I discovered a beautiful video online that, in the course of three weeks, brought ninety-two thousand people back to the Roman Catholic Church. After much contemplation, I decided to share it with my Uncle, who fell away from the Church when he was in the armed forces. My intentions were humbling - love, salvation, and the return to Christ's Church.
His interpretation of my motives was in drastic opposition with my intentions. In a matter of seconds, he began to fling Bible verse after Bible verse at me, claiming that the Catholic Church was in error, that he was the real Christian in our conversation, and that I should gain some more maturity when I want to engage in a philosophical argument on religion. He barely let me explain myself, and was being illogical and very hostile during the entire conversation. And all because I wanted to share with him a beautiful video.
I ended by apologizing for wanting to share my vigor and passion of my faith with him. I'm just so frazzled right now. I guess I'm going to get a fair share of people who are unwilling to listen and are just waiting so that they can have their turn to speak. But to think that a well-intentioned recommendation could quickly turn into a word war that put domestic tranquility on the line is absurd.
Presidential Pickup Lines
Throughout this past week, a group of students at my school attempted to come up with a pickup line for every President of the United States. Here's what we came up with:
- Washington - I cannot tell a lie. Martha is just my sister.
- J. Adams - You're so fine I'm gonna publicize our XYZ affair.
- Jefferson - If I had met you earlier, I would have vetoed the Non-Intercourse Act.
- Madison - How about we dream up a real constitution tonight?
- Monroe - I say we go back to my place and start our own Era of Good Feelings.
- Q. Adams - Come with me and I'll show you this American's system operates.
- Jackson - They call me Old Hickory. Do you want to know why?
- Van Buren - Let’s have some hard cider at MY log cabin tonight!
- Harrison - I have 32 days to live and I’m desperate. Hold me.
- Tyler - The explosion at the USS Princeton was an accident, but I'll show you one that's not.
- Polk - Can I expand my territory to your house tonight?
- Taylor - I may be old, but I'm rough and ready.
- Fillmore - Japan isn't the only thing I can open up.
- Pierce - May I have a look at your Bleeding Kansas?
- Buchanan - I'm the only President without a First Lady. We can change that, you know.
- Lincoln - I've got three ladies here with me, but if you joined in I could make it a fourscore.
- Johnson - Historians say that I was one of the worst Presidents, but I'm not too shabby when it comes to my Johnson.
- Grant - I’ve been drinking all night and you’re finally starting to look good.
- Hayes - I failed to build the Panama Canal, but think of the work I could do on your canal.
- Garfield - I'm not just ambidextrous when it comes to writing, if you know what I mean.
- Arthur - My fisherman senses tell me you're a better catch than that 80-pound bass from Rhode Island.
- Cleveland - I may hate imperialism, but I'll dominate you all night long!
- Harrison - Now that we have electricity in the White House, I definitely won't mistake you for my second wife. Ever wonder how I got a second wife in the first place?
- Cleveland - (see #22)
- McKinley - They call me the advance agent of prosperity, and I'll show you a type of prosperity that doesn't pertain to agriculture.
- T. Roosevelt - Wanna come over to my place and study up on Big Stick Diplomacy?
- Taft - Built for comfort, not for speed.
- Wilson - I’ve got Fourteen points, but I’d trade them all in for you!
- Harding - Unlike the stock market, I never crash at my peak.
- Coolidge - I took the Oath of Office by light of a kerosene lamp, so let's get oiled up and have some fun.
- Hoover - Don't worry, it'll work itself out somehow.
- FDR - How about we chat by my fireside tonight?
- Truman - Now I know how Japan feels, ‘cause baby, you’re THE BOMB!
- Eisenhower - How about you and me re-enact the Battle of the Bulge.
- JFK - NEXT!
- L. B. Johnson - Would you find me fondling your tet offensive?
- Nixon - I don't mind having you for my next Watergate Scandal.
- Ford - I must be trippin' cuz you so fine!
- Carter - Airlines aren't the only things I want to deregulate.
- Reagan - Did anyone ever tell you what type of actor I was before this whole President thing?
- Bush Sr. - The Berlin wall's not the only thing I want to see coming down.
- Clinton - Come on, no one has to know!
- Bush Jr. - I have to warn you, I don’t quite know when to pull out.
- Obama - How about you come to the White House tonight and inspect my stimulus package?
America's Death Wish
My grandfather has always been a fan of Father Corapi, and after watching a couple of his videos, I'm beginning to see why. He's a wonderful speaker who tells it as it is without dancing around the bush.
In these two videos, he speaks of America's impending death wish:
What a message to end the weekend with! I feel inspired to go out and be the change I wish to see in the world (direct steal from Gandhi). If you liked what you heard, I encourage you to check out some of Father Corapi's other videos.
In these two videos, he speaks of America's impending death wish:
What a message to end the weekend with! I feel inspired to go out and be the change I wish to see in the world (direct steal from Gandhi). If you liked what you heard, I encourage you to check out some of Father Corapi's other videos.
Open House Blues
One of the biggest things I hate about the education system in general is that your teachers control your grades. Before you go calling me Captain Obvious, let me explain myself. I get so fed up when I have teachers who aren't being fair and I cannot talk to them about their unfairness or bad teaching styles in fear that they will grade my assignments subjectively.
Tonight was Open House, and my father wanted to talk to a few of my teachers openly about what he thought they were doing wrong in the classroom. That's fair, right? I am his child, he is sending me to their school, and paying taxes to pay for my education, so he has every right to voice his opinion. Wrong. That course of action would have surely given the teacher, whose assignments are all graded subjectively, some vendetta against me and my A in the class would slowly have plummeted by the end of the semester.
That just ticks me off. Oh, and screw tenure. Why would anyone begin a business where it's über hard to fire your employees?
Tonight was Open House, and my father wanted to talk to a few of my teachers openly about what he thought they were doing wrong in the classroom. That's fair, right? I am his child, he is sending me to their school, and paying taxes to pay for my education, so he has every right to voice his opinion. Wrong. That course of action would have surely given the teacher, whose assignments are all graded subjectively, some vendetta against me and my A in the class would slowly have plummeted by the end of the semester.
That just ticks me off. Oh, and screw tenure. Why would anyone begin a business where it's über hard to fire your employees?
Scholastic Injustices
I wrote this in response to our English teacher assigning the entire class an assignment (otherwise known as a punishment) when only seven people out of the forty plagiarized on an essay.
Note: All sources are listed below. Since I had to make the format of this essay fit for online, there are still some parenthetical citations.
Our society is becoming overly unjust in everything we do. Injustices are leaking into all aspects of life, from morality to government to even our education system. Moral relativism – the philosophy that states “the truth or justification of moral judgments is not absolute, but relative to some group of persons” (“Moral Relativism”) – is becoming a dominant philosophy in American society, and as a result one’s actions can be entirely unjust even when they allegedly have adequate justification for those actions. Though moral relativism is usually found in the political realm, the idea has slowly found its way into the education system. As a result, students of this era are being exposed to more and more injustices than ever before. The two main scholastic injustices are plagiarism, and the forced use of Turnitin, an online plagiarism detector.
The most rampant scholastic injustice experienced today is plagiarism. When one writes a paper and fails to give credit where credit is due, whether it is done intentionally or unintentionally, the student has committed the crime known as plagiarism (OWL 1). Plagiarism not only refers to not citing a direct quote from another writer, but also includes not citing things that are paraphrased, summed up, or things that are not your own ideas (Plagiarism 1). Educators want to see students research from a wide variety of sources, but they also want students to develop their own ideas and cite ideas or quotes that are not their own (OWL 1). In addition, plagiarism includes “purchasing a pre-written paper […], letting someone else write a paper for you […], paying someone else to write a paper for you” (Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism 1). To not give props where props are due would be both a disservice to you and to the original writer, since passing off another writer’s original ideas as your own constitutes intellectual theft and is by definition unjust.
Plagiarism is not the only scholastic injustice. The other scholastic injustice that students are exposed to is being forced to use Turnitin, an online plagiarism detector. There are several unjust flaws that exist within this website. First, how does it work? When a student submits their paper to the website, the website compares your work to the Internet and to their database which consists of pervious works from other students, for any signs of plagiarism. Turnitin compares sentences down to the schematics of word placement to check for plagiarism (Turnitin.com FAQ 1). For example, if your paper has a sentence that says ‘Moses and Susan Carver decided to raise George and his brother…’ and another student’s paper that has a sentence that says ‘Moses and Susan Carver instilled in George and his brother…’ the online plagiarism detector will mark your sentence as plagiarized because it sees the key phrases ‘Moses and Susan Carver’ and ‘George and his brother’ in each sentence. Since the website operates in this manner, many sentences that are not plagiarized are marked plagiarized because of similar phrases. This is not to say that sentences that are actually plagiarized are not detected. Indeed they are, but there are some flaws to a system such as this. To begin, teachers who use the service often require students to turn their papers in through the website. If the student does not wish to submit his paper to the online plagiarism detector, he will, more times than not, fail the assignment. The use for online plagiarism detectors becomes mandatory when turning in assignments, and the teacher does not pay attention to the student’s reasons for not wanting to submit their work to these websites, even though the student’s justification may be entirely credible. It is agreed that no student should have a problem with their paper being checked for plagiarism because academic honesty should be enforced (Wilk Interview). The problem lies in what happens to the online copy of the paper after the assignment is over and done with. In Turnitin’s Usage Policy, they state that “[the user] grants iParadigms a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, world-wide, irrevocable license to reproduce, transmit, display, disclose, and otherwise use your Communications on the Site or elsewhere for our business purposes” (“Turnitin’s Usage Policy”). When a student considers that the work he submits is stored in a database and used in the future when other people submit their works, he might have a justifiable reason for concern. The teacher is forcing the students to turn in their papers to an online plagiarism detector, and the intellectual property of the students is being used by a company that charges educators money to use its service but does not compensate the students for the submission of their intellectual property. The language that the Usage Policy uses is very strong. One sentence stuck out the most: “We are free to use any ideas, concepts, techniques, know-how in your Communications for any purpose, including, but not limited to, the development and use of products and services based on the Communications” (“Turnitin’s Usage Policy”). The student may not want the company to use his ideas for any purpose they see fit, and therefore do not want to use the service when submitting their paper. While Turnitin or any other online plagiarism detector is not necessarily scholastically unjust, forcing the student to give up their intellectual property is.
With the idea of moral relativism becoming more and more popular in our society, several forms of injustices are being introduced in the education system. These scholastic injustices – plagiarism and the forced use of Turnitin, an online plagiarism detector – are real disservices to the students, to the teachers, and to the rest of the world. Moral relativism should be dispelled from the education system, and a firm set of rules should be set into place and abided by - rules that protect the integrity and intellectual property of the student and provide a true sense of justice in the world in which we live.
Sources:
Note: All sources are listed below. Since I had to make the format of this essay fit for online, there are still some parenthetical citations.
Our society is becoming overly unjust in everything we do. Injustices are leaking into all aspects of life, from morality to government to even our education system. Moral relativism – the philosophy that states “the truth or justification of moral judgments is not absolute, but relative to some group of persons” (“Moral Relativism”) – is becoming a dominant philosophy in American society, and as a result one’s actions can be entirely unjust even when they allegedly have adequate justification for those actions. Though moral relativism is usually found in the political realm, the idea has slowly found its way into the education system. As a result, students of this era are being exposed to more and more injustices than ever before. The two main scholastic injustices are plagiarism, and the forced use of Turnitin, an online plagiarism detector.
The most rampant scholastic injustice experienced today is plagiarism. When one writes a paper and fails to give credit where credit is due, whether it is done intentionally or unintentionally, the student has committed the crime known as plagiarism (OWL 1). Plagiarism not only refers to not citing a direct quote from another writer, but also includes not citing things that are paraphrased, summed up, or things that are not your own ideas (Plagiarism 1). Educators want to see students research from a wide variety of sources, but they also want students to develop their own ideas and cite ideas or quotes that are not their own (OWL 1). In addition, plagiarism includes “purchasing a pre-written paper […], letting someone else write a paper for you […], paying someone else to write a paper for you” (Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism 1). To not give props where props are due would be both a disservice to you and to the original writer, since passing off another writer’s original ideas as your own constitutes intellectual theft and is by definition unjust.
Plagiarism is not the only scholastic injustice. The other scholastic injustice that students are exposed to is being forced to use Turnitin, an online plagiarism detector. There are several unjust flaws that exist within this website. First, how does it work? When a student submits their paper to the website, the website compares your work to the Internet and to their database which consists of pervious works from other students, for any signs of plagiarism. Turnitin compares sentences down to the schematics of word placement to check for plagiarism (Turnitin.com FAQ 1). For example, if your paper has a sentence that says ‘Moses and Susan Carver decided to raise George and his brother…’ and another student’s paper that has a sentence that says ‘Moses and Susan Carver instilled in George and his brother…’ the online plagiarism detector will mark your sentence as plagiarized because it sees the key phrases ‘Moses and Susan Carver’ and ‘George and his brother’ in each sentence. Since the website operates in this manner, many sentences that are not plagiarized are marked plagiarized because of similar phrases. This is not to say that sentences that are actually plagiarized are not detected. Indeed they are, but there are some flaws to a system such as this. To begin, teachers who use the service often require students to turn their papers in through the website. If the student does not wish to submit his paper to the online plagiarism detector, he will, more times than not, fail the assignment. The use for online plagiarism detectors becomes mandatory when turning in assignments, and the teacher does not pay attention to the student’s reasons for not wanting to submit their work to these websites, even though the student’s justification may be entirely credible. It is agreed that no student should have a problem with their paper being checked for plagiarism because academic honesty should be enforced (Wilk Interview). The problem lies in what happens to the online copy of the paper after the assignment is over and done with. In Turnitin’s Usage Policy, they state that “[the user] grants iParadigms a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, world-wide, irrevocable license to reproduce, transmit, display, disclose, and otherwise use your Communications on the Site or elsewhere for our business purposes” (“Turnitin’s Usage Policy”). When a student considers that the work he submits is stored in a database and used in the future when other people submit their works, he might have a justifiable reason for concern. The teacher is forcing the students to turn in their papers to an online plagiarism detector, and the intellectual property of the students is being used by a company that charges educators money to use its service but does not compensate the students for the submission of their intellectual property. The language that the Usage Policy uses is very strong. One sentence stuck out the most: “We are free to use any ideas, concepts, techniques, know-how in your Communications for any purpose, including, but not limited to, the development and use of products and services based on the Communications” (“Turnitin’s Usage Policy”). The student may not want the company to use his ideas for any purpose they see fit, and therefore do not want to use the service when submitting their paper. While Turnitin or any other online plagiarism detector is not necessarily scholastically unjust, forcing the student to give up their intellectual property is.
With the idea of moral relativism becoming more and more popular in our society, several forms of injustices are being introduced in the education system. These scholastic injustices – plagiarism and the forced use of Turnitin, an online plagiarism detector – are real disservices to the students, to the teachers, and to the rest of the world. Moral relativism should be dispelled from the education system, and a firm set of rules should be set into place and abided by - rules that protect the integrity and intellectual property of the student and provide a true sense of justice in the world in which we live.
Sources:
- Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism
- Moral Relativism
- OWL Perdue's Avoiding Plagiarism
- Plagiarism
- Turnitin.com FAQ
- Turnitin’s Usage Policy
- Wilk, Monica. Personal Interview. 24 Mar. 2009.
Prestige versus Identity
Creative Minority Report, a blog I read religiously (no pun intended), has been covering the travesty at University of Notre Dame.
For those of you who don't know, I'll give you a quick summation of the goings on: Notre Dame, a Catholic research university, has invited President Obama to give the commencement speech at this year's graduation ceremony. Obama accepted, and this action has angered many well-tempered people. President Obama is clearly against the Catholic Church's teachings on the sanctity of life, and as a result Notre Dame has chosen prestige over identity.
Bishop D'Arcy has expressed deep concern and has decided that for the first time in 25 years, he will not attend the graduation ceremony. In his statement, he says:
Am I overreacting? Are all of the Catholic bloggers outraged over this decision overreacting? I think not. As a recent commenter stated, "We have a person in the highest office in the land who has no respect for the rule of law, the sanctity of human life, or our rights and the Constitution itself." Why do a disservice to those graduating from a pro-life school by inviting one of the most radically pro-death politicians to speak?
For those of you who don't know, I'll give you a quick summation of the goings on: Notre Dame, a Catholic research university, has invited President Obama to give the commencement speech at this year's graduation ceremony. Obama accepted, and this action has angered many well-tempered people. President Obama is clearly against the Catholic Church's teachings on the sanctity of life, and as a result Notre Dame has chosen prestige over identity.
Bishop D'Arcy has expressed deep concern and has decided that for the first time in 25 years, he will not attend the graduation ceremony. In his statement, he says:
While claiming to separate politics from science, he has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life.For whatever it's worth, I congratulate Bishop D'Arcy, and all of those who have the courage to stand true to their beliefs by not attending this year's graduation ceremony at the University of Notre Dame.
This will be the 25th Notre Dame graduation during my time as bishop. After much prayer, I have decided not to attend the graduation. I wish no disrespect to our president, I pray for him and wish him well. I have always revered the Office of the Presidency. But a bishop must teach the Catholic faith “in season and out of season,” and he teaches not only by his words — but by his actions.
...
Indeed, as a Catholic University, Notre Dame must ask itself, if by this decision it has chosen prestige over truth.
Am I overreacting? Are all of the Catholic bloggers outraged over this decision overreacting? I think not. As a recent commenter stated, "We have a person in the highest office in the land who has no respect for the rule of law, the sanctity of human life, or our rights and the Constitution itself." Why do a disservice to those graduating from a pro-life school by inviting one of the most radically pro-death politicians to speak?
Philflipsnor Radio - Episode 5
In Episode 5, I talk about my experience with Tree People and how we save the world, one tree at a time.
Original audio source: Philflipsnor Radio - Episode 5.mp3
You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes or through the feed.
Original audio source: Philflipsnor Radio - Episode 5.mp3
You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes or through the feed.
11 Rules To Live By
Imported from The The Überblag:
A previous English teacher of mine called our generation the generation of instant gratification. At first, I was offended by what she had said, because were were a class of hard-working students filled with determination and strong will. For the most part, we did not procrastinate and were living rebuttal to her claims. But the more and more I think about it, our generation as a whole is indeed lazy and I have to remember I attend a school with an entrance exam so we aren't exactly an accurate example of the general population.
I recently came across something that Bill Gates wrote, and realized that it acts as a good Credo for those members of our society who wish to break free from the societal identity of instant gratification. I bring you Bill Gates' 11 Rules To Live By with original commentary by Phillip Shifflet:
I often joke that I was born a generation too late because of my taste in music. But I'm beginning to realize that I was born a generation too late because of my tendency and determination to work hard. I don't want to associate myself with the generation of instant gratification. I want to be associated with the generation of my parents and grandparents - the generation who had to work hard to get where they were and didn't necessarily have everything handed to them. There's a difference between appreciating the Internet and how it affects society and having everything handed to you on a gold platter. Life can get easier, but people can also get lazier, and I think we have to distinguish between the two in our own lives.
A previous English teacher of mine called our generation the generation of instant gratification. At first, I was offended by what she had said, because were were a class of hard-working students filled with determination and strong will. For the most part, we did not procrastinate and were living rebuttal to her claims. But the more and more I think about it, our generation as a whole is indeed lazy and I have to remember I attend a school with an entrance exam so we aren't exactly an accurate example of the general population.
I recently came across something that Bill Gates wrote, and realized that it acts as a good Credo for those members of our society who wish to break free from the societal identity of instant gratification. I bring you Bill Gates' 11 Rules To Live By with original commentary by Phillip Shifflet:
Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it.So many times we have the incorrect notion that everything will be fine and dandy. We, like our friends, will get a good job and live sufficiently. This is absurd. There are numerous times in life where fairness is chucked down the drain, and we have to live with it.
Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.Wikipedia won't even allow you to make a page about yourself until you've made a contribution to advance the community. Sounds like they're taking Gates' advice too.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a care phone until you earn both.Your parents will eventually stop giving you money (if they haven't already), and you'll be expected to support yourself. This is going to be a shock to a lot of people, and they'll have wished they would have learned important skills to prepare themselves for the "real life" while they were in high school.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.Some of your teachers probably accept late work and are somewhat understanding if you were sick or had something important going on. Your boss won't be so understanding.
Rule 5: Flipping burger is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.In this time of economic recession, you have to be willing to take whatever you can get. While it's definitely ideal to live a lavish life making a good amount of money, that's not how things work (see: Rule 1).
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parent's fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.And while you're doing that, learn from your friends' mistakes because you're not going to live long enough to make them yourself.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought your were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.My parents used to travel and dance before they had my sisters and I. I think what Gates is trying to communicate is that we could all be a little more appreciative of the souls who raised us. They sacrificed their time and energy to ensure our successful upbringing.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.I noticed this last year when the administrators said we got twenty-something times to try and pass the High School Exit Exam. And you can also take the SAT as many times as you like. But in the real life, if you screw up you have to live with the consequences.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.This rule reminds me of almost all of my English classes. While they focus on grammatical technicalities and literary education, they also deal with philosophy and self-identification. Most employers won't, for their company's sake, be open to this kind of work environment.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.However much I want to believe there are actives running around doing other people's bidding or people with superhuman abilities, there aren't. We could all use a Captain Hammer in our life though.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.Rule 11 made me smile the most. But when I really think about it, what Bill Gates says is true. I've never been one to make fun of nerds or geeks, since I'm technically one myself, but I've had friends who have taken a lot of crap because of their abilities. If only the one throwing the stone precognitively juxtaposed his future with the future of the nerd. If only.
I often joke that I was born a generation too late because of my taste in music. But I'm beginning to realize that I was born a generation too late because of my tendency and determination to work hard. I don't want to associate myself with the generation of instant gratification. I want to be associated with the generation of my parents and grandparents - the generation who had to work hard to get where they were and didn't necessarily have everything handed to them. There's a difference between appreciating the Internet and how it affects society and having everything handed to you on a gold platter. Life can get easier, but people can also get lazier, and I think we have to distinguish between the two in our own lives.
Lesson Learned
Yesterday, I mentioned my excitement about being put through to the semi-finals of my school's version of American Idol. I was also thrown a curve ball when I found out that the finalists would not be chosen by the audience, but instead by the judges. Imagine my glee - out with the popularity! I was thrown another curve ball today: there was never going to be a final round. Rather, the "semi-finals" were the actual "finals" and the winner would be chosen from the group of semi-finalists. What the frak? I don't understand why you would call something a "semi-final round" if it is actually the "final round."
Way to confuse twelve competitive singers.
My original strategy was to sing a song that would get myself to the final round, and then finish with all I had during the last leg of the race. To do this, I sang Maria from The West Side Story during the "semi-finals," and planned on singing Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera in the finals. I was saving the big song - the zenith of my ability - for the finals. I didn't want to show everyone all of my cards during the semi-finals. How foolish of me. I was thrown a curve ball, and I was not ready for it.
I learned an important lesson today from one of my friends in Theatre. She told me that with whatever you do in life - be it an interview, or an audition, or a conversation - give the person on the other side of the table your all, because your admittance to the next "round" isn't necessarily insured. You can probably tell by the overall tone of this entry that I didn't win the competition (that's a whole other story with a whole other set of emotions), and I think it's because I didn't show them all of my cards during the "semi-finals."
I have no regrets though. I executed Maria very well, and the decision was out of my hands at that point. There's always next year.
Way to confuse twelve competitive singers.
My original strategy was to sing a song that would get myself to the final round, and then finish with all I had during the last leg of the race. To do this, I sang Maria from The West Side Story during the "semi-finals," and planned on singing Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera in the finals. I was saving the big song - the zenith of my ability - for the finals. I didn't want to show everyone all of my cards during the semi-finals. How foolish of me. I was thrown a curve ball, and I was not ready for it.
I learned an important lesson today from one of my friends in Theatre. She told me that with whatever you do in life - be it an interview, or an audition, or a conversation - give the person on the other side of the table your all, because your admittance to the next "round" isn't necessarily insured. You can probably tell by the overall tone of this entry that I didn't win the competition (that's a whole other story with a whole other set of emotions), and I think it's because I didn't show them all of my cards during the "semi-finals."
I have no regrets though. I executed Maria very well, and the decision was out of my hands at that point. There's always next year.
Out With Popularity
American Idol is a popularity contest. I've watched, over and over, contestants who can sing far better than the winners get voted off. There's no doubt in my mind that it's a popularity contest. Last year, Illium had their own version of American Idol, which I did not audition for. It too was a popularity contest - the judges advanced contestants to the semi-finals and finals, and the winner was chosen by a vote taken from the audience. It's a popularity contest.
So when my high school decided to host another version of American Idol again, I was leery to audition. I had to consider two things: how well I could sing, and whether or not I was going to get the popularity votes. I know I can sing, and I know that I can crush my competition on the basis of talent. Then I had to consider my own popularity. Through Theatre, I have become very popular beginning this year. And so, still cautious, I decided to audition.
I was quickly put into the semi-finals, and sang my heart out today when I sang Maria from The West Side Story. And then something amazing happened: I found out that there were no more votes from the audience that would determine the winner. Thank God the judges realized that these types of ordeals should not be a popularity contest, but rather should be operated with only talent in mind.
So here's hoping I win. If I do, horray! If I don't, I have found my competition.
So when my high school decided to host another version of American Idol again, I was leery to audition. I had to consider two things: how well I could sing, and whether or not I was going to get the popularity votes. I know I can sing, and I know that I can crush my competition on the basis of talent. Then I had to consider my own popularity. Through Theatre, I have become very popular beginning this year. And so, still cautious, I decided to audition.
I was quickly put into the semi-finals, and sang my heart out today when I sang Maria from The West Side Story. And then something amazing happened: I found out that there were no more votes from the audience that would determine the winner. Thank God the judges realized that these types of ordeals should not be a popularity contest, but rather should be operated with only talent in mind.
So here's hoping I win. If I do, horray! If I don't, I have found my competition.
Montague Leech, At Your Service
As I get them, I'll be posting photographs from Never Trust a Tattooed Sailor. Here are a few samples of my character:
NTATS: Week 2 Roundup
Here's the short: we ended with a bang, and a frakking big bang at that. And here's the long:I couldn't have asked for a better two closing nights. Everything that still needing working on after the first two shows were practiced and perfected during the week in between and were magnificently corrected on stage. For example, I remembered the bunny and Carlota remembered her dagger. In addition to those minor details, I was also given a mustache (painted on) which only added to the believability of my character. The closing night performance was sold out and we had to even add seats behind the back row to accommodate all of the guests.
I'm sitting here trying to articulate what I thought were two seamless and virtually flawless performances. You see the problem?
If there is something that I could have done better throughout this entire experience, it would be to have worked harder on promoting togetherness. The cast for Never Trust a Tattooed Sailor will never have been as close as the cast of Fools was, and God knows there are quite a few social cliques within the class, all at odds with each other. I could have done more to break down those barriers outside of the theatre. However, no matter the number of cliques, when it came to acting we came together and pulled it off brilliantly.
Last, the cast party was after the closing night performance. I broke curfew laws to get there (we had to walk a mile from the school to the host's residence, popular routes being long windy streets and creepy parks with abandoned jungle gyms), so I really hoped it was going to be fun. It began at around 10 o'clock and finished well after one in the morning. In retrospect, it was a nice way to bring closure to our production without having to wait a week to do it.
The last production will be announced on Monday. It will be the Theatre III show (I'm in Theatre II), so naturally only Theatre III students will be auditioned. However, if everything turns out, I could be considered for a role on the basis of not having enough male actors in the class to fill the roles in the play.
On Youth Ministry
My parish launched our Youth Ministry two weeks ago. Because of my busy schedule, I couldn't make it until tonight, so this was my first real experience with Youth Ministry. Youth Ministry is different from Confirmation. In theory, Confirmation is a young Catholic's desire to take their faith to the next level - the level where they are practicing their faith without having to be nagged or bugged by their parents. In reality, Confirmation is filled with a bunch of teenagers, and the majority of them do not want to be there. It's really a sad reality, and the environment does not encourage intellectual or emotional discussion.
Youth Ministry is different in that the teenagers who attend are there because they want to be there. Nobody forces you to attend Youth Ministry. You go because you want to share your faith, and you want to learn more about the Roman Catholic Church. Tonight, I experienced something that I have been yearning for for a very long time. That is a group of teenagers who had a real passion and fire for learning about their faith and sharing their faith with their peers. At Ilium, many of the students are atheists and many of the non-Catholics are of the opinion that I'm already damned to Hell.
But now I have an escape, and environment that I can submerge myself in where the attendees are excited about the goings on. Everything's hunky dory, and that's the way I like it.
Youth Ministry is different in that the teenagers who attend are there because they want to be there. Nobody forces you to attend Youth Ministry. You go because you want to share your faith, and you want to learn more about the Roman Catholic Church. Tonight, I experienced something that I have been yearning for for a very long time. That is a group of teenagers who had a real passion and fire for learning about their faith and sharing their faith with their peers. At Ilium, many of the students are atheists and many of the non-Catholics are of the opinion that I'm already damned to Hell.
But now I have an escape, and environment that I can submerge myself in where the attendees are excited about the goings on. Everything's hunky dory, and that's the way I like it.
What will your verse be?
I have begun to really think about my future. I sense that the majority of my blog entries over the next few months will articulate my future aspirations, whatever they may be.
The quote from Dead Poets Society:
The quote from Dead Poets Society:
That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?What will my verse be? That's the question I pose as I catapult this blog into it's third phase. The answer to that question will come with time and intense thought, my friends.
NTATS: Week 1 Roundup
The two opening nights of Never Trust a Tattooed Sailor went better than I had expected them to go. All of the actors had a lot of energy, (for the most part) we fulfilled our jobs as LDU's (language delivery units), and with the help of lighting and sound effects we gave our audience a good show. The hundred hours we put into this production paid off, but I still think there are some things that could be improved on next week.First, I got sick the day before opening night. For no apparent reason, my sinuses began to get congested and by Thursday morning I was not feeling good at all. My throat was a little sore and my nose was filled with mucus. That morning, I took three different types of medicine for sinus congestions, and prayed that I would be able to act anyway. My sinuses didn't clear up, but I sucked it up and focused all of my energy on my performance that night. I felt like I did an exceptional job considering the state of health I was in. As an added bonus, nobody noticed I wasn't feeling well.
The closing night performance will definitely be different and I will sparkle more than I sparkled opening night.
Second, we had some issues with props and costumes. Carlota, my villainous henchman, was wearing a dress that was too big for her, and the entire time my parents were scared that she was going to accidentally flash the audience. She also forgot her dagger in one section, and instead of improving it with something else, she pretended to hold it. As for me, the sole of my shoe began to fall apart and during a magic scene where I am supposed to pull a bunny out of my top hat, I forgot the stuffed bunny and ended up looking like a failed magician. A lot goes into the props and costumes, and it's a shame that we dropped the ball during opening night.
Even though the overall tone of this entry is that of grief, I really do think that the first two nights' performances were magnificent.
Obama Sickens Me
From Catholic Culture, I read this:
President Barack Obama has directed the Department of Health and Human Services to rescind the "conscience clause" that protects health-care personnel from pressure to participate in procedures they regard as immoral, such as abortion. The "conscience clause" was established by outgoing President George W. Bush in an executive order he released in December 2008. President Obama-- who has already issued an executive order to end the "Mexico City policy" barring taxpayer subsidies for abortion advocacy-- could end this policy as well.This story makes me sick. While in office, President Obama has passed several measures to deny human rights to the unborn, but now he's attacking those who have already made their start in this world.
Pro-life leaders quickly denounced the White House plans. David Stevens, the head of the Christian Medical Association, noted that the Obama administration had claimed that the Bush policy was confusing, "without offering a shred of evidence." Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said: "No one should be forced to have an abortion, and no one should be forced to be an abortionist in violation of their religious or ethical convictions." Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who is a medical doctor, said that he would challenge the policy by civil disobedience if necessary.
American Potato Salad
I made potato salad tonight for my family. Even though I'm a sucker for hot German potato salad, this continues to be my favorite American potato salad recipe (click on the picture on the right to view larger):Ingredients:
- 2 pounds potatoes (about 6 medium)
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dill pickle juice
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 large Dill pickle, chopped
- 2 medium stalks celery, chopped
- 2 tablespoons onion, chopped
- 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Prepare and boil potatoes; cool slightly. Cute into cubes. You should have about six cups in total.
Mix mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard, salt and pepper in a plastic bowl. Add cubed potatoes, celery, Dill pickle and onion; toss. Stir in chopped eggs. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Makes: 10 servings.
The potato salad, as always, turned out amazing. All of the combined flavors made for a wonderful side dish with some moderately seasoned baked chicken.
Tackling the Situation Realistically
I am overwhelmed with activities right now. Just off the top of my head, this is what I have going on:
On Tuesday, I am going on a field trip for the Future Teachers of America; I am a Patrol Leader in my Boy Scout Troop and I am being pushed to do merit badges that require a lot of work and attention; I continue to serve the Altar Serving Ministry at my church by making schedules; I am getting active in the Youth Ministry at my church; I have hours upon hours of homework; I am going to a theatre festival in two weeks; I am working on a duet for the next choir concert; I am raising funds for a D.C. trip at the beginning of April; and this next week I will be at school until almost nine o'clock each night.
I cannot handle all of these things right now. There are only twenty-four hours in a day, and that's barely enough for Never Trust a Tattooed Sailor and school, let alone all of the other activities. I am going to take a hiatus from Boy Scouts until the summer, and, until I'm finished with the play, everything else is going to have to wait until March 14.
I just took on too much this time.
- Future Teachers of America
- Boy Scouts of America
- German dance club
- Writers' Club
- Drama Club
- Concert Choir
- School (seven classes)
- Youth Ministry
- Altar Serving Ministry
- Never Trust a Tattooed Sailor
On Tuesday, I am going on a field trip for the Future Teachers of America; I am a Patrol Leader in my Boy Scout Troop and I am being pushed to do merit badges that require a lot of work and attention; I continue to serve the Altar Serving Ministry at my church by making schedules; I am getting active in the Youth Ministry at my church; I have hours upon hours of homework; I am going to a theatre festival in two weeks; I am working on a duet for the next choir concert; I am raising funds for a D.C. trip at the beginning of April; and this next week I will be at school until almost nine o'clock each night.
I cannot handle all of these things right now. There are only twenty-four hours in a day, and that's barely enough for Never Trust a Tattooed Sailor and school, let alone all of the other activities. I am going to take a hiatus from Boy Scouts until the summer, and, until I'm finished with the play, everything else is going to have to wait until March 14.
I just took on too much this time.
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