The State of the Union

This year's state of the union address came with much anticipation, wondering where the president would guide the country, and how he would approach conveying quite literally the state of the union.  Our country is dealing with huge problems right now, and we rightly so look to our president to help us understand how we will get out of this.  After watching the state of the union and reflecting upon it now, I am reminded of an article I read the next morning, describing the president as in a state of denial.  I almost would not understand how one could not seek such a thought after some of the statements he made Tuesday evening e.g. his statement regarding less government intervention in education programs, but more power to the states, which of course is a government in itself that controls much of education within the state to begin with.  The president is a rock in a hard place, what do you tell a nation of people who are waiting on your every word to solve everything, but the solution is so complex and perhaps not even understood yet, that it would be nearly impossible to discuss in approximately an hour.  Of course, I should state that it might also be difficult to disagree with many of the things the president did say, as most of what he said about the disagreements in Washington and the situations faced today do need to be converged upon and addressed accordingly.  Yet we can question his approach.  How much of this is actually possible?  It could be seen in many ways as the opening to his campaign, setting the standard for what he will use as his platform for the next 10 months.

My parents are small business owners that work almost exclusively with the military and government, priding themselves in being made in the USA, with stickers placed on every shipment that leaves the building.  They also make every effort to ensure that every piece they use to build a control box, or wiring harness that will go on a humvee or submarine for our military, is a product of the USA as well.  His proposition of giving tax breaks to those who keep their work within the United States sounds excellent; I think it is something that needs to be done.  Right now is the time especially since our workers are some of the hardest working people in the world right now, and their productive abilities should be seized as such.  Though I am optimistic of such propositions, it is hard to believe in his words or know that it will actually occur, because of the deep fissures that exist between legislators today.

Another important note to address as a college student I would enjoy his proposition for what universities should do in effort to receive funding, but I seriously question the substantiate of such statements.  It is difficult to guarantee such things in this economy, and is hard to believe when not only my own university is raising their intuition again, but also the state universities across CT are increasing tuition as well for reasons that are never explicitly clear.

Of course, fun will be poked at the politics that occur even at the one event, who laughs, who claps, who sits and who stands.  If the president opens with his strongest point or ends with his weakest, but there is a bigger issue to be heard.  Where is the state of our union truly headed?  We are in a very poor place right now and I use the poor because I do not know how else to describe the situation other than being nearly devoid of hope or surrounded by such poor societies, communities and people.  We are plunging further into it and I am scared when my parents speak of being worried about the future of their grandchildren who have not been born yet.  It is very difficult to agree on everything that needs to be done, but personal feelings need to be put aside and it just needs to be done.  I wonder when we will see it, if it is 4 or 20 years from now, and perhaps it is the unknown that is most intimidating.  Overall, the state of the union is always an important assessment as citizens of our country, though it is questionable about how much it tells us about the state of the union, rather than question that it may just be what a presidential candidate plans to use as his platform for the duration of his campaign.

Kittens, inspired by Kittens!

I am sure many of you have already seen this, but I just find it so funny and figured I would share it for those who haven't!

The Daily Show with John Stewart clip

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-january-25-2012/state-of-the-union-2012---hopin--mic-night?xrs=share_copy

- The site will not let me embed the video into the blog but I provided the link that brings you right to the video- Sorry for the inconvenience :)
     


Ever since highschool I have watched The Daily Show with John Stewart, it is definitely a guaranteed laugh.  Along with The Colbert Report it gives me a funnier persepective of the often seriousness of politics and news that we can watch every evening.  I generally try to watch clips from the previous nights episodes if I am unable to catch it that night and am usually laughing out loud at the things he comes up with and says.  Id love to know if anyone else finds his work humorous and just a lighter way to analyze what is happening around us.  In this case I have posted a scene from his show about the reactions of those at the State of the Union address.  He provides a humorous outlook on the events of the night and it is definitely a good laugh!

Assignment 1.3

I have a wide array of interests, from reading the news and keeping up to date on politics, to reading about fashion, watching sports, and reading advice columns, and the blogs I like to follow reflect that wide array of interest. I have followed tumblrs before this class, and thus one of my favorite blogs to follow is of that origin. I also have been guided by my future profession in the blogs I choose to follow, as well as my high level of interest in the science field, thus many of the blogs I have found interesting to read and follow involve some aspect of science or research. As I said earlier, I also am intrigued by politics, and with it being an election year there is quite a bit of excitement and blogging regarding the moves of every politician, as well as the motives of the party. This election specifically seems to be very interesting regarding the different methods being used by the candidates, as well as the candidates that are causing a stir in the field. I find it interesting and it is important to me to assess an issue from both sides of the spectrum before deciding my own stance.

A blogs success seem to be very dependent upon the preference of the individual reading the blog. It think that in many cases, blogs do not require a tight focus; rather they may concern a wider array of interests, yet still have a powerful impact upon the audience they are addressing. I have not decided what the precise focus of my blog will be, but it is important to me that I can address a wide audience, and perhaps inspires others to develop their own opinion on an issue they may not have thought concerned them. Encouraging others to share their thoughts is important and can help make a blog better, causing the discussion to go deeper can create a better understanding for all and a more rounded opinion that one can stand upon and defend themselves when challenged. That may in fact be my goal throughout this course and blog, to define my stance and know that I can stand up and defend myself, but also appreciate others ideas as well through a discussion of the issues that may be brought up.

I am excited to see where my blog brings me, what I will eventually learn from it from areas that I am unfamiliar with yet my classmates are passionate about. As well as acclimating myself with those that have discovered the power of words and understand how they achieved their success through such.

Some of the blogs I have found interesting so far are:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

Professor Stiltner just recently posted this site, but my interest is high in it as it covers many different areas of politics.  The site concerns itself with the current race and discusses up-to-date information addressing many issues that are currently being delegated by politicians and items pertaining to those areas.

http://www.sciencenews.org/
Being a Nursing major I am very interested in new discoveries and advancements being made in the science field, and understanding how that may affect my own future.  This site has many blogs and articles that are concerned with both developing and new advancements being made following some throughout the course of their experimenting.  This site may intrigue even those who are not as interested in science as I am as it often has new advancements regarding our own lives that may intrigue one to learn more, or even just surprise you!

http://taylormadetodream.tumblr.com/
This is my best friends tumblr that I follow regularly.  She utilizes pictures and words to convey both silly and powerful messages that help keep life fun and manageable.  She regularly inspires me to be the best I can and pushes me to be better than I am now.  Without her I do not know where I would be, and I think her blog can inspire others to see the best in people or make their goals and dreams seem more achievable through hard work and dedication.

Assignment 1.2: Lions for Lambs thoughts and reflections

Lions for Lambs brings together the many perspectives of a very complicated situation into one focus.  I have found that as we examine the intricacies of the relationship between war and politics and subsequently our relationship within such topics we do often get lost as the student in the professor’s office does.  Though many of us have personal connections, with dear friends fighting in Afghanistan currently, many of us also feel this disconnect daily in understanding the magnitude of these situations and the roles they play within our own individual lives.  The film brings a reality about, the fuel that the media gives politicians and the government to feed information, and the role they play in how we react or feel about the situation as well.  We can think back to the Vietnam War, which was the first war that was broadcast on television.  Before that, much of our nation had a pride in our troops that we were fighting a war that we believed was always necessary because we personally did not see people dying and reporters openly questioning the point of the war.  In recent years, between the tragic events of September 11 forcing the war on terror and the invasion of Iraq we have seen this exact situation occur.  We have felt the media amp us up and make us feel as if the war is necessary and right and then gradually taking on a complete reversal, condemning the war and making us question what the purpose of it is all over again.  This whirlwind often leaves us feeling confused individually in how we should approach the war, or those involved.  This matched with the true power of the media often becomes a determining factor in swaying us one direction or the other. It becomes very frustrating, I find, for the individual to decide which path to choose, thus directing me to the relationship that the reporter, Janine Roth has with the senator within the movie.  Propaganda is key in so many situations in like this, and truly gives words existential power.

                Further, I think there becomes a cloudy area.  Often individuals forget in translation that no matter what we must support those that defend us.  We may not agree with what we are fighting, but the pride should always be there, the support must always exist.  Once again referencing the Vietnam War, when soldiers came home they were ignored and spit on basically, given absolutely no respect.  Many of these soldiers did not even voluntarily join the war.  Rather they were drafted defending the freedom we have today, fulfilling their duty as a citizen of our country.  Even further we should have the most respect for the soldiers today, as there is no draft and these men and women voluntarily enter the military to ensure that the draft does not occur again, and that we are not threatened or our nationhood breached as it was on that day in September 11 years ago now.  I think the film reiterates the ideas that we are a generally misinformed nation about the path we are taking.  Most Americans are satisfied with what the media feeds us and are not interested in exploring further or developing our own opinions on the issues.  This is easily seen daily in every aspect of our lives, not necessarily on purpose, but truly because the life we live for most of us are healthy and safe.  We forget that within our own nation we are fighting these issues because we are sheltered by our communities.  Most of us have not had to defend our property with a gun against intruders to our borders because we go there instead.  These barriers cause many of us to lead our lives blindly, rather than attempting to solve the issue, we are satisfied with life as it is and do not want to disturb that balance or peace that has been discovered.  I am not saying I am innocent, because I do this daily in my own life.  I often can find myself saying that I truly want to get involved in a cause and make a difference.  Though sometimes I am able to make that wish a reality, most of the time I am swept up in the work that I have and move past the emotional encounter I had and continue to live my life the way I had.  This film brought many of these thoughts to me through underlying themes that I think were meant to have a powerful effect on the actual reality of the lives we live.   Lions for Lambs made me question my own personal stance, rather than what other say or essentially tell me to believe.  We must see our future and understand the role we play, rather than succumb to just becoming another follower that simply goes with the flow.  We must attempt to make a difference, and be the difference.