Here is everything you need to know about this new book club: 

• We are starting out with the book, Pillars of the Earth.
• We will touch base online MONTHLY (at least).  But, since it’s the holidays, the big holidays at that (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Amber’s birthday, etc), we will have to shift around the whole “online meet up” thing.  So, let’s plan on finishing the book by Monday Jan 3.
• Maybe we can meet online before then to touch base half-way through.  Check your emails.
• I will post some discussion questions.  But because we are all bookies, and most of us were English majors, I have no doubt that you bitchin’ members will be able to come up with discussion topics on your own. 
• I’m thinking it would be cool (if everyone has gchat) for us to do a group chat.  Or….we’ll just post online.  TBD.
• I made a page with the book’s synopsis.
• Ok, bye.

Thursday, December 10th, 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

61st Anniversary of UN Declaration of Human Rights

Hope United Methodish Church, Southfield 

Human Rights and Fair Trade Fair 6:30

Talk by Professor Fran Shor, 7:30

“Human Rights at Home and Abroad:

A Thirty Year Retrospective on Contesting

US Sponsored Wars and Militarism”

Calling all SJ, Peace and HR organizations to showcase your work by reserving a table at the fair.

Calling all fair trade, environmental and city based vendors to sell your goods and educate consumers by reserving a table. Call the MCHR office at 313 579-9071.

______________________________________________________

Tickets Now Available:  “A Song for Coretta”, Detroit Repertory Theatre Fundraiser, January 15th, 8:30 p.m. A generational clash between five women standing in the rain to pay their last respects to Coretta Scott King. A great way to begin the ML King holiday weekend.Tickets $20 inclused champagne reception at 8. Call the office for tickets. 

MCHR OFFICE Contact Information 

Phone: 313-579-9071

www.mchr.org 

Michigan Coalition for Human Rights 

7TH ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP BREAKFAST

$300 in CASH for Christmas Shopping

Westin Book Cadillac Detroit

1114 Washington Blvd off Woodward Avenue Between State & MI

Saturday, December 12th, 2009

8:30 am – 12 noon

Registration begins at 8:30 am
Breakfast Served at 9:00 am

Early Bird CASH raffles

Children Activities:
Breakfast with Santa
First 50 RSVPs: Ice Skating
(Must be 10 years and older)
Children holiday crafts.

COST:
Renewal of DPN membership ($5.00)

Parking: $5.00 for valet

RSVP Today @ 1-888-LU-MAYORAre you interested in becoming a DPN board member?

Click below for application:
www.detroitparentnetwork.org/news-and-events/annual-membership-breakfast

This completed application must be submitted no later than Tuesday, December 1, 2009
at 4:00pm, in order to be listed as a candidate for the Board of Directors election.

           Are you ready for change?  
           Catch the hope, Detroit!

Are you tired of the same old issues in all the schools?
Does your child deserve better?

Change is not so far away…Come join us  and share your suggestions at our community meeting!

     Monday,November 30 @ Osborn High    
    Tuesday,December 1   @  Youthville
Wednesday, December 2  @  Southeastern H.S. School          

Thursday,December 3 @  Most Holy Redeemer Church
Monday,December  7  @ Henry Ford High School          Tuesday,December 8  @ Detroit Community HighSchool
 

FREE DINNER 5:30-6:00PM    
PROGRAM: 6:00pm-8:00pm

FREE CHILDCARE ACTIVITIES
$300 worth of Visa gift cards
Early bird raffle.

        PLEASE  RSVP @ (313)309-1450

This is the monthly discussion of the Detroit City of Hope. 

Join us for a conversation on community building, creating new kinds of work and transforming ourselves through a “green” lens.  Speaking on behalf of a diverse range of projects, initiatives, and ideas will be Tom and Peggy Brennan, Sandra Simmons, and Mitch Cope and Gina Reicart.

(Folks from WARM, EMEAC, BUD, Conservation Leadership Corp., and Avalon Breads will be on hand as well).

The Brennan’s are the couple responsible for the Green Garage in midtown, Detroit.  “The Green Garage is actually 3 things: a building located in the Midtown area of Detroit, a business enterprise, and a community of people dedicated to Detroit’s sustainable future.”

Mama Sandra and Baba Charles Simmons are the founders of The Hush House, which, “offers leadership training, programs for homeless and low income families, space for community meetings and operates a community black world history museum.”  Additionally, the Simmons, an architecture student, and their volunteers are developing plans to expand the Hush House, build a greenhouse, and further develop sustainable and responsible work with and for their neighbors.  

Gina Reicart and Mitch Cope bought a house down the street from their home in Detroit for $1,900.  It’s now refereed to as the Power House, which serves two primary goals: 

[1] To develop a model home.
The house, as an architectural experiment, will work as a prototype example or model home for what is possible in the current atmosphere of cheap housing in the city. What does it take to create a truly affordable, secure, sustainable house for under $99,000?

[2] The house is a social art project.

Because it is a house in transition, we will use the transformation to create a platform for communication between members of the community. Every act that is made with the house is readily apparent to the neighbors and, even without asking, many neighbors give us materials, ask to take materials, offer to help, ask for help, and also help protect the house from thieves. The dialogue has already begun with just the few small moves already made.

The Power House intends to be a stimulator and not an end in itself as a singular art object. The Power House is a broadcaster of potential ideas and a place to plug those ideas into. The Power House will be used as an interactive site, by us and by our neighbors. The Power House will become a symbol for creativity, new beginnings and social interaction within the neighborhood.

What can we learn from these projects about developing meaningful work, sustainably?

What are ways in which alternative energies can not only power our homes and businesses, but also bring neighborhoods and communities together?

How do we deepen our commitment to create a sustainable local economy in Detroit?

We will also plan the MLK community meeting with: Yusef Shakur (9 years in and 9 years out) & Grace Lee Boggs

Monday, November 30, 2009

6:30 – 9:30p

Boggs Center

3061 Field Street

Detroit, MI 48214

www.boggsblog.org

www.boggscenter.org

www.dcoh.org

For more information and to RSVP, call 248-514-9543 or email muzachary@gmail.com

Hi Everyone,

I’ve just released two new books titled: Sage on the Page and the Kids Sage on the Page Guide.  For anyone who believes in the power of positive thought and wants to see change in our children, this is the book to get. 

I spent over one year writing, editing, researching and putting together a workbook that can be used both in and out of school.  The activities are fun and educational, using strategies for expanding a child’s capacity to forgive, love, heal, grow, and reflect, all while improving writng and thinking skills.

These and the other Nonnie series books would be a great addition to your child’s personal library or a nice book to have for nieces, nephews, grandkids, friends and students. 

Please support my passion and effort to see a positive change in our youth by ordering books from www.thenonnieseries.com or calling 248 469-3461.  We accept checks, cash and credit cards.  This will be a great holiday gift that really keeps giving.

Love,

Ronnie

  Dance the night away in your semi-formal attire while

Come dance the night away in your semi-formal attire while showing your support for the LGBTQQIAA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Allies) community in Calhoun County!

There will be a DJ, refreshments, information about open and affirming services in Calhoun County, (it wouldn’t be prom without them) prom photos, and a safe space for socializing.

Peace Prom is a dance open to people of any age and any sexual orientation, so come with your friends, partner, or family to show support!

*ADMISSION IS FREE!!*

Sponsored by:
-Calhoun County Coaltion for Inclusion
-Arcus Foundation

Saturday, December 5, 2009

8:00pm – 11:00pm

3Ci (Calhoun County Coalition for Inclusion)

First Congregational Church

145 Capital Ave. NE

Battle Creek, MI

facebook link

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Workers demand severance pay: Comerica Silent

Picket at Detroit Comerica, November 24, 2009

________________________________________

Contact: David Sole: 313-680-5508

Supporters of 80 Canadian workers will picket outside Comerica bank, 500 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan on Tuesday, November 24 at noon.

Canadian workers of Adraco and Aramco a division of Catalina Precision, have been denied their severance, termination, and vacation pay by the Catalina’s creditors Comerica Bank.

The two plants based in Windsor, Ontario employed 80 members of CAW Local 195 and a number of non-union office and supervisors, all of whom are left out in the cold. 

“Ontario labor standards afford the right to severance and termination pay in circumstance such as these, however the inaction of the Ontario Government to enforce the provision of the legislation is a disgrace,” said the President of CAW Local 195. 

Workers are owed $2.4 million Canadian. 

“We are targeting Comerica because they are the ones holding the purse strings for Catalina. Comerica is the major creditor, looking to sell off or auction off the assets in both of these facilities in order to attempt to recoup any debt Catalina owes them. Yet the workers both union and salary staff have not received a penny from this employer or Comerica,” concluded the CAW president.

Comerica received $2.3 billion in bailout funds from the federal government in 2008 through the TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program).  

According to reports in newspapers, The Windsor Star and LeMonde, Catalina’s principle officers, Katherine Zickfeld and Gregory Willis, were recently convicted and sentenced to five years in jail and 20 million Euro fine by a court in France for embezzlement  and fraud, leaving 300 French workers unemployed.

1. What is MEXA?

2. Who is a Xicano?

3. Where the f*%# is Aztlan?

4. Is there anywhere on campus I can get some badass Tacos de carnitas and some arroz y frijoles…for FREE?*

****************************************************************
If any of these questions have crossed your mind…we invite to come out to our MEXA informational on Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in el Centro de la Raza to find some answers.

We will talk about what MEXA is, our philosophy, and how you can get involved with MEXA here at MSU over some delicious tacos de carnitas, and frijoles y arroz, some badass homemade chile verde, pico de gallo, and some drinks. You canNOT miss out.

Alli Nos Vemos!

*BTW, the answer to question #4 = the MEXA informational on Dec. 10.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

7:30pm – 8:00pm

El Centro de la Raza (aka the CRU room)

  SASHA CENTER and The Boll Family Center YMCA have partnered to facilitate a discussion with girls and women in our community who have read the book “Push” by Sapphire or who have seen the film “Precious” directed by Lee Daniels.

Our two hour discussion will include topics on racism, oppression, child sexual abuse, black families and how they intersect to impact our lives as survivors and supporters of survivors in our community.

Please join us for a free lunch provided by Infinity Solutions, creator of the “I Am Woman Expo” and honest discussion around a serious topic that deserves attention.

Space available for 35-40 Women so please RSVP via facebook or call 313-770-9270 for more details.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

12:00pm – 2:00pm

YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit

1401 Broadway

Detroit, MI

I hope to see you there!
Kalimah Johnson, LMSW, ACSW
Incorporator/Founder
SASHA CENTER

Colin and Justin praying to the God of Soft Furnishings

So, Colin is out of the jungle. I think I’m as shocked as most. I mean I guess it’s not that surprising that Colin or Justin were near the first to be out as they aren’t that well known to Joe Public. I fell in love with them during their Million Pound Property Experiment several years back, but if you didn’t see that, then you wouldn’t have had many opportunities to to catch them on TV since unless you live in Canada or Scotland. The big (read: HUGE) surprise is that Justin received more votes than Colin to remain.

Colin was always the cutesy one, the compassionate one, the emotional one. You can’t help but have a soft spot for him, but by contrast, I always found that Justin grated on me. I found him that little bit too loud, a smidgen over-opinionated, a tad obnoxious, and I didn’t like the way he treated Colin on their TV shows. However, these two have been together for many years, lived together for 20 years; they are very much in love, suit each-other immensely, and I wouldn’t dream of suggesting that their relationship is confusing, or wrong. So enter Joe Swash, he’ll suggest it live on ITV2, he will also suggest that there is no reason that anyone should like Justin, and no reason why Colin would be dating him. SHAME ON YOU JOE! You may have formed the same opinion as me over Justin’s TV persona, but what on Earth qualifies you to know who the REAL Colin and Justin are? How do you know what life they’ve shared together, or how much they are in love? FOR SHAME!!! Next time, be careful about what you say on TV as an impartial commentator.

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Peanut butter…

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JedWard of the Jungle???

Edward and John (Edwohn)

My only comment is YAAAAAAAAY! I hope they sign! I hope they sign!! I’m going to miss them on Saturday nights. They were always the act I looked forward to seeing the most. Don’t get me wrong, they can’t sing for toffee, and I certainly won’t buy any albums, but boy are they fun to watch on TV!

To read the original story, click here

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AMA-BOWB-AMA-TIDDL-AMA-WOW-AMA!

Adam Lambert and mysterious stranger. Seriously, does this guy know how to kiss without mashing your face in?

Adam Lambert of American Idol fame has got into a spot a bother over a gay ‘kiss’ live on TV during a performance of his new single ‘For Your Entertainment’. First of all, it wasn’t a kiss; it was a mauling. A kiss that aggressive is usually only performed at 4am after a heavy night of drink and debauchery. Secondly, it only recieved 1500 complaints to the relevant authority, which considering the size of the audience, shows that there may be some hope for the American race yet. Thirdly, I thought it was pretty gross, and laughed for at least 15 seconds before trying to pick which of the dancers I would have prefered to snog if I absolutely HAD to live on TV (as the thing he picked wasn’t pretty), which brings me to point Four: If any Americans did have an issue with explaining to their young children why two blokes were kissing on TV, they could have easily just told them that Adam was kissing a pretty young girl wearing WAY too much make-up, and one of those ‘progressive’ European hairstyles.

The ‘uproar’ has proved to be relatively tame, and Adam has now gained a new ‘fan’ in Me; NOT for performing the grossest kiss in live television history, but for remarking the following: that if people had been upset by his performance, then that it is a “form of discrimination and it’s too bad”, adding “I had fun, my dancers had fun, the audience that was in the Nokia [Theatre] had fun. Anybody else who was watching it and enjoying it, thank you for being entertained”.

I take my hat off to you Adam Lambert. In recent times you would have heard a Celebrity apologising even when they did nothing wrongin order to please their more moderate public, in an attempt to increase their ‘brand’ appeal, and whilst it is sometimes necessary to apologise for ‘offending’ people, but not apologise for the ‘offensive act’ itself, in this case, the kiss would only have been offensive to prudes and bigots, and a heterosexual kiss shown at the same time, in the same scenario would most certainly not have offended America’s heartland, and therefore Adam is 100% justified in his response, and it is refreshing to see a celebrity, especially one at the start of his career with so much to lose, being so firm and backing his convictions with very public words.

Hear, hear!

To read the original story, click here

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Michael Sheen

I’ve just realised I really like him, as an actor and TV personality. Shame he’s Welsh. Ho Hum.

Have you ever noticed the disparity among church-goers as they listen to the Word of God being preached aloud? Many times you will see one listening with rapt attention, while another, right next to him, is day-dreaming, or, in some cases, sleeping soundly! In some ways, this mirrors the different spiritual responses to the parables of Christ.

Jesus explained it this way:

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Matthew 13:11-16

Christ’s parables had the power to hide truth and reveal truth at the same time, depending on the condition of the listeners. Let us make sure today that if the Word of God is becoming hard to understand, or if it seems boring, that we allow the Holy Spirit to arrest the process of spiritual blindness, deafness, and hard-heartedness. Just as the truth of the Gospel aroused your interest in becoming born-again, let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing you (Colossians 3:16), as you grow in spiritual maturity, and grow closer to God.

I sent out a tweet last night on how realizing I’ve been a bad friend really sucks. There were a couple immediate responses saying “you aren’t a bad friend!!” But let me give you some context into why I really am a bad friend.

I’m part of an informal family unit. There are friends you have, then there are the friends who are your siblings. That is the land in which A, E, and I (haha) live. This has been the case almost since we met three/four years ago. In that time, a day has hardly gone by when I haven’t phoned/texted/facebooked/or emailed them.

Until the last couple months that is.

The last three months my life has been in turmoil. I have added jobs, quit jobs, changed jobs, changed shifts, changed my life. And instead of keeping in contact with my best friends who have never, ever let me down – I have let them fall by the wayside.

That is not to say that I have been without friends – the Maine Twitterverse has been a constant source of love and support through my transition to third shift – but those relationships are, for the most part, somewhat superficial.** I wish I could say that stepping back from A and E wasn’t deliberate, but I fear part of it may be.

As stated here, Thanksgiving is not my favorite time of year. I am not okay when this particular week rolls around, and this year I feel this week has been approaching for six months now. It has been easier for me to wrap myself in the Twitterverse than in my “family” because the Twitterverse will let me be. My family will ask the questions, and won’t rest until they get the answers. I don’t like giving real answers. I have learned (kind of, mostly) to hide when I’m having a flashback. So instead of subjecting myself to the emotional firestorm that would happen upon a real conversation with the fam, I have enveloped myself in the surface conversations regarding Irish Coffee, Christmas decorations, and #snugsunday.

This is all by way of being an apology. An apology to A and E. And all my other friends who exist outside the Twitterverse who I have let fall by the wayside. I’m sorry that I’ve been a wretched, absent friend. I will do my best to re-emerge into the real world. I just ask for a little bit more time to burrow into my own mind…

**Disclaimer: when I say superficial, I don’t mean in the high school sense of the word. I mean that the relationships I have built with the community at large are not the deep confessional relationship I have with A and E.

So, I fired off two more emails…  One to Subway, and one to my new friend Mr. Jones at Quiznos.  No response from Mr. Jones yet, but we do have one from Subway.  I’ll share it all below!

OK, so email one, to Subway:

From: ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
To: “Bridenbaker, Mack” m.bridenbaker@sfaft.org
Cc: Paula Gomez gomez_p@subway.com; Kevin Kane kane_k@subway.com; Anna Marie Seeley seeley_a@subway.com
Sent: Mon, November 23, 2009 10:24:20 AM
Subject: Re: Subway [Customer ID: 1918316]

Hello Mr. Bridenbaker,

It’s been over a week since your email to me saying that Ms. Gomez would address my concerns and I’ve yet to see any sort of response.  I still haven’t had a reply to my initial message to Ms. Seely, or  from anyone on your team.  I’m disappointed in the lack of comment overall, my first message which was sent on Oct. 28th has still gone unanswered.

I now understand why the employees in your stores have an “I don’t care” attitude.  It trickles down from the top, and certainly must be passed on in franchise owners, hiring, & training.

I’m amazed at your total lack of concern for the decline of your once championing establishment.  I should perhaps pass on my shellfish allergen and cross-contamination concerns to some allergy awareness groups.  Perhaps allergy awareness lobbyists will warrant some attention.  Everyone I know already hates Jared and the $5 footlong commercials, so I don’t need to push the issue on that one.  The concept of cheese tessellation will obviously elude the average sandwich artist from now until the end of time, so we have no hope there.

Perhaps in copying Quiznos’ idea of toasting subs, you should also adopt their business model in using better quality ingredients and customer service policies.  I have had a continued dialog with them regarding your lack of customer service and their seemingly misleading Toasty Torpedo ads with the very tiny hands.  They proudly stand behind their ads (however creepy), their innovation, and their customer service.

Not signed.  On purpose.  Notice all the Cc’s, everyone hates that… I don’t care who you are.   I tried to poke at every issue and make empty useless claims about allergy awareness groups, and I brought up that Quiznos is the trend-setter while noting that they’re also not perfect.

And, on a friendlier note to Quiznos, I decided to reveal my intentions to an amicable Mr. Jones:

From: ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 9:22 AM
Subject: Re: The Quiznos Toasty TorpedoT ads?
To: “Jones, Tony” TJones2@quiznos.com

Thanks Tony,

I must confess, I do have a blog and I have been chronicling my email escapades there.  I like to play them as part consumer advocacy, part humor and all goofy.  I used to write snail mail letters, but email has made it so much easier & faster.  Some friends have encouraged me to keep writing, so I have.  I really enjoy the open & honest dialogue that we have going on, and appreciate that you stand behind the product & integrity of your company… and take the time to respond to emails such as mine.  Also, you obviously have a sense of humor, which has to be a “must” for any kind of customer interaction.  I’m sure you get goofier emails and phone calls from actual crazy people.

I’m intrigued at your suggestion that I get into consulting or franchise journalism.  Do you know how I would even go about this?  Would I need to obtain a degree in something?  I hope to grab followers to my blog just for amusement, but am unaware as to how to make it a profitable venture, ha ha ha.

Thank you once again for your time, I’m actually waiting to hear from some of your Quiznos colleagues, and Subway has still not given me a response beyond “someone will respond”… not that I’m at all surprised by that at this point.

Rock on!
-Eric

Hopefully he writes back in a positive light, and still finds all of this amusing.  Still waiting for further comment from his other colleagues, none of which have really delivered so far.

And, now, the fun part… Subway’s response (or lack thereof):

From: asksubway@subway.com
Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Subject: Subway
To: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com

Monday, November 23, 2009

Dear Mr Aixelsyd:

First, allow me to apologize. Secondly, I would like to thank you for taking the time to contact us and share your comments.

At each SUBWAY® restaurant, it is the goal of every owner; manager and employee to produce each sandwich and salad properly made to order.

Our customers provide us with valuable input, which we use to improve our operations. Your comments were shared with the regional office in your area as well as the owner of the SUBWAY® restaurant that you have visited.  Since all restaurants are individually owned and operated it is the owner who would be the person to contact you in response to your concern.

I have gone ahead and copied our Training Department so that further lessons can be addressed with owners and their employees on proper handling.

Again, I appreciate you taking the time to contact us. SUBWAY® looks forward to your continued visits.

Sincerely,

Paula Gomez

Heh.  “First, allow me to apologize” not followed by an apology is extremely profound, and hopefully intentional.  Then, she thanks me for writing, probably through gritted teeth.

This line reeks of copy & paste:  “At each SUBWAY® restaurant, it is the goal of every owner; manager and employee to produce each sandwich and salad properly made to order.”

And, I love the long winded “it wasn’t me”/”it’s not my fault”/”it’s not my problem”:  “Your comments were shared with the regional office in your area as well as the owner of the SUBWAY® restaurant that you have visited.  Since all restaurants are individually owned and operated it is the owner who would be the person to contact you in response to your concern.”  Basically, she’s telling me that I’m being ignored by a lower level.

“I have gone ahead and copied our Training Department so that further lessons can be addressed with owners and their employees on proper handling.”  With what?  Cross-contamination?  Cleanliness?  Cheese tessellation? How to reply to customer emails?

“SUBWAY® looks forward to your continued visits” …so we can spit in your food?  Did she read my emails?  Perhaps this whole thing is just a reading comprehension issue.  I find it amusing that the e Subway spokesperson declined to comment.  Perhaps now is the time to move into old-school W(aL)D mode, and reply that Subway will not be allowed on the moon when I’m emperor.

Are there any psychologists or psychiatrists out there reading this?  I’d love to get your take (…if you can tell me without telling me what my own problems are, ha ha ha).

If you haven’t been following,you may want to check out the back-story rundown here:  If we’re keeping score, that’s Subway 1 and Quiznos 3½. That should explain the last email, and at the bottom there’s a rundown of all the ones that came before it (with links) if you’re interested.

Also… lots of people have been telling me they’re following… by word of mouth, or Facebook, or Twitter, and even via text message… but I beg you, if you’re reading… post a comment here, and others may have a comment about your comment.  I see by the stats that people are reading.  Don’t be shy.  We’re all friends here.  Except for you, people at Subway… Except for you.

I received a response in the comment for my blog post yesterday on Dzof Azmi’s article in the Star newspaper dated last Sunday. This warrants another blog post. Here is what he wrote in his comment below and in his blog.

I was directed to your blog from your email.

This comment is duplicated on my blog.

I understand your anger against snatch thieves. That, added to the fact that they seem to callously put people’s lives in danger just for maybe a hundred Ringgit seems unjust enough that you would want to hurt them grievously – kill them even.

You ask me how I feel if somebody close to me was killed by such a snatch thief.

I would naturally want to grab hold of him, torture him mercilessly, keeping him barely alive so I can inflict the maximum amount of pain. I would do this, knowing that no amount of physical suffering could make up for my emotional loss. Yet, I would endeavour to make him feel fear, perhaps hurting his loved ones too to make him know the gaping maw that lies within me. I would perhaps injure those he cares until I see the loss in his eyes, and then perhaps go beyond it for good measure. I would should practically no mercy, except for him to contrast with what absence of pain is.

This is why I hope somebody would stop me from doing it. My fear is that if pushed I would do them, and I know right now, right here that this would put me on the wrong side of civilization that I would like to see the human race to be. An eye for an eye makes everyone blind.

This is why public vendetta is illegal. This is why we don’t let a person in the street take direct and vengeful reaction on those that wrong him. This is why we say, a man is innocent until proven guilty, and that the only killing deemed acceptable is in direct self-defence or as part of a state-sponsored execution.

And yet, that anger if left unassuaged will need to find a way to vent itself. If you continue to hate those that you think wronged you, then you will want to take retribution on all those that person represents.

I would like to call you a friend, if only because I think we both understand the pain that a crime can cause beyond its immediate act. If you want to get your MP to campaign for snatch thefts to be classified as attempted murder, that I would support your right to do that too (even if I don’t fully agree with that).

But if you want to be part of a group that hunts down and kills a man as he flees, because somebody else who snatched somebody else’s purse resulted in their death, then I apologise: I have to stand opposite you and stop a criminal act

First I would like to applaud you for your courage to come forward and reply on this blog. It takes an immense amount of courage to step forward and stand up to the person who has accused you of spurting nonsense. I am honoured that you thought my reply to your article was worthy of a response (and worthy of “unsettled hornets”).

You are absolutely right. The reason for me calling you out and responding to your article was not only due to my hatred for snatch thieves, but most of all was due to the sheer nonsense of you “trying” to see their side of the story and your “call” to try to “accept” them and “understand” the motive behind their sadistic act. You don’t NEED to see their side at all! You don’t need to ACCEPT them at all! They have chosen a life of crime, a life of making other people other than themselves miserable. Isn’t that “story” enough for you? What else do you need to know?

You are calling for the public to be less barbaric and leave it up to the MPs and the PDRMs to do their job and lock them up and find them and do the necessary to ensure that they will get their end of the law. Did you know the police stood by, held the criminal and did nothing while the public had their share of vengeance? They think he deserved it too! Let me share with you a video clip of what happened to a Chinese snatch thief who preyed on innocent old people while they are doing their daily “tai chi” in the mornings. The public did call the police, and the police did arrive. But people were so angry at their grandparents and neighbours getting robbed out of their hard earned savings they mob attacked the guy.

The public is definitely committing a crime as well and probably in your argument “lowering” themselves to his level. But are we really? Do you think by the public’s anger that they don’t feel that the Chinese man deserved it at all? Do you think that low life Chinese guy will EVER do something like this again? Don’t you think the community will feel safer now that everyone’s on the lookout for such cases? If everyone turned a blind eye, nothing will get solved. Heck, the crime rate will be increasing.

You say you hope someone will stop you if indeed (God forbid) you come across being robbed or your family members being a victim of such a case. You say you wont feel like revenge will give you emotional release. Well, my “friend”, you’re wrong. You believe those high-and-mighty movies that say revenge will not give you emotional release is wrong. Well, somewhat. Let me explain.

Why then do people go to court to convict their daughter’s murderer, why do people take police work into their own hands and conduct investigations on their own? If their daughter is dead and we should just learn to “forgive” and “accept” that it happened due to some “reason” of the criminal committing the act, won’t they just go home and sleep it over since they won’t get any “release” from it anyways, according to you? Sure, their daughter/son/mother/father won’t come back from the dead. But at least it gives you that sigh of relief to know that justice has been served. Whether it be the right way or the wrong way. There is that form of “release”.

The criminals kill mercilessly or accidentally for a couple of hundred ringgits. It is not because of the hundreds of ringgits that we will go “mob” on the snatch thieves. It is what they have represented themselves. You never know when the next one is going to kill you. You will have literally NO time to stop and ask if you’re going to die. You either stand up for yourself and expect help from the public or face a chance of getting stabbed at your vital places or pulled to your death from behind a cheap scooter. You choice.

It was the ladies’ choice to chase the man, and I’m sure it was an accident knocking him over while he is fleeing as you said. But maybe there was an invaluable item in her purse that no price tag can be placed on it. She must have a reason for chasing him. And his reason for fleeing is only ONE: not being caught for his criminal act. If you are at all religious, which I am not, you will believe that it was God’s choice to take his life. I say, he had what was coming to him. This isn’t his first robbery by the way, he was convicted before.

We can sit here and debate back and forth on this and I’m sure you will have a lot to say about what I have replied. And since we know we’re not in agreement, we can only agree to disagree. Thank you again for your courageous comment and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours.

P/s – I still think you’re taking a cowardly stance by choosing to be on “their” side. It’s like saying, “Hey guys, I’m on your side! Please remember my face and not rob me because I understand why you’re doing this criminal act and accept you and your community for who you are.” You really need to read what you wrote again and see what message you are trying to send to us, the public in the mass of your article. However, I must say that your MAIN point in your article was a great point; that Malaysians should not be bloodthirsty and vengeful and that we should allow the law to take over and not take the law into our own hands.

Oedipa was struggling with all of the new information in her head. She had been walking through streets in the suburbs for hours after following the WASTE postal men, who didn’t seem to get tired as much as she did. She wasn’t doing much. She found herself back to square one, right where she had started. Everywhere she had gone had let her back to this neighborhood where John Nefastis lived. She walked down the street as though she was in a trance. Her arms swayed like a rag dolls on her sides, her mouth was in a frown, and her eyes were drooping from lack of sleep.

She still didn’t know what WASTE actually was or what it stood for, but she knew that people were still actively using the secret mail system. The word “Tristero” would start to repeat itself in her mind as a whisper. Then the face of Pierce Inverarity would appear in her mind smiling at her with his perfect white teeth and a coy smile on his face.

She thought back to what Manny Di Presso had told her about Inverarity’s business deal with Tony Jaguar. She imagined the two shaking hands in agreement and Jaguar handing a bone to Pierce, smiling. She thought back to Mike Fallopian in The Scope and the message on the bathroom stall, and she remembered how the kids got their mail in the bar. She thought back to Stanley Koteks drawing the muted post horn on his desk and then learning about Maxwell’s Demon, which led her to meet John Nefastis.

Her head was starting to throb. She sighed as she staggered over to a bus and climbed on, praying that it will arrive faster to her hotel so that she could just collapse and sleep.

*~*

When Oedipa did get back to her hotel and fell asleep fully clothed and over her sheets, she had dreamt. She dreamt of herself drawing a muted post-horn on an envelope, wearing a long dress and sitting in a wooden cottage. She saw herself walking to the door and opened it to reveal herself standing right in front of her; only this mirror version of her was dressed as a postal service person with a dark blue suit, wearing a patch on her arm with the muted post-horn. The postal woman smiled and took her letter and she watched herself running off with the letter in hand through the thick forest.

As she was running with the letter in her hand, a group of Indians started riding past her on horses. They were yipping and hollering at her, before they veered off and attacked a group of government postal men. She didn’t stop to watch, but kept running.

*~*

Oedipa thought that she might need to get her mind off of things for a bit. She found herself back at The Scope, holding a drink in her hand and sitting alone in a booth. That is, until Mike Fallopian spotted her and came over to her with another young man, who he introduced as Sig.

Oedipa nodded politely as the two boys slid into the booth across from her. Mike Fallopian asked, “So, how’s everything going?”

She told him everything she had found out so far and he had listened politely. His friend, Sig, hadn’t been paying much attention until she started to retell her dream to Fallopian.

“I can’t figure it out. I’m stuck now and not sure where to go to from here. The dream really didn’t help-”

“Dreams are the main passageway to looking into the human mind,” stated Sig for the first time. “You should really get this book at Zapf’s Used Bookstore in San Narciso.”

She gave him a look. “Seriously!” he defended. “Go buy: The Interpretation of Dreams. You won’t regret it. What do you have to lose? You’re stuck anyways.”

“He’s right there,” added Mike Fallopian.

*~*

Oedipa couldn’t believe what she was reading. When she got to Zapt’s Used Bookstore she went straight to the desk and asked for the book. There were chairs inside and she had sat down to read it. So far, it seemed that Sigmund Freud was a man who believed that everything was in some way tied to human’s basic drive of hunger and sex. Freud believed that women had penis envy, which prompted Oedipa to snort and laugh. The man also believed that men were afraid of castration from their fathers for loving their mothers. She had arched an eyebrow at that.

The book was proving to be more entertaining than anything else. She surmised that if Sigmund Freud analyzed her dream, he’d say she had penis envy and that was the reason for her taking the role of a post man with the muted horn, which would be of course the phallic symbol. She entertained the thought that Sigmund Freud was probably part of the WASTE postal system to send letters filled with his perverse thoughts.

She wasn’t going to purchase the book. She got up to return it to the clerk who grabbed it back. “Didn’t like it ma’am?”

“No thank you. I think its more nonsense than anything.”

“It’s a pretty popular book around here,” replied the clerk.

“What sorts of people buy that book?”

“Eh, different kinds,” he replied.

Before she turned, a slip of paper had fallen out of the book. She watched it drift down to settle on the ground. She bent over to pick it up. Her eyes widen and her jaw grew slack, on the paper was a drawing of the muted post-horn.

She wondered if it was just coincidence, or was it someone trying to mess with her head. The image of Pierce Inverarity resurfaced in her mind again, smiling coyly at her. She took the paper with her and walked out of the store once again in a trance. How would she fit in this new piece of the puzzle? She was back to square one.

*~*

Central Florida Future – http://bit.ly/8KleHL

By Cassie Turner

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Published: Friday, November 20, 2009

Updated: Friday, November 20, 2009

Caitlin Bush

"Most Americans do not know slavery not only exists in the world today, it flourishes," said Ron Soodalter, co-author of The Slave Next Door, in his presentation in the Pegasus Ballroom Monday morning.

"Somewhere around 27 million people are in bondage in the world today. Now, that’s over twice the number as were trafficked in chains in the entire 350 years of the African slave trade."

Soodalter, an active abolitionist and historian, kicked off International Education Week at UCF as the keynote speaker for the Second Annual International Breakfast. The Slave Next Door presentation concluded the three-part series on "Slavery’s Resurgence" facilitated by the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Global Perspectives and the International Services Center.

The series began with Somaly Mam, a Cambodian human rights activist, former slave and author of The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine, when she shared her experiences in September.

In October, Micheline Slattery, a human-rights activist and former restavek, or domestic child slave, in both Haiti and the United States, addressed about 300 attendees.

Modern-day slavery includes around 800,000 men, women and children trafficked each year around the world. According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Web site, about 17,500 of them end up in the United States, with a high percentage received in Florida.

Soodalter suggests a simple Google search on human trafficking for astounding results.

In spite of major federal legislation and anti-trafficking laws passed in 43 states, 103 human-trafficking convictions have resulted, Soodalter said.

Trafficking remains hidden, is largely unreported and difficult to identify. According to the 2009 Trafficking in Persons, or TIP, report, published by the U.S. Department of State, forced labor/involuntary servitude represents the majority of human-trafficking cases in the world. The co-author of Soodalter’s book,  Kevin Bales, wrote the original 156-page TIP report, titled “Trafficking Persons in the United States — A Report to the National Institute of Justice.”

“The whole thing is disserving and extending,” said retired UCF foreign language professor David Gurney. “It contributes to the antagonism from people in underdeveloped countries to Western civilizations or Western countries.”

In the 1850s, purchasing a slave ran roughly $1,200, the equivalent of around $40,000 in today’s money. The reality is purchasing a slave today costs as little as $100, which makes them affordable and disposable, Soodalter said.

A trafficking victim lives in fear of violence or the threat of violence daily, he said.

Shawn Cox, victim witness coordinator and licensed clinical social worker with the United States Attorney’s Office, advocates that trafficking is a crime of absolute power over someone. According to the report Cox co-authored, “Victims of Human Trafficking and Trauma,” the psychological consequences of a victim are similar to the consequences of severe or chronic child abuse or experiencing acts of terrorism.

"In case you thought slavery doesn’t touch you, guess again," Soodalter said. "Chances are, the clothes you wear, the food you eat, has been touched by slavery."

The good news is there have been some inroads made recently in the area of agricultural servitude, Soodalter said. When Taco Bell refused to stop buying produce picked by enslaved workers in an effort known as the "Ban the Bell" campaign, it set a precedent that several other companies, including McDonalds, A&W, Long John Silver’s, Pizza Hut, Whole Foods, Chipotle and Burger King, have followed, Soodalter said.

"The message is clear," Soodalter said. "Slavery and worker abuse will not be tolerated. Not here, not now, not ever."

Mark Freeman, public affairs coordinator for the Global Perspectives Office, said they are hoping to continue the series next spring since response has been incredible. Because of the series last spring, students on campus were so spurred into action they formed the unofficial student group “Students Against Slavery @ UCF,” Freeman said. “Students Against Slavery @ UCF” has a Facebook page, and Harry Coverston serves as the faculty advisor for the group.

"Spreading the word is the most important thing," said Frank Hegedus, a senior political science and international relations major. "There is only right now."

http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/abolitionist-historian-wraps-up-global-perspectives-series-1.2093273

Dr. Hans Selye, a pioneer in helping us understand stress, once told a story about two boys who grew up in the same home with an alcoholic and abusive father.  Adulthood took them down separate paths with differing priorities and life decisions.

Many years later, both men participated in the same psychological study, though each did it separately.  In-depth interviews with each one showed just how different they had become.  One would have nothing to do with alcohol and had become an upstanding and well-respected citizen in his community.  The other had followed his father’s example and become an alcoholic with a path of destruction in his wake.

When asked what factors influenced each brother’s lifestyle, both men returned the same answer, “What else would you expect when you have a father like mine?”

It’s not what happened to you; it’s how you responded to what happened to you that has created the person that you have become.  Have you chosen to become the victim or the victor?

If you chose the victim’s role, the sooner you accept accountability for your choices, the sooner you will begin to heal.  Blame and resentment over what happened to you only gives the other person or thing a never-ending supply of power over your life.  If you chose the victor’s role, then you undoubtedly know the truth behind the maxim, “That which doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.”

Life has many things to teach us, but we have to show up ready to learn.

SUNDAY NOV 22
Womyn’s Nite
7PM — FREE!
women-only space, including transwomyn, of course.
@ 4210 Trumbull living room and dining rm.

• CUPCAKE AND MUFFIN POTLUCK
• film: SALT OF THE EARTH

          A blacklisted film about strong women who fight back!  “Film as politics. Politics as film”

“Based on an actual strike against the Empire Zinc Mine in New Mexico, the film deals with the prejudice against the Mexican-American workers, who struck to attain wage parity with Anglo workers in other mines and to be treated with dignity by the bosses. The film is an early treatment of feminism, because the wives of the miners play a pivotal role in the strike, against their husbands wishes. In the end, the greatest victory for the workers and their families is the realization that prejudice and poor treatment are conditions that are not always imposed by outside forces. This film was written, directed and produced by members of the original “Hollywood Ten,” who were blacklisted for refusing to answer Congressional inquiries on First Amendment grounds.”

The film opens with a narration from Esperanza Quintero (Rosaura Revueltas). She begins:

“How shall I begin my story that has no beginning? My name is Esperanza, Esperanza Quintero. I am a miner’s wife. This is our home. The house is not ours. But the flowers… the flowers are ours. This is my village. When I was a child, it was called San Marcos. The Anglos changed the name to Zinc Town. Zinc Town, New Mexico, U.S.A. Our roots go deep in this place, deeper than the pines, deeper than the mine shaft…”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_of_the_Earth

A few weeks back, Samer and I were talking excitedly about some of the potential firings in professional and college football.  Then, a great idea struck:  Take my accomplishments on a video game, send them to colleges and pro teams who fire their coaches to see what kind of reaction we could get from them.  Plus, most of these teams are so bad, I actually might be able to coach them.

My first attempt came at the University of Memphis’ expense.  Mired in a terrible season, I readily inquired about their new head coach vacancy, sending them the following email.

It has recently come to my attention that the position of Head Coach of the Memphis Tigers has become available. I am extremely interested in filling this job, and feel that I am the most worthy candidate for it. I have a wealth of experience, most recently as the Head Coach at Central Michigan University, where we experienced unparalleled success both on the field, and in the classroom. Below is a list of the accomplishments that we achieved as a
program during my tenure at CMU.

- Three Straight Mid American Conference West Division Titles (2004-2006)
- Three Consecutive Mid American Conference Championship Game Victories
(2004-2006)
- 3 Consecutive Bowl Games (2004 Motor City Bowl, 2005 Orange Bowl, 2006,
Fiesta Bowl)
- National Coach of the Year honors in 2005.
- The #1 Ranked Defense in Division 1 NCAA Football (2005-2006)
- A Heisman Trophy Runner-Up
- An overall record of 35-4, Including undefeated seasons in 2005 and 2006
- Undefeated in three seasons of conference play
- The #2 ranked recruiting class in 2005

As you can see, I have an amazing history of success, and am fully ready to take over this great university. I believe wholeheartedly that I am the best candidate, and should be hired immediately, so I can make my imprint on this team as soon as possible.

I believe in running a firm program, one built on a strong, aggressive defense that will feature relentless pressure. I would prefer to run a 4-3 defense when I am hired. I will bring a wide open offense, full of deep passes, and a utilization of a teams speed. I am completely confident that I can bring this proud university back to the same level of success that it has experienced in the past, and am confident I can take this team to the next level, leading to many future bowl game berths.

I appreciate your time very much, and am confident that you, and the rest of the university will make the right decision, and hire me to coach this football team.

Sincerely,

Ron Balaskovitz
Head Coach, Central Michigan University

I waited a couple days, and sure enough, I was able to get a response out of the AD at Memphis, R.C. Johnson, who had the following to say:

Thank you for your note and information. We are reviewing and thank you for your interest.

R. c. Johnson
Athletic Director
University of Memphis

To me the most shocking thing about this email isn’t merely the fact that he responded, but that fact that he didn’t even know how to properly capitalize his own initials.

Now that I had my foot in the door, I knew that I needed to act quickly if I was going to have any real shot at getting the job.  I responded to the email Johnson sent me with this follow up:

Thank you very much for your interest in me.  If you would like, I am available at anytime over the course of the next two weeks.  So if you would like me to potentially fly down to Memphis for an interview, I am readily available, and would not hesitate to come meet with you and the rest of your staff.

As you can guess, I am yet to hear back from them, but I do have the AD’s phone number, and feel a follow-up call is necessary.

I sent a similar email to the Buffalo Bills, but have not heard back from them yet.

Hopefully this is the first in a series of these attempts at getting a head coaching position.  Updates, and new posts about this to come as soon as I hear back from a few other universities and NFL teams.

Here is an opinion piece I am planning on submitting to my campus’s newspaper about an autism fundraiser we had this weekend:

Last week (my school) College’s service fraternity (name) raised over $7,000 for the Autism Outreach Center of (region). This was quite a feat, and I applaud them for it. However, I take issue with the banner displayed at the Dance-a-Thon which could be classified as misleading.

Before I address the poster specifically, here is a bit of background on autism. Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that is typically diagnosed before a child’s third birthday. Autistic individuals have difficulties with communication and socialization and often have sensory processing and attention problems as well. Many use repetitive movements to calm themselves and require a precise routine to complete life tasks like bathing, eating, and going to sleep. Roughly one percent of the population exhibits an autistic spectrum disorder which includes Asperger’s and PDD-NOS.

The largest sign at the fundraiser had the Dance-a-thon’s Slogan which went something like: We have to SHAKE it up because a cure may be just around the corner. This reflects the title of the cause, “Students Helping Autistic Kids Excel.” The issue is not with the clever title, but with the use of the word “cure”. Autism is incurable, not because a cure hasn’t been found, but because there is no possibility of a cure. Autism is not a disease like cancer or pneumonia, but a distinct neural anatomy. The brains of autistic individuals have structural and functional differences from those of non-autistic peers, and no amount of vitams, chelation, or hyper-baric oxygen treatments will change that. Moreover, when surveyed, most parents of older autistic children say that would not want to “cure” their child of autism, and the majority of autistic adults would also declare that they were not interested in a “cure.”

The fact that a “cure” is impossible and unwanted is not a reason to stop fund-raising for SHAKE however. It is merely a reason to shift the focus away from the scientists researching an impossible cure and onto autistic individuals and their families that do need assistance. Instead of donating in the name of autism so that a cure may one day be found, choose one of the following reasons to donate:

-so an autistic child who cannot speak can be supplied and taught a different way to communicate

-so an autistic adult who has difficulties with blocking out loud sounds can be purchased

noise-canceling headphones

-so that videos designed to teach autistic adolescents social skills can be offered as a resource

-so that workplaces can be developed that can minimize the challenges to tap an autistic employee’s full potential

-or any other methods which will improve the lives of autistic individuals.

The Autism Outreach Center of (region) fulfills (club)’s mission of helping autistic children excel. But this goal of finding ways to help children with autism to reach their full potential should not be confused with developing a “cure.” Autistic children will become autistic adults, and by donating to SHAKE you helped ensure they have the supports they need to succeed.

A few weeks ago, I posted on What is Spiritual.  Here is a response from one of my students about it.  I just asked him yesterday if I could post his comment.  Since the comments a bit hidden from the post, I wanted to post it for all of you to read.  It’s a great response.  We’re going to talk about it next Tuesday.  I love the dialogue.

Thank you Adriel for your response.  Here’s what he said.  If you want to read my original post, please click here.

I often say that the spiritual life on campus isn’t strong. This is simply an observation of the student body. It has nothing to do with complaining, its just an observation. Certainly none of us are perfect! But as a whole, only a small percentage of students are passionate about the ministries that are taking place on campus (when you consider the amount of people we have at school). I think it varies from student to student. Obviously you have people who are passionate about Christ, and those who could care less. Seemingly though, more and more students seem to be less passionate about Christ, and more passionate about facebook. I know that sounds pretty harsh (im sorry!) but just consider the amount of time we are willing to spend with Christ, and the amount of time we are willing to spend on facebook. I think that as an institution we’ve slowly grown less concerned about spiritual life, and more concerened with “whole person develoment.” We try to help students without focusing on the spiritual aspect as the central method for transforming lives namely through God’s Word. Is this too fundamental? Is fundamental bad? I guess a lot of it comes down to philosophy of ministry.

I wanted to comment on this, because I’m sure I have been accused of complaining. I dont try to approach the situation negatively, just honestly. I dont think anyone should be accused of “thinking they’re spiritual,” just because they make statements about the school, especially if the statement is true (I trust there are differing points of view on how true that statement is though!). I dont want to be rude, or prideful. Christ knows that I have no place to consider myself better than anyone. I’m sorry if I have come off that way at all . In regards to getting plugged in, I was an R.A. last year, and became one for the purpose of impacting the campus spiritually. In the end, I felt as though my desire to emphasize Spirituality was squelched. I felt like the focus was not spiritual life, but student life (I can go deeper into what the differences seemed to be if needed). I felt as though the goal that was being emphasized was not the spiritual maturity of students. I don’t believe I was alone in feeling this way either. I know my buddy Colby felt the same way, as well as David O. ( both previous R.A.s as well, but perhaps we’re just crazy! ). Anyways, after that experience I honestly felt as though the focus of the school, was different than the focus I had expected it to be. I had expected to be encouraged in emphasizing spirituality, but instead felt like the focus had shifted away from being spiritually minded. The experience taught me the importance of being plugged into ministry with people who are like minded, and have a similar philosophy of ministry – otherwise you’re butting heads! I guess thats sort of the reason why I dont jump into the stuff thats going on right now, although Im certainly not against it. I pray for the school, and its student’s. I care about them, I want to see the school flourish spiritually, I want to see people falling in love with Christ – what could be better?! Is that the current focus of the school though? Maybe I just have the wrong idea, although I feel like my feelings are well substantiated. I also know that I’m not the only one who thinks this way.

I want to emphasize that I’m not against any student’s on campus, nor am I trying to be puffed up in my diagnosis of the school. I want to be careful when saying anything about anyone, because I know how weak and in need of God’s mercy I daily am. I’m just stating it as I see it. Feel free to correct me where you see errors in what i’ve said.

Thanks,
Adriel Sanchez

p.s. good idea with the flagellum Fred! j/k