Part I: Do they have any, you know, leads?

Well, I've been so focused on my other blog project (and drinking and sleeping and sometimes going to class, etc.) that I've been neglecting this little corner of the internet. And since this is my little corner of the internet I get to talk about whatever I want, and today I'm going to talk about my own problems for a change rather than those of the rest of the world.

I've spent the last three days trying to jump start my 2006 Toyota Prius. I parked it the other night with a snow bank on the driver's side, so I slid out the passenger side when I got out. When I returned to my car the exterior lights were flashing and it was whimpering with sad little half-hearted honks. It appeared that the car alarm was going off. So, I immediately stared hitting the alarm button on my key. That didn't work. I pulled out the little manual key and quickly realized that it will only open the driver's side door. So I had to wedge myself between the car and the snowbank to unlock the door which would then only open a few inches. I sucked in my gut and shimmied into the driver's seat. I tried again to use my key to deactivate the alarm. I slipped it in and out of the little electronic key nook. I figured out that I could put the car in "IG-ON" mode, but I could not start it and it just kept honking. My first thought was that my key was not working. So, I slid back across to the passenger seat and headed to campus security to use the phone to call my girlfriend to bring the extra key. I got back in the car and started frantically scanning the owners manual looking for ways to deactivate the alarm.

Tune in next week for the next installment...

Do You Know What a Love Letter Is?

I haven't posted in a long, long time. This is because of several factors, one of which is that I'm currently also working on another blog (which I update more frequently than I ever updated this one). It's called "It's a Strange World." Perhaps the reason that I update more regularly over there is because the blog represents an ongoing project. The goal: to cast Canadian sketch-comedy superstars The Kids In The Hall into the cult classic film Blue Velvet by David Lynch. I firmly believe that this movie should be remade with this new cast. I figure almost every other movie made these days is a remake, so why not? Please take a look at the new blog, leave your feedback, and check back often. I update about once or twice a week with either a casting choice or related material. The current post is about other Blue Velvet mashups in which popular cartoon characters speak some of the most aggressive and vulgar lines from the original movie. Haven't you ever wanted to hear Linus call Charlie Brown a "fucker" and threaten to shoot him? Anyway, I just think Blue Velvet and The Kids in the Hall go together like sugar and gasoline.

Thy Songs Were Made For The Pure and Free

Hey Gang!
It's been a while. So, I was lying (laying?) in bed last night and was thinking about what happens in our country when we catch terrorists doing something naughty. I for one can't believe that no one had tried to shampoo bottle trick before, it seemed like an obvious move to me. Now, once again, our governmental security forces are reacting to the terrorist strategy of the day and slowing up the process of getting through the airport while they hand search peoples bags for tubes and bottles of gels and liquids. It's worse than making everyone take off their shoes, though probably not as stupid as confiscating nail clippers. My initial thought is "of God, it's soo been done!" meaning that it seems unlikely that once a terrorist group has been caught using a certain strategy for getting explosives on a plane it's unlikely that another group will use the same strategy, it obviously didn't work the first time. Ah well, maybe the only reason they won't try it again is because now we are searching all those bags (or making people take off their shoes). I mean, how many more people did they catch with bombs in their shoes after the first guy?
Maybe I'm naive, but I find it ironic that our national anthem calls our country the land of the free and the home of the brave when we are obviously so eager to give up our rights and freedom when we are overcome by the fear of losing our lives and property. Where's the bravery? Where's the freedom? This may be an argument for why America the Beautiful should be the national anthem now, though that song does talk about God (gasp!). Anyway, I meant to keep this short so here's what I have to say: Don't be afraid, life's an adventure, love every minute of it and all that stuff. Live free or die! heh.
cheers,
Mac the Badger

I'm From the United States of Kiss My Ass

Though I hestitate to talk about the political news story du jour, apparently I need to take up my keyboard in the recent debate concerning immigration laws in the U.S.A. I saw two people arguing against illegal immigrants and for all of the harm they do to our society on TV tonight (not my TV, someone else's). One of them was a woman who was claiming that immigrants from Mexico should not be allowed to sing the U.S. national anthem in Spanish. It seems to me that the argument against this is simple: the U.S. has no national language. The woman kept claiming that we are "an English country". Well, we damn well better not be, otherwise why'd we have that whole revolution thing? We are America, the United States of, and we have, historically, wanted the world's tired and poor and whomever striving to be free. Yada yada yada. Eventually this woman simply broke down and asked repeatedly "why do we have immigration laws?" well, I'll ask as well. Why do we? The other person arguing against immigration was claiming that because we have laws that make certain people illegal immigrants we force these people into enclaves that isolate them from the rest of society. As he said, this is not good for them, or for the U.S. in general. So, once again, why do we have immigration laws? It seems the simpler solution to all of these problems is not passing more laws but repealing laws that have only been in place for eighty odd years in favor of one principle on which the country was founded: anyone can come here and try to be successful in whatever sense they desire (i.e. economic freedom for all). I'm sure I'm preaching to the quire, considering who reads my rants, but I'm interested in what others have to say. Once again then, what do you think?
Mac the Badger

Best Play Ever, Man

People should not have to pay for art or entertainment until after they have viewed it. This would have two affects. This would ensure that those creating art or entertainment would do the absolute best they could to create something inspiring. Say I'm down in New Orleans, wandering around, I hear a band is playing at a bar I could pay the seven dollar cover charge for the show, but I've never heard of these guys and I don't really want to pay for something I'm not sure I'll like. So, I don't go in, I go drink somewhere else. Maybe I miss a great show (maybe not), the band and bar lose money. Here's what I imagine would happen if I didn't have to pay outright. I go in, along with a large crowd of people eager to drink and listen to music. The band gets a big audience which will most likely improve the quality of the experience for them and the audience. The bar makes money selling drinks. The patrons are enjoying the show and buying drinks and by the time they are ready to leave they are happy, drunk, and eager to hand over seven dollars to the bouncer on the way out. Sounds good to me. Basically, last night I walked into the student run dance show without paying. After the first part of the show two of maybe eight dances had been "good", in my estimation. I was ready to leave, but I was with someone who had a friend she'd promised to see in the second half of the show. The first dance of the second half was great and I thought to myself that I would pay a dollar of the ticket price for each dance group I enjoyed. Well, the whole second act was great, so when I walked out I paid my five dollars. I realize that this is already practiced, in some sense, when a performer plays for tips. This is something that I'd like to think about more. Imagine what this could do for the movie business, if you didn't have to pay your twelve dollars for the movie until you'd seen it and were satisfied.
Another economic idea I've had, maybe I should save it for a different post, is that only people who vote for the winning candidate in an election should have to pay taxes for that politician's area of government during their term. thoughts?
Mac the Badger

But, I'm Gonna Need a Tutor

In our popular culture, particular in the late 20th century (I believe, or hope, that this has recently shifted), we were frquently shown images of people who were ridiculed for their intelligence by those who were physically more capable. This has had the long-term effect of making us all believe, on some level, that intelligence is not a virtue, but should be avoided at all cost for the sake of popularity (i.e. sexual desirability, the greatest of virtues in our culture).
I believe that the goal of education should be to teach people how to think for themselves, not what to think because someone tells them it is right. With the increased emphasis on standardized testing in our schools we are engaging in the latter. Students are being taught how to take specific tests so that they might pass on to the next grade, and the next test. They are not being taught how to be self-motivated, engaged, or passionate. When school becomes less challenging and completely extinguishes creativity, these things just mentioned, which I believe to be good, will fall to the wayside. And yet, it makes perfect sense that this is the program of "education" that our conservative government would choose to pursue. To produce, through the system of government-run public education, citizens who only know how to regurgitate the information which has been forced down their throats should be the ultimate goal of a regime which wishes to maintain the status quo. Anyone who dares to dream of a world that is different, or dare I say better, is labeled as a terrorist threat to the security of our nation. This group most ironically includes Quakers and other peace activists. But, security comes at quite a cost and the need for it is bred from the vilest of human feelings: fear. Our government is a government of fear, fear of change. Fear is a lack of understanding which breeds hatred and destruction. To break away from fear we must embrace change, be progressive, think for ourselves and encourage others to do so.
We cannot change the world if we cannot change our own minds and the minds of others. Of course, this is the ultimate problem of a progressive interest in freedom of creativity and thought: it must be taught, i.e. forced upon a person. It smacks of brain-washing. Any system that is forced on others, even freedom, is a form of tyranny. But, isn't it better to educate (or force) people to disagree with you rather than to agree? It seems to me that we can all learn from that, and perhaps find unity in it. What do you think?
Mac The Badger

Welcome To The Human Race

I was thinking of some clever way of relating the titular phrase of this post to the common phrase "the rat race". I think simply juxtaposing them is sufficient, so please take a moment to consider these phrases. Thanks. Maybe we'll come back to this later.
I like walking in the city. I particularly like parking lots. I was walking across a grocery store parking lot the other day and I was wondering what it would be like if all of the people in the parking lot were trees, or squirrels, or insects or any other living thing you might find in the woods. I often think of long walks in the city as a kind of urban hiking. I used to enjoy traversing parked cars and fording small highways when I was younger. I like thinking of the contrast between the city and the wilderness. I believe that when people retreat from society we often think of them going off into a solitary world without the vital systems of support that we take for granted (water and electricity for instance). I always thought of Jesus heading out into the wilderness as a man escaping a world full of life, people, and being isolated in the wilderness that caused so much suffering for his forebears. Wilderness typically evokes an image of a dangerous world empty of life. But, looking across that parking lot I realized that our cities are the places that are devoid of life. The city has become the wilderness in that it is empty of that which nourishes us as humans. I'm not talking about food, I'm talking about some things that are almost inexplicable. For now I'm going to say that our world often deprives us of meaningful relationships and it pampers us, often taking away the possibility for adventure. According to one source I've seen this is what the youth riots in France were about: kids not wanting to grow up and cheifly occupy themselves with ensuring the stability of the economy. They wanted a sense of adventure. I'd say lighting cars on fire is adventuresome. So, does our society (the economy, the political system, social behavioral norms, etc.) exist to support us or do we exist to support it? I think that taking a moment to consider our world within society and cities as the wilderness, of being a place where we are utterly isolated but where we have unlimited possibilities of action, would be a very healthy thing to do. what about you?
Mac the Badger