely decided (a couple months ago) that I want to go to graduate school for something. The current options are 1) Informatics of some kind, 2) Outdoor Recreation (probably administration or something of the like) 3) Education or Education Administration. Right now, I'm leaning more toward some kind of education. Since my GPA isn't looking as good as it should be, I'll have to find an alternate means to get into graduate school. Kirstee introduced me to the Teach for America program about a month ago. I've been doing a lot of research about the program the last few days trying to find out what it would entail and the more I look at it, the more I want to do it. Check out the site if you want more details. Basically, I would like to go to either Baltimore, DC or Houston to teach soon after college. This all depends on if I get accepted and if I don't find another job first.

   What better way to spend two years of your life than to help out some less fortunate children?

2. Rockstar Parking? – I saw the coolest sticker today. Ok, maybe not the coolest, but it was definitely worth noting. It was on the back of one of those power chairs. The sticker was blue, had the handicap parking logo on it and said "Rockstar Parking". It made me chuckle
3. Cares? Don't Cares? – And the Don't Cares have it. At least in my current academic situation they do. I just do not care about a couple of my classes. I know this is dangerous especially sicne I want to get into some graduate program somewhere in the country, but I can't help it. I've tried to care, I just can't. I have an assignment due today that I have half-assed my way through and an exam this evening that I haven't started studying for yet. I definitely have senioritis, and I have one more year of studying. I think I posted about this in my LJ a while ago, but not here, so this is to enlighten those of you who don't read the LJ. If this is a duplicate topic, I'm sorry.
4. The Ransburg Countdown – Oh how close it is, yet so far away. I look at my calendar and it says "Move to Ransburg" three and a half weeks away, but then I look at my school and work schedule and it says "You are never going to get out of this semester alive". I just want to get this semester done with so I can go be refreshed and hopefully care more next semester.

I think that's all I should ramble about in this post, it's already pretty long. I'm starting to turn into pinKUS.

The End-of-the-Blog Rundown

Song of the Day – Good Day Sunshine – The Beatles

Hero of the Day – The weather, I dont' think anyone will argue about this one with me. The weather today is beautiful and it's only supposed to get better as the weekend goes on. Staff weekend will be amazing!

Quote of the Day – "She thought you were just trying to get her off… of you." –Erin

Current Mood – – Extremely Happy

Until next post…
later days

For those of you who keep yourselves sheltered from all national news, there is an interesting debate going on in the Supreme Court right now about the words "One Nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. An atheist named Michael Newdow sued his child's school system in California for making his child say the Pledge of Allegiance saying thta it was against his freedom of religion to proclaim that there exists a supreme being.

The federal appeal's court upheld a ruling in his favor, and the case has since been raised to the United States Supreme Court for a final ruling. The debate has been going on for some time now.

This is what I think:

I agree with the appellate court's ruling. These words do, in fact, infringe on some Americans' first amendment rights. To athiests, ones who deny the existance of a God, it appears that the state is forcing a religion onto them; forcing them to believe in the God that our forefathers believed in.

This brings up another intersting point. Some may argue that to ban these words from the Pledge of Allegiance is to deny a portion of our history. This is in no way true. The words "One Nation under God" were added in 1954. The main argument brought to the floor in Congress was that communist nations do not believe in an individualist society governed by God. Again, not true. Their society is not individualist, but that does not mean that they are without a God.

Leaving the words out of our Pledge of Allegiance would not in any way detract from the founding ideals of our society nor would they take away the meaning that is associated with the Pledge.

Here is what the wording should be:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which is stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty, equality and justice for all."

I could stand by something like that. Of course, I would want a clause thrown in that prevents dumbasses from being elected as President, but that wouldn't get approved by the congress.

For more about the hearings, see this website.

And now…

The End-of-the-Blog Rundown

Song of the Day – Moonage Daydream – David Bowie

Event of the Day – Easter Dinner with the family. My uncle is a riot.

Hero of the Day – Luke for talking to me some over the graveyard.

Item of the Day – O.K. Cupid for hours of graveyard fun.

Quote of the Day – "The surest way to steal the meaning, and therefore the power, from religion is to deliver it to politics, to enslave it to public life." –Leon Wieseltier

Darwin Award Recipient for the Week Begining April 4, 2004
The building services staff at Indiana University. Most of them are not the brightest individuals on the face of the earth. Every time I see one of them they're on break or otherwise loafing around. I'm going to make a big sign, like the one Strong Bad has, that says "NO LOAFING" and I'm going to hang it in the Information Commons.

Current Mood – Exhausted…

Until next time…
later yo

Check out The Photoblog. Today's pic will be updated as soon as I get a chance.

Also, check out MY FIRST FIRST TO FIND GEOCACHE! Get excited!

That is all.

Here's the newest, hottest penguin game on the internet.

Hit The Penguin

Check it out!

Also, check out the The Photoblog for the picture of the day.

peace

How to install Linux on a Badger.

Read it, it's hilarious.

The Photoblog has been updated. Expect a picture a day until I run out of convention pictures.

There was an interesting discussion on NBC news this morning about the appearance of Jesus in popular culture. Matt Lauer interviewed two religious officials, one Rabbi and one Catholic Bishop.

It was interesting to me the difference between the viewpoints of the Rabbi and the Bishop. Images of the movie Dogma (Kevin Smith, 1999) kept popping into my head.

On one hand, the Bishop, the other, the Rabbi. Let me sumarize what each of them said.

Bishop:

The appearance of Christ as a more masculine figure now than in the past is absurd. Christ has traits of both women (compassion, understanding, the ability to forgive easily) and men (strong willed, outspoken, etc.). It is not necessary to view Christ as being more masculine or more feminine simply because he is neither. A change in this viewpoint would be a fundamental change in Christian Thought. The necessity of God and Christ to appear as imposing enforcers is in no way necessary for a good religious following.

Rabbi:

Christ is becoming more masculine in popular culture. It is a phenomenon in American culture that when the times get tough or we are met with adversity, we respond by getting tougher ourselves. This is the fundamental reason we are seeing a more masculine Christ figure. Christ was inherently a buff, strong man; He was a carpenter, so we know that he was strong and in shape. In today's world, we need to have a fearful God figure in religion because without it, religion does not have an effect on terrorists and others who are determined to do harm to innocent people.

Now, keep in mind that these are not my viewpoints, but simply the viewpoints of these two individuals. I just found the contrast interesting. I could definitely have listened to them for another two hours debate the subject. Let me know what you think.

I have to preface this with a disclamer.
The following topic may contain some content that all of you younger than eighteen folk cannot legally view. Please use disgression when following links and do not click on them if you are not of the legal age to view adult material.

In other news. I like how the front page of the IDS has been converted to advertisement for a porn website. The article Student Ethics to Review Dorm Website not only mentions and advertizes for the website www.teenkeira.com but it links to it from the front page.

Now it seems a little odd to me that this newspaper could publish something like this and not have issues with the FCC, or whomever governs print media. It's rediculas that this porn site gets free advertisement because the IDS decided that the URL needed to be printed in the paper. I bet after today the website's traffic picks up by, let me throw a random number out there, 38,000 unique hits. I wish I had a website that brouhgt me money who's traffic increased by that much in a day…

Oh, the Indiana Daily Student, the lows you stoop to will never cease to amaze me.

The End-of-the-Blog Rundown

Song of the Day – Beautiful Day – U2

Hero of the Day –

Quote of the Day
(discussing how to keep people from running into me while I'm reading the paper and walking)
Sara: You could just repeatedly fall down, that will get them out of your way.
Me: Yea, but then my insurance company would become suspicious after I file three claims for broken bones in a week.

Darwin Award Recipient for the Week Begining March 28, 2004
The Axis Wednesday person (must be PC here…riiight). If you don't remember him, check out this post (opens in same window).

Until the next post…
peace yo

Check out the Link Below for The Weekend Update
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