tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52228990433437751132023-11-15T07:50:20.180-08:00Fullness of HappyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-90538749109768838602017-09-17T17:16:00.001-07:002017-09-17T17:16:45.571-07:00Book Review: “Active Measures: Part One” by Matt Fulton<span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">I have recently finished reading part one of the </span><a href="https://mattfulton.net/" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: rgb(176, 115, 218) !important; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Matt Fulton</a><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;"> trilogy “</span><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;"></span><a href="http://amzn.to/2y86hPt" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: rgb(134, 64, 174) !important; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; outline: 0px; text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Active Measures</a><a href="http://amzn.to/2y86hPt" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: rgb(176, 115, 218) !important; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"></a><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">”. While I will not go into much detail on the plot or characters, I want to try to describe what the experience was like reading the novel. I also want to examine what kind of audience would enjoy this novel and possibly who might not, and also what you might like or dislike about reading it.</span><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">Part one of what will eventually become a trilogy under the title “Active Measures” is a fairly large novel of over 600 pages. The content and subject matter is dense and very detailed, intricate and developed. It is a global geopolitical thriller that spans all over the world with many characters. There are many threads of plot that are developed and begin to intersect each other by the time part one of the novel ends. </span><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">When you read this novel, be prepared to be transported from one part of the planet to another, whether it be the United States in a meeting between the President, his advisors and intelligence agencies, Russia, the Middle East, or elsewhere. There are many characters, and reading the book requires a lot of concentration and some interest in geopolitics. I personally am not very well educated on the subject matter, so the reading of this novel was somewhat difficult for me. Sometimes I had a hard time remembering who was who amongst the characters, and how they were related to each other and what significance they had to the plot.</span><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">There are some interesting dialogues, and the level of dialogue is philosophical as some scenes depict the motivations and ways of thinking of various characters, whether they be intelligence officers in the CIA, members of the Russian government, United States special forces personnel, undercover spies, and even terrorists plotting an attack. Even though some characters were very similar and I wasn't sure who was who, I could in general get the sense of what role or part each played in the story. There is no one single protagonist hero, but a handful of characters whose actions will eventually intertwine, and will most likely intersect more concretely in the second and third installments of the eventual trilogy, which are yet to be published. The novel is very detailed and I would say very well written.</span><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">The main question I would like to put forth is what audience of reader would be interested in and enjoy this novel. The author in his acknowledgments cites authors like Tom Clancy and John le Carre as an influence and inspiration to his writing. I personally have only read 2 of Clancy's novels (“Hunt for Red October” and “Rainbow Six”) and am familiar with his other novels and some of le Carre's work, although I have not read any of the latter's novels. So if you like Clancy and le Carre, or other spy or geopolitical novels, you might like this. I personally struggled to get through this novel, with the density of the plot and the plethora of different characters and their yet to be interconnected paths in the story. But by the end I was grateful to have pushed through it, and was surprised to find myself interested in reading the second and third installments whenever they will be finished and actually published. </span><a href="https://mattfulton.net/" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: rgb(176, 115, 218) !important; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The author has a website</a><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">, where you can contact him and find info about his writing. If you get to reading this book, visit his site and send him a message letting him know what you think.</span><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">I hope this review, although scant in detail, gives you an idea of whether this might be something you would want to give a chance and acquire a copy to read. The author does not dumb down or water down the material and it requires some dedication and concentration to get through and mentally keep track of who is who and what is going on, but if you like these kind of stories, you might enjoy this.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-39204177477064981452017-08-30T18:02:00.000-07:002017-08-30T18:02:35.108-07:00Book Review - "The Imaginarium Machine" by John Adrian Tomlin<span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">“</span><a href="http://amzn.to/2wpYQnk" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: rgb(176, 115, 218) !important; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc;">The Imaginarium Machine</span></a><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">” by </span><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #1155cc; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none;"><a href="http://www.johnadriantomlin.com/" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: rgb(176, 115, 218) !important; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none;">John Adrian Tomlin</a> </span><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">is set in the future where the technology behind gaming systems has reached its peak. A new gaming technology by Sony is being launched, which taps into your brain functions. The sensations within the game environment are input directly into your mind and your senses, so that it feels as if you are really in the game environment. </span><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">The events of this short novel are described in present tense. Some of the action could've used a little more elaboration. But then again, you might like it that way. Narration of events is quick, to the point, and abrupt. There is not much embellishment. The author simply states what is said, what the characters do and what happens.</span><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">What I did like about this story is that in part because of the abrupt, very quick and direct description of the activity in the plot, there are some ridiculously hilarious chapters. One of the games included on the Imaginarium Machine's roster is just laugh out loud hysterical. The brevity with which it is described makes it even more so. I laughed for quite a while reading one of the chapters. Also, some of the more intimate encounters in the novel are described so quickly that I let out a chuckle.</span><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">Once the Imaginarium Machine is actually released and after the reader has been given a treatment of how it works and what it can do, and the main characters have already begun to use it, the actual dramatic parts of the story begin. The main characters are brothers whose father is in a coma. He was working with the FBI and protecting a person when he was in a car accident and went into a coma. The brothers try to use the machine to re-awaken their comatose father. But something sinister is being planned with the new device. It turns out their father will have to get to the bottom of it in order to save most of the United States from being taken hostage by a sick genius. He wants to exploit the mind bending capabilities of the Imaginarium Machine for his own purposes.</span><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">Will you enjoy reading “The Imaginarium Machine”? It depends. It deals with a topic of technology that is unique. While the writing doesn't go too much into the deeper implications of the subject matter, it might inspire you to think about where technology can go and what might happen when it is in the wrong hands. If you just want a story, and not a lot of extraneous description, you might like this book. </span><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">The ending of this novel has me wondering what happens in the aftermath. The good news is that the author has written a sequel called “</span><a href="http://amzn.to/2xz3rUv" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: rgb(176, 115, 218) !important; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc;">The Imaginarium World</span></a><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-family: Aller; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">”. I am considering getting my hands on a copy of that to find out where the author brings this story.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-83888127537972258432017-06-02T23:44:00.001-07:002017-06-02T23:44:38.315-07:00From Academics to Real World Work Skills Education<div>
<span>I believe there needs to be a shift in what kind of things we seek to learn in our educations. Too much focus is made on academics, that bear little use in the world of making a living. I recently have signed up for a job skills training program for a store chain which teaches about the various parts of the day to day functioning of working in a store. Now, while academic education is great and all, for most people who are graduating with degrees from colleges, this type of education is almost worthless in terms of actually preparing one to work in an actual job. We tell young people to go to college and get an academic degree far too much. While this may be a good path for some, it probably is not the best path for the majority of people looking to learn real life job applicable skills and knowledge.</span></div>
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<span>We need to take a hard look as a society and investigate what kind of businesses, institutions, companies, services, and ventures will be needed in the near future and create educational opportunities based on what those required tasks will need in terms of what sort of skills, knowledge, processes and concepts workers, managers, entrepreneurs, etc. will have to be equipped with. We should gear our educational policies and institutions to providing education necessary for instilling work seeking people with these skill sets, etc. There is too much focus on telling everyone to go to a 4 year college, possibly go to graduate school etc, in hopes it will lead to better job prospects. There are so many jobs that not only do not require an academic traditional college degree, but are in fact utterly useless for performing the tasks of that job. And why keep telling young people to go into massive debt for a degree that gives them no experience, skills, or knowledge that actually applies to getting a job, when they could get an education in a trade, or in a certain business field, etc?</span></div>
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<span>We need more education in trades, more education in sales and business, in many other kinds of jobs that actually exist. If a young person wants to work in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields, then going to a 4 year college or graduate school makes sense. But for many other degrees, the academics are not really useful for any real jobs. We need to create and organize more trade or practical job training programs, to teach the ins and outs of real job creating organizations, so that people actually have some experience and training that applies to actual aspects of real jobs. Enough of the massive student debt bubble which is going to burst eventually when more and more students with four year degrees can't find actual jobs in order to pay of their debt.</span></div>
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<span>I saw a video someone posted on Facebook regarding this subject, where Mike Rowe (I believe that was his name) was talking about the fact that most of the required jobs that will need to be created will be in the trades, and that instead of herding everyone into massive debt in order to go to academic colleges where they are not given any skills that will help them get and maintain a remunerative job, we should encourage more education in trades. We need more trade schools, we need more educational programs and institutions which teach real job skills and give opportunities to practice those skills.</span></div>
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<span>Another thing is we need more education in entrepreneurship. This idea I get from reading the financial education books of the "Rich Dad" series by Robert Kiyosaki. We need more people to create businesses which create lots of jobs. There is little education about how money works, and how to create businesses which create jobs. I recommend his books also.</span></div>
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<span>But we need to educate people in skills and experience that actually will help them make livings at jobs that actually will exist. Jobs in the trades need to be more emphasized, because a lot of the jobs that will be created are in these fields. Not everyone needs or should pursue expensive 4 years or more college degrees which serve no useful purpose most of the time in actually preparing someone to work at a real job or in creating a business that creates work. Except for STEM education, and certain other fields, going to traditional academic college makes no sense for a lot of people.</span></div>
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<span>I would love to hear other people's thoughts on this subject.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-16438573514369761312016-07-19T21:12:00.001-07:002016-07-19T21:12:07.864-07:00Stories in Focus: "Ghostbusters" 2016<div>
<span>I have been watching quite a few movies through Netflix, and haven't written a "Stories in Focus" article in quite a bit. I have just watched a movie which I must give a review of now. Yes, I have just watched the new Ghostbusters movie in the theater, in 3D at that as well.</span></div>
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<span>I won't spoil anything. I will be honest. Judging from the trailers that this movie was going to be horrible. I expected the worst. Well, I will spoil one thing. I enjoyed it. I thought it was a fairly decent movie, and had parts that were funny, parts that were exciting and action packed, and parts that were just fun. While I do not think that this movie is as good as the first two movies, I am pleased to say that this was not bad in my opinion. There are some aspects that are cheesy or kind of lame, but this movie has some redeeming features. There are some fairly hilarious moments, especially involving the daft secretary played by Chris Hemsworth. The cameos by the cast members of the original movies are humorous. The proton packs and other ghost-busting "weapons" the characters use are cool. In some parts, the movie is almost like an action movie, with some pretty cool fights between the female Ghostbusters and the hordes of demonic ghosts destroying New York City.</span></div>
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<span>There are some lame and cheesy moments, but I think this movie has enough good aspects that I am grateful it was made. It probably could've been done better, but I hear there are going to be more installments in the works. And I am glad for the female cast. My first ever niece was born a week or so ago and I will be happy to be able to get her Ghostbusters action figures instead of Barbie dolls. The female cast plays super smart scientists, and I hope that this might inspire a lot of young girls to become scientists or engineers or whatnot. Better than talking Barbie dolls who say "I hate math!"</span></div>
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<span>Overall, I recommend watching it. You don't have to see it in theaters. You can watch it when it comes out on disc or Netflix or whatnot, but be sure to watch it sometime. I hope you get some enjoyment out of it, as I did. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not horrific as I was expecting it to be. I will soon be checking for others reviews. I forced myself not to listen to any reviews or comments about the film until I saw it. I wanted to watch it myself without knowing what other people think. This was a highly controversial installment because a lot of people thought it was going to be horrible before they even saw it. The trailers do not do this movie justice. The movie has its flaws and shortcomings, but it was a fun watch in my opinion.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-20311909164166732832016-06-21T19:38:00.000-07:002016-06-21T19:38:38.384-07:00Mental Illness and Shame<div>
<span>Having a mental illness or diagnosis of some mental condition can be a source of shame for anyone. What mental illness actually is can be a vague subject at times. Is it caused by biological and genetic factors, environmental and cultural circumstances, a combination of many external and internal factors? I do think that the model and understanding of what mental illness is needs to be updated and reviewed, but that is not the point of this entry. My main intention here is to not be ashamed if you have a mental illness, and to seek out help when you need it. Going to a therapist, psychiatrist, mental health professional etc. does not mean you are crazy, insane, dangerous, etc. In fact, when you are dealing with mental, emotional, or cognitive illnesses, seeking out help is a sign of sanity.</span></div>
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<span>Just like our bodies can be injured or endure illness, our minds, our brains, our neurological "equipment", can falter and become damaged or ill as well. How this happens is a matter to be researched and looked into, but when you need help, seek it. Don't feel bad if you need to be hospitalized, or prescribed medications. You have to take care of your health and be safe to yourself and others, before you can be any use to yourself or anyone else.</span></div>
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<span>I also would encourage, in addition to taking care of your physical and mental health, to pray for help in finding the right doctors, the right course of treatment, the right medications, diet etc. Pray for those who are treating you, and ask God to guide them.</span></div>
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<span>And also remember, that no one is perfect, and no one can read your mind, so be honest about what is troubling you or going on in your life. But never feel ashamed for seeking out mental health. Not everything in our lives, including our own minds and emotions, can be controlled completely. Seek help when things which are out of your control begin to overwhelm your life and your ability to function. A lot of people who need mental health help don't look for it, and the ones who do look for help are usually the most healthy because they are cognizant that they need help and recognize their own limitations. Again, it is a sign of sanity to seek professional help when you are having mental struggles. Don't let anyone put you down for seeking help.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-68207637022388362312016-04-17T22:23:00.001-07:002016-04-17T22:23:23.765-07:00Game Daze #6: "Uncharted" Entry 1<div>
<span>I work at Amazon, and currently they are advertising the new game Uncharted 4 on many of their packages. I mentioned to someone that I have the first 3 Uncharted games for Playstation 3 yet have not played any of them, upon which she replied I should play them.</span></div>
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<span>I started playing the first game tonight. I began the game on Normal Difficulty setting, hoping I can handle the game at that level. The game starts out with the main character Nathan Drake uncovering an empty tomb of sailor Francis Drake, which contains a diary with his notes and maps and diagrams that lead to a supposed gold treasure of El Dorado. The first playable portion of the game starts off with pirates attacking your ship at sea and you are required to fend them off. There is combat using your handgun and you can also fight hand to hand. I died once in this segment but was able to finish this section pretty quickly. What I have learned about gaming is that I am not very good at combat that requires good aim. The combat in the game is intense and can be frustrating if you get killed frequently. One of the things I want to do in this column on gaming is to point out the features and options in games that I like, and those that I don't like, and also speculate on what kind of game I would like to make in the future, based on these observations, when I am able to program a game myself, or coordinate one with other people interested in creating a video game with me.</span></div>
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<span>But the combat is frustrating when I keep getting killed. The first two chapters and beginning of the third involve a lot of platform jumping, climbing, monkey swinging on vines, and other acrobatic feats and simple puzzle solving and environmental puzzles and tasks to advance in the game. There is one portion where you have to outrun a bunch of collapsing platforms and wooden bridges and jump for dear life to the last ledge of an underground area. I died a couple of times in this part but eventually made it through alive.</span></div>
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<span>The game uses a checkpoint save system where the game automatically saves at specified points in the game, usually occurring after a difficult puzzle or action sequence. Personally, I like this kind of save system better than a save anywhere orientation. I stopped playing during the third chapter in which there is a lot of combat and shooting, and I kept dying, so I am taking a rest from the game, and hope to get further on tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span>So far the game seems promising. As long as the combat isn't too difficult, and the puzzles are interesting, this seems like a promising game and promising series. As my co-worker said at work, it must be a good series if they are on the 4th game. So far I have enjoyed the puzzles and platform jumping action, and as long as the combat does not overwhelm me, I will play the game until I finish it. It is fun so far.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-11343422081531594522016-03-27T17:44:00.002-07:002016-03-27T17:44:53.741-07:00Game Daze #5: "Baldur's Gate" Final Entry<div>
<span>I have occasionally been playing Baldur's Gate but this time cheating using a Save Game editor called "Gatekeeper". It allows editing of stats and other attributes of characters in your party in the game. At first, I just edited my characters hitpoints, or life, so that I could actually get into fights without getting killed everytime. Eventually though I came across some enemies who had the ability to kill with one hit, and I realized I needed to edit my Saving throw stats so that I would not die from these attacks. I also gave my characters the best weapons they could carry. I have now reached a point where even with all this cheating, there is still an enemy I cannot defeat, and I have apparently edited my characters such that the game crashes when I engage in a certain battle. I have officially decided that I am quitting this game for good, and will now give some final remarks on what I think of the game in general.</span></div>
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<span>This game is far too difficult to anyone who is not very skilled at strategy and computer roleplaying games. Even with cheating I still could not defeat a fairly early boss enemy in the game. If you are a roleplaying game fanatic, you don't need me to tell you about this game. You probably have already beaten it. The story is immersive, but if you can't get into fights without dying, you can't progress in the story. I ultimately cannot recommend this game to any one who is not a hardcore computer RPG fanatic. It is far too difficult and frustrating, and even when I tried cheating so that I could continue in the game and progress through the plot, it still was too difficult, and then the game started crashing. So if you can find a way to cheat and get through the game, go ahead and try it. In the end, I cannot recommend you spend your money or your time on this game, unless you are prepared to die a lot, and get frustrated, and are hardcore in this type of game. The only way I would play a game like this again would be if there were a simple cheat which did not allow any of your characters to die, essentially a "God mode" or invulnerability cheat.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-82280609115253221142016-03-15T17:52:00.001-07:002016-03-15T17:52:15.194-07:00Why Am I Not An Atheist?<div>
<span>Today I was reading some reviews on Amazon of Christopher Hitchens' booklength condemnation of Mother Teresa, called "The Missionary Position". I frequently read books written by people I disagree with, such as Richard Dawkins' book "The God Delusion". I was looking through some of Hitchens' other books, such as "god is not great" and "The Portable Atheist", and considering whether I should read them anytime soon. Sometimes reading writings of people I disagree with helps me to understand why other people believe what they do, or points out flaws in my own thinking and beliefs, or the arguments I use to bolster them, or it helps me see the flaws in other's thinking in addition to my own.</span></div>
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<span>So I have thought about reading some of Hitchens' work. I have considered reading some of the writings of him as well as other atheists. The truth is, the subject doesn't interest me all that much. I have decided that I could never be an atheist. In thinking about this subject, I asked myself why I could never be an atheist. Even when I did not actively believe in God, I still had a concept of God which I had sort of floating around in my thoughts and actions. The reason is that I believe that of all the things, persons, or beings which exist, there is one particular being which is greater, more important, more real, than all the rest. There is some being which is always and everywhere present, has always and will always exist, and which has infinite dominion over all the rest of the beings which exist.</span></div>
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<span>I also believe that everything else that exists was created out of nothing by this being, and the existence of everything else that exists depends upon this one ultimate higher being. This being is existence itself, and out of this being which is existence, are created other beings who could not exist without a permanent eternal all powerful being whose nature and essence is existence itself. There is a thing called existence, which is existent by necessity. Even if I do not call this being God, it is a law of reason and logic that existence must exist. Existence cannot not exist. A and not A cannot both be true. If anything exists, it is existence itself. If nothing exists, then neither can an idea or principle of existence be real. And even if nothing existed, the idea of nonexistence would exist, which is a logical absurdity, and a contradiction, and thus cannot be true. We know something exists, even if it is just sensory impressions and perceptions, so we know that existence exists. So even if I did not believe or name a being called God, I would still believe in existence or being, and the source of all being, I eventually explored and gave the name "God". The source of all existence and being I call God. Once I have established the basic principle of all being, in this case the principle of existence, then I can explore and investigate the nature and attributes and details of this source of all being, and my own relationship to this being.</span></div>
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<span>The next reason for why I could not be an atheist is my relationship to Jesus Christ. While I can speculate with arguments of reason, logic, and other tools available to the practice of natural religion and theology, Jesus makes the whole study of God much easier and more profound. My belief in Jesus was more founded on aesthetic principles than just logical or rational analysis. Jesus is beautiful. His teaching and His life are beautiful. His emptying of Himself, and His entrance into our world as one of us, His entering into out suffering and participating in our trials and tribulations, His offering up of Himself in the bloody Passion that was the result of our sins and turning away from God, His enduring through the same pains that we suffer and even worse, to bring us back into right relationship with our Father and Creator, these are the beautiful acts of love which drew me to Jesus and enticed me to attempt to believe in Him as the Son of God, Lord and Savior of all creation, and the source and center of my life. All I want to do is follow Jesus, and live as He wants me to live, and to know and love God with all my heart, soul, and strength, and help all those who choose to do the same. I can debunk atheism through natural theology, but I live my belief in God through following and emulating Christ and His love for God and for His children. Through reason, I eliminate atheism as a viable belief system. Through Christ, I eliminate atheism as a beautiful or even an interesting belief system. While I respect some of the ideas, beliefs, and actions of many atheists, if I determine my beliefs merely by process of eliminating the false philosophies, I would first eliminate atheism from my list of possible principles to believe in.</span></div>
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<span>For these and other reasons and reasonings, I am not an atheist.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-37874534443985808982016-02-15T18:07:00.001-08:002016-02-15T18:07:15.681-08:00Game Daze #4: "Baldur's Gate" Day 4<div>
<span>I haven't played for a few days, having been feeling a bit under the weather. But I did make some progress since the last time I have written one of these gaming entries, or logs, or whatever you want to call these things I am writing. As far as Baldur's Gate is concerned, I have travelled to Nashkel where apparently something or someone is tainting all of the iron ore, thus making all metal instruments such as weapons, shields, armor, etc. brittle and completely useless. Also, miners are being killed by dog headed creatures who are called kobolds. These are the easiest creatures to kill and give out hardly any XP. They are really only a threat in large groups, and usually when they attack you, it is in large groups.</span></div>
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<span>I remember Nashkel mines from the last time I played, which would honestly be over a decade ago. I made it down through the maze of tunnels and tracks to the lowest level, where I found a mage just standing there, waiting for me to have him join my party. My party was full, at 6 characters, and I had to ask one of my fighter characters to leave in order to allow the mage to join. Then I proceeded to the next lair or tunnel and was attacked by whoever it is who is bringing kobolds into the mines and he apparently has something to do with the contaminated iron ore. In the process of fighting him, the mage whom I had just recruited was killed, and I was attacked by skeletons, kobolds, and possibly other kinds of monsters.</span></div>
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<span>A lot of my characters were heavily wounded, but except for the mage, all very much still alive. I was somewhat glad the mage had died, because I really wanted my other character back. He is named Minsk I think, and he has a pet gerbil or something named Boo. I think he had an accident with a brain injury somewhere, and he talks to his pet gerbil. But I like the character. He is a good fighter.</span></div>
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<span>My party is full at 6 characters, and leveling up is going to be more difficult, tedious, and long drawn out. In order to level up any of my characters, I have to earn double the experience points that each of my characters already has. So I basically have to do what I have already done with each character. I am going to have to find ways to gain more experience more rapidly if I am going to progress in the game further. But my characters are pretty strong and experienced. Hopefully random encounters with enemies will have more experience for me when I defeat the monsters that try to attack me.</span></div>
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<span>As far as the story goes, I am on Chapter 3, and am not sure what I am supposed to do next. The mayor of Nashkel has provided me with a reward for clearing out the mines, but I don't know what is next. I have never gotten this far in the game before, and will have to look through my game journal or quest log or whatever to figure out what I need to do next.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-83426579124989444122016-02-13T17:47:00.001-08:002016-02-13T17:47:43.668-08:00Game Daze #3: "Baldur's Gate" Day 3<div>
<span>I have finally been making some progress beyond just level grinding in Baldur's Gate. I decided to dismiss Garrick the bard from my party because he just was getting killed too many times, because he has so few hitpoints. My party was down to three, my character named Ragnarok, Imoen the thief, and Kivan the Elf Ranger. After leveling up to about level 5 for each of my characters, I decided to try going to the Friendly Arm Inn to see if I could defeat the mage who tries to kill me when I approach the inn. Usually he kills me in less than 3 seconds. This time the tables were turned. I had equipped a Long Sword +1 for Ragnarok, and Imoen and Kivan fired arrows rapidly at the enemy and he was killed in a couple of seconds.</span></div>
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<span>The reason for going to the Friendly Arm Inn is because Gorion, the person who was my characters guardian, told me to go their to meet two of his friend, Khalid and Jaheira. I guess I should describe some of the story from here. In the beginning of the game, my guardian, Gorion, tells me to get equipped because we must leave Candlekeep, where my character has lived since youth. Apparently, there is someone intent on killing myself and others for some reason, which I do not know as of yet. As Gorion and I leave, we are ambushed by a man and his cohort. They kill Gorion but I escape. I do not know the reason why I have been targeted, but apparently there is a reward for anyone who can kill me.</span></div>
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<span>Now that I have recruited Khalid and Jaheira to my party, I am going south to Nashkel, where something is wrong with the mines. Apparently all the iron produced in the region is tainted and most metal weapons and other items break very easily. So that is where I will be headed next time I play Baldur's Gate. I might do some more leveling in areas where the monsters are more difficult and provide more experience points, but we will see when I actually play. I will let you know in my next entry. If anyone has experience playing Baldur's Gate, don't hesitate to let me know.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-54044364492384694592016-02-11T17:20:00.001-08:002016-02-11T17:20:33.763-08:00Game Daze #2: "Baldur's Gate" Day 2<div>
<span>Gamer's Log: Stardate who the hell knows...</span></div>
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<span>I am into my second day of trying to get through the entire Baldur's Gate series. I really don't know any easy way to gain lots of experience real quick. I have found that the more member of my party there are, the more enemies attack me when I am ambushed or run into monsters. I have basically been going to a nearby forest and resting over and over until I get ambushed by bandits. When I had 2 members of my party, I would get ambushed by one bandit. Then I ended up letting another character join my party, and I noticed I would get ambushed by 3 bandits. Being asked by another character if they could join my party in order to gain revenge against bandits who killed one of his friends or something, I found that I would now be ambushed by exactly 5 bandits each time I rested. Each bandit gives my party 65 experience points when I kill them. They also drop arrows, some gold, and I can also take their scalps, which I have discovered I can sell at a nearby tavern and inn for 10 gold pieces each. The bandits are easy to kill, but 65 xp is not very much.</span></div>
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<span>I think my strategy is just going to be grinding through as many battles with these relativiely easy to kill bandits, until I level up each of my characters to where they won't be killed by everyone else so easily. I have tried going to other places where there are more powerful monsters, who give more xp for killing, but I find I die to frequently for this to save me more time. I need to level up enough that I can more easily survive and kill more powerful enemies. But right now, my characters are way too inexperienced to face more dangerous creatures. My goal is to try to gain at least one level for all my characters every day I play. And then I will get sick and tired of grinding out these levels, and wait until next day.</span></div>
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<span>Yesterday, I was almost going to quit playing, because leveling up is so tedious and repetitive. I just want to be able to continue on in the game, which has a great plot and characters, without dying. In order to continue on the quest, I will need to kill a magician in the entrance to the Friendly Arm Inn. This one magician can kill my entire party easily. I need characters with more hitpoints (hp meaning how much damage I can take before I die) and who can deal more damage to enemies. Magic is also involved in this game, but I am horrible with magic. Hopefully, I will be able to learn to use it effectively.</span></div>
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<span>Every time i get attacked by bandits they say "So i kicked him in the head until he was dead, hahaha!" I've heard that repeated over and over and over . But again my strategy is to basically just go in a forest area and rest, and hope to get ambushed by bandits so i can kill them, take their gold and jewelry, as well as their arrows and also their scalps to sell for money. Right now I am going to start playing again, my goal for the day to at least gain one more level up for each of my 4 characters. My main character, named Ragnarok, is a level 4 fighter. Imoen, a thief, is also level 4. Garrick, a bard, and Kivan, a Ranger, are also level 4. Pray for me that the randomly generated dice rolls treat me well.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-83905281536957361312016-02-10T17:09:00.001-08:002016-02-10T17:09:47.039-08:00Game Daze #1: "Baldur's Gate" Day 1<div>
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I am starting a new blog column discussing my time playing various games, whether computer, video, board or other kind of games. I will be giving reviews of games as I play them, and will try to write a blog entry for every time I attempt to play a game, describing the challenge level, difficulties, fun part, frustations, and tactics or strategies I use to attempt to get the most out of the games.</div>
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The first game I have begun playing in preparation for writing about it, is the original "Baldur's Gate" for PC. This is the original version, which I bought as a 4 in 1 DVD set containing all the Baldur's Gate I & II and their expansions as well. I remember buying the game when it first came out a long time ago, back when the latest Windows was Windows 95. It spanned 5 CD-Roms. The edition I have is not the Enhanced Edition available on Steam, but that original version, just put onto one DVD instead of 5 CDS.</div>
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I started playing yesterday. I have given up on this game so many times, because it is a pain to level up. It is a roleplaying game, based on the rules of pencil and paper RPG Dungeons & Dragons, and set in the Forgotten Realms world. There is so much to do in this game, and while that is one of its blessings, it is also a curse. In order to advance, you need to do quests and fight monsters and enemies to get your characters experience points, which makes them stronger, better fighters, gives more abilities and magic spells, and otherwise improve your characters statistics and abilities, in order to make them more powerful and deadly against enemies. Unlike japanese style RPGs where you can just walk back and forth until a random fight occurs, in Baldur's Gate there is no real easy way to find enemies to fight. And it doesn't take too long for the enemies you encounter to be too powerful to survive. My strategy for leveling up has been to rest in an area containing enemies I know my characters can handle and get woken up by Bandits and kill them for 65 experience points each. This is just extremely tedious and I have not leveled up very much. Both my character, my main character and my NPC nonplayer character, have gotten up to level 3. I am trying to level up enough that I can defeat a powerful magician in the first place I am supposed to travel to, the Friendly Arm Inn. But I am just going to keep grinding through these battles until I get to at least level 5 for each character. This is going to take forever. I will update you on whether I have figured out any other ways to gain more experience this early in the game.</div>
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This game is great, except for the difficulty level. Everything is based on random dice rolls, or random number generators, which determine the success or failure of attacks and the amount of damage or other effect done. The enemies are just too powerful early on, and until I can level up more, I am going to have to just keep fighting weaker enemies one at a time, until I am strong enough to fight the more deadly enemies in the game, who give more experience points on being killed. Maybe I can find some better armor and weaponry as well.</div>
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I was going to try using a cheat that would allow me to heal any character just by right clicking on their portrait, but for some reason I can't get the cheats or the console where I enter them to work. So I will be playing without cheats, and I will make updates on my progress in the game until I beat the game, or give up in frustration.</div>
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The version of the game I am playing can be purchased here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baldurs-Gate-4-1-Boxset-Pc/dp/B000FGA1US/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455152924&sr=8-1&keywords=baldurs+gate">http://www.amazon.com/Baldurs-Gate-4-1-Boxset-Pc/dp/B000FGA1US/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455152924&sr=8-1&keywords=baldurs+gate</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-63946126976561135682016-02-08T22:18:00.001-08:002016-02-09T12:44:23.641-08:00Stories in Focus: "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown<div>
Dan Brown's very controversial mystery thriller novel "The Da Vinci Code" is one which at points in my life I refused to read. Having watched the movie version, I had a general idea of what it was about, and felt no need to read the book itself to decide whether it had any merit or not. Essentially, the story follows the action of protaganist Robert Langdon, a symbologist who studies religious symbols and their meanings, as he is framed for the murder of the curator at the Louvre museum in France, where many famous works of art, including the "Mona Lise" of Leonardo da Vinci, are on display. The murdered man leaves clues as to who the murderer is, and his granddaughter, a very intelligent cryptographer and code breaker, is brought in to assist in solving the mystery.</div>
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The story turns into a search for the missing Holy Grail, which has supposedly been kept hidden by the Catholic Church, for fear it would overturn all that the Church teaches as true. The secret is supposedly that instead of having been crucified a bachelor, Jesus Christ had actually married Mary Magdalene, and had children, leaving a bloodline that lives on to this day. The Church, it is claimed, has slandered Magdalene as a prostitute, and has done everything it can to hide this secret that she was really the wife of Jesus and mother to His children. There is a lot of dialogue regarding this, and talk of the Gnostic gospels and other literature proposed for the Bible but rejected by the Church as having been inauthentic and essentially not written by the authors they are claimed to be written by. There is also the claim that it wasn't until the 3rd or 4th century, I believe around the time of the rule of Constantine and the Nicene Council (I might have this wrong), that Jesus was only believed to be divine many centuries after His death, and before then, all His followers believed He was merely a mortal man, and not an immortal incarnation of God. There are also claims by the characters that the Bible had been altered, mistranslated, and ultimately tampered with over time to obscure and falsify the "truth" about Jesus, and especially about His relationship to Mary Magdalene.</div>
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While these ideas are interesting and make for an intriguing story, I find them unconvincing, and having studied the Bible and Church teaching, can assert that the author has not really studied Catholic theology very much. He is trying to promote an idea of "the sacred feminine" and claims the Church regards females and sexuality as dirty and inferior. He tries to turn Jesus into a mere mortal man, and Mary Magdalene into a divine God. He does not pay attention to the reverence given to women by the uplifting of Mary as Mother of God. The book talks about Eve bringing humanity into its downfall but not of the ascension brought to humanity through the Blessed Virgin Mary and her cooperation with the salvific plan of God. Having studied a lot of the issues that are touched on in "The Da Vinci Code", the alternate theory of Jesus and His supposed descendants, the novel did nothing to alter my beliefs in the orthodox teachings of Christianity. The release of this book spurned a huge reaction from Christians of all denominations, leading to all kind of books debunking the claims made in Brown's novel, such as "The Da Vinci Hoax", "Debunking the Da Vinci Code", "The Da Vinci Fraud", etc. I think the dialogue is a good one, and I will suggest that you do take the time to read Dan Brown's novel, you also look into some of the opposing claims made in books that criticize and argue against the main premise of the Code.</div>
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At the very least, reading books like this can demonstrate how wild alternate versions of history can be concocted and developed, and can convince lots of people of something that just isn't true or never happened. Brown says Jesus was married to Magdalene and had children. I say someone made it up. Even in the study of history, it is important to know that lies or fabrications can be made up, either to tear down ideas one does not like, or to promote and build up ideas that one wants to become fact.<br />
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Although you can probably find a used copy at almost any thrift store, "The Da Vinci Code" can be purchased at Amazon here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Da-Vinci-Code-Dan-Brown/dp/0307474275/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455050604&sr=8-1&keywords=da+vinci+code">http://www.amazon.com/Da-Vinci-Code-Dan-Brown/dp/0307474275/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455050604&sr=8-1&keywords=da+vinci+code</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-61530020899116762682016-02-03T19:58:00.001-08:002016-02-03T19:58:13.147-08:00Stories in Focus: "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown<div>
<span>It has taken me a while to get to actually reading any of Dan Brown's widely read novels. Tonight I just finished reading "Angels & Demons", which I will follow up with the more well known "The Da Vinci Code".</span></div>
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<span>Angels and Demons is a book I find myself having difficulty reviewing. The story is very compelling, interesting and exciting in the action and fast paced puzzle solving required of the main character, religious symbologist, Robert Langdon. The story is laid on a backdrop of a debate about the supposed harmony, or incompatibility, of religion and faith with science and reason. Basically, the story is about a scientist, who is also a Catholic priest, who discovers a way to create antimatter, and supposedly proving that the act of creation of something out of nothing is possible, therefore proving the existence of a Creator God. But apparently someone has taken this antimatter and hidden it somewhere in the Vatican, where all of the world's Catholic cardinals have congregated to elect a new Pope, the most recent Pope having died of a sudden stroke 15 days previously. Robert Langdon is called in to help solve the murder of the priest scientist who created the antimatter and he must solve the riddles left behind by members of the secret society and enemy of the Catholic Church, the Illuminati.</span></div>
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<span>A lot of the characters in the story represent different views on the relationship of religion with science, of faith with reason. Some characters believe they are harmonious and complementary, while others belief they are contradictory and at odds, the worst of enemies to each other, with one being better than the other. The novel contains a lot of interesting historical information and interpretation. I don't know how much of it it true, and how much either concocted or embellished to create a more compelling and dramatic story, but I think the historical tidbits make it more interesting, regardless of how historically accurate they are. The action of the novel is fast paced and exciting. The dialogue is usually interesting. I found the book to be hard to put down.</span></div>
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<span>Overall, and interesting and fun book to read. Being Catholic myself, some of the jabs to my Church were a little annoying, but I can take a punch, and so can the Church. I probably don't agree with a lot of the author's own opinions and beliefs, but that is ok. I still think I could get something out of this book. I plan to read "The Da Vinci Code" next, which, having seen the film version, I know there will be a lot which I will find inaccurate and untrue. But I will read it, so that I have a better idea of what I am critical of.</span></div>
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<span>While you can probably find an inexpensive copy of this book in your local thrift store, if you want to buy it online, you can find it at Amazon here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Demons-Novel-Robert-Langdon/dp/074349346X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1454558198&sr=8-2&keywords=angels+and+demons">http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Demons-Novel-Robert-Langdon/dp/074349346X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1454558198&sr=8-2&keywords=angels+and+demons</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-49774845560298595052016-01-31T19:20:00.001-08:002016-01-31T19:20:03.183-08:00Music Interview: "The Mozart Effect" by Don Campbell<div>
<span>I have just finished reading a wonderful book called "The Mozart Effect" by Don Campbell about the healing and other positive effects of music. The subtitle of this book is "Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit". This book will change the way you understand and listen to music. The author talks about the effects of music, starting by talking about how even from the beginning stages of life in the womb, the developing human being hears and is impacted by the sounds and music and voices it hears. Children developing in the womb can hear and learn to recognize the singing or reading voice of the mother, and particular music can improve the intelligence and cognitive functions of the growing child. I recommend this book for anyone with children, or expecting children.</span></div>
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<span>The book describes the positive effects of many kinds of music, from cultures all around the world, but as the title suggests, the music with the most universal healing effect is that of Mozart. Reading this book made me want to dive back into the music of Mozart, which I have always had a difficult time getting interested in. I usually would gravitate more to the complex music of Beethoven or the highly mathematical and contrapuntal music of J.S. Bach. I had a 170 CD set of all of Mozart's music which I never really could get myself to listen to, partly because I felt it sounded all the same throughout. But lately I have been listening to the various CDs at home in my room and in my car on my CD player as I drive. I can feel the relaxing and uplifting effects of listening to Mozart, and now he takes his place as my favorite musical composer. His music seems to radiate simple joy, and this is what I need in my life now. Just simple joy. His music does something I can't find anywhere else. But I think it enriches my appreciation for other music as well, and Don Campbell discusses a lot of the benefits and uses of other kinds of music as well.</span></div>
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<span>I personally think this book should be read by everyone in the world. You should especially read it if you are involved in fields such as education, child care, any sort of medical or healing profession, and many other areas. Anyone can benefit from the insights in this book, and this is one of those books that I consider life changing and universally uplifting and inspiring.</span></div>
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<span>This book can be purchase here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Effect-Tapping-Strengthen-Creative/dp/0060937203/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1454296677&sr=8-2&keywords=mozart+effect"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Effect-Tapping-Strengthen-Creative/dp/0060937203/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1454296677&sr=8-2&keywords=mozart+effect">http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Effect-Tapping-Strengthen-Creative/dp/0060937203/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1454296677&sr=8-2&keywords=mozart+effect</a></span></div>
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<span>There are also many other related books and CDs you can purchase with selections designed to produce the effects described in the book.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-29995112693843276722016-01-26T00:05:00.001-08:002016-01-26T00:05:01.222-08:00Stories in Focus: "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling<div>
<span>I just finished reading Book 7 of the "Harry Potter" series by British author J. K. Rowling. Overall, I think I would describe the stories as tedious and long winded, but ultimately delightful and satisfying. The series of very long child and young adult friendly novels is about the secret world of magic, wizards and witches, and the years they spend studying their magical craft and talents in the schools of wizardry and witchcraft, under the noses of the largely non-magical "Muggles", who are unaware of their existence for the most part. Rowling's story is mostly set in the British magical school called Hogwart's. It begins with title character Harry Potter being put under the beastly care of his vicious aunt and uncle in law, after his parents are murdered by the evil and power hungry sorceror Lord Voldemort, constantly referred to as He Who Must Not Be Named. Potter is notified that he is a wizard and will be attending the school of Hogwart's, which is under the management of noble wizard Dumbledore. Each of the novels describes the events of one year of time at the school, as various professors and fellow students are introduced and the progress of their education in the magical arts is elaborated. As the books progress, their is unfolded a plot of very sinister plans of the attempted return of the evil Lord Voldemort, and his scheme to create a world of Pure blood wizards and witches and the subjugation, eradication, and extermination of all non magical Mudblood and Muggle humans. The story essentially lays out a plot similar to the history of Eugenics, racial "cleansing", and other genocidal movements in the real life history of Earth. It turns out that Harry Potter is the one destined to end the evil plans of Voldemort once and for all. Helped by his friends, especially Ron and Muggle born Hermione, he seeks to understand the forces at work in this epic battle between the powers of evil and good, and figure out how to end the oppression that is taking grip over the world.</span></div>
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<span>There are many characters, and they are believable and interesting. I particularly like the character of Hermione, who although born of non magical human parents, is very talented in the magical arts and very astute. She loves to study, learn, read, and gain knowledge, and plays a very important role in the story and her intelligence and wisdom are very necessary to the success of Potter and his friends and allies.</span></div>
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<span>There is a great deal of mischief and elucidation of the various spells, jinxes, hexes, curses, and other magical objects and works that are available to the wizarding world. There is humor and silliness in abundance throughout, even as the plot begins to thicken and the story becomes more and more dark and the situation becomes very dire and dangerous in the later volumes of the series.</span></div>
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<span>The books are very long, some volumes extending to over 700 or even 800 pages, and, to be honest, at some points it is tedious and boring. I would say that the plot starts to become more interesting around the end of Book 4 (Goblet of Fire) and the beginning of Book 5 (Order of the Phoenix), but there is a lot of development of various characters, magical spells and lore, and there is a lot of dawdling and elucidation of typical nonchalant casual events and dialogue. I won't say it is unnecessary to the story. I think it helps to change the pace of the story so that when it gets interesting, you are rapt with attention, and as I got into the later books, I really wanted to know what sort of twists and surprises were in store. There are a lot of secrets to uncover, quests to conquer, and mysteries to solve, and by the end, the tapestry of all this mystery and adventuring is brought to what I consider a fairly satisfying conclusion and wrap up.</span></div>
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<span> When I began to read these stories, I only did so because they were extremely popular, especially amongst young children and adolescents, and I wanted to see what the big deal was. For the first few books, I felt like I was wasting my time, but as I delved further into the series, lent to me by a long time friend of mine, I began to notice that the story was more compelling and the theme more epic than I could have expected. Although I do not think the Potter series rises to the level of other fantasy stories written by British authors such as "Lord of the Rings" by Tolkien, and "Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis, the Potter story was very intelligent and compelling. It is not just a popular story. It has been woven into the fabric of English literature and world culture, having been translated into many languages. It is a good demonstration of the power of universal love and critique of the evils of Eugenics ideologies and the philosophy and theology of genocide and racism. If you do decide to start reading, I hope you don't get bogged down in some of the sections where the action drags on. It is worth it to slog through the slow parts and ultimately read it to its dramatic conclusion.</span></div>
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<span> At the time of this writing, I have only seen the first four films. I might update this after watching the rest. The only big criticism I have of the movies so far is that there can seem to be a tendency on the part of many of the actors, particularly the extras and minor characters, to overact their parts. But it is ok I think. The story, while serious in many ways, has its elements and threads of comedy and silliness, which probably anyone acting in would have the tendency to overdo. I expect that the rest of the films are even better, and become more interesting as much as the books progress in their intrigue and ability to grab the attention of the reader. Also, the films have great special effects and visual profundity and beauty and imagination-inspired. The visual effects bring the text to life in a wonderful way. And the sound and music is well composed.</span></div>
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<span>If you decide to read the books or watch the films, and I recommend both, as a result of reading this review, I hope that by the end you do not regret having done so.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-48386013592744371562016-01-14T20:08:00.000-08:002016-01-14T20:08:15.560-08:00Stories in Focus: "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins<div>
<span>I recently watched the final movie installment of the "Hunger Games" trilogy, after having read all three books and watched the first three movies. I think I read the first book, then watched the first movie, and then I read the second ("Catching Fire") and final ("Mockingjay") before watching the last three movies. At the time, I believe that the books were free to borrow on Kindle to Amazon Prime members.</span></div>
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<span>First off, I will say that I believe the books are much better, much more interesting, than the movie versions. But also, I do not think these stories are very great. They are somewhat mediocre, and I had the hope for something more that was not satisfied. This is one of those works of fiction that I can't really seem to put into words what it was I didn't really like about it. It is not horrible, but just leaves me feeling like I didn't get much out of it. I thought it was worth reading, although I probably would've been better off not watching all the movies. This is one of those books/movies that I watch simply because it is popular and I want to know what the big deal about it is. At least I can say I gave it a shot and wasn't impressed.</span></div>
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<span>But the story if of a dystopian future, where the citizens of Panem, are split into districts and are forced to send their children into an arena like competition where they have to kill each other off, to win the prize of food for their district. It's a pretty gruesome concept, but I suspect that people like the books and films because they enjoy the gruesome violence instead of abhorring it. It's cool to put a bunch of kids in an arena and have them kill each other off, and in different and exciting ways as well. At least, that is the feeling I get out of it. It reminds me of the game Mortal Kombat, where the best part of the game is to watch characters perform bloody vicious Fatalities where they rip off their limbs or cut them in half or crush their skulls or or set them on fire or whatnot. Perhaps Hunger Games is criticizing violent competitions such as this, but I just have the suspicion that part of the fun and popularity of the series stems from the excitement of watching people killed in different ways. I do hope that we never actually come to a point where games and competitions such as this are tolerated and enacted. Let the Hunger Games serve as a warning to us and future generations such that we never actually enter an era where games such as the Hunger Games are thought to be fun or cool or entertaining.</span></div>
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<span>Overall, it is worth reading. It is less worth watching, except for the ability to have a visual presentation of the events. I think all the actors in the film versions do a good job, and the effects and everything can bring a little life to the story as it is translated from written novel to full blown motion picture. Read it, watch it. Let me know what you think of it, what it is about, and if you agree of disagree with some of my hypotheses about the usage of the violence in the story. These kinds of stories are becoming very popular today, with franchises such as "Divergent", and "The Maze Runner" and I am sure there are more and will be more of these dystopian survival stories in the future. Let me know if you are aware of any similar stories, especially if they are better than Hunger Games or other such stories. I would love to read different takes on this kind of theme.</span></div>
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<span>The Hunger Games trilogy in book form can be purchased here: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Trilogy-Catching-Mockingjay/dp/0545670314/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1452829327&sr=8-6&keywords=hunger+games">http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Trilogy-Catching-Mockingjay/dp/0545670314/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1452829327&sr=8-6&keywords=hunger+games</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-85330110627571441202016-01-13T21:33:00.001-08:002016-01-13T21:33:35.672-08:00"Writing about Writing": Book Review "Writer for Hire" by Kelly James-Enger<div>
This is one of those ironic pieces of writing in which I will write about something written about writing. Basically, I am writing a review of a book written about writing. I am going to start reading more books, articles, etc. that are written about writing and the craft, the processes and practices, the industry of writing, and how to write better and how to share what we write better.</div>
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I received a copy of the book "Writer for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success" by Kelly James-Enger from my brother as a Christmas gift. I personally am not earning money as a freelance writer at the moment, but I know other people who do earn livings as freelance writers, and it is a form of employment that I am interested in pursuing in the future. Not only have I become more interested in writing, and possibly earning some income by writing, but I also bought a copy of the book for one of my freelance writing friends, and I hope it helps him in his employment as a writer.</div>
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The book is written like a series of secrets and tips, to help with all the facets and issues relating to successfully writing, planning, finding, and getting paid for various writing jobs. The author gives instruction on how to find writing work, how to approach clients and make proposals for pieces, how to manage time, set fees and pay agreements, determine rights to reprint and republish, and all kinds of other issues and details relating to making a successful career in freelance writing. I have no personal experience with trying to make a career out of writing, but I think if I do in the future, I will use many of these tips, secrets, suggestions, guidelines, practices and processes that James-Enger shares in this book. I will possibly look up and purchase some of her other books as well.</div>
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Overall, I think anyone considering or already engaged in the field of freelance writing will benefit from the information in this book. At the very least, it gave me an idea of what the writing industry is like, and what it takes to make a decent living as a freelance author. It has also piqued my interest in reading more books about the craft and subject of writing, and has engaged my desire to write more frequently and about more subjects.</div>
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This book can be purchases here at : <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writer-Hire-Secrets-Freelance-Success/dp/1599635496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452749495&sr=8-1&keywords=writer+for+hire">http://www.amazon.com/Writer-Hire-Secrets-Freelance-Success/dp/1599635496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452749495&sr=8-1&keywords=writer+for+hire</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-78913879747231992012016-01-12T19:30:00.001-08:002016-01-12T19:30:18.373-08:00Book Review: "Rediscover Jesus" by Matthew Kelly<div style="margin-bottom: 1.76mm; margin-left: 0mm; margin-right: 0mm; margin-top: 1.76mm; text-indent: 0mm;">
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<span><span style="color: #010101; font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I have just finished reading "Rediscover Jesus" by Matthew Kelly. There are three points that are striking me in the book. One was the question "Who do you say Jesus Is?" As I thought about this, I contrasted it to the question many evangelical Christians ask "Are you saved?" Asking someone if they are saved makes us the center of salvation. While asking "Who do you say Jesus is?" makes it about Jesus and our relationship to Him. Asking people if they are saved is off-putting. But the focus needs to be on one's relationship with Jesus, not just with salvation. It is Jesus who saves, and salvation has no meaning apart from spending eternity with Jesus.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The other part of the book that is challenging me is the one on forgiveness, especially of enemies. The author says you have to love Adolf Hitler, love Osama bin Laden, and pray for them. This is very bold. A lot of self proclaimed Christians who claim God forgives themselves do not forgive their enemies. And it is scary to say that Jesus forgives Hitler or bin Laden or Nero and that we should love, forgive, and pray for them. I remember when bin Laden was killed, Pope Benedict asked us to pray for the repose of his soul, and on Catholic radio Catholic leaders were complaining about him saying this.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There is a third point that is challenging me as well. It was about generosity, and giving to others. I don't know if I give enough. Since starting to work, I have been giving more monetary and material gifts. I donate to the parish and to some charities, and I like getting gifts for my family and friends, but I don't feel like I give enough. Or maybe there is something God wants me to share and give and I am unaware of it right now. I also like to make people laugh and cheer people up, and I consider that a sort of giving that I am good at.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: #010101;">I just wanted to make a few quick points about this book. I recommend getting a copy or even getting more than one so you can share it with others. This book will challenge the way you think about Jesus, and practicing its principles and ideas will help you to be a better person, a better Christian. You can buy the book on Amazon, but I think you can get it cheaper at DynamicCatholic.com, as well as ordering it in bulk should you decide to get copies for others as well.</span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-38577846183009261732016-01-11T15:54:00.000-08:002016-01-11T15:58:59.492-08:00Psyched Book review: "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life" by Daniel Amen<div>
This is the first of a regular column I intend to write called "Psyched". The entries will deal with books and other media having to do with psychology, psychiatry, mental health and illness, neurology, and basically anything having to do with the mind and what makes it work healthy or fail to work. I am considering going back to school to study Psychology, because I want to do something that contributes to the improving and well being of those who suffer from mental illness and those who care for them. Let me know if there are any books or other media which you think I should read and possibly review here. With that said, here is the first entry to my "Psyched" column. </div>
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I want to recommend that anyone in the area of psychology, psychiatry, therapy, neurology or any other field dealing with the brain and mental health read the book "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life" by Dr. Daniel Amen. I will just get straight to the point about why this book is a must read for anyone who may be diagnosed with a mental condition or seeking to improve the mental conditions of their lives. Dr. Amen does not just focus on cataloging symptoms and attempting to make a diagnosis that fits the criteria compiled in a non brain connected guidebook such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Dr. Amen makes use of brain scans called SPECT in identifying what kind of brain activity (or lack of it) is going on in patients who are referred to him. Dr. Amen makes the connection between the brain and mental illnesses or disorders or behavior problems. His use of brain scans, while not the only factor in diagnosing and treating various conditions, makes psychiatry into an actual physical science of the brain. It is no longer subjective guessing game where the only evidence used to identify what is going wrong is through external behavior. Dr. Amen can show a patient the difference between normal brain activity and the abnormal activity, or hyperactivity, of various parts of the brain involved in different kinds of mental and emotional and physical behavior and health.</div>
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The praise I give this book is simple. If my experience with the psychiatric and mental health fields had involved brain scans such as Dr. Amen does, and connected the brain difficulties and mental symptoms I have to something physical in the brain, I would not have been so resistant to getting involved with psychiatrists, therapists, and psychiatric medication. Today's psychiatrists claim that mental illness is a condition of the brain, but do not use any kind of scan or test or brain imaging to help identify what exactly is going wrong with the brain, what areas of the brain are overactive, or not active at all. Psychiatrists should look into Dr. Amen's work, and try to incorporate brain scans into their diagnostic considerations and also in determining what treatments, and medications are best to promote optimal brain health for their patients. I would not have been so resistant to taking medications if the criteria and methods used for determining my diagnoses and what regimen of treatments and medicine were based on brain science and actual evidence of what is wrong with my brain. Today's psychiatrists don't do that. They base everything on externals, such as behavior or symptoms, and do not actually look at what is actual going on, or not going on, in the brain.</div>
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If you work in the psychiatric or mental health field, read this book. If you or someone you know has a mental illness, and especially are resistant to working with psychiatrists, therapists, or taking medication, read this book. This is a book anyone concerned with having a healthy brain should read and recommend to the other people in their lives to read. Get a copy, get 10 copies, and give them to your doctors, therapists, friends, family, church leaders, etc. I can't recommend this book any more highly than I do. I plan to read Dr. Daniel Amen's other books as well. Hopefully, I will be able to write reviews for them as well.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-600955617395192002015-12-29T20:11:00.001-08:002015-12-29T20:11:05.955-08:00Stories in Focus: "Star Trek - Enterprise"<div>
<span>I have just finished watching the final episode of the "Star Trek" spinoff, "Enterprise". With the exception of possibly a few "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episodes, I can now say that I have watched every Star Trek episode and movie made to this date. With the advent of entire seasons of television shows on DVD and streaming websites like Netflix and Hulu, there is an expansion of the phenomenon known as "binge watching". I have been binge watching all the episodes of "Star Trek" and its spinoffs for a while now. I jokingly call "The Next Generation", "Deep Space Nine", and "Voyager the "synoptic Star Treks" because they all take place in relatively the same timespan in the future, and they are very similar looking and feeling. With "Enterprise", the show has a very different feel from all the previous incarnations of the sci fi franchise. The series takes place about 100 years before the events of the original classic series of "Star Trek". "Enterprise" goes into a lot of the origins of various events, institutions, technologies and other things that appear in the earlier series.</span></div>
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<span> In this Star Trek, transporters are a new technology, the Federation does not yet exist, and the starship Enterprise is the first Earth Starfleet warp 5 ship. Enterprise is the first human vessel to explore deep space. It is captained by Jonathan Archer, the son of a scientist who pushed for the creation of faster warp vessels and the exploration of space by humans. A lot of the episodes elaborate on the relationships of humanity to other species such as the Vulcans, Andorians, Klingons, and others in the galaxy. There is a lot of emphasis on how different cultures interact, and whether it is a good idea to form alliances with other planets and share technology and interact. A lot of people blame the Vulcans from holding humans back from developing new technologies, claiming they believe we are not ready for such technologies. The origins of the future doctrine known as the Prime Directive has its seeds explained in the course of many"Enterprise" episodes. In later episodes the wisdom of interaction between species is explored more in depth, I think possibly as a metaphor for the existence of racism today, which in "Enterprise" has been eliminated on Earth.</span></div>
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<span> In Enterprise, there is more continuity throughout the series than in earlier Star Trek spinoffs. Especially in the second and third seasons, there is a long arching plot-line throughout, as Enterprise and her crew seek to prevent the destruction of Earth by an alien coalition which is being manipulated by time traveling transdimensional species, who see human beings and the future creation of the Federation as a a threat to their existence. Many of the episodes focus on Captain Archer and the crews attempts to seek out the species determined to destroy them and stop the elimination of humanity. It is a race to find the alien species and stop their weapon, which will be capable of destroying earth and eradicating human beings from existence. Many of the episodes are based on time travel, and I found them interesting.</span></div>
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<span> In most of "Star Trek", the most interesting aspects of the stories are the characters. Each Star Trek series had their own unique characters. Enterprise has some interesting and likeable characters as well, who excel in their fields of vocation and in their possession and practice of heroic virtue. There are also some villains and other characters who are interesting as well. One of my favorite characters was actually the Andorian, Commander Shran, played by Star Trek regular Jeffrey Combs, who can be somewhat of a bastard, but possesses a sense of morality and honor which leads him to practice heroic acts in helping the Enterprise crew and humanity. At first it took me a while to get used to the new characters, but eventually the viewer gets to know and like them very well. The two alien characters on the ship, Vulcan first officer T'Pol, and Denobulan doctor Phlox, are very interesting and likeable. One thing I disagree with is that Vulcans suppress their emotions. To me, Vulcans are almost always pissed off and annoyed at everyone. That is my own observation, and I think it amusing to notice how pissed off the Vulcan characters constantly seem to be. Maybe I am wrong. Decide for yourself.</span></div>
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<span> Overall, I think I liked this spin off of Star Trek more than the others. I recommend checking it out if you have the time, and I hope you enjoy it as well.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-14946462544206943262015-11-22T16:49:00.001-08:002015-12-14T22:07:09.478-08:00Stories in Focus: "Star Trek"<div>
I plan on writing some short column pieces under the title "Stories in Focus". One of my great passions is studying and thinking about great stories. I even occasionally like poor stories. But stories are very important to cultures and to individuals. Being able to tell, or appreciate and learn from our own stories and the stories of others, is something very valuable. There is something about a good story that can inspire, educate, revive, and uplift a person.</div>
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For a long time, stories were oral traditions, and storytellers would have to memorize long elaborate tales for passing from generation to generation. When written language was developed, people had more reliable ways of recording and handing down stories. But for a long time, most people were illiterate. With better methods of printing and making print stories available, more and more people learning to read and write, and were able to study and write and disseminate stories on their own.</div>
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Eventually stories were presentable in different formats with the advent of radio, audio recording, videos, and movies for example. Today we have multiple formats for listening to, reading, viewing, or even participating in stories. There is now a great focus in the field of video games that is based on playing a game while developing a great story. I personally most value games that have a good story, and would one day like to be able to produce and design a game that not only is fun and challenging, but also presents a great story and great characters.</div>
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But I would like to talk about certain stories, and "story franchises" in these blog posts entitled "Stories in Focus". Lately, I have been focusing on watching the series that belong to the "Star Trek" franchise, which already has 5 television series, 12 movies, countless books and has more movies and a new television series due in the future. For me, "Star Trek" was my first introduction to storytelling. The stories were interesting and exciting and the characters were believable and inspiring. I first was a viewer of the spinoff "The Next Generation", and actually wrote book reports on books involving the characters of the shows. Recently, I have watched the entire series of spinoffs "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager" over the last several months. You can watch practically everything "Star Trek" related on Netflix. I started watching these shows again in thinking about my Uncle Nathaniel, who was very much into "Star Trek" and similar Science Fiction storytelling. I finally have finished watching "Voyager" and have begun to watch the fifth series "Enterprise" which is a prequel to all the other series, including the original.</div>
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"Star Trek" is supposed to inspire hope for people, I think, because it portrays a future where humanity has overcome many terrible things, such as war, poverty, racism, etc. and has used science and technology to explore the galaxy and build relationships with alien species and improve the conditions of life for all people. The show is a bit too socialistic I believe, where everything is focused on the state. The Federation is a very statist organization in my opinion. I think the economics of "Star Trek" is very much fantasy. It would be nice to have technology like replicators to produce as much food as we need. But the economic philosophy of "Star Trek" is not something I think I would support. I don't believe there will ever be a time where money is no longer needed or used. Money is a good tool for organizing the distribution of labor and determining the price of goods. There will never be a lack of scarcity of certain resources. I do think technology and free markets will enable a greater extension of wealth, health, and well being to all people, including the most poor. The rich will get richer, and the poor will get richer too. But the economics of "Star Trek" is a fantasy, and one that is too socialistic or Communistic in my belief.</div>
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Another thing that bothered me about Star Trek, Voyager in particular, was the repetitive portrayal of machines and computer programs as being individuals with rights and minds of their own. It is a story but, still, there is no way to create a technology that can do anything resembling thought. Machines cannot, will not, and never will be able to think. Nothing we can do, will ever be able to give cognition or thinking abilities to mechanical devices. Data and the Doctor (or EMH), are not possible. Computers and machine technology can overtime be made to do many things, and possibly even approximate human action to a great degree, but never will they be able to think, or make judgments, or take free actions of their own. No machine will ever be a conscious being. I believe that only God is capable of creating a mind.</div>
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The creators and contributors to the various "Star Trek" series and movies have done a great job of creating compelling alien species and especially the villains. The Borg, and the Dominion are two of the most hate-able villains in all of storytelling. When I was watching the episodes of Deep Space Nine developing the characters of the Dominion and the Founders and Jem Haddar, I really did not like them. I thought the Borg were the most fearsome and detestable villains, but the Dominion came close to being worse than them.</div>
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I am looking forward to watching the rest of "Enterprise", which has a much different feel than all the previous television series. I will perhaps write another "Stories in Focus" entry when I have finished watching those episodes.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-13342703376896458712015-09-03T20:56:00.001-07:002015-09-03T20:56:06.147-07:00Some Days Suck (But Not All of Them)<span style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">Unless you are immune to feeling down, you know that some days suck. Sometimes so much that it feels like they all suck, and that nothing is going to get better. Sometimes we get into a streak of horrible days that we think we will never experience joy ever again. One thing I have learned from work is the lesson embedded in the title of this piece. Some days suck. But not all of them. This is something we have to remind ourselves of when we get into a rut, whether it be at work, at school. at home, or anywhere else in between. For many days, one might be miserable at one's job, and think it is never going to be enjoyable ever again. But then you will have a decent day, or a string of good days, or a series of days that have some combination of good and despicable. The main thing I want to emphasize is that if you are in one of those strings of horrible, deplorable days, keep striving to do your best at whatever it is you are required to do, and remember the times where you were in a streak of horrible days, and how you eventually hit an oasis, or at least a water fountain of refreshment. Some days will come that will refresh you. Something will happen, you will succeed at something, you will meet someone new or from the past, who will brighten your day, and you have to accept that blessing, and let it propel you through the crummy days. If you are in a rut, it will not always be so. Just don't give up on your life, ever! Keep struggling, keep pushing through, and even if you are not doing perfect, you will know you are doing your best, even in a </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">pleasure-less</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"> situation. No matter how bad things may get or feel like they are, there is always a point where you will be relieved, and be lifted up into something better. Just remember, that when you are having a day that sucks, some days suck... But not all of them.</span>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-81247564435174489552015-07-27T19:39:00.001-07:002015-07-27T19:39:27.692-07:00The Blessings of Work<span style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">I’ve been wanting to write something about doing difficult work, how to overcome struggles and challenges. One of the main reasons I wanted to find work was so that I could learn how best to do these things. For quite some time, I was struggling finding any work. But I was most inspired by one of my favorite quotes from the Bible:</span><br style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><br style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">2 Thessalonians 3:10b-13</span><br style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">"Anyone who would not work should not eat. We hear that some of you are unruly, not keeping busy but acting like busy-bodies. We enjoin all such, and we urge them strongly in the Lord Jesus Christ, to earn the food they eat by working quietly. You must never grow weary of doing what is right, brothers. "</span></b><br style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><br style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">For those who are struggling to find work or do their work, remember this: If you want to work, and God wants you to work, God has created some position or way for you to work. Just keep looking and be willing to try new things, and expect to make some mistakes along the way. Just trust that God has some kind of work lined up for you to do, and you need to be persistent in looking for it, even if sometimes you feel like you are groping around fruitlessly in the dark.</span><br style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><br style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">When I finally found a job, I thought I would be exhausted from being out of shape. But I have found that I am more tired outside of work than when I am actually working. Yesterday, I thought I wouldn’t make it. But after my break, I found my second wind and it wasn’t so bad. I’m glad I can finally tell my doctor that I exercise: four hours of brisk walking a day. I even get paid for it. My goal is to become the most productive worker in the company.</span>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5222899043343775113.post-8200986923338484862015-06-13T19:18:00.002-07:002015-06-13T19:18:39.392-07:00Focus on Work<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It is a very good thing to be able to
focus on one thing in particular, and subordinate all one's efforts
to that one subject or activity. Right now, I am focusing completely
all my efforts on finding work. And not just paid work, although
seeking a job that pays me a decent wage is the most prominent focus
on my search for work. When I was in school, taking classes, doing
the best I could to write a good paper, or ace a test, or practice a
new skill was all I could pay attention to. I could be doing other
things, but I was really thinking about how to succeed in the classes
I was taking and getting the best grades I could. Everything I read
or watched, or during every game I played or every conversation I
had, I was really thinking of how the ideas embedded in those media
or activities or conversations could be applied to what I was
studying, and writing about. Now that I am not in school, I have
converted this method of hyper-attention to a job search. I am
trying to make myself fit for work, physically, mentally,
emotionally, etc.</div>
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Some of the things I have learned are
that I want to do something that challenges me, that involves
physical activity, that forces me to exert myself, and think through
and solve problems. Possibly in the future, if I have the aptitude,
I may consider going into management or at least studying management
so as to make myself a better employee for whatever company or
organization I work for. Being able to focus on work has cleared
away a lot of the baggage, clutter, cobwebs and obstacles I had while
I was in school. Whereas before I hated having to do yard work,
taking out the trash, cleaning and organizing around the house, those
tasks now have become a venue for improving my work ethic, and
creating better mental and emotional habits and attitudes towards
doing all kinds of work, whether physical, mental, menial and
arduous, or tedious and boring. I can use a boring repetitive task
as a way to appreciate my mental capabilities, and also respect and
appreciate the little things that need to be done before anything big
or profound can ever succeed.</div>
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When I can focus on doing work,
improving my work ethic, and developing habits that make up a good
worker, all the little things become more enjoyable, or at least
manageable, if not that. I also have the opportunity to be
constantly thinking of ways I can help other people, and to use my
time to volunteer helping others in need. It's not like I have a
busy schedule. And work is all about helping someone else accomplish
something they cannot do on their own. So it is good to try to focus
oneself on doing work, exerting oneself, challenging one's strengths
and improving where one is weak, and learning how to work together
with others to accomplish tasks that may seem daunting from the large
scale, but become manageable when one plans out the smaller steps and
coordinates one's efforts with those of others. A favorite quote of
mine comes from Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta: “I can do things
you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do something
beautiful for God.” Also, for those whose abilities are limited, I
offer another quote from Mother Teresa: “Not all of us can do great
things. But we can all do small things with great love.” The day
to day actions we perform and attitudes we bring to our work and our
relationships, are what either improve or worsen the state of affairs
of the entire family of God our Creator. Hopefully you are able to
focus on works of love, and do not let any distractions take you away
from the creative energies you can put into making life a little bit
better for yourself and for the people around you. Pray that we may
all put our focus into this kind of work, whether our callings are
big or small, and do all that each of us can do with a better
attitude, work ethic, and concern for doing a good job, no matter
what that job turns out to be.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02828285454739786092noreply@blogger.com0