2010

Guys, 2010 is over. Gone, poof, just like that. Sometimes I get weird feelings about the past. Like, whoa, it's gone. Said and done. Game over.

Wow. 2010 went by like that. Seriously. The old saying is true: time flies. But what did we do with that flying time? 2010 was the year of smartphones, cloud computing, Justin Bieber (ick), Harry Potter, Tron, big government.... the list could go on and on. A lot changed this year. This world is ever changing, yet 2010 seems like the biggest change yet. Maybe it's just me. Maybe our whole world as we know it is about to change forever. Either way, we can't waste time.

Take this as an encouragement to get out into the world. Take it as a sign that we need to get active. Our country is changing under a very radical president, but not as he promised. Technology is become more and more and more prevalent in our lives. We need to decide what kind of world we are going to have in the next few years. So get out there, get protesting, get letter writing, do whatever it takes to make yourself heard. Happy New Year!

The Free, The Government and the Internet (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe 2.0)

Freedom. A basic right that all men should be able to share. An idea that was radicalized and realized by revolutionaries of the 1700's. Just imagine for a moment. These revolutionaries were advocating for rights that opposed the powers that controlled them. How radical would they have to be? What if such a movement started today? Would you join them? Or would you want to stay under our current Government? My answer is an easy one, but I've given this subject a lot of thought. Many of you may not know that I am a techy guy. I am always trying to code something or do something to make my computer better ( or messing up my friends computers for fun.). Recently I have been following more tech world news too. In the past few weeks, you may have heard of the Wikileaks controversy. What could be more of  a scare? Government threating to censor free speech! In the past few weeks, the US Govt has taken down around 80 domains, based on allegations of copyright infringement. They didn't take the time to check. . This government needs to learn 2 thing, however. Once something is up on the web, it can never be retracted. And all the company needs to do it publish their site to the infinite amount of URLs available.

I urge you to support this movement of freedom of information. While I don't agree with the way Wikileaks made the point of the need for transparent governments, I agree with the point they are making. Please head over to their site, link posted above and support them, or any other push for freedom! We must retain our rights! Help get America back to what it's meant to be!

Cat Got Your Tongue?

Clichés. Something we use everyday. Something I've probably used way to frequently in these blog posts. I don't really like that. Regardless, clichés are an interesting concept in our language and our culture. 


The definition of a cliché:


An expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect


The title of this blog is a cliché. We see them everywhere. Advertisements, novels, tv shows, just about any information medium. But these clichés go much deeper into our culture than just commercialism. The clichés are just that for a reason: they do an adequate job of expressing of explaining something otherwise difficult to convey. They can also express humor, satire, etc.


But if you take a deep look at our language, then you will find everything is cliché. All terms, expressions, everything in our language has been used to the point of losing it's original meaning. Now, I don't mean that "if" doesn't mean "if" anymore, but more on the philosophical side of language, everything is clichéd. 


Our language is a very unique and strange one. Linguists have a field day study language structures we use; the ones have borrowed from others, and the one totally our own. 


I'm not going to say much about this, except that you should think about it. Let the juices flow,  come up with an argument of whether you agree with me or not. 


Have fun with it, tell me what you think!


-TJF

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Now, opposite of what you may have expected, I'm not going to throw a load of cliches at you regarding what it means to give thanks and how we should do it everyday. I simply want you to ponder it for yourselves. Instead of just rolling your eyes when people on the news and other tv events tell you about "What the holiday is really about" (because I do), stop and think about it. I'm not saying the the cliches aren't annoying, because they really are. But seriously, take a deeper look into Thanksgiving than just a meal where we give thanks for one day.

Think about it!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

-TJF

Le Fantôme de l'Opéra

Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, better known here as The Phantom of the Opera, is a tragic story of romance, danger, and, naturally, music. I, being a romantic, a person of music, and a lover of great adventure, have been entranced by this story since I first discovered it. I especially love the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Joel Schumacher collaboration, the fantastical (or is that phantstical?)  movie adaptation of the current Broadway play. 


Symbolism is very integral part of writing, the theater, music, and movies. Since this production involves 3 of those 4, and one of the most recognized theatrical composers of all time was involve, this movie is sure to be packed with symbolism. 


I will be discussing some of the symbols.


Today is the mask


The Phantom wears a mask to hide his disfigured face, referring to our own identity problems. We have this irrational belief that our true self is not what the world wants to see, that we must hide our disfigured individuality to conform to what everyone wants. This is the opposite of what we are meant to do! We are meant to show what we perceive as disfigured abnormalities to the rest of the world, be happy with who you are, and never let others tell you who to be, because they too are wearing a mask  


 The Phantom sing "This face which earned a mother's fear and loathing". He has been rejected by everyone who had ever seen in face, sent them running in fear because of his monstrous facial abnormalities.  This is reflective of another problem of our society. The Phantom ended up in the hands of a gypsy caravan, and was showcased as "The Devil's Child" to make money. He was beaten and abused day in and day out. The Phantom, wanting to be free, took a rope, ties a noose(David!) and strangled his captor. A young Madame Giry ( a ballet student as a child, ballet teacher as an adult) hid him away in the basement. The Phantom was turned evil by other evils. From then his signature was the noose. We as a society shun different and "ugly" ideas, therefore creating evil by trying to "eliminate" it. 


Such symbolism captured in a timeless story. A story with a powerful message.




Leave thoughts and comments! 

I'm Just Sittin' Here On Capital Hill

America is a great country. 'Nuff said, right? This country all I've ever know. I've grown up in the great state of Oregon. Well, sometimes it's great. I love the beautiful nature, rural feel of the country side, and the terrible economy. Wait what? Yes, Oregon is also riddled with numerous socio-economic problems, stemmed from the Democratic dynasty ruling this state for years. In fact, Oregon can be seen as a miniaturised and saturated version of the country as a whole. The recent elections was a sign that the public is sick of this. Obama has done nothing totally terrible in itself, but as a whole his performance has been under the bar set for him by himself. The recent elections reflected the country’s want for him to do what exactly he promised he would bring. “Change”. Where is that reformation he promised? Long time democratic voters have written off Obama and the democratic party as having a communist-esqe agenda. The message is clear, the jury has spoken. The government is guilty and the public just wants it to do one thing. CHANGE! Provide HOPE!

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A Smile to Make the World Go 'round

This blog post was inspired by this short film, which I highly recommend:




After watching this video, I had a question. What do smiles actually do? Smiles. Such an interesting expression. An expression of friendliness, happiness, love, reassurance, pure joy; this list goes on and on. Smiles are natural way we express pure emotion. Just by a quick look, you can tell a lot about a person. You can tell how they fell, if they really feel happy, or it's just a formality. If they have had hardships or a good life. If something is going their way, or if life seems to be running against them. Smiles are powerful indicators of potential problems or great opportunities.
I love a genuine smile. Someone who gives you a real smile. A smile that gives off the feeling of happiness. The contagious, pure kind. Not forced to hide the hurt. On the contrary, such smiles only show it more.
The way the man in the movie produced a genuine smile every time he comes in contact with another is by the power of compliments. Now these compliments are real, not the type that people say to make someone feel good, but real evaluations of peoples beauty. He means every word he says. It's not hard to find real beauty in people. We just have to look hard enough. That's the real way to make people happy. I challenge you to go out and look for beauty in people. Weather you express that observation is up to you. It never hurts to tell someone what you think. As you can see, it just makes people really smile, genuinely happy. If you spread just a little happiness, each person in turn would spread it. If our whole world was happy, we could reduce our problems and set aside our differences. Find love, make friendships, really enjoy life.
-TJF

Please post your thoughts and comments!