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Where's Strunk & White when you need it?

If only things came out as you "thunk" them. It seems I had a poor choice of words in my previous post. When I said I couldn't agree more with the statement "racial issues supercede morality issues", I meant that I couldn't agree with Christian Democrats espousing this viewpoint. It is not my own. It is theirs. I happen to believe the opposite. Thanks Lori for drawing that to my attention.

Note to self: Don't do two-part posts. I'm cracking under the pressure to produce. I would push to finish by Wednesday morning, but I have a 7:00 am meeting, and you people just wake up too dang early (my sitemeter logs the most hits between 4:00-7:00 am Pacific time). Do realize I'm in bed at that time. Part two forthcoming later today. Promise. Maybe.

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I have found something that promises to be the demise of this weblog. It's called Audblog, and it's my new found friend. It allows you to post verbally to your blog. Wait, that didn't come out right (although voice commanding to my blog would be fun). It actually allows you to record a post with your voice.

I'm thinking of trying it out later in the week. It's like having your own radio show, except not.

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[click to enlarge] I am introducing a new aspect to my site. A comic strip. As much as I'd like to combat the evil quips of Aaron MacGruder's Boondocks, I'm just not that talented. However, it seems I have stumbled upon the same gem of do-it-yourself comic strip creation as my fellow brotherhood blogger Cobb. I only hope he won't call me a biter. For that reason, I'll use different characters. I've toyed with this idea for awhile. I needed a remedy to the numerous thinks that play out in my head yet due to time constraints, and this thing I have called a job, never make it to published format. So I present to you: CrazyWorld. A foray of students from varying backgrounds, all thrust into an elite private school bubble where the news dictates many conversations. Based loosely on my experiences in predominately white, semi-liberal institutions, I will introduce the characters and further the concept at a later date.

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Joe at the Evangelical Outpost is asking why the blogosphere consists of so many white, middle-class men giving their opinion on politics. Just why did the chicken cross the road? Why doesn't Don King cut his hair? Why did O.J. do it? These are the mysteries of life. I am neither white nor male. I had to post my own picture to prove this since my thought process has been dubbed "white-male thinking" on more than one occasion. These days, however, it's pretty hard to tell what color anybody is on the web unless they say so or post a picture. Which often leads me to believe some of my favorite well-written blogs are really run by a group of red-headed, freckle faced 14-year-old boys in West Oklahoma.

Lots of people have been writing lately on why they started blogging. I wish I had something terribly deep or insightful to say to that question. A year ago, I had no clue what a "blog" was. Through some strange turn of events via a few clicks here and there, I was instantly thrown into the blogosphere, voyeuristically reading about the lives and opinions of other people who seemed to be just as insane as myself. Some conservative, others not. I'm not sure what possessed me to do so, but I finally started my own blog this past January. It wasn't to be know or seen, but because although I enjoyed writing, there was literally nothing in my mortal body that could bring pen to paper. I'm part of the digital generation, who hates writing in cursive and thanks to spell-check, can't even spell "definitely" correctly. (Note: prior to spell-checking this post, I'd spelled it wrong too. Case and point.) Unlike other sites, I'm less about reporting the news, and more about filtering this world through an ex-yuppified, somewhat sarcastic, black, staunch conservative yet non-traditional, young perspective. I have now staked out my little spot on the blogosphere lawn and I actually have some repeat readers. Which leads me to the next question of who exactly reads this tripe? Certainly not other 22-year-olds it seems. Just where are my people?

The Evangelical Outpost article listed off different categories of bloggers including some "Gen-Y" (under 25) bloggers. First of all, while we're on the subject, what is this Generation-Y drivel? Which overpaid sociologist made that up? I refute that name. Let's get something better. In any case, the article only listed off about six people or so under that category. When I go through my list of links, most of the people on there are older than me. It's pretty safe to say, most of my readers are too. How this happened, I just don't know. But I guess that's why I blog...

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Phew! What a ride. I am no web designer and that was perhaps the most horrendous experience in my online life. So a little about the new site. Everything is different; bio, picture, links, and I intend to make more changes throughout the week. This is the first step in my eventual move to a new publishing platform. The goal was a layout softer on the eyes, more user-friendly, and more indicitive of my personality. It's a little wide and views differently depending on the browser, so you may have to scroll horizontally. If this gets annoying, let me know. All feedback welcomed (slow-loading, etc.) Enjoy!

Oh. And happy Memorial Day.

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So we're working on a re-design here at nykola.com headquarters. Our staff is not that big so posting seems to have taken a backseat to html coding, which makes us grumpy. There are oh so many more fruitful and productive things to do in line than code html. so extreme lack of content is due to this very fact. This is unfortunate as there is so much newsworthy material worth blogging about. New site launch is expected Sunday or Monday at the latest. After receiving an email from a reader who said she was going cross-eyed trying to read the little font on a dark background, we figured it was time to do some remodeling. I'm about as tired of looking at the cheesy black girl logo as you are.

In recent news: John Kerry was here in Seattle yesterday campaigning, raising obscene amounts of money, and schmoozing with the people. I generally have commented that I consider myself a fairly good judge of character, and I don't know what it is, but I just can't take Sen. Kerry as genuine. Maybe it's just politics, but every word he speaks seems so entirely calculated as though he were reading from cue cards. BO-RING. Maybe it's just the nature of politics. I don't know how politicians do it. I would probably not be a good candidate for any sort of political office. I'm far too loose-tongued if you know what I mean. Plus, when I don't feel like smiling, I don't smile. Presidential candidates don't seem to have that luxury. Neither do pageant contestants. In fact, there are some striking similarities between the two. But let's not go there.

Also in politics, Al Gore has lost his mind. Perhaps the worship of Gaia has pushed him over the deep end. Was it just me or did it seem like he needed a Hammond B3 organ going on in the background of his speech? (For readers who are unfamiliar with this reference, visit a local pentecostal church for more clarity) In any case, Gore's speech just goes to prove, you can yell anything and people will get excited.

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I feel like an idiot for having begun my weblog via blogger. I just didn't think. Blogger's served me well, but it's time to move on. My vision for this website is much bigger than my measley little personal journal. It is my goal by the end of April to completely re-design my site and transfer to Movable Type. The thought of this terrifies me. How in the world am I going to convert 4 months' worth of posts? Anyone with insight on how to do this, please let me know. I would like to make it out of this transition without needing therapy for my trauma.

I've also got another blog/website in the works with some other folks that I'm very excited about launching. We're shooting for mid-Spring so be on the lookout for that too.

I am also announcing that I am hereby kicking my lame sister off the writing team. Her little "one-post-back-in-January" self can get lost. I still love her, and hopefully once she graduates in June, she will have more time to be a worthwhile contributer. She's very smart that girl. I'm sure others would like to hear, err..read, her insight. Until then, she's banned.

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Now isn't this interesting? I received this from a reader among others
in response to that last post:
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:56:46 -0800
From: Patrick
To: ambra@nykola.com
Subject: amazing
When I started to read this I got the stereotypical "knee jerk" liberal
reaction being the hard core democrat that I am and became angry until
I kept reading and realized that this was so "spot on" it was scary. I
too am so sick of the fact that all we do is talk in this country
without ever really doing anything. We whine, b**** and moan on TV, in
letters to newspapers & magazines and on our blogs because it is so
much easier than actually doing anything while people from other
countries, as you stated, come here and work their a**s off to attain
as much success as they can. Unfortunately since we have it so good we
are spoiled and that is never good for one's character and/or work
ethic.
Thanks,
Patrick
--------

Posted in Blogging, Culture, Politics | Permanent Link

 

This is a post I wrote that was published on another blogger's site (apparently he liked it, even though it was directed towards him) I won't link to the site as I can't endorse the content. Anyway, it was a response to a rant he wrote on Freedom of Speech, the Clear Channel/Howard Stern Controversy, and how much he hates President Bush and his whole administration. I was not impressed:

[I wrote:]

Cry me a river. Conservative morality is being shoved down peoples throats? Hardly compares to the Liberal agenda shoved down most peoples' throats when they turn on most major television networks, go to public school, or try to watch a movie.

The point is, LOTS of stuff is being shoved down people's throats from all different directions. No single political party is wielding the sword here. You better believe that Democrats are strategic if not more so at getting their message across in convoluted ways. Political parties are just evil. All 100 of them. No good can come from "group think". [Note: when they're thinking the wrong things!]

Stop all the whining and just be thankful you can actually make a choice politically. There's always someone worse off than you. It's easier for us to feel better about our own lack of productivity by blaming everything on the big bad government. Americans make me sick. Myself included. (Yes that's right, I make myself sick). We're so lazy, but we can somehow manage to post on our blogs how much we hate the government [in his case, it was the Bush Administation] or how disenfranchised we are. Meanwhile, the average immigrant can come here and make twice as much money as we do, own 6 businesses, and manage to raise their kids to replicate the process. Why? Because they recognize that authority is authority and they can whine and moan but it's not going to change their situation. They actually DO something in spite of the government. So I say, we're full of excuses and I think it's a load of crap. People need to step outside of themselves. How does what we do as individuals impact the same issues we complain about. In spite of our problems, we're freakin' blessed to live in a country like America and that shouldn't be forgotten. Whoever catches that revelation will be the most successful in life. Period.

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I often struggle with the content of my site. I bounce around from politics to social commentary, to Biblical doctrine, to fashion. I can be deep when I feel like it, and I can be shallow too. I know this bothers people. When I listed my site under Blogs4God, I placed it under journals because I am in no way a political pundit, nor an excellent writer. I'm me, so the content of my site comes directly out of my brain and is more a testimony to the type of personality I have. Teaching is a gift I have from God, so that gets wrapped into all that I do. If my words ever come off "preachy", that's why. Most of all, I think to view things with "God-colored glasses" aka Biblical worldview. I believe God is in everything.

Readers find my site in a number of ways. They clicked a link from another site; I personally told them about it; they found it on a blog listing; or they did some strange search on google.com for "banana republic poncho" and bam, they landed here. Well, however you got here, I hope there is something that speaks to you and your life. God Bless You!

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