I have been hearing about the movie 21 Jumpstreet for the last few weeks and as it seems to be an integral part of society to consume new media. This movie starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum has promised to be a smashing success with hilarious government police official jokes that comment on the state of American freedom.
The pairing of these two actors gives the movie a dramatic realism that lend to the typical stereotypes. By the end of the movie the hunk is with the nerds and the nerd is with the popular kids. This juxtaposition allows for a commentary on modern public school systems and how quuickly they change over time.
This popular movie originated as a popular 1980s TV show starring Johnny Depp. Being an avid fan and owning every season I am really exicted to see who the female counterparts in the 21 Jumpstreet crew are.
Goodbye Johnny Depp and hello Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppw0hkeuSUw&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fresults%3Fsearch_query%3D21%2Bjump%2Bstreet%2Btrailer%26oq%3D21%2Bjump%2Bstreet%2Btrailer%26aq%3Df%26aqi%3Dg10%26aql%3D%26gs_sm%3D3%26gs_upl%3D201142l206289l0l206595l28l28l12l0l0l0l215l1964l0.14.1l15l0&ytsession=lLuZSD04P1RULPrih3BN6f6aK9aOh3mfFAM8qJ1kX1WF_1-nN6mA7aT8MK3xqPcPhBkmGXZo9D6pMVtH4Kx97NSHHa0_u7RXbF8uvYOae1eLF3wOJ6DcOXqtOd4Cjdf_Fr_VX8U8PQgACrWMP2QwiukA0rj1Uj0G14juDxdrdvqQsvVCAl2Onfekg1mPFyabGT1RH40CkEaQCCbR5ILfHk147jA0miILcn6rcsUZqjIYH_uWKVoMZdeVbiXkpBBY2aeElcjU5-fM5wU69E50E7pLOD_CNvq13Q0AanrUxV4&has_verified=1
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Absolute Power Corrupts
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is remarkably true as time has proven over and over again. But what about idealistic companies whose foundation was built on a higher morality? Google has always held itself to a high moral standard but it seems those standard are slipping by the wayside as profits become the central concern.
There is now evidence that Google's transformation may include an illegal ad deal, altered privacy policies that do not favor the consumer, and a long train of privacy violations.
This growing company which now provides the world with email, search engine, and even social media site Google+. (Including this blog site)
According to Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land, a website that covers search engine news and networks. "I hesitate to think they've gotten 'evil,' because they never were that 'good' to begin with, but I do think it marks a much more aggressive company, a company that is not hesitant to do things."
So once again we are brought to the idea that knowledge is power and Google is holding that power. With power comes great responsibility but it seems that corruption is an inevitable conclusion to the attainment of such power.
So most of my posts have been about freedom and power, but the more I look deeply into the state of freedom and power I realize that they are not mutually exclusive concepts and do not function as ideally as they should.
Thomas Jefferson once stated that "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
So I urge all of my readers to question themselves. Have we been vigilant?
There is now evidence that Google's transformation may include an illegal ad deal, altered privacy policies that do not favor the consumer, and a long train of privacy violations.
This growing company which now provides the world with email, search engine, and even social media site Google+. (Including this blog site)
According to Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land, a website that covers search engine news and networks. "I hesitate to think they've gotten 'evil,' because they never were that 'good' to begin with, but I do think it marks a much more aggressive company, a company that is not hesitant to do things."
So once again we are brought to the idea that knowledge is power and Google is holding that power. With power comes great responsibility but it seems that corruption is an inevitable conclusion to the attainment of such power.
So most of my posts have been about freedom and power, but the more I look deeply into the state of freedom and power I realize that they are not mutually exclusive concepts and do not function as ideally as they should.
Thomas Jefferson once stated that "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
So I urge all of my readers to question themselves. Have we been vigilant?
Drunk American kills 16 Arabs
Sixteen dead Sunday after a brutal rampage by a drunken American soldier. More than half of those found dead were children. According to a neighbor Agha Lala, "They were all drunk and shooting all over the place." There are even reports that the soldier was laughing as he slaughtered 16 people in the Panjwayi district at two a.m. Sunday night.
Although the United States makes claims that the district is "the spiritual home of the Taliban and is believed to be a hive of insurgent activity." According to Nadem at Reuters.com.
Not only did the U.S. Soldier kill nine children, three women, and four men, but he "poured chemicals over their dead bodies and burned them" according to Hiji Samad relative to 11 of the deceased victims.
While the United States is promising justice to the victims, it is likely to cause a permanent mark against the U.S.-Afghan ties. NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) General John Allen stated that he was "shocked and saddened" and promised a "rapid investigation" according to Nadem at Reuters.
This horrible and tragic event has caused unbelievable suffering and damage to the international relations that have been strenuous at best.
The likelihood of a revenge attack is higher than ever. With such high levels of stress it seems that Sunday's attack will be the first of many events to come.
Although the United States makes claims that the district is "the spiritual home of the Taliban and is believed to be a hive of insurgent activity." According to Nadem at Reuters.com.
Not only did the U.S. Soldier kill nine children, three women, and four men, but he "poured chemicals over their dead bodies and burned them" according to Hiji Samad relative to 11 of the deceased victims.
While the United States is promising justice to the victims, it is likely to cause a permanent mark against the U.S.-Afghan ties. NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) General John Allen stated that he was "shocked and saddened" and promised a "rapid investigation" according to Nadem at Reuters.
This horrible and tragic event has caused unbelievable suffering and damage to the international relations that have been strenuous at best.
The likelihood of a revenge attack is higher than ever. With such high levels of stress it seems that Sunday's attack will be the first of many events to come.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Big Brother?
The more I write about Freedom the more I wonder if even in America we are truly free.
I just read an article that says the Department of Homeland Security will be monitoring Twitter and Facebook language. Is this a sign of the American movement toward government madated morality or another step in a long line of injustices that invade American privacy?
According to the February 2011 Electronic Privacy Information Center there is a surveillance program that now monitors all social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. With over 250 million people around the globe using Facebook and 600 million daily visitors to Twitter this seems to be an overstepping of boundaries. With a list of 500 words that are being monitored by "Big Brother" the issue of Freedom is becoming an important one even in American society where we have freedoms many people around the globe can only dream of.
But as many people around the world use facebook what legislation allows them to spy on people who are not even citizens of the United States?
Dean Obeidallah, who writes for CNN Opinon, states
"Two questions jump out regarding this surveillance program. How effective is it? And more importantly, is this an invasion of our privacy?
The effectiveness question is hard to answer. When you look at all the words on the watch list, it's hard to believe that any terrorist or criminal would tweet or post them unless they wanted to get caught. For example, the watch list contains words such as dirty bomb, hostage, al Qaeda and ammonium nitrate. What terrorist in his right mind would tweet, "Looking for ammonium nitrate, please direct message me if you have leads?"
He has a good point, with the rise in figurative language and double entendres, is it really even an effective tool?
I just read an article that says the Department of Homeland Security will be monitoring Twitter and Facebook language. Is this a sign of the American movement toward government madated morality or another step in a long line of injustices that invade American privacy?
According to the February 2011 Electronic Privacy Information Center there is a surveillance program that now monitors all social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. With over 250 million people around the globe using Facebook and 600 million daily visitors to Twitter this seems to be an overstepping of boundaries. With a list of 500 words that are being monitored by "Big Brother" the issue of Freedom is becoming an important one even in American society where we have freedoms many people around the globe can only dream of.
But as many people around the world use facebook what legislation allows them to spy on people who are not even citizens of the United States?
Dean Obeidallah, who writes for CNN Opinon, states
"Two questions jump out regarding this surveillance program. How effective is it? And more importantly, is this an invasion of our privacy?
The effectiveness question is hard to answer. When you look at all the words on the watch list, it's hard to believe that any terrorist or criminal would tweet or post them unless they wanted to get caught. For example, the watch list contains words such as dirty bomb, hostage, al Qaeda and ammonium nitrate. What terrorist in his right mind would tweet, "Looking for ammonium nitrate, please direct message me if you have leads?"
He has a good point, with the rise in figurative language and double entendres, is it really even an effective tool?
Tibet the 53rd Anniversary.
I know this is the second article I've written about the Tibetan struggle but as the death toll climbs I feel that it is freedom's obligation to protect those whose independence is threatened and suppressed.
Today marks the 53rd anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. Protestors marched across the Brooklyn Bridge today and gathered outside the United Nations office.
This is just another in a series of political crusades that advocate for freedom. As Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom.” But will China actually let go anytime soon?
China is attempting to discredit several Tibetans that have self-immolated in protest calling them “Criminals, outcasts, and mentally ill people manipulated by the exiled Dalai Lama”. This is among many of the procedures being used by Chinese officials to get the Tibetan crisis under control. The protests have been focused on the Chinese government’s censorship of Tibetan religion and culture. The Chinese government even arguing that the Dalai Lama “orchestrated and supported the self immolations. This is despite the fact that the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has advocated against self immolation because it could lead to harsher restrictions on those in Tibet.
As many of those who have self-immolated come from the Buddhist monastery in the Sichuan province the Dalai Lama did praise the courageous efforts of those who gave their life to the cause of Tibetan independence.
Today marks the 53rd anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. Protestors marched across the Brooklyn Bridge today and gathered outside the United Nations office.
This is just another in a series of political crusades that advocate for freedom. As Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom.” But will China actually let go anytime soon?
China is attempting to discredit several Tibetans that have self-immolated in protest calling them “Criminals, outcasts, and mentally ill people manipulated by the exiled Dalai Lama”. This is among many of the procedures being used by Chinese officials to get the Tibetan crisis under control. The protests have been focused on the Chinese government’s censorship of Tibetan religion and culture. The Chinese government even arguing that the Dalai Lama “orchestrated and supported the self immolations. This is despite the fact that the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has advocated against self immolation because it could lead to harsher restrictions on those in Tibet.
As many of those who have self-immolated come from the Buddhist monastery in the Sichuan province the Dalai Lama did praise the courageous efforts of those who gave their life to the cause of Tibetan independence.
Schools backing Candidates.
Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility.- Robin Morgan
If knowledge is power then authority figures in education have the keys to unlimited power. All Hitler needed was to educate the youth of Germany and his Third Reich was born in the minds of his students. Schools are the temples for higher education in a global society. So how are some schools misusing their power as authority figures in the lives of students? Well Mapleton School District in Adams County abused their power as authority figures by bankrolling a candidate. Even though Colorado laws prohibit schools from bankrolling candidates the Mapleton School district chose a bond underwriter in 2010 that allowed them to shower money on candidates of their choice.
What does this mean for students? Well this is simple, if the school advocates for specific candidates then a students own personal beliefs will be subjected to the discretion of the educational authorities. In Mapleton School district this means that they scratch a candidate's back and their own is scratched in turn. Government officials should be concerned with the tax payers not the schools that are assisting their campaign. According to the Denver Post, "State lawmakers had a chance to stop the practice in 2005 through a bill sponsored by Sen. Mark Hillman, R-Burlington, but it failed to get out of committee."
It is a sad remark on the sale of values in Colorado.
http://www.denverpost.com/carroll/ci_20141774/carroll-how-school-boards-are-skirting-law
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)