Tag: United States

Burned Bridges

americanapolloLeave a comment

The United States has a complex and deep rooted relationship with the rest of the world. We stood beside Europe on the march to victory in the first two world wars. But then the 60s and 70s yielded economic and political corruption centered in Latin America, casting us in a malicious light. Then the 1980s saw the fall of the Berlin wall/ Soviet Union, which the US had a large part in. We were the heroes – until the Gulf Wars and Afghanistan, when we invaded places where there was no need to invade, while withdrawing from regions at crucial, inopportune points. Now, in October of 2019, we burned a bridge that had been forged with blood and brotherhood, united under a common desire for justice and peace. For decades, the Kurdish people, an ethnic group living between Syria and Turkey, helped the United States with intelligence, manpower, and resources. In turn, we drove radical insurgents from the surrounding area. But as of this week, the Kurds no longer see us as the ally we have always been. Despite strong warnings from various agencies and the pentagon, President Donald Trump ordered American troops out of a buffer zone between Turkey and Syria, which had for years stopped the Kurds from fighting with the Turks over land. By essentially opening the gate for the Turkish Army, the United States turned its back on the Kurdish people, which has resulted in a plethora of problems. Two issues that stand out greater than the rest are the fact that we betrayed a long standing and loyal ally, and that because of Turkey/Syria’s concentration on the impending conflict, large amounts of prisoners that belong to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have escaped from prisons that as of recent lack security. Many fear that an old and strong bridge has been destroyed, and that the future of the western Middle East may be drastically changed for the worst. The events that are to unfold are likely to be harrowing and unpredictable, so please read from reputable sources if you wish to learn more.  

Image result for kurdish fighters
Credit: The Times of Israel

A Forsaken Hero

frog3Leave a comment

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The man who killed the evil man.

What was his fate?

There was no heroic applause.

There was no fanfare of any kind.

The man who did the great deed,

he was sick and tired of it all.

Years away had caused the man emotional pain.

His wife did not love him.

His children did not know him.

He left the honorable trade.

However the entity that supported him no longer did.

His health and that of his kin is left to chance.

Stuck with no options or hope.

Because he served an uncaring nation.

Soccer

kirbyfullyloaded3 Comments

Football, or as we Americans call it, soccer.

Yes, I’m aware that the above is not a complete sentence.  However, the winter sports season is my favorite, as I get to play soccer.

Now, I hate running.  Even though I do cross-country in the fall and track in the spring, I am really not a runner.  I wish I was, but I’m not and that’s just how it is.

That aside, I love running in soccer.  I love the sprinting, and the distance.  My friend Ally and I run at least two additional miles after practice every day.

Here’s the other thing: I’m terrible at soccer.

I played as a kid in one of those coed AYSO leagues.  The only thing I remember from that was when a kid named Peter fell off the monkey bars near our practice field and got a concussion.  I was sad because he was never the same when he came back, and I had a crush on him.

I played again in seventh and eighth grade on the school team, and wanted to play my freshman year of high school.  But, I popped out my knee during cross-country and skipped a year, joining back up as a sophomore as left wing.

I’m currently the only left-footed player on my team, so I guess that’s something.

But back to the point, I’m awful.

I just can’t seem to get my kicks right and I don’t know why.  But that’s ok; I don’t mind.

Who needs aim when you can just smash?

That’s what I do.  I just barrel into whoever is in my way and pass it to the players on my team who actually have all that fancy ball-handling down.  It’s a party, and I like it.

I love the physicality of soccer, the movement, the heat.

There’s something incredibly fierce about the pace and the nature of the game.  It’s like an unexpected dance, the opposing team always has you guessing.  You have to figure out how to move with them, anticipate their actions and take your queues.

Of course…I’m a horrendous dancer, but that’s mostly irrelevant.

Petrichor

kirbyfullyloadedLeave a comment

“It means the smell of dust after rain.”

In freshman English, our teacher had us memorize a list of the “Hundred Most Beautiful Words in the English Language.”

I still use a lot of the words I learned from that list, in my writing.  But one word stuck with me more than the rest, and that is: petrichor.

In that list, it was defined as “the smell of earth after rain.”

Isn’t that just lovely?

Last weekend, I went home to San Diego for just over fifteen hours.  It was the shortest visit I’ve ever had, but it was beautiful.

It was drizzling when we hit Genesee Avenue, and raining when we got to Point Loma.  I stayed at my friends’ house and I could hear the rain pouring outside.

At about 12:30 am, I walked out into the warm, San Diego rain.

It was foggy, so the city lights turned the cloud layer soft sherbet orange.

It was so peaceful.  I just stood there and let the warm droplets collect on my eyelashes and make them heavy with rain.  The world looked gilded, as if embellished in tiny bluish crystals, tremulous and glittering.

Featured Song: Abraham’s Daughter – Featured Book: The Hunger Games

kirbyfullyloaded2 Comments

Abraham took Isaac‘s hand
And led him to the lonesome hill
While his daughter hid and watched
She dared not breathe; she was so still

Just as an angel cried for the slaughter
Abraham’s daughter raised her voice

Then the angel asked her what her name was
She said, “I have none.”
Then he asked, “How can this be?”
“My father never gave me one.”

And when he saw her raised for the slaughter
Abraham’s daughter raised her bow
“How darest you, child, defy your father?”
“You better let young Isaac go.”

-“Abraham’s Daughter,” by Arcade Fire

The story of Abraham and Isaac is one of the most important in the Old Testament.

God wants to test Abraham’s devotion to, and fear of him.  So he commands Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a testament to his loyalty.  Abraham takes Isaac to a mountain and tells him to gather up wood for a sacrifice.  When Isaac asks where the lamb for slaughter is, Abraham replies, “God will provide the lamb,” and together they ascend.

Abraham then lays Isaac down and raises his knife.

Convinced that Abraham is sufficiently God-fearing, an angel descends and stays his hand, thus, saving Isaac.

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Israel and its nuclear problem with Iran

frog3Leave a comment

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It is commonly known that the US and her allies believe that Iran is enriching Uranium in order to build nuclear weapons. The US and to a extent the Obama Administration has been criticized for refusing to take a hard stance against Iran’s Nuclear Program.

The most vocal of these critics is Israel whose proximity to Iran puts Israel in an extremely precarious position. Israel and Iran are mortal enemies; Israel believes (knows) that if Iran develops nuclear weapons it would plunge the region into total war.

Israel has not let Iran’s nuclear research continued unmolested. Peaceful resolutions are almost out of the question, Israel has given up on diplomacy and outside parties, they now deal with the Iranian Nuclear Program in a much more direct way.

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Several Iranian scientist have been assassinated the most memorable of which have been Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan. On January 11th, 2012 two unknown assailants on motorcycles attached a magnetic bomb to the side of Roshan’s car, the motorcyclist sped away and the bomb detonated moments later.

Iran has blamed Israel and believe that the United States may have been involve in the attacks. Whether this assassination will lead to peace or more violence remains to be seen.

New York City

kirbyfullyloadedLeave a comment

According to Urban Dictionary, you know you’re a New Yorker when:

“You say “the city” and expect everyone to know that this means Manhattan.

You have never been to the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building.

The subway makes sense.

The most frequently used part of your car is the horn. 

You think Central Park is ‘nature.'”

Click here to view an entire list of what makes you a New Yorker.

I am most definitely NOT a New Yorker.  As my best friend would say, I don’t know how to cross a city street (because pushing the “walk” button doesn’t count).  I’m from San Diego, 8th largest city in the United States with an estimated 1.307 million residents.  So I should know about cities right?  WRONG!  I moved to Ventura, California when I was 7 and the population is barely crawling past 106,400 thousand people.

So when I went to “the city” in 2008, I was mind blown.

My aunt and uncle used to live in Chelsea, a neighborhood on the west side of Manhattan.  I took this picture out of their loft window:

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The Highly Unusual Traditions of TNT

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“We have had the time of our lives and I will not forget the faces left behind. It’s hard to walk away from the best of days. But if it has to end I am glad you have been my friend in the time of our lives.” Tyrone Wells

Click the links to watch the videos of CIMI tradition! 

Every year, CIMI hosts a variety show on the second to last night.  We call it TNT (Talent or No Talent).  Campers, counselors and instructors alike are welcome to enter the show and perform in front of the entire camp.  Over the years and throughout the sessions, CIMIans have developed their own little traditions that are passed down each summer.

A definite camp favorite would be the famous Watermelon Duel.  Staff members, Straka and Kyle established the first Catalina Sea Camp Watermelon Duel in 2008.  The tradition was continued in the Summer 2011 Watermelon Duel during the second session of CIMI by Wyatt and Garrett.  “This was a tribute indeed,” said Wyatt, “Garrett is Kyle’s younger brother, It only seemed right.”

Campers spell out “WE LOVE CIMI” in Scrabble tiles for the Board Games Carnival

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The Buffett Tax

therightliberalLeave a comment

As some people worry about the money they spend on gas or groceries, a group of Americans sit back and watch their money flow in.

I do not mean to insinuate that millionaires and billionaires do not work hard because most of them do. However, I see no argument that their lives are anywhere near as hard as those who are living paycheck to paycheck.

Warren Buffett has over the years called for higher taxes for America’s uber-rich, and now it seems he might get it.

Obama is looking to propose the “Buffett Tax,” a new tax on wealthy Americans that would work to keep some of the wealthy from avoiding taxes and increase the rates that they pay.

Although it would only affect about 450,000 Americans, the tax could very much benefit the economy, which as we all know, needs all the help it can get.

I look back at the arguments I have heard on why the rich should not have higher taxes; they don’t deserve it, it wouldn’t really help, it’s not fair. But none of those arguments make sense to me.

Taxes are not a punishment, they are just a fact of life in a society like ours. If you enjoy the country you have then you better accept the idea of taxes.

Taxing the top 0.3% of Americans (which this would do) a higher amount could really help. And on top of it, the bill wouldn’t actually raise taxes, it would just eliminate some of the Bush tax cuts, which I think we can see did not work judging on where are economy is now.

I hope that this bill can get through Congress during their Dec. meeting on deficit reduction. I think that this could be a helpful bill, but on top of that, it just makes sense.

My Two Cents

sennymcfly1 Comment

So many writers have blogged about image and the pressures to have the “perfect body” and how you should love yourself for who you are and how the world’s opinion doesn’t matter. All of this is true, but for some reason no matter how times we say it, we just don’t seem to get it.

As children we are usually raised under the impression that image doesn’t matter. Our parents always tell us not to judge others by the way they look, but how they act. “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, right?

We say that, but do we really mean it? You can tell a girl struggling with anorexia that she is perfect the way she is and then go to the bathroom, stare at yourself in the mirror and question your own perfection. We are all hypocritical and we all know it, but we don’t say it.

It has been brought to my attention that body image is a real problem. One thing that is clear is that it is a big problem here in Southern California.

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