rhetorikalanswer

i’d rather travel light

Posted on February 27th, 2007 by Carlie.
Categories: omni.

i never thought that as i got older i’d pick up this emotional baggage people are always talking about. i assumed i’d keep the carefree naivete and endless pool of hope and optimism i drew from before. though i realize, that it wouldn’t make much sense to go through life without adjusting your strategy and outlook on life based on your experiences.

as i enter similar situations and realize i’m not making the same blissfully carefree and optimistic choices i was before, i can’t help but feel a bit tainted and saddened by this new fear that precedes my decision-making instead of idealistic romanticism. does this mean im actually starting to grow up? or just that i’m allowing previous negative experiences make me wary of new ones?

how does one know when its just fear and the natural instinct to prevent being hurt again causing a second-guess or if its knowlege from a lesson learned keeping you from making a second mistake?

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Things That Make You Go Hmmm..

Posted on January 12th, 2007 by Carlie.
Categories: omni.

I use inconceivably complex technology on a daily basis, so its not surprising that I find the simple things most amazing.  One of these things that my mind tends to gravitate toward and contemplate is how the painstaking process of creation is seemingly easily reversed.



It takes the effort of many men and many hours to put up a building but only one man with a crane or bomb to knock it down.  The effort of a couple and a nine month developing process to bring a baby into the world but a loaded gun could snuff out that life in seconds.  Everything, living or not, can be plugged into this example where much more energy and time is needed to create than to destroy it.



Nature has its own way of keeping the world balanced however this seems not to be a balanced process. What could be making destruction so much more effortless than creation?   



The answer is technology.  One might then conclude that technological advances are throwing the natural balance in the process of entropy off, but this is not so.  The energy expended to create any given thing is indeed equal to that needed to destroy it though it is man-made machines expending most of the energy instead of the man making it require less energy from the person executing the destruction, but using an equal amount of energy overall.



Consider, the use of ‘create’ and ‘destroy’ are used here very liberally given that nothing is ever truly created or destroyed, but merely changed from one form to another. though it must be noted that one aspect of this process science does not account  for is the loss when something once sentient is rendered lifeless. (more thoughts on that later)



so overall, technology has not tipped natures scales but has made it easier for man to bring about change to the forms around him. This ease allows us to act upon flippant decisions. Would we destroy our resources so thoughtlessly if we fully comprehended the energy it took to create them? If we had to use our bare hands to kill each other would half as much violence end in fatality?



Our technology is not breaking natures laws but allowing us to live in ignorance of them.

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The Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything.

Posted on September 19th, 2006 by Carlie.
Categories: omni.

i think i’ve come up with the key to a happy, rewarding life. balance. thats it. relax as much as you work, save as much as you spend, love yourself as much as you love others, listen as much as you talk, learn as much as you teach, expend as many calories as you eat. after all, the number 42 is a perfectly even and balanced number so i must be right. (i cant resiste a hitchhikers guide reference)

in other news, i’ve got some great interesting new (to me and probably you) artists to suggest for you all.

Band of Horses

Rock Kills Kid

The Kooks

Thom Yorke

Tapes n’ Tapes

Chin Up Chin up

Carla Bruni

She Wants Revenge

The Boy Least Likely To

And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead

Gym Class Heroes

most of those websites are worth checking out if not for the music, than for the interesting web design. leave it to wierd musicians to have cool cracked-out websites. and i mean cracked-out in the best way of course.
enjoy

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2 comments.

Coming Soon..

Posted on September 7th, 2006 by Carlie.
Categories: omni.

So, thanks to Flock’s pretty sweet feature where you can import just about any rss article you’re reading directly into a blog entry, i think i’ll start an article of the week..or month. or pretty much whenever i find something interesting. just look forward to some engaging news clips. (so you guys can start leaving more comments, hint hint)

File Under: Won’t Be Mentioned On 09/11/06

Here’s a not-so-fun fact: The number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan has already surpassed the death toll of 9/11.

On Sunday — while Americans (and this site) enjoyed a long weekend of drinking booze and grilling meats — the “War on Terror” military toll reached 2,974 and then kept right on going. In three separate attacks across Iraq, six U.S. soldiers were shot dead or blown up. A seventh soldier suffered a “non hostile” death.

The official death toll of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks was 2,973.

More strange and terrible factoids after the jump.

Only two weeks ago, there was nervous speculation that America’s losses in Iraq and Afghanistan would surpass the iconic 9/11 death toll on September 11.

This would’ve been one of those “Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy, and Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln” ironies, but in this case nearly 6,000 people died horrible, violent deaths — not to mention the 50,000 or so Iraqis and Afghans who had the misfortune of living in democracy’s path.

But U.S. troops were killed at a faster pace than expected, which spared the White House and Congress from an uncomfortable irony spoiling next week’s patriotic Death Day celebrations.

There are 145,000 U.S. troops in Iraq today. 145,000! And this month, the Iraq War has officially lasted longer than America’s war against the Nazis.

The war in Afghanistan has now dragged on longer than the American Civil War, the Korean War, the War of 1812, the Spanish-American war and America’s involvement in World War I and World War II.

Domestically, the death toll from 9/11 and Katrina surpasses that of any attack in American history and any natural disaster except for the Galveston hurricane of 1900!

U.S. deaths in Iraq, war on terror surpass 9/11 toll [CNN]

American deaths in Iraq, Afghan wars approach 9/11 toll [Hearst Newspapers]

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Rain, Rain, Go Away

Posted on September 5th, 2006 by Carlie.
Categories: omni.

“It’s better to burn the Flag and uphold the Constitution, than to hold up the Flag and burn the Constitution.”

i just read this line here and thought it was worth posting on my own blog.

its a pretty dull and dreary day (how do you like that alliteration) and it’s making me sleepy even though i went to bed early and didnt have to work till 10:30. soon fall will be setting in and as much as i love fall, i’m definitely going to miss the cheerfully sunny days of summer.

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why can’t we all just get along?

Posted on August 31st, 2006 by Carlie.
Categories: omni.

i dont understand what makes our those in the american military think that torturing prisoners of war is a good idea when our entire campaign against the “islamic fascism” focuses on their cruelty and extremism. it also doesn’t help that the president uses his own religious beliefs to rationalize the war and prevent civil rights and freedoms.

also, i dont know when to use single quotes or double quotes. if someone could explain the subtle difference to me that would be great.

i’m boycotting capital letters because my left shift is broken. not that i ever liked capital letters much anyway.

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My Summer of Love ‘06

Posted on August 9th, 2006 by Carlie.
Categories: omni.

summer is quickly coming to an end and an entry about what i’ve been up to is long overdue. i’ve been pretty busy and kind of had writers block but you’ll be handsomely rewarded with a ton of stuff to read for your dedication through the silence my dear readers.

a lot of once in a lifetime awesome stuff happened in the last few months so i think i can safely classify this as the best summer of my life so far. also, next week my aunt is getting married and wedding bells = huge family reunion = lots of fun.

alright, onto the list of summer greatness.  

one of the coolest things about this summer was that i had the oppurtunity to become very close with some new people and new friends are always exhilerating..fresh perspective, the giggling, new friend smell, you get the point. but i also roconnected with old friends from high school that i had lost touch with. crazy how situations change but people really are exactly the same as you remember. now sounds like a good time to quote the only thing i remember from girlscouts, the friend song!

“make new friends but keep the old, one is silver but the other gold” moving on..

another highpoint is that i finally have an adult-like relationship with my parents. perhaps i clung to my teenage rebellion attitude a few years too long but i’m getting better, really. Its amazing what actual communication can do for you. both of us being a bit older has really helped my relationship with my brother as well. now he’s all graduated and has calmed down as much as he ever will and im less of a jerk i think. i hope.

next is the fact that i turned 21! it was the best birthday i could have asked for and now there is nothing i cant do! muahahahhahahah

not only am i now legal to drink, but i can legally transport myself to the liquor store. thats right, i’m a licensed driver again. Don’t get the wrong idea about my having both of these privledges mentioned in the same paragraph. drunk driving is bad bad bad.

however, what good is a licence without a vehicle? no good indeed. it was with that logic that i bought Elmo, aka my red 1990 plymouth minivan. Elmo is pimp.

The cherry on top of that delicious summer sundae of events was the 4 day music/arts festival i went to in beautiful manchester, tennessee the weekend of my birthday. bonnaroo is the kind of festival where everyone camps out in tents, doesnt shower and eats trail mix for 4 days. fantastic. this years line up included radiohead, beck, mike doughty, atmosphere, clap your hands say yeah, devendra banhart, dresden dolls..the list goes on and on. it was if someone had creatred a festival from my favorite bands. each and every one i saw was truly phenomenal.  tennessee is a gorgeous state so the drive there and back included some really breath-taking scenery and some crazy southern characters at the gas stations as well. one gas station/store featured a suveillance camera and a sign that read “this area is under surveillance” over the hook and bait section, which i found hilarious.  once inside the bonnaroo grounds it was like a different country all together and had an atmosphere like i’ve never experienced. the word utopian comes to mind. there was an absolutely beautiful and refreshing attitude of live and let live. no one showered or cared how expensive your clothes were. 80,000 people left their possesions protected only by the zippers and vinyl of thier tent without a second thought. there was such a feeling of peace and unity created by the shared experience and a love of good music. after the festival, coming home was a sad leap back into the reality that the rest of the world isnt more like that but i think if we tried, it could be. if we truly respected eachother and stopped caring so much about our differences of opinion, origin, religion…did i mention the festival was filled with token hippies? it may have rubbed off. the elation in having seen so many of the musicians i adore has not worn off either. oh live music, how you touch me.

 love and be loved, live and let live.

*updated echo section*

1 comment.

Tassles and Hassles

Posted on June 14th, 2006 by Carlie.
Categories: omni.

its hard to think of my little brother as a high school graduate already but there he was, in his cap and gown recieving his diploma. man how time flies. he’s been such and awesome friend and brother, especially in the past year. its kind of a shame that we didnt get along as well before but I suppose most brothers and sisters are like that though, not really getting along till you’ve all grown up a bit. There’s a pic of us right after he graduated in the images section. have a look see.

in other news, the pennsylvania department of transportation sucks. truly. they’ve lost my documents, misinformed me and gave me the run around so many times in the last year. that department needs a serious overhaul and/or some employee’s that have some compassion and consideration. i am in the market for a new job; perhaps i’ll try and bring some cheer to PENNDOT. hopefull i wouldnt end up turning just as miserable and impatient as the rest of the people that work there.

Favorite song of the week: The Purple Bottle by Animal Collective (see lyrics in Echo)

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Tax Your Twinkies?

Posted on May 14th, 2006 by Carlie.
Categories: omni.

one thing that really bothers me about the economy and the food we have on the market today is that nutritionless junkfood is cheaper than healthy fresh produce. From a commerce point of view it makes sense because it costs much more to grow, ship (plus tariffs for imports) and sell fresh produce than it does to mix a bunch of processed foods and chemicals together in a factory. the problem is that the people who can’t afford the fresh foods are the people who need the nutrients from them the most.

this has been going on for centuries around the world but i think we should at least attempt to make healthy food affordable for everyone. an idea i had was to tax junk and processed food to make healthier foods more accesible to the less fortunate.

let me expose the flaws im aware of in this concept before anyone thinks im naive enough not to have seen them.

first of all, how would determine what “junkfood” is systematically? second, i dont think most people would understand or agree with the higher logic behind taxing some foods. They would see that now governement is making them pay more for the few foods they can afford. im also not thrilled about the idea of the government getting a cut of such a profitable industry. they’re skimming enough off the top as it is.

so basically this whole taxing junkfood idea is a bit like the idea of utopia or communism..sounds nice but would never actually work.

now that i’ve got that little rant off my chest, lets move on to more frivolously fun topics. (im feeling fond of alliteration at the moment)

i’ve been listening to panic! at the disco a lot lately and one thing about their lyrics that piques my curiousity is the amount of religious imagery thats used. i read in a biography that they’re from las vegas which, isnt exactly in the bible belt. personally, i really like the imagery. mixed with the cabaret elements of the music it gives the whole package a sophisticated and “old world” sort of feel that im prone to like in any medium of expression whether it be music, prose, poetry, or art. it makes me wonder though: where did the religious influence come from? and is there is a more religious side to las vegas that i’m not aware of? probably. im not aware of a lot of things.

Addendum to the above thought: the people in the bible belt probably write non-religious stuff as a response to the religious atmosphere so perhaps people in las vegas write religious stuff in response to the debauchery around them. thats my theory and im sticking to it.

My favorite song this week: The Strokes- Is this it?

me and my hiccups are taking this party elsewhere. have a wonderful day my devoted and precious few readers.

2 comments.

Government vs. Media

Posted on May 4th, 2006 by Carlie.
Categories: omni.

i read an article recently about an international poll conducted asking the question, “which do you trust more, the media or your government?” and i was a bit confused. it seems to me that often the government manipulates the media to put itself in the best light possible and tell people what they want them to hear. in contrast, the media puts its own spin on events to make them more shocking in order to sell more newspapers. so with all of the not very hidden agendas known with each how can we trust either? realistically we must trust one or we’d all be extreme conspiracy theorists and its impossible for the individual to get straight from the source information on every current event. so, after a bit of thought i came to the conclusion that the media is more trustworthy because they’re in the business to expose information when the government seems so often to be trying to keep secrets from us. the key to my trusting the media is reading multiple sources from different sides of the issues so that its easier to pick out any biased reporting and form my own opinon.

here’s the article

what do you think?

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