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ROLAND_OF_SIWEL
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Name: Roland
Country: United States
State: Missouri
Gender: Male
Interests: Sports, Books, Common Sense, Philosophy, Hands on Work (construction, mechanics, hunting)
Expertise: Whatever you must have asked me about
Occupation: Executive
Industry: Other
Message: message me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
10/17/2005
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| Well folks I'm almost 30 and am going to Sin City for a week of work/play for the first time ever. Don't worry, no strip clubs or hookers for me, just hoping to bump into the Mindfreak and see if he can make me float off of the ground! | | |
| CBS News | Race Questions Rise From Flames | November 28, 2005 20:30:05
Race Questions Rise From Flames
Muslims attacking Muslims?
The liquor stores of some Muslims are being destroyed by black men dressed in attire matching that of the members of the Nation of Islam. Now what motivates this attack is under review, some think it could be religion and some think racial/economic jealousy. If it were the latter though most of the merchandise would have been stolen instead of being wasted and destroyed which appears to be the case. These store owners were warned that as Muslims they shouldn't be selling liquor, but the Nation of Islam claims no involvement but I didn't see a renouncement of what happened either. Now whether the attack was religious or economic it remains a scar on a poorer community that can ill afford such activity. I wonder what Bill Maher take on this one will be? To find out the real motive though, I think some one should open up a Victoria's Secret and see if the merchandise is burned or bought. At the very least they should have kept some Wild Turkey and sent it to the turkey running the "Nation".
P.S. Congratulations to Black Sabbath and Lynrd Skynrd on their status as inductees in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. | | |
| America is now anticipating the sale of the much awaited XBox 360. Much could be said about this event, but just a few observations interest me.
1. Gaming is growing exponentially both in quality, but also in demographic outreach.
2.. Why did my parents tell me to stop playing so much Nintendo when I was small? Professional gamers are now making up to six-figure salaries!
3. Will the benefits of this new technology bring any further detachment of some individuals who only know friends in cyber-communities, and if so what will be the social ramifications.
4. Bill Gates has few historical rivals that can match his marketing, technological prowess, and sense for the future. | | |
| Jim Carrey has drawn the extremes of criticism and praise in his various choices of films he has done, and I have enjoyed most all of his films though for different reasons. Most of my friends enjoy the "Dumb and Dumber" and "Me, Myself, and Irene" type of films, but not ones like the "Truman Show". I was told by these people that one of his newer films,"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", was one of the his worst films ever. I put off seeing the movie until the other night, and enjoyed the movie quite a lot.
I won't give much away about the plot if you haven't seen it, but the dilemma for our protagonist is the desire to stop a procedure from erasing his memories of his ex-girlfriend. Long story short, he decides he would rather have memories of her, good and bad, than none at all. He started off wanting to lose the pain the memories had but instead found that he did want them, pain and all. What I found interesting and perplexing is the fact that we humans don't like pain but seem grow from it or at least we would not be the people we are today without our painful memories and experiences. Agent Smith in "The Matrix" said humans define reality through pain and can find no meaning apart from pain. This may be a little pessimistic but may hold a large portion of truth. Consider some famous sayings: When the going gets tough, the tough get going or The harsher the winter, the harder the wood. Think of all the great human beings who have been successes and leaders; who among them was without life-changing pain? I like to look at great and successful people I know, their marriages, businesses, accomplishments, and what I find are not lives without struggle, but lives and characters built upon the painful lessons.
We ask ourselves then, do we look for pain? We don't have to look it will find us. What of the others whose pain has destroyed them? Pain sometimes can be too much, but our perspectives on life often define how we handle the pain that comes. I really struggle with the conclusion that we benefit from pain, most rational people say the world would be better without it. If you find yourself feeling this way, just ask yourself what kind of person you would be if you hadn't been tested or burned, would you be yourself or somebody else. Pain can destroy trust and happiness, but pain can motivate, teach, and reveal beauty often in the most amazing ways. | | |
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I love to watch controversy which may explain my fascination with political talk shows. I also now have access to HBO and have found "on demand" channels to be great. My controversy itch was fulfilled recently quite nicely by the "Anti-O'Reilly", the distinguished Bill Maher. Watching a repeat of his show Real Time I was entertained by the great George Carlin, some think tank libertarian/conservative, and an editor from the main Atlanta newspaper. The issue of the day was the debacle of the disaster relief after Katrina. All but the libertarian fellow were enflamed at the level of incompetency at the federal level and ultimately with Bush. Even Kurt Vonnegut, who joined the show at the end, was stirred in rhetoric and passion against the President in a way you might expect from one talking about Ted Bundy or Hitler. No amount of blame could be placed on any other official, state or local, it was all the federal government's fault. Then George, who is usually quite humorous, felt the need to expound on the role of government, especially its responsibility to protect us. The main cause of the federal government neglect and delay was,from their point of view, racially and socially motivated. Meaning if New Orleans was populated with rich white people the reaction time would have been immediate and the loss of life minimal. 
The banter and arguing was quite enjoyable, I felt refreshed. After pondering what they discussed and argued about I found myself agreeing with Mr. Carlin about the governments' role to protect us. As a part of protection some have proposed in the past some form of reparations for descendants of slaves to help restore some equality because slavery impoverished these people. That is the genius of government, when faced with a large problem, it has the means and the wisdom to enact such bold legislation. Witness the help given to the Native American tribes, the original group of people in America to get hosed by the White Man. What help you say? The casinos of course! These fine institutions have given tribal councils and governments some much needed financial flow to improve their neighborhoods, schools, and general outlook on life. Though small when compared to the land they lost, the revenue generated by the casinos is a small token, from the feds and states, to say sorry for having used a great motto like "Manifest Destiny". 
Of course the success story of the Native American casinos is that they are completely funded by rich white people only. Oops, I think a purple monkey just flew out of my butt!. I forgot-------casinos are funded by habitual gamblers, and from most accounts they are from poorer social classes too. What a fine plan, the Screwed screwing the Screwed. To top things off, the money from the taxes that was supposed to go to education and schools has been siphoned off by pet projects, mismanagement, and even misplacement (creative accounting strikes again). This must have been the conspiracy that Maher was talking about, the poor keep getting poorer. Darn those casinos and their alluring lights. So as you lay your head down tonight, relax, and know that your well being is protected and nurtured by the all wise and all powerful government. If your younger than 40 and have trouble going to sleep, try counting the social security checks you'll never see. | | |
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