March's Theme: The Greener Side

Is the greener side always better? Eh, there are diverse opinions discussed in the articles in this past month, and we more or less agreed on some ideas. But hey, going green is always good...I think.

And without further green discussion, here's the summary:

colors in the dark: karma police - Fourth in the Colors in the Dark series, about what else but green, of course.
A tendency to expect a favorable outcome or to dwell on hopeful aspects. - The pessimists and the optimists...which are you?
question: - A random post to wonder why no A.M. has posted anything. Yes, indeed.
Pink's on Us - Are teachers really deserving of the wicked pink slip?
Poster of a Girl - Is being special and original truly important?...
One in Millions. - Feeling "one in a million" makes it all the better.
Politically-Challenged - If you think Condoleeza Rice is a side-dish...don't worry, you're not alone.
A.M. Votes for EARTH HOUR 2009 - Being 'lights out' for an hour is nothing, compared to what we can change.
Cash Cow - Oh, the grandeurs of $$$. But oh, the evils.

So how's that for a month of green, green...and more green? You'll be puking out gree--I mean, you'll be thinking of green in a brand new way after reading March's articles...*heh*.

Next month (April's) theme: Breaks and Bids.

-the clam.

One in Millions.

What would be feel like to be one of those blades of grass among billions and trillions of others?
I would think we can relate, seeing how we're sort of one person, one in billions. You dont know everybody, all of those nice people that could be great friends that you'll never meet.
One dollar bill in a stack of a million...There wouldn't be much significance, would there?

Then how come that one dollar bill will someday be used?
And why did your loved ones pick you, if there are billions of others to choose from?
It shows that you're somehow special, even if it's to a few people, and not everyone.
The greener side of the lawn is indeed the brighter side.

I don't really know where I'm going with this...
Perhaps I'm trying to show you that there really is a "greener", brighter side to everything.
Or maybe, that everybody and everything is special, in its own way, to its own people.

Green may be a favorite color to lots and lots of people ;D
But there are these other colors to choose from. And everybody else likes all the other colors. But what is it about one color (one person) that draws others (or, doesnt, for that matter) to them?
And the answer, ladies and gentlemen, is a different one for everybody.
And maybe that answer isn't really important to those who don't like a certain thing, whatever it is. But that answer might mean a great deal to those who do like it, whatever "it" is.

Don't worry, you're important.
-my.great.ESCAPE.

Pink's on Us

(thanks to careerhubblog.com for the image!)

Green is always good news, it seems. When stocks are up, it’s green. Money is always deliciously green…at least, in the USA. Veggies, which are good for you, are green. Going green saves our Earth. Green lets you pass the intersection. Green means “CORRECT”. Green saves you from getting pinched to death. And all except for the green-eyed monster, of course :P.

Why, WHY do they have to let teachers suffer though? Schools all across California (and across the entire nation, probably) are having teachers laid off. Evil conniving pink slips. All because of budget cuts. Just so those government folks know--without education, there wouldn’t be a federal government.

They don’t even care about whether the teacher(s) are good or bad. They hand out pink slips as if they were free flyers. Only, it’s mandatory. “Take one…TAKE ONE, and DEAL with it!!” I’m sure schools don’t want to do this, and I understand that. They have no other choice. But there should be some other ways to manage the budget cuts and not have to make thousands of teachers jobless.

It just so happens that teaching is one of the lowest-paying jobs there are. If only they were paid a bit more, they could come up with a strategy like this one. Lowering the higher paid employee’s salaries so that it’s possible to keep from laying off as many employees as possible. It doesn’t hurt to have a CEO has great as that guy, either. If only all CEOs could be Caring Empathetic Officers.

In addition to teachers being cut, many classes and extracurricular activities are also being eliminated. Honors and AP classes may not be able to hold up, and schools are threatening to cut them completely unless the classes have 36 or more students enrolled (which is a very packed class as is). Students approaching high school in the near future will not be able to have their education to the fullest, and that’s terrible. Soon, they won’t be able to participate in an activity that they may really want to do. Also, teachers who only have one credential in a certain subject are at a very high risk of losing their jobs completely. What have we come to?!

*Pink Slip Friday* Show your support.

Oh, and put your money where your mouth is. :$

-the clam.

A tendency to expect a favorable outcome or to dwell on hopeful aspects.

"Pessimists are either right or pleasantly surprised." A phrase full of lots of meaning, in many different perspectives. Pessimism is the new black- it's what everyone is these days. I ask my friend why he's so pessimistic and he says he isn't, he's just being realistic. So does that mean that pessimists are the new realists? In my own humble opinion I think it means that the reality of everything is just a sad, disappointing one. It means that in "the current economic recession"- in this "time of crisis"- we are all unable to see past now and look at the future and look at the dreams we all once had... right?

For me, I believe that people influence others most. It's a fact of life. I mean look at religion, god is in all of us- he influences us. He tells us in our hearts what is right or wrong. Our best friends tell us that he/she isn't right for us- we dump them. They help us move on. Yet in many other ways society has lead to a generation of teenagers who don't have the self confidence to do what they can with the potential that they don't know they have. The normal thing to hear nowadays is "I don't think so" or "maybe, but I'm not sure". There aren't as many sure-thing yes and no's. In fact, I've never gone a day without a single ounce of doubt.

It's a sad reality, but the truth of the matter is that a lot of people are not as optimistic as they used to be. Optimism for them is "I'll get seven hours of sleep" instead of "I am going to march up to that boy grab him by the back of his neck and kiss him like he's never been kissed before". I don't think the former is quite as exciting as the latter. People nowadays seem unable to look for the silver lining. People nowadays say "I'm going to die- I'm not going to live after this" for simple things (I should know, I do this), instead of saying "I'll try my best and even if I don't do well at least I tried".

So the lesson today that I'm trying to tell you at 11:04 PM on a school night is a simple one. Everyone today is so caught up in putting themselves down that one day they won't be able to come back up. We have to learn to see through an optimistic point of view if we ever want to cherish the reality of situations. For, although you may be pleasantly surprised, I think that earning "it" after lots of "I knew I could do it" pays off a lot more.


Optimistically yours,
karma police

p.s. I'm sleepy...

colors in the dark: karma police

To choose any one color is difficult, but to describe them all is impossible. Due to my heavy procrastination and the fact that I already know next month's theme, I guess I'll have to do the color green. (that rhymed, holy heck!) If you guys have been wondering where I've been and whether or not I'll be back, please don't worry- I'm not dead! I'm only barely surviving (I'm kidding, really I am).

So... Green. When I think green it ranges from envy to recycling. But mostly, I think of the feeling of grass in the summer. That phrase "The grass is always greener" comes into my head, and also the image of green slime falling over people's head- but I don't think that really helps in educating a blind person's inability to see the color green. So let's start off with.. the basics? I'll just ramble and whatnot.

Blue and yellow make green, so you can picture that the sun and the sky make green, which is the grass. The oxygen you breathe and the sunlight you feel, that put together creates the soft grass you walk on. Picture that. The different hues of green range from the different kinds of grass, in aspect. Some is drier than others, some is much more lush and soft. It's all preference, but I prefer my grass not to be wet because I'd love to just lay in it. Sometimes green is muddier colored, that is when the grass is wet with rain and the mud kind of seeps through and when you walk in the grass you slip a little. I guess that's what green is, in aspects.

Green also reminds you of saltwater, which in many ways also relates to blue. Blue and green usually go hand in hand, that's why the ocean always has blue and green hues that make it ocean colored. When you're in the ocean just know you're swimming in blue and green. At night time, the yellow comes back into play when the stars come out. Stars aren't really yellow, but picture them to be- yellow twinkles in the sky. Little pieces of the sun that attempt to warm your face, but usually can't.

At this point if you're by the beach and all of this is happening, you should search for a patch of grass to sit on. That grass will be cool and soft and basically, that's dark green. Dark green is quite soothing. It's much more peaceful and at the same time quite brooding. Just don't fall asleep, because I think that's a dangerous thing to do....

So, what is green? Green is blue and yellow- the sky and the sun. Green is grass. I think that's why it's all go green nowadays- protect the grass?

I forgot how to end these things properly,

Karma Police

p.s. for the mushy hearted

Colors in the Dark: my.great.ESCAPE.

Okay, while we were coming up with this 'color' theme post, I thought to myself, almost all the colors of this world are beautiful. Why should I have to choose one?

Red. A bright red reminds me of the embarassment I felt when I got hit in the face by a tennis ball. That's the bad part.
Maroon. A darker red, like maroon, is more appealing. It's the color of warmth and cheerfulness in the air, sort of like around the holiday season...
Orange. Orange is like, a person who you dont quite like, but dont quite not like. An acquaintance, you could say? It's the taste of tangy sweetness, like citrus (hah), where something's sort of sweet, but sort of sour...and you just cant quite decide. Orange is also the color of victory, the feeling you get when you win:]
Yellow. Yellow's not my favorite color (at all). It's because it can be too bright (not that a blind person would know what "bright" looked like). But it's something you can't stare at, something you must look away from. Yellow could be describing a person who is very vibrant and positive, all the freakin time.
Green. Green is a sigh of relief. Getting something off your chest, a sh!tload of work or some guilt you've been putting off. To feel free...of everything.
Dark Green. Dark green describes a mysterious person. Someone who wears a mask and doesnt talk about their feelings much. Dark green is a very lonely person that needs to be needed.
Dark Blue. You probably dont know where I'm getting this, but to me, dark blue is the feeling of falling head over heals for a special person. Having butterflies in your stomach and your face lighting up. Dark blue is the feeling of coming home after the most wonderful night out, and feeling just infinite.
Purple. If you have a great friend that you've known and can always talk to, then you know what purple looks like. A beautiful friend that is there for you to love you, to make you laugh, to be there when you cry, and for you to do the same in return. That's purple.
Light Pink. Pink is the sweeeet taste of cotton candy (or any type of candy, really) that just lingers in your mouth.
White. White is the feeling of emptyness and the color of something new.
Gray. Gray is doing the same old thing, but never getting bored of it.
Black. Black is the color of forever: far and wide, never ending.

What color would you describe yourself?
-my.great.ESCAPE.

"They're after me lucky charms!"

"Where's me pot o' gold?"

Truth is, there was never a pot of gold to begin with.

The myth of the leprechaun has dated back centuries, the first being recorded c. 1900. Those mischievous green men have sprinkled their Lucky Charms throughout history, past and present. Even today, people are still lurking around to find that rare (and most truly, non-existent) faeries. Yes, leprechauns are faeries.

Are they wealthy? You bet. Why else would people be so desperate to find a leprechaun? Countless stories and tales have recounted the greed of mankind, kidnapping the impossible leprechauns to enhance their own wealth. Binding them up, taping their mouths, and locking them up in cellars—all have been tried. But in the end, the leprechaun's wit and cleverness manages to prevail.

Rarely are leprechauns portrayed as a child, or a young being (except for Lucky the Leprechaun...dang, I want cereal now). Whenever you see a leprechaun being portrayed (let it be a play, a TV show, etc.), it's always an old man. I myself don't even know why.

"OW! Why'd you do that for? I'm wearing green...I think."

That's the usual reaction from folks that neglect the number one rule on St. Patrick's Day: wear green. Everyone knows this, at least, the people who have had been pinched before for not wearing green. For those who have not yet known this, I feel bad for that awful bruise you have there.

YAY for March's theme: Stereotypes and Living (hey, did you notice that new feature?). Why? Because yet again, leprechauns are a general stereotype for Irish people and culture. You might not know it, but Irish folks take great offense when leprechauns are used to depict an Irishmen's living. The image of a leprechaun evokes "greed, money, and wit", and the Irish believe that this hurts Ireland's rich culture. So don't you go prancing around asking Irish people where the leprechaun is (we all know it's at the end of the rainbow...right?). No, seriously. Don't.

Anyhow, Happy St. Patrick's Day. Remember to wear green on the 17th...or feel the pain of the pinch. Hah, pain of the pinch...I crack myself up...'kay, that was entirely cheesy.

-the clam.

P.S. Look out for the special St. Patrick's Day celebration Acquired Minds banner (to be posted tomorrow). ;).