3 Doors Down Video

Favorite Music

I tend to listen to almost any kind of music. Typically, it does not matter what genre of music a song is; if I like it, I'll listen to it. Most of the time I do not know the name of the artist, but I'll like the song. While I enjoy listening to pretty much anything my usual defaults are the radio station 96.3 or more modern country. I like harder rock too but that is the category that half of the time I don't know who I am listening to. I hate Christmas music--before Thanksgiving. One of my favorite bands is Nickelback because the lead singer has good vocals, and I like their style. They have the versatility to do softer and harder rock. I really like the country artists Jason Aldean and Big & Rich too. They have a country with rock flair sound.

Anthony Acevedo

The story of Anthony Acevedo is greatly related to speaking the unspeakable. After his term in the sub-camp of Buchenwald during World War II, he had to sign a document saying that he would not talk about what had happened. Basically, what happened never happened. If he said anything about it to anyone, Acevedo would be liable for disciplinary action. He obeyed his orders until recent years. Acevedo has started giving speeches about what he went through in the concentration camp. It is important that he did talk about his experiences and the atrocities of the concentration camps because it is something important in history that cannot be ignored.

Genocide in Darfur

The Sudanese government puts on a murderous campaign, trying to eliminate the African tribes in the reason. Arab militias attack whole villages at once. The victims are mutilated by removal of eyes and ears and the smashing of faces. The villages are burned to the ground. The men are castrated and left to die, and the women are gang raped leaving them ostracized from the community and often with unwanted pregnancies. The people cannot venture out of their safe-havens for fear of being attacked or shot. Those reporting on the situation in Darfur make a valient effort to speak of the horror. Speaking of genocides like this one is important because if they are kept hidden away from the rest of the world, nothing can be done to stop the causes of them. At the very least, work can be done to prevent them in the future.

After Maus

I think that the author of Maus used mice to represent the victims of the Holocaust because his father used the term playing cat and mouse to refer to the Nazis and the Jews. Mice are small creatures that can be killed in large amounts and really have no way of defending themselves. I liked the comic format of Maus because it enables you to see what the author wants you to see and gets the message across the way that the author wanted. There is almost no room for intrepretation. It is what it is.

Reading Maus reinforced my opinion of art as a way to convey a message or meaning. I feel that while art is a good medium for relaying messages to the population, it does not have the obligation to function in this manner. There are art pieces that are just for looking at. I call these doctor's office paintings--the kind that are put their to give the eye something to do. However, even these could have the purpose of stirring up the thoughts and memories of the viewer. I do not think that art has any obligations and neither do the artists that create the art. Sometimes art is created for the release of feelings and, not unlike Emily Dickinson's poems, is not made with the intention of it being seen.

Theo Jansen and Art

Theo Jansen is a painter and kinetic sculptor. He has made animal sculptures out of tubing, lemonade bottles, and plastic ties. Theo calls his creations "Animari" and they have a truly unique feature about them--they come alive in the wind. The Animari have large feathers on their back that enables them to catch the wind and makes their legs move. I think that his sculptures are really cool because they are living art. Animari can detect when they are close to water or loose sand and start moving in the opposite direction. One thing that I find fascinating about the sculptures is that they can capture and store the wind in bottles to be used later when the wind does not blow. In essence, wind is their food source.

The purpose of art ranges depending on the artist. It is used to capture images of people, places, and things, but another important significance is that art gives life to the artist's imagination. Through art, the artist can show the extensions of their imagination or how he or she sees the world. It is as if the mind is opened for all to see. It is the same freedom of expression and imagination that is seen in the writings of poets and authors. With the right flow and compositions of colors you can convey a message of feeling. The first piece of abstract art that I ever understood was painted in watercolor by my great-uncle. It has a lot of deep hued colors mostly in pinks, reds, blues, and purples, all blending together at some point in the painting. Somewhere off center are melted black figures that are almost indistinguishable. My grandfather said that this was a picture of a man and a woman dancing. Almost instantly, I had that "aha" moment about the painting and the figures. Being a dancer myself I could see that, through the use of those colors and the sort of melted composition, the painting illustrated how it feels to dance. That was what it meant to me, but someone else might see something different. That is the real purpose of art, creating an emotional response in the viewer.

Feelings about the results of the election

I find it hard to have any specific feelings about the results of the election because politics is not something that I have a very good handle on understanding. My reasoning behind who to vote for was largely based on those candidates for office that were pro-life. I do not know whose economic plan would best suit the country, and I have no ill feelings about having an African American president. I just hope that they who were chosen for the offices in government are the best people for the job. However, I am not happy about the passing of proposal 2. I contribute the passing of this proposal to a lot of advertisements that stretched the truth and played on peoples sympathies. In most of the ads in favor of this proposal conveniently left out the word "embryonic" from the term stem cell research, lumping it into the category with adult stem cell research which does not harm or cause the loss of life. Embryonic stem cell research has so far done nothing for the medical profession while adult stem cell research has led to the cure to many diseases.

Community Poem

I look outside my window
and the leaves are changing
Young children play in fallen leaves
As older children rake them
Adults have driven off
leaving their families behind to
earn a living
returning in late afternoon
Sound is blowing wind

I look outside my window
and the snow is falling
Young children slide down mounds of snow
As older children shovel it
Adults have driven to work
using great care as they travel on
snow-clad roads
returning in late afternoon
Sound is snow plows coming

I look outside my window
and the rain is falling
Young children play inside
As older children do their chores
Adults have driven to their jobs
watching for the
lightening strikes
returning in late afternoon
Sound is thunder

I look outside my window
and the sun is shining
Young children play outside
as older children watch
Adults are staying home from
work to perform their
household chores
returning to work on Monday
Sound is childish laughter

I look outside my window
and the leaves are falling
The children have moved
and made their own families
Adults have aged and
families left them to
make lives in other places
returning on the holidays
Sound is wind and rocking chairs

Restaurant Review

bd’s Mongolian Barbeque

In the suburban area of Dearborn, there is a restaurant where the menu does not restrict the customer. This restaurant is called bd's Mongolian barbeque, on Michigan Avenue, and it is here that you can create your own stir-fry thus creating your own unique dining experience. I went with a large family party to this restaurant in March of 2008. We had a reservation because of our large party, but reservations are not required. We arrived around two o'clock in the afternoon, making it the late lunch period. As soon as I entered, I could hear the sound of alternative rock music playing in the background. We were properly greeted and led to our tables by the young and upbeat staff. Even though almost all of the tables were full, they were very polite and attentive.

I composed a plate of chicken, beef, carrots, green beans, and baby corn cooked in the Mongolian barbeque sauce. When we returned to the table, our lovely waitress supplied the table with pita bread and rice for anyone that wanted them. I chose to add rice to my dish. The food was a wonderful medley of favors; they speak for themselves that they work well together. The sauce added a nice mild favor to the grilled meat and vegetables.

The only problem was when the bill came. At the restaurant, you pay per number of customers. In our large party, one person had not eaten, but we were still charged for that person. This confusion was remedied and the manager properly apologized.

This is the theme of the restaurant: choosing exactly what you want and how you want it. The customer can choose from a variety of meats, including beef and chicken, seafood, including shrimp and scallops, vegetables, including carrots, green beans, and baby corn, sauces, and spices to create their own unique plate. The sauces range anywhere from mild to spicy. The customer chooses their selection/s from the food station, and then proceeds to have their food prepared in front of them on a seven-foot grill. All of the food is fresh and of good quality, and the silverware, tables, bar, and restrooms were all clean. Most people opt to use the silverware, but there are chopsticks available for the more culturally attuned. The food is about twelve to fifteen dollars and is pay by the number of customers. You can put as much or as little on your plate as you want. You can get a doggie bag to bring home your leftovers, unless you get an unlimited plate, which is the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat buffet.

The exterior of the building is an appealing red brick, and the interior is decorated with warm golds, browns, and greys, and with wood trim around the windows. I felt that the atmosphere was very casual and fun. I would definitely eat there again because of the pleasant atmosphere and wonderful food. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys barbeque because it is a wonderful twist on the standard barbeque restaurant.