The Rambler

Horse-Race Health Care Coverage

2009-11-10T11:23:00.000-06:00

We often think of horse-race style coverage as it applies to Presidential elections. During the "heat of the battle," the media often get caught up in a style of coverage that focuses on who is ahead. First Obama is ahead in the polls, then McCain gains some ground. McCain's supporters run an attack ad, then Obama runs a counter-attack ad, then McCain makes a counter-counter speech, then Obama... you get the idea. This kind of coverage continually focuses on the back and forth conflict between candidates, and important issues are sometimes lost in the shuffle.

It seems to me that this same style of coverage is now filtering into other topics, specifically the current health care debate. The New York Times released an article today with the headline "Democrats Raise Alarms Over Costs of Health Bills." The entire article is about Democrats who are saying that the current bills in Congress don't go far enough to address out-of-control health care costs. The article is well written and well reported, but taken in context with other stories, it casts light on a particular aspect of the health care coverage.

It seems that every story coming out of major news sources casts the health care debate as a conflict between democrats and republicans. It is always "Republicans say health care is too expensive," or "Democrats say Republican's don't know what they are talking about." These are over the top, but they aren't completely out of character for the kinds of stories that have been appearing. I haven't seen nearly enough articles explaining what the public option is and how it would affect our health care choices. However, I have seen plenty of articles explaining who loves it and who hates it, and who will vote for it and who won't.

I think part of this may be due to the length of the health care debate. The debate has been going on for a while, and it is beginning to seem like an election. If it had been a quick but heated debate, or if only one health care bill had been produces, I think it would have been easier for the media to cover it thoroughly and focus mostly on the issues. However, I think that especially with a prolonged debate like we are seeing, editors and reporters need to be careful that they are focusing on the substance of the debate, and not the conflict and melodrama of it.

Fact-checking Web sites

2009-11-09T19:34:00.000-06:00

The world has a lot of noise. There are now an uncountable number of Web sites across the internet. Millions of bloggers around the world, just like me, are writing about everything under the sun. And this is added to the traditional media - newspapers, radio and television. Everyone has something to say about everything, and, thanks to modern technology, everyone now has a means to express their opinions.

So how do we, as ordinary readers, sort through the barrage of information? How do we separate fact from fiction? Enter fact-checking Web sites.

A number of watchdog and fact-checking websites have sprung up in the past few years. There is FactCheck.org, The Center for Public Integrity, and, my favorite, PolitiFact.com. A recent panel discussion at the University of Arkansas featured a managing editor of the Center for Public Integrity and the designer of PolitiFact.com. During the discussion, they mentioned the importance of online media as a government watchdog. Traditionally, we think of the media as the "fourth branch of government," an unofficial system that makes sure politicians and lawmakers are acting in the public's best interest. But, now that cable news stations seem to be trapped in a ideology battle and many newspapers are struggling and cutting the budgets of their investigative teams, no one is left to keep watch on the government except the online media.

And Web sites, especially the three mentioned above, are doing a great job of keeping the government honest. Web sites do not have the traditional space constraints of newspapers or the time constraints of television. This means that sites like PolitiFact.com can keep a running tab of politicians true and untrue statements. And it means they can devote more space to very specific issues, as the Center for Public Integrity is known for doing. And the quality of reporting can't be ignored. The three fact-checking Web sites mentioned above are all known for their excellent quality, and all earned trust from readers on both sides of the aisle.

So what is the moral of the story? The internet has created a lot of noise in the world, with bloggers and "citizen journalists" spouting whatever they want to, whether it is true or not. But, the internet has also created an excellent new medium for fact-checking and keeping the government honest.

So in the end, it all evens out. I hope.

Does Congress really do anything?

2009-11-07T20:35:00.004-06:00

An Associated Press article appeared on the New York Times website today with the headline "Citizenship for Polish Hero of American Revolution." According to the article, Obama signed a joint resolution of Congress on Friday that made Gen. Casimir Pulaski, a polish soldier who died 230 years ago in the American Resolution, an honorary citizen of the United States.

A quick search of THOMAS, a bill database created by the Library of Congress, reveals more frivolous resolutions in Congress. For example, House Resolution 397, introduced in May 2009: "Affirming the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history and expressing support for designation of the first week in May as `America's Spiritual Heritage Week' for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith." But wait, there's more! Senate Resolution 72, introduced in March: "Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding drug trafficking in Mexico." At this one involves a somewhat relevant topic. More recently, in October there were no less than two resolutions "supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month," etc.

This comes at a time when the nation is just beginning to recover from a financial crisis and Congress is debating health care reform. During all of this Congress and the President of the United States decide to stop what they are doing, even if only for a few minutes, and focus on important issues, like declaring a dead war hero a US citizen. Does Gen. Pulaski deserve honor? Probably. Does Congress need to take time out to honor him? No.

Now, I like war heroes just as much as the next guy. But this is ridiculous. All of the resolutions like this that looked at online have a lot in common. They are long lists of "Whereas," followed by a statistic or statement. At the end is a "Resolved, that the House of Representatives --" and then a statement that doesn't really do anything. Basically, these kinds of resolutions are statements of the opinion of the writer, who hopes to get his or her opinions on the national stage by taking up Congress' valuable time. So, in like manner, I humbly submit this resolution to Congress (Representatives and Senators: feel free to copy this):

H.RES. 999

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 7, 2009

RESOLUTION

Acknowledging the frivolity and uselessness of Congressional resolutions and recommending that the honorable and esteemed representatives of our nation use their time for more productive purposes.

Whereas Congressional resolutions are frivolous and a waste of the government's time;

Whereas multiple health care bills are currently in Congress and require deep thought and deliberation on the part of members of Congress; and

Whereas an enormous amount of time is being taken up writing, discussing, passing, and signing useless resolutions: Now, therefore, be it

          Resolved, that the United States House of Representatives--

                    (1) affirms the need for Congressmen to stop passing
                    frivolous and pointless resolutions; and

                    (2) acknowledges that the economic crisis and the health
                    care debate are more relevant to current congressional
                    discussion than minor revolutionary war heroes.

Cable news fight heats up, begins to resemble the wild west

2009-11-05T21:21:00.002-06:00

MSNBC, CNN, Fox News. The Big three of the cable broadcasting business. Left, middle, right. Perfect harmony, right? Well, from the way things are shaping up, it's anything but perfect harmony. The battle between the cable news networks is beginning to resemble a gunfight between Fox News and MSNBC - and CNN is stuck right in the middle of it.

First of all, CNN recently fell to fourth place among cable news prime time broadcasts. Wait, fourth place? "I thought there were only three," you say. Well, CNN's sister network, HLN (which until recently was known as CNN Headline News) beat out CNN itself. What would cause the creator of the 24/7 cable news genre to be beaten out by all of its competitors? Simply this: its competitors (speaking only of MSNBC and Fox at this point) appeal to niche markets, while CNN is trying to take the high road - and seems to be getting lost along the way.

MSNBC and Fox News are both taking the strategy of putting a spin on their news to attract viewers. Fox News has always been right-leaning (to put it mildly), and MSNBC leans toward the left (again, to put it mildly). Now, if this were all that were going on, there would probably be harmony in the cable news world. But there's more. MSNBC and Fox News anchors have been battling it out lately, hurling insults and accusation to the other station. Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News' parent organization, has even spoken out on the issue - he says MSNBC started it, and Fox News will only stop the insults when MSNBC stops.

Even Sesame Street has gotten in on the debate. That's right, the children's program on PBS. One of the characters on the show recently made a joke about "Pox News," saying, "now there's a trashy news show." The show originally aired in 2008, but when it was rerun recently, it started being circulated around the blogosphere and YouTube. The PBS ombudsman has even spoken out on the issue, condemning the joke.

So what effect does this have on political discussion? In this writer's humble opinion, it destroys any hope of intelligent conversation. It's perfectly OK to have strong opinions on a news show. But, I think they should be counterbalanced by giving the other side's point of view too. It seems to me that MSNBC and Fox should take a page from newspapers like USA Today. On USA Today's opinion page, there are two main editorials every day. One says "Our View," and the other says "Opposing View." They are always on the same topic, but one is written by USA Today editors and the other is written by a guest writer.

This kind of back and forth intelligent conversation is, to me, what the media should be all about. Editorial content is great, but give other side room to show their view too. CNN, it seems to me, is the best at doing this. That's why I'll keep watching CNN. However, Fox News seems to be winning the media battle at the moment. Is this biased media coverage model going to win out in the end? I certainly hope not.

Are off-year elections a good indicator of the President's popularity?

2009-11-04T09:10:00.003-06:00

CNN ran an interesting segment today which seemed to imply that today's off-year election results could be an indicator of Obama's popularity, and an indicator of gain or loss in Republican popularity. Even the New York Times website offered this headline for a breaking news article about the elections: "Republicans Sweep Top Races in Setback for Obama," although the story beneath the headline didn't offer any commentary on the significance of the Republicans' wins. But are they right? Are today's off-year elections indicative of changes in national public opinion?

I don't think so.

First of all, the positions up for election today were relatively insignificant on a national scale. There were two elections for U.S. House seats, one in New York and one in California. These seats were vacated when their previous holders resigned to take other jobs. There were two gubernatorial elections, one in Virginia and one in New Jersey. There were mayoral races in several major cities, the most notable being New York City. Considering there are 435 representatives in the House and 50 governors across the nation, four elections out of 485 spots don't count for much, and two congressional seats are not going to alter the Democrats' majority. And on top of all of this, we're talking about elections in only a handful of states. I don't think we can measure the entire country's opinion on the political choices of four states.

Second, I think there is a fundamental difference between how voters approach national elections and how they approach local elections. I'm speaking from personal experience now. I know when I approach an election of national importance, such as a Presidential or U.S. Congressional election, I focus more on issues and party affiliations. I look at what this person has done for issues that I care about, and I examine to what extent their positions on the issues adhere to "the party line." Then I make my decision accordingly. When it comes to local elections, such as a gubernatorial or mayoral election, my decisions are more oriented toward the personal side of things. For example, I might have met a mayoral candidate who happened to strike me as somewhat weasel-ish. So, I don't vote for him. Or, when gubernatorial candidate So-and-so was a state senator, he sponsored a bill for a road improvement project that brought jobs and better roads to my area. So, I vote for him.

I think many voters follow this same general principle, whether they consciously think about it or not. Local elections are necessarily more focused on "me." "How has this guy helped me?" "What impression did I get from that lady?" National elections, on the other hand, seem to be more focused on abstract ideas. "What does this guy believe in or care about?" "What would this lady do if she were given the power of the presidency?"

Given both of these things, I think off-year elections, which are generally about local issue and for local posts, reflect very little about what the general public is thinking about Obama or the GOP.

Health care reform: Scarier than terrorism?

2009-11-02T16:02:00.003-06:00

"We have more to fear from the potential of that bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country," said Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican congresswoman from North Carolina, in a speech on the House floor today (article here).

It seems that the Republicans are getting crazier and crazier. I don't think Rep. Foxx fully understands the situation. Has she forgotten that on September 11, 2001, almost 3,000 people were killed by terrorists? After all, it was her own party (via the Bush administration) that installed the "terror threat level" meter.

But, perhaps her sentiments are just an extension of the fear mongering that her party has been involved in for years. The "terror threat level" meter mentioned above is one example under the Bush administration. Now, our Republican representatives in Congress are trying to scare us in to rejecting health care reform that everyone agrees is needed.

As a conservative-leaning moderate, I say that this has to stop. I, for one, can't say that I completely agree with any of the current health care bills in Congress. But, if I were a member of Congress, I would do things a bit differently. Instead of trying to scare the public into believing in "death panels" that will be created by the health care bills, why don't Republicans try to become part of the process for creating and revising these health care bills? Most Republicans representatives would probably agree that health care reform is needed, but not many have been willing put up any proposals for reform.

If Republicans don't stop being the party of fear, they are looking at letting the Democrats reign in congress for a while.

Things I Want to do Before I Die: Career Edition

2009-10-13T19:23:00.002-05:00

1.) Be on the New York Times Bestseller list, even if only for one week.

2.) Write at least one full-length novel and at least one full-length non-fiction book.

3.) Earn a Ph.D., Ed.D., or another terminal degree.

4.) Teach or do research abroad for at least six months.

5.) Be knighted by the Queen (or King) of England.

Author's Note: No ranking of importance is implied in the numbering system.

My Nobel Prize-winning Rant

2009-10-11T23:20:00.002-05:00

As you probably know, President Obama recently won the Nobel Peace Prize. In my opinion, this is purely ridiculous. My thoughts:

1.) President Obama was nominated for the prize less than a month after he entered office. What had he done during that time? Not much.

2.) Even if you count his entire presidency thus far, Obama has hardly deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. Sure, he promised to shut down Guantanamo, but so far that has come to nothing. Sure, he promised to end the Iraq war. But right now the President is considering what to do in Afghanistan, and he has already ruled out decreasing troops. Obama has promised health care for all, but that hasn't been delivered yet, and the current bill being considered still leaves many uninsured. I'm not saying that the President can't deliver on many of the things that he's promised, I'm just saying that he shouldn't be given an award for what he has only promised to do.

3.) Obama received the prize because he supposedly "created a new climate in international politics." Basically this means that he talked about stuff, and it made people (including the Nobel Committee) happy. Thus, as my bid for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, I hereby submit the following statement:

I am going to buy a winning lottery ticket, and give it to you. I will give everyone on earth a big, fancy car that uses no energy to run and has no carbon footprint. I'm going to end world hunger, probably within the next month. I'm going to end genocide, and all atomic weapons on earth will suddenly vaporize with no ill effects. Everyone on earth will be granted a Ph.D. in whatever subject they like, and the required knowledge will automatically be beamed in to their heads. This will happen on December 21, 2012. Oh, and you'll meet the girl/guy of your dreams, probably tomorrow, but possibly the next day. So be on the lookout. If you are already married, you may disregard that last promise.

Nobel Committee, I am patiently awaiting your call.

Nighthawks

2009-10-05T21:59:00.003-05:00

Nighthawks. That's the name of the painting. It seems appropriate. It reminds me of college students, late at night. Awake, but barely so. Drained from writing papers. Trickling in and out of the all-night breakfast joints.

Nighthawks was painted in 1942 by Edward Hopper. Immediately after Pearl Harbor. It seems to be an accurate representation of human existence after tragedy: everything is distant, vacant, empty. We can't communicate, we can't socialize. We can only sit silently and wonder why it happened.

So why do we love the painting? Why is it famous? Why are its prints so common?

Perhaps it brings comfort, when we are separated and apart. When we can't seem to connect, to understand what's going on. This painting makes us remember that others experience this too; it isn't just us.

Author's Note: I currently have a copy of this painting, in poster form, hanging on my dorm room wall.

Activism and Christianity

2009-09-30T11:24:00.001-05:00

Injustice is becoming popular. Or, rather, pointing out injustice and advocating "change" is becoming popular. Everybody is either downtrodden, marginalized or not making as much as their white male counterpart. This is becoming popular on both sides of the aisle; Democrats are bemoaning the downtrodden masses who don't have adequate health care, and Republicans are claiming that the average middle-class American is getting his or her money taken away by Obama's "socialistic" practices.

Advocacy is becoming trendy. If you haven't participated in at least one "Walk to Cure _________" this year, you're behind, like wearing last year's fashion. Every month is a "________ Awareness Month." Look at this calendar. If you aren't promoting an important issue and donating money to "worthy causes," you aren't doing your civic duty.

So, where is the Christian's place in all this? Should we be marching in parades, holding signs, donating money, and writing letters to our representatives?

I recently read a book called God's Politics by Jim Wallis. The author suggests that Christianity should stop fighting for single issue topics, such as abortion, and instead focus its efforts on fighting larger topics, like injustice, inequality and war. I humbly disagree. I believe Christians should vote, and vote for what they believe in. But to me, Christianity is not a "sweep-in-and-fix-all-the-problems" kind of religion. Christianity is based on intensely personal decisions and actions.

I'm not saying that injustice doesn't exist and that we shouldn't fight it, I'm just saying that the fighting should be individual. Injustice certainly exists, just like in Isaiah's time:

So there is no justice among us,
   and we know nothing about right living.
   We look for light but find only darkness.
   We look for bright skies but walk in gloom.
  We grope like the blind along a wall,
   feeling our way like people without eyes.
   Even at brightest noontime,
   we stumble as though it were dark.
   Among the living,
   we are like the dead. (Isaiah 59:9-10, NLT)

I think Isaiah is describing the method of advocacy that prevails today. We are trying to advocate on a corporate basis - we hold rallies and walk-a-thons and awareness months, but we never really do anything. We look for light, but we find only darkness. Nothing changes.

So what do we do? Are we lost? Is there any hope? Of course there is hope. The last part of Colossians 1:27 says this: "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Our hope comes from Christ, who dwells in us. Showing the love of Christ is how we "advocate." When Jesus said to love, he didn't say to love big issues and national campaigns. "Love your neighbor," he said. We can't try to change the world with the world's own systems and methods, we have to change the world from something that is outside of it: Christ.

A Digression

2009-09-27T19:43:00.000-05:00

I take a moment from writing about literature in this blog to mention a band I recently discovered. The band is called "Royal Tailor." Their sound has a cool upbeat-techno-rock kind of feel to it. I love it. They have a new EP out (you can download it on Amazon), which you should buy. So go check out their music! I'm sure you'll love it.

http://royaltailorblog.blogspot.com/

The Espresso Book Machine

2009-09-24T21:02:00.004-05:00

This machine can print a paperback book about as quickly as you can print a long document on a laser printer. Oh, how I want one. The only problem: they cost about $75,000 a piece. But, my Birthday is tomorrow, so if anyone needs a last-minute gift idea, this is it.

Thanks Engadget

The Best Quotes

2009-09-21T19:19:00.000-05:00

Following is a list of my favorite quotes.

"When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." - Jesus

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." - Paul

"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." - C.S. Lewis

"Know then thyself." - Alexander Pope

Six Word Histories of the USA's Major Wars

2009-09-19T14:14:00.000-05:00

Author's note: After a long hiatus, I have begun to update this blog again, and I hope to update it at least a few times a week from now on. This first post is a re-post from a blog for one of my writing classes.

No taxation! We win, tax ourselves.

America versus Britain. Best friends afterward?

South secedes, slaves freed, Abe immortalized.

World War, America enters fashionably late.

Germany gets angry again. America wins.

World war ends, one-uping begins.

Weapons of mass destruction? Whatever, George.

The Best Books

2008-02-29T15:56:00.006-06:00

My favorite books. Simple enough, right? Note: These books are in no particular order.

1.) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - The message of this book is so compelling. It is a must-read for any literature lover.

2.) And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - Agatha Christie will always be the master of mystery.

3.) The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Sir Conan Doyle runs a close second as the master of mystery.

4.) The Elements of Style by Strunk & White - Advice for anyone who uses the English language.

5.) Animal Farm by George Orwell - Orwell is excellent.

I'm currently reading Bleak House by Charles Dickens, and I expect that it shall make this list when I'm finished.

Teens are Literature Illiterate

2008-02-26T23:18:00.005-06:00

A survey commissioned by political activist group Common Core has found that many teens lack the knowledge to answer basic questions in Literature and History. While the group doesn't state that this is because of No Child Left Behind, they certainly don't cite the 2001 Act as helping stop this ignorance. The article, from the New York Times, states that 63% of school districts have "added an average of three hours of math or reading instruction a week at the expense of time for social studies, art and other subjects" as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act. As a recent high school graduate, I can attest to that study's findings. During my sophomore, junior, and senior years, my high school added a program that required reading "strategies" to be re-taught in every classroom, including Music, History, Science, Business, and Family and Consumer Sciences classes. The so called "reading strategies" were re-packaged third grade reading assignments that had the effect of wasting class time with little results.

I believe No Child Left Behind should be repealed, or massively overhauled. It is ineffective at improving education and it only forces schools to spend time on preparing for tests instead of actually learning the material. I am undecided about who I support for president, but as a future high school teacher, I intend to support someone who will not perpetuate No Child Left Behind without massive improvements.

"Survey Finds Teenagers Ignorant on Basic History and Literature Questions" by Sam Dillon, New York Times, 27 February 2008
(I'm not sure if this date is a misprint, or if this article is supposed to appear in tomorrow's paper. I'll get back to you on that.)

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

2008-02-24T12:54:00.006-06:00

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis outlines the Christian faith with a new and fresh perspective. He doesn't so much give astounding revelations as he brings out what has always been at the back of the reader's mind.

His illustrations are genius. A few can be either hard to follow or lack relevance to our modern culture, but most of his illustrations are timeless. For example, he compares the search for truth to the search for an answer to a math problem. He says that only one religion can find the truth, as there can only be one answer to a math problem. However, some religions are closer to the truth than others, just as 5 is closer to the answer of 2 + 2 than 20 is.

Throughout the book, Lewis progressively hones in his topic. He starts with a broad overview of morality and religion, and he ends with a moving description of the individual's relationship with God. This book is for any Christian who is struggling with their beliefs and needs reassurance, or any new Christian that wants to discover more of what Christianity is all about. Even the non-Christian will gain something from this book; C.S. Lewis was once an atheist, and throughout the book he confronts many common misconceptions about the essence of the Christian faith.

Mere Christianity is a classic for the Christian faith, and will surely continue to encourage hope and faith for many generations to come.

O, Rejoice my Soul!

2008-02-20T16:49:00.007-06:00

Or: Lines Composed After Finishing the Long Dreaded Paper

O, the sweet, sweet smell of freshly printed paper.
The last sentence typed,
I rejoice in my completion. What victory,
what joyful triumph. That lowly student
could conquer words, could read like the wind,
could stab the books of academia through the heart
with a silver spike. One foot I rest
on the defeated in a victorious pose.

Later, at the feasting, I rejoice some more.
Paper and pens thrown thru the air
trickle down like a refreshing spring shower.
Then I sit, in thoughtful meditation,
wondering why I am happy, for I shall have
to do it all again tomorrow.
I ignore the nagging of my consciousness:
for now I will forget all and be happy,
if for a moment only.

Apostrophe Abuse

2008-02-18T19:19:00.005-06:00

Tired of seeing those apostrophes where they don't need to be? Tired of not seeing them where they should be? The answer is here.

I recently discovered a blog entitled "Apostrophe Abuse." I love it. In lieu of an article spotlight, here is the link to this genius project.

http://www.apostropheabuse.com/

Caveat Emptor: Let the Buyer Beware.

2008-02-16T21:43:00.006-06:00

In December, my family attempted to purchase a Canon Powershot digital camera from the Circuit City online store. The camera looked excellent, and we had tried it out in the store first. However, it was out of stock there, and Circuit City had a special price that was about $20 cheaper than other stores. So, on about December 18th or so, we bought a digital camera. We received free shipping with it, and the website said it would be at our home by December 24th.

December 24th came and went. I checked the tracking info regularly online. Our package was sent from Dallas, TX, to Wisconsin, to Earth City, MO (wherever that is), and finally to our home in Lincoln, AR. We got it on the morning of December 31st. We opened the package, expecting to finally have our camera that we had been waiting on for a week. The Canon Powershot box was inside, but it was opened, and felt very light. I opened the lid, and the camera and cables were gone, but the manuals and CD were there. Upon further inspection of the shipping box, we discovered that the original tape had been ripped off and stuffed in the box, and it had been quickly re-taped. In short, our Camera had been stolen en-route, probably by someone at one of the arbitrary shipping detours.

So, we called Circuit City, hoping that they would give us a refund or replacement. We called, and we got a customer service representative in India who could speak little English. To make the story shorter, they repeatedly told us that a replacement camera had already been shipped, and then they called us back a few days later to explain that it could not be shipped, and that they would issue a refund. Five or six customer service calls later, we finally got a person that could speak English with some proficiency, without relying on buzzwords that they had obviously been taught in one hour customer service training seminar. This person told us that a refund would be issued in 7-14 days, which we had been told several times before. We were not expecting the refund to come through this time either, but it finally did on Monday, February 11. Over a month since we'd received the empty package. A month would not be bad, if only the customer service representatives had understood as, and we them.

I'm sure that this sort of problem is not limited to Circuit City, but after this experience I doubt I will ever shop with them online again. The problem: poor customer service.

It's not that I have anything against workers in India. However, it is common sense that customer service representatives should be able to speak the language of the country they are providing services for. If Indian customer service people are providing customer service to other Indians, that is fine with me. If Indian workers are providing other corporate services to US businesses, that is fine with me. However, when they are dealing with English speakers, they need to be able to speak English. This is not neuroscience. In my opinion, the decision to move customer service to India is the most idiotic decision ever made by corporate America.

John Grisham on Literature

2008-02-11T21:42:00.002-06:00

Here's another article spotlight. This one is from the Chicago Sun-Times, and it's an interview with John Grisham. Grisham offers some encouraging words to me as a writer in this article; he states "I'm not writing literature, I'm an entertainer." This goes along with what the last article spotlight said about genre versus literary writing. Also, Grisham gives encouragement to struggling writers by relating his own rise to author-dom through committing to write every day. I have resolved that I should eventually read one of his novels; however, given the length of my reading list, the US may leave Iraq before I get around to it.

"John Grisham: I'm not writing literature, I'm an entertainer" by Douglas J. Rowe, Associated Press, 5 February 2008

Sleep Denied

2008-02-04T21:34:00.001-06:00

To avoid any confusion, yes, this is meant to be over-the-top. Inspired by a true story.

           Eyes droop, muscles ache. Skin sags, feet twitch.
           Lying here, the soul yearns for that eternal rest that is sleep. In it all is forgotten, memories slip into nothing. Thoughts of present trials and stresses float from the mind and into the abyss.
           Oh, that such a rest is denied by neighboring spirits. Electric guitars and off-key voices besiege my ears. Guitar Hero echoes through halls and intensifies into a haunting din.
           Sleep, sweet sleep. Comfort from heaven, God given escape. The body is left for a moment, sinking into the mattress. The denied joy.
           Tossing, turning, tossing again, longing for release. The noise is louder. Quicker. Faster. Growing. Louder, slowly louder.
           Sudden silence. Could it be? Has the final level been cleared?
           Silence for a moment longer. Can it be true?
           Hope springs eternal! No more sound, the annoyance has vanished. The gentleness of the atmosphere invades my mind.
           Eyes close, muscles relax, and I drift away.

On Genre

2008-02-03T14:52:00.002-06:00

Here is a great article to read from The New York Times. It talks about "highbrow," or literary, writing versus "lowbrow," or genre, writing. This article displays a lot of what I believe about literature: it shouldn't be some sort of exclusionary club, but it should be available and accessible by everyone. If I become a writer, I want to be a "lowbrow" writer, in the sense that I want my writing to be enjoyed, not philosophized or kept to a private group of readers.

"Great Literature? Depends Whodunit" by Charles McGrath, The New York Times, 3 February 2008

English Literature

2008-01-24T18:51:00.002-06:00

I've been neglecting this blog for a little while, and now I'm coming back to perhaps start it up again.
I've spoken before of my intent to become a writer. Hence the blog title, "Life of a Writer." Now I'm not so sure I'm going to be a writer.
The only thing I'm sure of is that I want to do something with English. Lately, though, I've been feeling more and more like teaching is where I need to be. And not teaching College; teaching High School.
I've intended on doing that even while I was going to become a writer, but then I was planning on teaching being a sideline until my writing career got on track. This semester in college, I really feel like teaching is what I need to focus on. I'm taking an English Lit class, Survey of English Lit from 1700 to 1900. The teacher is Dr. Montgomery, and she is really making the class come alive for me. She is making me see how reading can be a joy, and she translates that well to the class. Well, to me at least. After class a few days ago, she asked me, "Now, who are you?" (the class has about 30-40 people, and she hasn't gotten to know our names yet). I told her my name, and she said "You are a good reader." She said it with such a matter-of-fact tone that took me by surprise. That got me thinking about how great it is to read. I see people around me that absolutely hate reading, and I want to take that joy to them.
I want to show people how reading can transfer ideas and feelings with every intricacy and change in syntax. I want to give my love of the English language to others.

The Writing Notebook

2007-09-24T15:09:00.002-05:00

I am always interested in finding out how others write. I like to find out how they produce their ideas, how they transfer them to the page, and how they transform those pages into short stories, poetry, articles, novels, or whatever. As a beginning writer, I haven't yet developed a firm process for doing this yet. The method I use right now primarily revolves around my writing notebook.

My writing notebook is basically whatever kind of notebook I have lying around at the moment. Sometimes I use a 3-ring binder with blank paper stuck in; sometimes I go out and buy a spiral or composition notebook. I make a promise to myself that I will only use this notebook for creative writing, not for taking notes, writing messages, or making grocery lists. This is sacred paper.

What I do with my empty abyss of paper then is simple: I fill it with words. I freewrite. If I am by myself, I start by putting down whatever pops into my head. If I am in a public place, such as the library, cafeteria, or the student union, I record what happens in front of me. Sometimes I choose to detail one specific person, sometimes I focus on setting the scene by displaying the actions of several people. I don't worry about getting everything perfectly true to life, I just write what I feel.

Basically, what this method allows me to do is to accumulate settings, characters, actions, and plot details to deal with later. If a plot or character immediately comes to mind when I'm freewriting, I'll just flip the page or draw a line across the page and start writing it.

I'm the type of person that has difficulty getting into the creative mood, but I've found using my writer's notebook really helps me get there. I hope that I can discover more ways to help my creative juices flow even more.