What matters in the long run?

It is almost humorous where my last post ended because it could tie into this blog. My first question is, what matters in the long run? In reference to my last blog, part of the point was that there seems to be little to no profit to celebrating Halloween. On the contrary, it seems if have detrimental affects in the long run. What really matters in life? Fame or wealth? Well, that tends to be the common belief, but what is the difference between a very wealthy dead man and a very poor dead man?

The book that I would save would be the Bible.

The Bible is believed by, a seemly dwindling group of people, to be the Word of God. By that, I mean, that it seems fewer and fewer people around the world proclaim that the Bible is the written Word of God. It is disappointing to think about that. The Bible is one of the oldest books the world has and I think the most valuable. Some people might claim that it is simply not true. However, history has proven the Bible to be accurate. There have been writings found which often state the same thing that a certain part of the Bible does. Evolutionists have actively tried to disprove the Bible, but they are never able to. In fact, it is interesting to think about what evolutionists believe and how they try to support it.

Evolutionists can only make their theories work by bending or completely ignoring laws of physics and science. Can you look at the trees outside during this fall, see the beauty that is painted there and simply think nothing of it? What about oceans or mountains? How could something as wonderful and amazing as the earth, and our entire solar system for that matter, explode from a speck of nothing and to arrange itself so perfectly distance-wise from the sun that it allows life to spontaneously grown from nothing? How is that the earth is perfect for human life? If you moved the earth even a few degrees out of its current orbit,it would either be to hot, or to cold for life. How can something come into being from nothing, and if evolution does happen, why hasn't it continued? Shouldn't there be a race of something better than humans at this point?

The Bible provides explanations for these questions and others. It has answers to questions of what matters in life. For example, Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

Halloween? What's the point?

Personally, I do not see the point in Halloween. Sure, kids love getting a bucket full of candy, and they like dressing up, but do they know what Halloween is about? Some of its origins are from the Pagan Celts, a group of people known to perform human sacrifices at times to please their gods. The original intent of Halloween is to dress as evil spirits, demons, or adorn grotesque masks, in order to ward off evil spirits. Would people be so inclined to celebrate Halloween if they knew about its origins? I don't know. I would say that a lot of people would not care. Some would, and might stop celebrating it, and others would probably think about it for a while and maybe not celebrate the following Halloween, but then start up again the next year.



This is rather disturbing, isn't? Why do people enjoy dressing up like this? Is it just to make a mock of death? It certainly seems like Halloween is simply used today to make a mock of death. That people create the most horrific images they can think of and then show them to as many people as they can in hopes of showing them that they are not afraid of death. Or am I just crazy?

"Maybe I like Halloween because I get to put on a costume." some may retort. Sure, but why is Halloween the only day you have available to put on a costume, seems like a meager excuse. "I do it because it's fun." Why is it fun? I think that people have a misconception of what Halloween stands for. They dress up in costumes, go out and try to get candy and do so in the name of Halloween. Well, while I'm not condemning people that hand out candy, I wonder how many people actually know what it is.

One other thing to notice is how it happens, costumes for example: What are kid's costumes like?

Innocent right? How about a ten year old? What about a teenager? Getting a little less innocent and more disgusting each year right? For girls, it gets to be more and more seductive. Guys is more and more disgusting, until finally you end up with something like this.


Pretty disgusting isn't?
Yes, I know that not every costume is like this, but the majority tend to slant in this direction after time. Is there any point to it?

What I would change about WSU

If I could change WSU, some things that I would look to modify would be the schedules for Freshmen music majors. It seems that the burden placed upon the music students shoulders is quite massive. Even in talking to some of the teachers, they agreed that the load music students carry is a heavy one. I can place faith in the fact that it is not just me being lazy then, but that the course actually is difficult. As a fellow classmate already addressed, there are weekly tests in some of the music courses, and very high standards that are expected in the area of the student's expertise.

I don't think I would change the music courses, I might however, change some of the GenEd requirements, or not. I don't really know. One thing I know I would change is the credits for the music classes. It seems like my one credit hour music classes that meet three times a week, (or more sometimes,) should count as at least two credits. There is quite a bit of work for it to be just one credit.

It is hard to make changes to a university that you've only been attending for one quarter. There is still a lot to be learned. However, from what I've experienced thus far, I would have to say that changing the way admission is done would be a nice thing to do. Speaking for myself, I did most of the registration by myself, and it was not that easy. In fact, at times when they (WSU admissions) had me running in circles to nowhere, I wanted to just tell them to forget it and that they were not going to get my money... They could definitely improve the way in which they welcome new students.

I suppose though, that I am thankful that I found this humorous article after I had been admitted. Otherwise, I might have a few bruises on my head...

Seven Weeks Of Revision

My experiences with revision thus far have been rewarding. I have located and fixed many errors, whether it be rewording a sentence for a better flow, or correcting words that have been misspelled. I believe my papers have matured greatly between the first and second drafts. That which started out as a rough draft has started to blossom into a beautiful work. It has been enjoyable to see this change and know that I am contributing to it.

I feel as though my first drafts turned out to be good starts. They have had good thoughts in them and have articulated those thoughts fairly well. It is amazing, though, how much change can be made from the first draft to the second. After seeing a finished second draft, the first one does not look nearly as good. Although, without the first draft, it would be hard to reach the development level that the second draft has.

My revisions have been working progresses and I have enjoyed seeing the progress being made. I hope though, that my second drafts will be able to "stand on their own." One thing that I have found to be difficult when revising, is finding new content to talk about. This is mainly true with the analyses as I tried to integrate more information into my analysis.

I think that revising has helped my writing. It helps me to stay aware of what I am writing and to keep me focused on the topic that I am supposed to be writing about. Revising just prevents errors and is a good way to become a more proficient writer.

A Painter's Viewpoint

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, from what I have gathered from looking at a few of his paintings is quite different. Perhaps like a Van Gogh style, eccentric and somewhat odd. I suppose though, that like most other artists, he seems strange to non-artists. Without further ado, here is his famous painting "At the Moulin Rouge". 

Apparently Mr. Lautrec had a fascination with this place as he has numerous paintings about it. He was an advertiser for this place. I would assume that he received some sort of retribution for all of his paintings for this place. He addresses anyone who is interested in visiting such an establishment. 

He has a pretty high opinion of this "At the Moulin Rouge". He values the company of the visitors as well, making sure to include them in his paintings. I wonder how many of his self portraits were of customers?

Televisions impact on society

I would agree strongly. Watching television for the most part is completely unprofitable for people. What does someone gain from watching a 1 hour comedy television show? Or a 1 hour drama? How about two or three everyday? Sure, it provides some short term entertainment, but to what benefit? Does it help their health and well-being? Yes, it has been proven that laughter is very useful action that benefits the body. Does the laughter benefit enough to compensate for the damage done? I don't think so.


So, you might be asking 'how does watching television negeatively impact you?' To which I might reply, how does watching television benefit you? But I hope to persaude you to agree with me after I share a few short thoughts with you.



Television Statistics

According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube.

How productive is it for you to watch tv? While I know that that statistic does not apply to everyone, it is a good example for supporting my case. How about instead of watching TV for 9 years, you instead worked harder at your job? Or, persued a profitable hobby which you enjoy? Where would you be? Or, what about spending time with a family member? Helping someone with a project? Those are just a few examples of how to better spend your time.


What I am getting at, is that watching TV is really a waste of time. Life is to short to waste it watching 4 hours, or EVEN 1 hour of TV a day. I don't think it's to harmful to watch a movie every now and then, but once it gets to be several hours of TV a week, it becomes to much. If you were working, for example, and making just a few hours wage each week instead of watching TV and then invested that money, where could you be finiancally?


When you are watching TV, your brain practically shuts off... it is completely unengaged when watching TV. Just some thoughts to think about. Hope you guys enjoy.

The Power of Advertising

Advertising is a very useful tool and it can be used to a variety of ways. Probably one of the most popular ways of advertising appeals to greed or lust. It is by no means an accident that every ad you see on television, or a billboard, or the internet, makes whatever possessions that you already own, seem inadequate. Or, the advertisement will tell you that you have to have something that you don't. There seems to be an ongoing downward spiral in the overall content that is used in advertising. It continues to get worse as advertisers compete to make the most sexually explicit ads.

There are, however, advertisements that aim to sell their product, or support their cause, by making an impression, or by being humorous. If an ad is hilarious for its audience, than it is more likely to be remembered. It also helps spread the message of the ad, providing that people spread funny stories to peers, which they do. Thus, after seeing a funny ad, the audience will then tell a friend.

Advertising will always be around us. In fact it seems to be spreading like wild fire. Businesses and organizations are eagerly fighting over every inch of possible advertising space available. Look at major sporting events, for example, the entire wall of a baseball field is covered with ads.

An advertisement is successful if it engages its audience. The longer the ad can keep your attention, the more successful it is. This is one of the reasons why so many advertisers use an explicit ad. Whether out of lust, greed, or curiosity, they are certain that a shocking ad will keep your attention.