Free Speech Zones

Free Speech Zones

We seem to live in a world wherein one’s woes and frustrations are no longer private and personal. Technology may compel us to share any expressions and sentiments. Arguably, this notion may be just in time for the possible and imminent demise of the First Amendment. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

The first amendment appears to be restricted nowadays. With the so-called “free speech zones,” wherein the pro-protesters can protest anywhere they desire, and the anti-protesters are cordoned off to the designated places distal to motorcade or reception. The notion of antiterrorism conveniently supported the pseudo urgency of free speech zones. Mostly, I have posted this kind of topic in this blog, when “Boston Legal” would delve into topics such as this. I needed to write own view on this based on Emerson’s writing: “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”

What happens today, I find it hard to reconcile. Even illegal immigrants are given the freedom of speech regarding their outcry: “We want to pay taxes! We want to pay taxes!" In this instance, freedom of speech is at its best. However, having "free speech zones" seems to be unnecessary. Every land in USA is a free speech zone, I hope.

A topic germane to free speech is having blogs to express contentions and differentiations. The World Wide Web is a community. I hope that having the luxury of blogs (free speech and thought expression) would remain at its prime. In the future, I hope that people can share their thoughts without restraints and fear of persecution. Having free speech zones is a rudimentary step to censor freedom of expression. It just makes me wonder, what would be the pro "free-speech-zones" next step in order to create zombies and drones (refers to people controlled by someone else's will)?

Photo Source:

safetystate.com/ss.cgi?action=material&id=34

Season Defiance

Season Defiance
I was listening to NPR earlier, and they mentioned about people being amenable to the changes of the season. For instance, people will learn to accept that it is not yet strawberry season, or watermelon season, or apple season. However, my time seem to be changing. I can eat any fruit, should it be winter, spring, summer or, fall. This makes me wonder, is it human nature to be defiant? Are we setting ourselves to a time that we can say “patience” is an obsolete term? How far would people go just to get what they want, when they want them? It would be reasonable to infer that we are part of the slow, but sure defiance of the seasons.

Remember When!

Remember When!
By popular demand, here's the anonymous poem that Richard read on our recent show about the 1960s:

Remember when hippie meant big in the hips
And a trip involved travel in cars, planes, and ships?
When pot was a vessel for cooking things in
And hooked was what grandmother’s rug might have been?

When square meant a 90-degree angle form
And cool was a temperature not quite warm?
When roll meant a bun and rock was a stone
And hang-up was something you did to the phone?

When fixed was a verb that meant mend or repair
And be-in meant simply existing somewhere?
When neat meant well-organized, tidy, and clean
And grass was ground cover, normally green?

When lights and not people were switched on and off
And the pill might have been what you took for your cough?
When camp was to quarter outdoors in a tent
And pop was what the weasel went?

When groovy meant furrowed with channels and hollows
And birds were winged creatures like robins and swallows?
When fuzz was a substance that’s fluffy like lint
And bread came from bakeries, not from the mint?

When jam was preserves that you spread on your bread
And crazy meant balmy – not right in the head?
When swinger was someone who swung in a swing
And pad was a soft sort of cushiony thing?

When far-out meant distant, way up in the blue
And making the scene was a rude thing to do?
When dig meant to shovel and spade in the dirt
And put-on is what you would do with a shirt?

Words once so sensible, sober, and serious
Are making the freak scene like psychodelirious.
It’s groovy, man, groovy, but English it’s not.
Methinks that our language is going to pot.

Source: kpbs.org

A Los Angeles Faux Pas

A Los Angeles Faux Pas

Los Angeles is known for its extravagance and lavish lifestyle. When one has to pay for parking everyday, and a parking ticket has to be validated when a person just park on a store would support the fact that space in L.A. is expensive. This can be manifested by skyrocketing real estates in Brentwood, Inglewood, and Sherman Oaks etc. (adjacent to West LA). Hence, LA seems to support the subculture of extravagance and a lavish lifestyle.

In LA, there seems to be an unwritten rule that one must have a lavish life. A budget of $6 a day for a meal is laughable. $6 is not even enough for parking .Some people consider budgeting as an anti-social act. This is Los Angeles, land of the rich and home of the pricey.

Arguably, I am a Los Angeles Faux Pas. I am a very frugal person (confirm this with my classmates in UST). Maybe it is not environmental because my siblings are in the opposite. At work, I bring food that I brought from Costco and I would promise that I would never buy anything from the cafeteria. The items are exorbitant.

My friend, Patricia, advises me not to be cheap (monetarily) when it comes to dating. However, frugality seems to run in my veins. I would even go to the lengths of using discount coupons just to save on a date. (This might explain: I rarely date which might amount to never). People can say I am a social blunder in LA because of my frugality. Nevertheless, I am proud to be a Los Angeles Faux Pas.

Photo Source: www.plan9publishing.com

The Alpha State

The Alpha State

Commuting three days a week from work would seem to be a tedious. Especially when one traverses the dreaded I-405 and the I-10, an issue would arise. Thanks heavens to the Alpha State. The Alpha State is defined as: "Slow brainwave activity state of hypnosis (resting but awake). Also known as hypnoidal. Alpha is slower (deeper) than Beta, the awake state, and faster than Theta, a deep hypnotic state." The term restful but awake is predicated on the premise that stressing about the traffic is not a priority.

One way of achieving the alpha state is by listening. Specifically, I listen to podcasts of my favorite radio shows: "A Way With Words," "Catholic Answers," "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me,” Boston Illegal." and a lot more. This can also be termed as conscientious distraction, because I pay attention to my driving while being in the Alpha State.

Some people argue that the alpha state is a good thing. Well, it could be a good thing, as long as it does not detach people to interpersonal relationships. The term detachment would be bad if people are engrossed too much and they do not see what is happening around them. As a side note, technology such as mp3s, videogames, and movies would put people into an Alpha State. This is the claim that I am asserting throughout this whole entry.

EKG class

My work requires its employees to get 90% or above to pass the EKG class certification. As opposed to other hospitals which would only require 80-85% or better, the requirement of my work seems to be do-able and sensible. If a patient in to our unit would be given a choice, it seems that he would prefer a nurses who have a 90% or better score on their EKG test. Hence, work is like nursing school again. I have to comply with their cut off score. Studying mode again.




Photo Source: http://www.ogrodnik.com/mbdesign/media/ekg.gif