Healthcare Reform talk...

I've actually been trying to avoid discussing this, but since it seems to be the number one political topic on peoples minds(especially the President's) I thought I could put my two cents in. Let me preface my opinion by saying that this issue has divided almost everyone I've talked to. Friends and family on both sides of the isle, and for that matter liberal and conservative. Blah Blah Blah...enough of the political jargon. I believe overall the one thing that America can learn from this whole issue -be you for or against the purposed plan-is that extreme political action causes extreme political reactions. The pendulum swings. The reason the American people including the democratic majority are considering such an extreme social action is that they obviously don't agree with the direction the country has been moving in for the last decade. I think we learned this from the election.
From the RNC.org website I found this :
"I BELIEVE the proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations, and that the best government is that which governs least." -this is from the Republican Platform.
I agree with this and a lot of the patriotic statements made on the site, but I understand that in the country we've created today, money plays a vital role on what can and can't be done. Thus the 'private organizations' by this case it refers to the insurance companies and even health care providers are failing too many. This I believe is due to the growing class divide in America.
With that point made, I think we've all heard the nightmare that is the Canadian Health care system, with the threat of long waiting, bad salaries, bad quality, and VERY LITTLE RESEARCH. The fact that the President has been centering his schedule around this issue makes me think that he needs to slow things down a bit. Even if he feels passionate about it. I guess time will tell, and we can only hope that the issues with having socialized healthcare will work themselves out or rather that we create a failproof system that is well thought out, and tested. I look forward to reading your comments.

Despair.com's Social Media Venn Diagram

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Check it:
http://www.scad.edu/about/career-services/jobs-and-internships.cfm

I'm under the animation category...?

Double Feature Weekend

This weekend when I was at home I got to go see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and The Proposal...Both movies were very different and obviously catered to very different crowds. Though the theater was empty at first in Harry Potter when the lights came up it was packed, and I didn't think it was the regular Harry Potter crowd, maybe we're growing up, or maybe the plot is getting too dark for as many kids to be interested. Anycase I'm glad I got to be in the generation that 'grew up with' the characters. I guess that is a great one word definition for the movie-dark. I knew it would be from reading the book, but I guess the cinematography just put the icing on the cake. I loved it-I can't wait for the next one... The Proposal on the other hand was a hilarious romatesque movie that I thought had a rather surprising ending. The scenery in the movie is awesome, and while my sister has labeled it 'dvd worthy' I will simply label it 'enjoyable'. I wouldn't object to being made to sit through it again. Both were over all good movies, I really need to get better at this whole movie review thing in the future.

Summer Crunch

'Deadline' is something that is new to my summer vocabulary. My internship is really cracking down, and making me want to have certain projects done in this certain amount of time, thus why I'm feeling slightly stressed. I am also going to camp next week. It will be my 12th year returning to camp. I've been as both a camper and councilor and I have so much fun every year. It's a Baptist youth camp, and even though I'm not set on being a full fledged baptist yet....I do believe that it gives the kids the most important part, and that is the basic Christianity. Not many understand why we take a week out of our summers to go, and it's not because we're so heroic or that anyone owes us as councilors, but because I believe that we grow and get as much out of it as the kids do. So I guess the stress will be worth it in the end, and I can't wait to see if I'll have internet in the mountains anywhere...I'll keep you updated

Home Weekend

I just returned from a great weekend at home, and though now I am a bit stressed to hit my up coming deadlines it was worth the trip. My top priority for the weekend was to see Harry Potter, which I did. Maybe I'll write a review later(?) I also got to hang out with my mom who is on summer vacation, and my sister and brother-in-law, who were excited to show me their new pad in Motown. I also got to go to my old church, and it was nice to see that some of the familiar faces were still around. Finally I had lunch with my cousin right before I came back, who I rarely get to talk to, so It was a lot of fun. On my way back I stopped every opportunity I got to take pictures or just enjoy the scenery. The deadlines call.

Robben Island

It's Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday today!I was thinking about him a couple of days ago, and I realized something important. In the 20 years I've been alive, he's been out of prison for 19 of them, and I've always known his name. I've never seen him, heard his voice, and admittably I might not even be able to pick him out of a crowd, but it's what he represents that I've come to be familiar with. It's his conviction, the idea that as he fought for something he believed in, the progressive ideas that he belived in was worth any punishment that insued. A rebel with a cause. His charitable organizations and family have requested that for his birthday that you do something nice for someone else. This is an aawesome act, that I think speaks for itself, speaks for the man, and speaks for his ideals.
Does anyone smell a holiday coming? GO DO SOMETHNG NICE FOR SOMEONE

Cave

As some of you might know, I like the music I listen to to actually mean something. I mean it's great to have music that has a catchy beat, but music is far more enjoyable in my opinion when the lyrics have a deeper meaning. It's much deeper than an emo kid needing to rock out with the pain, or christian rock, or even the regular love story. One great example of this whole "music with meaning" is some of the songs from Jack's Mannequin. In June of 2005 Andrew McMahon-former lead singer of Something Corporate was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but made a full recovery. A lot of Jack's Mannequin's songs have to do with the Andrew's recovery. My personal favorite is entitled "CAVE". The lyrics of the song are at times obscure, but are easier to relate to if you've had experience in a hospital setting, or have ever been severely sick. Check it out on you tube(full version) or itunes.

***SUMMER***

My summer has been very busy so far. I have kept on a solid schedule of my internship, workout, reading list, and Rosetta stone. I feel overall I've kept on track well. My French is improving, and I hope that it will show in the fall when I take French IV. Last night I went on an 8 mile bike ride with my brother-in-law, and am a bit sore from it still, but not as bad as I thought I'd be. I'm sure I looked awesome speeding through the country side on my sisters purple and white street bike with small white helmet. It would have been a site to see. None the less it's the benefit that counts-uh right? I've also been sticking to a running chart I got from Runnersworld.com-a great site to check out if you are just beginning or even need tips on how to become more advanced. They also have those random interesting tips like what shoes and diet are best-everything you could ever want to know-I'm sure they got it.

Internship UPDATE

My internship with Preservation Piedmont has been the perfect compliment to my summer so far. It has allowed me to see the fields of preservation from a different perspective (NONPROFIT) with strong architectural historic roots. I have had the opportunity to be a major part of several projects that the group has going, and further I have even been exposed to several research topics that I have the opportunity to delve deeper into. Our most recent priority has been the St. John's Rosenwald School in Albemarle County. It is one of the many still standing schools, that through adaptive reuse efforts will be turned into a community center, or even a senior center. I spent my Saturday helping a group of 6 people interview those few alumnus of the St. John's school that are still living. They were holding a reunion and revival, which gave us a great opportunity to get them all together at one time. These interviews have actually generated a great deal of work for me as I now have been transcribing what information was recorded, and hopefully it will lead to a collective history or some kind of published booklet on the school. We are also going to put the information online. Over all the summer has been a blast. I've gotten used to the living patterns of my sister and her husband, as I have been staying with them, and I look forward to the end of the summer deadlines, and the thought that school is just around the corner!

From Sotomayor to my forehead scar

Today feels like just another Tuesday, but in fact it is very different. As I flip through the television channels in the hopes of finding something mindless that will allow me to get work done, while breaking the silence. I came across countless stations that have Supreme Court hopeful Sonia Sotomayor in front of a panel of respected Senators who are grilling her on everything from her current political beliefs to statements she said years ago. All of this in the hopes that they will find someone neutral enough to please both parties for the time when she possibly serves as a supreme court justice, when it would be her responsibility to interpret the law, and not make the laws.....Does anyone see a problem with this? I mean it's all strongly politically routed, and then when all is said and done--Neutrality? I've always been one who has had questions for the framers and the Supreme Court has to do with maybe a third of them. (thought bubble) On a more exciting note, I am going to the midnight showing of Harry Potter, which will be amazing, I have no doubt. It's the sixth movie, and I feel like the characters have grown up with me. Something that future generations won't get to experience unless they're really slow readers. I've been debating just how dumb I look as a 20 year old with a black scar painted on my forehead, but then again be it youthful indiscretion, or just the actions of a devote fan. I know the movie will be amazing and I can't wait!

Still Sleepless from Seattle

As I still struggle to get myself off of West Coast time, I've been over all exhausted. I had a blast while I was there though. As I visited with my cousin I saw very quickly that the west coast was very different from the East, and especially the American South. I felt like everyone there was smart. I felt like everyone there cared for the environment, and I felt like everyone there was busy yet friendly. I was in awe of the states natural beauty. We traveled from the city of Seattle to the La Push coast, yes all of you Twilight fans know where I'm talking about. All over the Olympic Peninsula. I was with my mom Aunt and cousin's three kids. Twins five, and the third was two. I got a rude awakening into what exactly it takes to wrangle three kids. My other cousin lives just out side of Seattle, where her husband is stationed in the Navy. They were a joy to be around, because I obviously don't always get to be around them. She made sure that we accomplished all of the touristy things. The Space Needle, Aquarium, Art Museum, Pikes Place Market, and of course the first Starbucks.I also made sure to see Rem Koolhaas's Public Library and Frank Gehry's Experience the Music Project-two very different famous contemporary architects illustrated in the city. Overall I had an absolute blast, and even got to spend some time in Victoria. It's on my top 5 favorite cities in the world, and I can't wait to go back!

The Crew