goals

I wrote this for my theater 217 class, just a few things I hope the class will help me achieve (I think it's starting too)

My Goals for Theater Appreciation 217
A small preview of me, I love all aspects of theater having had some brushes with acting (Acting 101) and some technical work. I like writing about aspects of the theater, having written a handful of play reviews and one preview I noticed I would actually like to start a career inspired by my love of theater and use any new found skills towards other passions of mine. I hope theater appreciation can enable me to take a subject I am enthusiastic about and enable me to really see what it is that makes for good theater. I am not aspiring to be a world renowned and respected expert on theater, just someone who seems to know what he’s talking about when writing about the subject

I want to go beyond being more knowledgeable on all aspects of theatre; I’d like to apply such skills essential to theater enthusiasts to my other passions, like photography and creative writing. I even hope to do a play of my own one day, and I’d like to think everything I learn about theater now will help me accomplish those goals.

man sues family of cyclist he killed with car (seriously!)

In 2004, a businessman in an Audi A8 killed a young cyclist (unfortunately not wearing helmet or reflective clothing) in a collision, and is now suing the family of the cyclist to compensate him almost $30,000 for the damages to the car.
I find this most galling that he calls himself a "victim" no sir, you are not the victim here. You probably didn't try to hurt the boy, but you did, and to further the pain of their loss, you sue them!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080125/od_nm/spain_driver1_dc_1

One criticism of the article is that it quotes Euros and dollars, the author should have just stuck to one form of currency, either Euros or dollars.

Bicycles rule

I'm a cyclist, shall always be one until I have no legs with which to peddle a bicycle.
The bicycle, the simple bicycle, a brilliant design, it has differed rather little since the invention of the modern bicycle in the 1880s, they continue to enthrall many with the great joy one can only get from riding in the open air at great speed, producing virtually no noise as one races down the road in their bicycle.

No form of transportation, walking aside, is better for you the more you practice it. On a bike, unlike walking, you get from point A to point B using less energy and in much less time. Unlike an automobile, the fuel can be completely sustainable, you can grow it in a backyard, a balcony or a rooftop. (Or someone else's like a friends.)
The cyclist's fuel is also not $3.25 a gallon either.

Gas-free cars are being hyped as a way to save the future, but biodiesel and ethanol as fuel sources are expensive with their own problems, electric cars while technologically much more sound then originally thought are not nearly widespread enough to make a difference. The bicycle being a century old technology still able to maintain a place in the modern world needn't worry about such issues as technology and energy supplies by comparison.

Just a thought, instead of driving to the gym, spending great amounts of money on gasoline and a gym membership, get a bicycle and ride to the gym, or just ride your bike more for excellent results! A bicycle is a gym membership all in one package.

Obviously bicycles are not for everyone, but neither are automobiles.

Two great quotes on cycling below, one from a guy who sees the bicycle as an independent, healthy and sustainable form of transit, another who doesn't share nearly the same enthusiasm to say the least.

"Modern industrialized states [are] resentful of a few cleverly arranged pounds of tubes and spokes. The cyclist creates everything from almost nothing, becoming the most energy-efficient of all moving animals and machines and, as such, has a disingenuous ability to challenge the entire value system of a society. Cyclists don't consume enough. They can propel themselves 1500 pollution-free miles on the energy equivalent of a gallon of petrol. The bicycle may be too cheap, too available, too healthy, too independent and too equitable for its own good. In an age of excess it is minimal and has the subversive potential to make people happy in an economy fueled by consumer discontent." Jim McGurn

"Mankind has invested more than four million years of evolution in the attempt to avoid physical exertion. Now a group of backward-thinking atavists mounted on foot-powered pairs of Hula-Hoops would have us pumping our legs, gritting our teeth, and searing our lungs as though we were being chased across the Pleistocene savanna by saber-toothed tigers. Think of the hopes, the dreams, the effort, the brilliance, the pure force of will that, over the eons, has gone into the creation of the Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Bicycle riders would have us throw all this on the ash heap of history." ~P.J. O'Rourke

Eschewing television

I wrote this for another site I'm on after giving up on the goal of eschewing TV. I have however made much progress in simply watching much less.

Complete abstinence can easily turn a vice into a forbidden fruit. As long as a TV is in the house, I’ll turn it on occasionally, usually for sitcoms, cartoons, TV-dramas, movie reruns, and even documentaries (though they’re more compelling for me then much else) I barely play video games either, though I like them much.

My family loves TV, which is fine I do not begrudge them that. I merely do not share such love, but the draw is still there, even if diminished greatly.

Some quotes on television to share.
http://www.quotegarden.com/television.html
A favorite, not because of who said it, but because of what is said,
“We cannot blame the schools alone for the dismal decline in SAT verbal scores. When our kids come home from school do they pick up a book or do they sit glued to the tube, watching music videos? Parents, don’t make the mistake of thinking your kid only learns between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.” ~George Bush

PA to overturn labelling law

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/business/18milk.html?

Thanks to many individuals across the state of PA, the ridiculous law stating PA dairy companies cannot label their products to be free of a certain, controversial added hormone, one I shall not state here, will not go into effect. All I can say is yay! as a consumer of dairy products, I was offended and outraged when I heard of the law against labeling dairy to be free of a certain added hormone. I shan't name the synthetic hormone, or the company that produces it. However that is easy enough to find.
True, today's dairy industry has problems beyond the use of synthetic hormones, but at least people are starting to say that the less chemicals in our food supply, the better, and that is something I can whole-heartedly agree upon.

Btw, this hormone has been mentioned in the film The Corporation as being banned in the EU and Canada. Now I'd like to think America should have just as stringent standards as our neighbor to the north and our friends in Europe, however in this case, we do not.

The Onion: BS is number one issue

Sadly this video, obviously satire, is not far from reality. Look at how people go on about a politicians personal life rather then their stance on the issues, their previous political records etc.
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/poll_bullshit_is_most_important?utm_source=videomrss_72125 It seems

Theater Appreciation

Earlier tonight I started my second of the two classes to be taken this semester. Theater Appreciation 217, it looks like it will be fun to discuss various aspects of theater, even the technical aspects ala the lighting, orchestra etc.
Got a call from people at The Snapper earlier today, I have not one, but two assignments to cover for the first issue, I'll make the phone calls and other arrangements tomorrow.

Post #1

So I have created a new blog. My online repository of whatever thoughts I have lying around with no place to go.
My passion is the environment, but I do not consider myself a good environmentalist for reasons I will bore you not. I'm a writer, poetry, fiction, news articles, and though I do not love criticism, I do take constructive criticism well.

On another site I belong to, a piece I've written about our planet:

With the greatest variety of plant and animal life, as well as human culture in the solar system, Earth is the only planet in the Milky Way that holds the greatest abundance of life and culture to be found for many light-years, and I hope beings all over will have a chance to visit at some point in their lives.
Alas, this is not an unspoiled planet, for the last 200-years human-beings, one of it's most populous of species have used the resources of the earth to create wealth for themselves at the expense of others, and today the air, water and soil are at their most polluted and impure. Do not be alarmed though, a small but ever growing number of humans are trying to reverse this, through whatever action they can, and maybe, just maybe they'll succeed and the future of this lovely planet will be assured for all time.