Sunday, June 24, 2012

You can take them out of Europe, but you can never take the Europe totally out of them...

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Ex-pastor Charles Gilford and wife Adriane Gilford accused of bilking $430,000 from church | Mail Online

Brave New World

Brave New WorldBrave New World by Aldous Huxley<br/>

My rating: 4 of 5 stars<br /><br />

Once you get through the terminology of the future world, it is an interesting social commentary on a familiar theme:  Is it better to be 'happy' by being unaware of any distress, longing, disappointment, loss, heartbreak, etc.?  Is that true happiness?  Are you truly 'happy' if you have never known sadness?  <br /><br />The society in which Bernard lives has taken care of all the so-called 'difficulties' of society, but at what cost?   The people are conditioned to be satisfied with what they have been essentially genetically engineered to have.  They spout phrases and mantras that have been brainwashed into their minds from a young age.  They are provided a drug that provides them the perfect high with no repercussions.  Promiscuous sex is accepted and encouraged and there are no consequences, other than sexual gratification.  Televisions, scent machines, perfect music....is it paradise?<br /><br />John the Savage (raised in hardship, loss, want, and emotions of love, anger, passion...) doesn't like this 'Brave New World' once he sees how the 'civilized' are behaving.  But is John's view of the necessity of suffering and pain a realistic alternative?  Does John go too far in his view of how the human existence should be?  Is Johns world of physical pain (sometimes self-inflicted), hardship, exile, etc.  the answer?<br /><br />Is our society moving toward turning us into mindless and thoughtless people in the name of progress?  Do we over-medicate (drug) ourselves into a false happiness?  Are we over-sexualizing our lives in the name of pure gratification?  Are lasting relationships (or relationships at all) no longer seen as ideal?<br /><br />Is there a middle ground that can be attained?  <br /><br />I enjoyed this book...still provoking thought after so many years.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

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Friday, June 22, 2012

Germany crushes Greece to reach semis - #uefa

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...If you get the chance, watch the replays of the Germany goals; a Lahm rocket, a Klose header and two perfect volleys...they are going to be tough to beat.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

A Poem

i carry your heart with me
i carry it in my heart
i am never without it
(anywhere i go you go, my dear;
and whatever is done by only me
is your doing, my darling)
i fear no fate
(for you are my fate, my sweet)
i want no world
(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
which grows higher than soul can hope
or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder
that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
~ e. e. cummings

Friday, June 1, 2012

Calling down the thunder...

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This guy is in a competition with the Almighty..and not afraid to tell everybody that he's winning!