Painfully Grussome (Eng. 300)

Dr. Sexson offered the question, "What have you seen in art that is painful, gruesome, and disturbing to see/behold, yet you can't take your eyes off it?"

The answer is simple: Monica Bellucci.

Monica Bellucci



Now that I have your curiosity, as you all are puzzled as to why I chose this Italian actress, someone so beautiful to the eyes, and also considered one of the finest models ever to grace a magazine cover... and you wonder why she is so painful for me? What goes on in this woven mind is a mystery, but I will divulge.

I first saw Monica Bellucci in the award-winning film "Malena." It was a charming film about this Italian woman who was so beautiful that the entire town became obsessed with her. Through the eyes of a teenage boy coming to terms with his pubescent fantasies of Malena (Bellucci), a fully bloomed and busting woman, having sex with him.

As he follows her around town, through the child’s eyes we see the good and dark sides of this small Italian community, but when Malena is accused of being a whore, the village women gang up, surround, and mutilate Malena. The jealous women filled with the rage of gossip -stone, beat, scalp, cut the breast off, gorge the face off and break Malena's body until she is a crippled pile of rotting flesh. Seen as a hideous beast, the mayor gives Malena a one-way train ticket out of town, to rid his community of this horrendous disgrace. The sad thing is, Malena was innocent and but unrivalled beauty was her only sin.

That was the good film of Monica Bellucci's, at least the one I could stomach. Even as it showed the mutilation in horrific detail, I was still drawn to witness the act, because I couldn't take my eyes off of her beauty, and be saddened by the loss of it. The next time I would see Bellucci would be as the character PERSEPHONE in the "Matrix Reloaded."

She was dark and mysterious, and I longed to see more of her, in a way you could say I was 'drawn to the dark side'. So I went out and rented the entire Monica Bellucci Collection, and I will forever regret it.

Within the collection was the most cruel and gruesome film I have ever seen. It was such a horrible film that I vomited twice after seeing it. It made me so sick to my stomach that I felt ill, and the feeling lingered the next day as images from the film would randomly flash through my mind. Purging the movie "Irreversible" from my mind was not an easy task.

However, I watched it through and through because I wanted to know the outcome of Monica Bellucci's character. She was violently raped in this movie, and the rest of the film made "Malena" look like a walk in the park.

Sure, she has other films just as bizarre, if not more so. In the French film "Brotherhood of the Wolf" she plays a mystical whore, and has more sinful sex.

Returning to the Italian film "Ultimo capodanno, L' (1998) .... Giulia" ... aka Humanity's Last New Year's Eve, well... I really don't know what it was about but Monica Bellucci gets naked. Yet again, and yet again I am entranced.

Even though I occasionally feel guilty, there is part of me that just can't turn my eyes away. Perhaps I will someday be vexed for my sinful stares, but if only I could be but a tree. Goddesses are cruel that way.

Recently she made a movie called "Tears of the Sun", co-starring Bruce Willis, or is it the other way around? Anyway, the subject matter was so heart-breaking, that you can't help but feel helplessly lost at the end of the movie.

And if Monica Bellucci's trade mark of "baring it all" on screen wasn't enough, the best casting choice I have ever witnessed was by Director Mel Gibson, when he cast her as the whore, Mary Magdalene in his movie "The Passion of Christ".

It seems no matter how hard I try, Monica Bellucci draws me into her dark artwork as an actress, and her beauty as a woman. And the woman seriously terrifies me, but I can't stop looking at her.

Citical Theory (ENG 300) I'm a Cry Baby Question

Dr. Sexson asked us, "What is the text, piece of work, that tugged at your heartstrings and made you weep?"

Well, before you all indulge with delight at my more sensitive sensibilities, and mock me like a crazy horde of cry-baby haters, I thought I should share something with you all.

Dr. Sexson made me do it! It's all his fault!

Now that that is out of the way, I feel more enthused to tell you all about my sniffling coughs, and my blinky tears. So what exactly is that most wondrous work that was able to bring me to overwhelming emotions of sadness?



JEWEL
Once again, her music haunts my soul. Perhaps it's her soulful voice and mesmerizing melodies, but nothing really matters... her music shakes me, and touches even uplifts my spirit. I guess you could call it a soul tickle, but the beauty of this artificer cripples my senses, retarding my reality, and reinventing my notion of what truth and beauty is.

Specifically, her songs Hands, Absence of Fear, Deep Water, Break Me, Cleveland, Innocence Maintained, and Face of Love are the songs which can get me to drop a tear. A deluge of tears like a firehose, what a rainy mess of manhood I am!

Just your friendly reminder: It's all Dr. Sexson's fault! He made me do it.

As for literature, what book of words conglomerated into sadness for me? One text in which brought your's truly to tears would be "Great Expectations", by Charles Dickens. I don't really recall why It saddened me so much. Maybe is was because I related to Pip at the time, a lonely fellow trying to be better than what he came from and kinder too, but all the world seems to go against him and tries to corrupt him. Even Estella was a sad character.

She was the precision instrument in breaking hearts, and no matter how this innocent boy tried to show his love, she would warp and twist it into sorrow, like an automatic machine. In the end, I knew that they did love each other, but it was a bitter-sweet love, and neither of them could live with the aftertaste. Really, it was a tragic tale and I couldn't help but pitty these characters.

When it comes to movies, there is one film that touches me beyond all others. I think I may have watched it a sum of 12 times, and considering it is over 3 hours long, that's a lot of wasted hours. But it really puts in perspective the romanticism of life, and the importance of simply living, and having had the experience. It always seems to fill me with curiosity and respect for the living and reminds me to take the time and notice the world around me, and learn to love people better.

It is the film Meet Joe Black. It takes you on a journey and follows one man's story, and it ends with a triumphant explosion of emotion and fireworks. Surprisingly the film is about death, but it reminds you of the beauty of life and it leaves you with an impression so powerful, that you gulp back your emotions, not knowing quite why the movie touched you so deeply. But regardless, the emotions overcame me, and I cried... like a big sissy. Yeah, chick flick... boy, what am I... a wuss? Anyway, my roommate says that the video game Final Fantasy VII made him cry. In case you were all curious about that, but probably not. Just thought I'd share.

Braveheart was another film that made me cry. Perseverance in the face of tyranny, someone who stood up for what's right, against all odds. His lasting message... it was a story worth shedding at least one tear for. And don't think me a loser with no life when you find out that I've watched Braveheart entirely through a total of 27 times. Speaking of wasted hours, did I mention I am an avid movie buff and have no life? Anyway, I wore out my initial VHS tape so that the 2 video set was ruined. The first tape snapped, and the second one was so thinly stretched that no amount of cracking could bring back the picture quality. Eventually, I re-purchase Braveheart in glorious digital DVD clarity!

"Every man dies, not every man really lives."
--William Wallace

Now you know the rest of the story.

Desert Island Question: Critical Theory (ENG 300)

More Questions from ENG 300.

Professor Sexson asks:

Q: What is the "Canon"?

Well, according to "A Handbook to Literature" eighth edition (p.77), by Harmon and Holman, the Canon is: In a figurative sense, a standard of judgment; a criterion. Canon is applied to the authorized or accepted list of books belonging in the Christian Bible by virtue of having been declared to be divinely inspired.

Canon is also the name of a Camera!




More recently, the idea of general literary canon is interpreted as a work made by society that becomes central, and thus reducing others to trivial status outside the canon. Such as something less traditional, or at least something less traditionally accepted. Yet once the work reaches its canonical state, there is no going back, mainly due to society not accepting change.

Once societies belief is bonded to the concept of the work, then change would ultimately be painful for everyone involved, thus something which is canonized may never go back to a previous state or be altered any further. The canon then becomes a reflection of the society and mind of that work.

I believe, that the canon is just a tool to categorize something that society deems as something with "mainstream acceptance with a bit of history". In the case of film and cinema, George Lucas' film trilogy STAR WARS is the golden standard in the movie world, much as the Bible is in the religious world. This doesn't mean that it won't change, or that others can't be added to the canon, but for the immediate needs and beliefs of society now, the canon is thusly determined.

This is how I understand it.

Q: What is the most important thing in the world?

My first reaction would be to say "ME, of course!". This entirely makes sense since I am the one who exists. Without the "me" or the "self" there could be no stories, nor could there be someone to listen to the stories told by "me". Without the "me", there would be no question and no answer to this riddle. However, I know all fully well, that I am indeed NOT the most important thing in the world.

The most important thing in the world would be called the "GIFT" or "Touchstone."

It is the gift, perhaps of life, or perhaps of all things given unto man by God. Something greater than the "me", whether it be intelligent design or almighty beings, has given us the "GIFT" of so many things. The gift of song, the gift of life, the gift of companionship, the gift of hearing, the gift of emotions that can enjoy such splendid delight of music, and allow our spirits to soar high in the skies along with the beautiful winged ones. This is perhaps, the answer, to that question what is important.

However, if I was asked a slightly different question, "What is important to you?", then my answer would be both simple and meaningful. SAYAKA, the fulfillment of love which embodies my heart, mind, and soul. Sayaka is the most important thing in the world to me, and because she is also my greatest friend -we are able to share the "GIFT" together.

Q: Why is the poem "Keywest" so important as a text?

Because it is something more than it is. It is a work of art that reminds us of simplistic beauty, the beauty and love of creation. The creation by the artist, and the creation of the known Universe, and all of the wonders within, which fill us with awe and send us gleefully into a spiritual whirl of emotions. For the Known universe has one complete love and that is the greatest poet.

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island, a quadrillion miles away from home, what one thing would you bring with you?

If I was a learned man, my answer would be a book. Which book? The Odyssey. I chose this title of all others because it is a story about a journey. It is also a love story and an epic ballad that would comfort my own weary soul, and console me to a deeper understanding of exactly why Poseidon has doomed me to a deserted island, alone. However, because I pride wisdom above knowledge itself (and I do believe one can exist without the other), I would definitely bring bug spray.


Off Bug Spray, for killing those pesky little critters when you're stranded on a desert island.


On the other hand, I could bring along my lovely Sayaka for the company. We could share our "stories" with one another, and swat the bugs off of each other's backs. If I could have one thing on my island of solitude, Sayaka is whom I'd bring. Whereas I would have eaten the book long ago, Sayaka and I would take turns fishing, so that the other may rest.

Really, this is the most logical answer, albeit unpoetic. Well, in a certain sense it is unpoetic, but in another -since when has love been unpoetic? Also, I despise loathsome boredom and loneliness so Sayaka would keep me sane, at the very least. Or else, we both could go insane, wear coconuts and grass skirts, and paint our faces like wild savages then dance ourselves silly under the brilliant tropical sun. I would also do funny things with a banana, and make a dolphin laugh. Oh, what crazy fun!

Hoo-hoo-haHa-heheheeeee!

ONE PIECE (collected volume #33)

This is my all-time favorite piece of art and literature. All I can say is it is an epic fairy tail spanning longer than the Illiad by over 8 times. That's a lot of dead trees folks!

What happens when you take Brad Pit and team him up with the likes of Pinocchio, the Legendary Zoro, A mysterious Cowgirl Shaman, A princess in disguise, a Bruce Lee wanna' be, and one of Santa's Reindeer? Then you finalize the group by putting them under the command of Reed Richards love child gone wrong, a Hero with what appears to be down syndrome...in the setting of mythical pirate times; enter the imaginative oddity called: ONE PIECE. Maybe some of you have heard of it. It is probably the most famous ANIME and MANGA among teens in Japan nowadays, and its name is One Piece, the manga created by master storyteller/weaver Eiichiro Oda.

This Manga done by Eiichiro Oda is Dragon Ball Z meets Alice in Wonderland meets the X-Men once upon a time, somewhere over the rainbow, and it's anything but Kanas. What I mean to say is, it is so strangely unoriginal that it becomes entirely original; in the artistic sense. Oda borrows from every fable, fairytale, and myth imaginable. Whether it be eastern or western myth, Oda plays with the Asian concepts and readings of classical western stories and combines so much conglomerated stuff into one epic adventure that you sometimes feel overwhelmed. But just sometimes. 

Sure enough, the story is the same old duke it out in Street Fighter/Goku with a bad hair day/Ultimate kung-fu style, but it is told in a quirky and often offbeat way. Sometimes the humor is dark, and other times just too bizarre, and the emotions of the stories are vast, ranging from soulful Operatic feeling to punk rock in your face attitude, but I will say that it is one of the most entertaining and consecutively enjoyable Manga series I have ever read. I bought the entire 33 collected issues to date and will continue to buy the ongoing. I also bought both feature films on DVD.

Oda Sensei's art is anything but traditional. His characters don't look anime but have a mix between Tim Burton sketches and Alice and Wonderland drawings. There is this morbid yet wonderful energy in the art that dazzles you with the strangeness of its own design, that you can't help but fall in love with it. Originally I avoided One Piece at all costs. Just like a Pokemon plague, I was refusing to get sucked into the consumer market just because it is some popular trend. 

But I caved in, and now I am penniless and in love. Extremely dynamic and action-packed, constantly laugh out loud funny, with odd situations, strange occurrences, and even stranger characters that would give Lewis Carol a run for his originality... enter the bizarre world of One Piece. Oda aspires to create new re-tellings of classical and traditional tales, and sometimes his Asian perspective throws me off, but regardless, he has created something entirely new from things all borrowed, and it has struck a chord with audiences all around the world. Now if you don't mind me, I'm going to go watch One Piece anime on TV and read my One Piece manga at the same time.

Small trivia fact: The issue of One Piece shown above, sold over 4 million copies in its first week of release in Japan. That outsells every major publication in the U.S. combined, for that same month. Japanese love their comics!

"Klaatu barada nikto"

"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist."
---Salman Rushdie

"Now more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature...If the next centennial does not find us a great nation... it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces."

--James Abram Garfield

"A Century of Congress," Atlantic, July 1877.

"How do I know what I think until I see what I say?"
--E.M. Forester

Bender- Guys! You'll never believe what happened. First, I was God... then I met God!

Fry- We climbed a mountain and locked up some monks!
Futurama

(Episode 20: Godfellas)

Fry- It’s just like the story of the grasshopper and the octopus. All year the long the grasshopper kept burying acorns for winter. While the octopus mooched off his girlfriend and watched TV. Then the winter came, the grasshopper died. The octopus ate all of his acorns and also he got a racecar! Is any of this getting through to you?

[Praying heavenward]
Homer Simpson- I'm not normally a religious man, but if you're up there, save me Superman!

Homer's Laywer- You sir, are a moron!

Homer Simpson- I am not a Mormon! I'm from Earth!

"It's not just about putting on the red suit and getting all the super-powers. It's also about helping people!"
--Eric Mathews (As Santa in the mall) BOY MEETS WORLD

"I will set down a tale. . .it may be history, it may only be a legend, a
tradition. It may have happened, it may not have happened. But it could
have happened."
--Mark Twain

"Maturity does not mean to become a captive of conceptualization. It is the realization of what lies in our innermost selves."
--Bruce Lee

"In order to grow a salad you must first find an egg."
--Tristan Vick

"I was at church Easter Sunday, and the minister was talking about the mystery of faith, and how easy it is to doubt what you can't prove, and how none of us saw the miracle at the Lord's tomb that day, all we had to do was to believe in it hard enough, and it would be true. And that's what faith was. He said that we can't be weak, that we can't dismiss the miracle, that we have to be strong enough to make mysteries real."
--Maddie, Millennium

"Everybody was a baby once, Arthur. Oh, sure, maybe not today, or even yesterday. But once! Babies, chum: tiny, dimpled, fleshy mirrors of our us-ness, that we parents hurl into the future, like leathery footballs of hope! And you've got to get a good spiral on that baby, or evil will make an interception!"
--The TICK

"It seems as though the adversary was aware, at a very early period of my life, that I was destined to prove a disturber and an annoyer of his kingdom; else why should the powers of darkness combine against me?"
--Joseph Smith

"It's an odd thing, Mr. Ireton. Every man who wages war believes God is on his side. I'll warrant God should often wonder who is on his."
--Oliver Cromwell (Cromwell, 1970.)

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
--Mother Theresa
"Nothing is real if you don't believe in who you are."
--Rocky Balboa

Josie McCoy- If I could go back in time I'd take back everything I said!

Melody Valentine- If I could go back in time, I'd meet Snoopy.
From Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

Homer Simpson- You sunk my scrabble ship!

Lisa Simpson- This game makes no sense!

Homer- Tell that to the good men that just lost their lives!

"Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken."
--Tyler Durden (Fight Club)

Cry in the Dojo, and laugh on the battlefield.
--Ancient Samurai Proverb

"When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it."
--Bernard Bailey

"I firmly believe that I don't believe in half of what I say, and if anyone else does then I can always deny having said it."
--Tristan Vick

"When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge."

-- Albert Einstein

Critical Theory (English 300)

Let's get down to the answers. In response to the questions and topics from Critical Theory. (English 300), taught by Dr. Sexson.

Q: What was your "blanky" text? The text that gives you most comfort.

Well, originally it would be the "Goldbug" of the golden book series and anything else that Richard Scarry wrote. Since I grew up to become an English lit. major and an artist, I would say that Richard Scarry's picture books really shaped the way my mind visualized. Along with his books I read "The Berenstain Bears" books by Stan and Jan Berenstain, and of course one of my favorite authors, Dr. Seuss. I still haven't been able to purge "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish" from my memory banks, nor countless others. Now a days I think that the books: "Lorax", "The Sneetches and Other Stories", "Oh the Places You'll Go!", and "The Cat in the Hat" are all vital for young children.

Later on I started playing LEGOS, and ultimately would get comforted by the fact that I could create my own arts, spaceships, underwater vehicles, and my own worlds. It was comforting, having the power to create, and being the creator. Even if, sometimes, the LEGO people's little yellow clamp hands, or bulb heads didn't fit right. Still fun stuff! Now adays you have Harry Potter and Spiderman LEGOS. And secretly, I sometimes buy a package of STAR WARS LEGOS, but don't tell anyone.

Q: What was the first work you encountered that changed your perception and the way that you look at the world?

As a matter of fact there are many works that have changed the way I think or view things, but looking back, I can't single out any most important piece of work. Rather, it was a combination of many different pieces of work over a span of time that has affected me. Of these things, the ones that I place most value on are:


Jewel

JEWEL
The Songs and poetic lyrics are sung by JEWEL. Her music always fills me with a sense of spiritual faith and conviction that I oddly don't get from listening to Christian music. Jewel knows how to use the imagery of song, and she understands the power of a word. This intelligence paired with her talent to utilize and control different forms of sound allow her to jump through musical genres. 

This playfulness is reflected in her songs, and I get a sense that this artist isn't restricted by her medium, but is free. The power and control over her voice lend her the ability to sing convincingly to my spirit and reaches me on a much deeper level. Whether it is country, pop, spiritual, or opera, she has sung it all. And to think that she is a classically trained yodeler. Jewel's music reminded me of how important my faith is, and turned me back towards God. This ultimately changed my life and made my faith even greater than it already was.

"We are God's hands, we are God's eyes, we are reflections of God. We are Reflections of HIM." From the song titled HANDS, by JEWEL.

Harvey

HARVEY
Then there is a movie that has influenced me. It so happens to be my all-time favorite film and it also happens to be an Academy Award-winning film, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning play. It's "HARVEY" by Mary Chase. The 1950's movie is what strongly changed my perspective of the world, rather than the play. Even though the play is good, the movie was the perfection of the story of HARVEY. 

Even the original stage actors reprised their roles in the film. James Stewart, notably one of America's greatest actors, plays Elwood P. Dowd. A wealthy man plagued by somewhat of a Cassandra complex, as nobody believes him when he introduces them to his invisible 8ft tall talking rabbit named Harvey. In fact, Elwood who is considered part of high society begins to become shunned, but the humor isn't in the mischievous antics of the imaginary bunny, but rather in the reaction to Elwood and Harvey by the unique cast of characters. Most notably that of Elwood's sister Vita Louise, who is downright distraught by the fact that her brother may possibly be insane.

This movie made me overwhelmed with a sense of pleasantness and warm hearted fun. I started emulating the persona of Elwood P. Dowd in high school, when I finally gave up trying to fit in and find a click, I decided that I would just become as pleasant as Elwood P. Dowd, and accept everyone for who they are, and then introduce them to my imaginairy pet dragon. Just kidding, about the dragon part that is. This movie really made me realize that even eccentric people could gain acceptance, and everyone could fit in as long as you opened your hearts to them.

"I'd just helped Ed Hickey into a taxi. Ed had been mixing his drinks, and I felt he needed conveying. I started to walk down the street when I heard a voice saying: 'Good evening, Mr. Dowd'. I turned, and there was this big white rabbit leaning against a lamp-post. Well, I thought nothing of that! Because when you've lived in a town as long as I've lived in this one, you get used to the fact that everybody knows your name. "
---Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart)

And finally, but not last. You heard me -is the HOLY BIBLE. It has shaped my mind from the day I was born. In fact, biblical traditions and concepts are so interwoven in our culture, that I wasn't fully aware of how much so until I went abroad and lived in Japan for a year. Gaining the perspective of another culture, and looking back at my own opened my eyes to a lot of things. It was a reflection that allowed me to see the worl differently. 

So, in essence, it was the JOURNEY that also changed the way I looked at life. 

Even though it is not a text, it was my own personal Odyssey. 

Also, I met my fiance in Japan. So my life has really been that of a fairy tail really. The prince ventures off across the sea, to an unkown land. Where I fall in love with a native princess (a type of forbidden love), but overcame all odds to live happily ever after. Yet, it is my feeling that the end is really just the beginning. The moral of the story is that the journey doesn't ever truly end.

The Seed

Childhood sometimes seems like a magical time. A time when we were free and only limited by the vastness of an overactive imagination. A time of youthfulness, vigor, fearlessness, exploration, and a time when the brain would be in overdrive creating fabled worlds with aliens on mars and you could bring along your pet stuffed tigers too.

But how did I "live" these exciting daily adventures of my youth?

Well, my G.I. Joes didn't fight Godzilla next to He-Man (who also happens to be the Master of the Universe) for no reason. Rather, like any other explanation for the action, there was a cause.

Cause and effect, you see?

Yes, the seed was planted by a greater force and presence than the one I already knew. While I was pre-occupied with those intergalactic robots called Transformers, conquering the greatest of sand castles that my child-like hands could sculpt from the depth of my imagination, I was fully unaware that something had taken place, that there was a growth in my mind. It was that which came from mother, the seed she planted, the story.

From that initial spark from a greater imagination than mine, mom read me stories before bed each night, and with this fuel I was able to go beyond the outer limits of reality and back again. From that initial spark, an overwhelming flame of curiosity consumed my imagination, and I was left to create the answers that brought sense to the Universe.

At least the best a five-year-old could do, when explaining the reasons of the Universe to himself. The G.I. Joes stormed the sandy walls of my backyard empire and confronted the evil Skeletor, only to be outnumbered and undermanned. But not to fear, those gallant robot vehicles that could become humanlike, the Transformers, came from the heavens down to Earth and liberated man...and the little plastic men rejoiced. Yet the celebration of great victory was cut short, by none-other-than the greatest threat of all. The radioactive, eighteen stories tall monster lizard with radioactive breath, known as Godzilla. This thunder dragon breathed chaos into the recently brought harmony. Darn that Godzilla!

It may have been only that of a child's overactive imagination, yet for this child, that war really did happen, it was a reality. In those twenty minutes, wondrous things occurred. I lived within the moment and was part of the story but it didn't end there. Well, actually it did, because I had to go inside for lunch. However, what was unbeknownst to me was the fact that my own mother constantly formed and fed my imagination every night before bedtime.

And then in my dreams my stories would become reality. And so powerful was this influence, it has stayed with me to this day. Probably another reason for my becoming English major. So someday when my mom scolds me for not getting a real job, I can remind her, it’s your fault for reading to me! Thanks mom.

And now years later, my professor asks me to return to that mind of a child.

The Anti-Rationalism of Pro-Gun Activism

Recently, I stumbled across this inane meme (above). Not once. Not twice. But FIVE times on my various social media accounts. So, allow me to respond.

***

If social media existed when the Constitution was written then right to privacy laws would likely have been included in it. But that's why we have the 9th Amendment anyway, because it clarifies there are moral laws & rights that aren't included in the Constitution as it is not an exhaustive text.

That said, there's a difference between calling for a ban of a lethal weapon which was used to murder all your friends vs. calling for more rights.

One is a response to a problem and the desire not to be murdered by a lethal weapon, mainly a gun. Which is a real problem in America. Although fatal school shootings aren't on the rise compared to previous years, they still register a higher fatality rate than soldiers in active service. That says all you need to know about the gun problem via statistics.

Also, when it comes to "ownership" of weapons, freely giving up weapons to maintain civil and peaceful society is a form of progress. The most peaceful societies on the planet do not allow weapons. Of the few who do, their regulations far outstrip those of standard American systems. In societies like Finland, with high gun-ownership per capita, they are offset from the U.S. by having amazingly good universal socialized health care, including more than adequate care for mental illness, among low poverty and disenfranchisement rates among its citizens.

Basically, in America, angry and poor people without access to good mental health care are arming themselves. And a lot of this "their taking away my rights" paranoia has led to people doubling down on their desire to own something they don't inherently need for happiness or survival in the modern world.

Privacy is far more important than guns in the digital age, and if you don't see this then, by all means, feel free to go build a log cabin somewhere remote and live off-grid until you're able to partake in civil and polite society again. I mean, that's about the only real way you're going to be able to hold onto your guns *or privacy, for that matter* in the future. By waiting till the Feds show up to your front doorstep and pry them out of your hands.

But this just goes to show the crux of the gun problem isn't so much the proliferation of guns, although that is a symptom of bad gun policy. But the fact that so many people think they need to "own" guns when they are merely confusing the desire to maintain an unnecessary privilege with a right.

Yes, in 1789 a well-organized militia could fend off the United States military. It was not a robust military.

Yes, in 1861 the North and the South fought and you could have a need for self-defense in such a scenario as enemy soldiers tramping through your fields and property. But in today's world, the 2nd Amendment's intended purpose of overturning a corrupt government is impossible. A single drone strike would end any militia or insurrection and 'we the people' simply are underequipped to take on a state of the art military, regardless of how many guns we might have. I mean, they can literally kill you with a flight simulator. Game over, man.

And, even I admit, there could be valid reasons to have shotguns and rifles on farms and for hunting, but with much stricter gun access laws and in a limited capacity. And I'm not talking about mere regulations. But real restrictions. Like you have to prove you need the tool for its said purpose and obtain a special license for it. After all, they don't let just anyone use large commercial vehicles like heavy equipment and airliners. There are a whole slew of regulations and special licensing that is required to use such tools and machines. They're specialized. And in a way, so are weapons designed to kill.

So do I see Hogg's comments as hypocritical. No.

He's sayings these are separate issues about different kinds of rights. And we can either evolve our thinking on the issue or keep going around in circles because people don't want to relinquish a lethal tool designed for killing just because.

I know the standard fair whataboutism styled arguments. But what about cars? But what about hammers? What about all the crazy murderers who'll still resort to stoning you with rocks if they really want to kill you? Well, yes, life is a fragile thing and we can die from any numerous causes. Even eating too much cheese.

But, come one. Let's be adults here. Cars, hammers, and rocks were not deliberately designed with the function of killing others. That's a side effect of bad safety when using a device improperly. Guns are no different in that they can be extremely unsafe, except in the way of their standard function of killing is also extremely unsafe. And that sets them apart in a degree from, say, hammers and cars where hammers and cars are no different (i.e., their standard and proper function is non-lethal. Cars are for transportation and hammers are for construction. Guns are for killing).

And only in a non-rational debate would these self-evident truths about the true function and nature of a gun be so brazenly ignored.

As for the argument, well, 'bad-guys will still find a way to get guns' doesn't necessarily hold either. Because even if they do, it doesn't mean they'll use them. In Japan, for example, which has some of the strictest gun laws on the entire planet, the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) do in fact get guns. They typically shoot up each other, and very rarely turn their weapons on the public.

There's a very good reason for this.

When it comes to crime, it pays to stay off the radar of law enforcement. Because having an illegal gun in Japan is like waving a big red flag that says, "Arrest me! Arrest me! I'm up to no good!" And criminals tend to shy away from drawing too much attention to themselves just as a matter of habit. So, I've never bought into that argument that criminals everywhere would arm themselves and then turn their weapons on the public. It seems to be a kind of paranoid thinking that leads one to conclude that anyone you don't like who happens to get a gun will try and harm you with that gun, hence the need for more guns.

I think the usual rationalizations gun proponents use just don't hold up under rational scrutiny. I've considered them and thought about them for over a decade now and I haven't found one that relies on the inherent strength of a basic rational tenet that isn't propped up by whataboutisms and poor moral rationalizations that conveniently seem to ignore the stronger counter-arguments to the position. Like, literally disregard the arguments because they don't fall in line with the gun-mentality, to call it that. And that's a sign of dogmatism. Something that's dangerous whether or not guns are involved.

Kid President once said if your dream is stupid, get a better dream. I think that applies here too with the entire gun debate. It's not stupid for people to have the healthy desire not to become a victim of gun crime. What is stupid, in my opinion, is in the light of so much gun crime to think it's stupid for a person to want to ban guns out of their fear of guns rather than do the irrational thing -- which is to arm themselves with more guns -- of which they are afraid of being harmed by.

That's a very irrational response to not wanting to become a victim of a gun-related crime and or death. If you're afraid of dying by eating the sashimi of the poisonous puffer fish, you don't go on a raw puffer fish eating binge to counteract this very real fear and potential risk to your safety and life. That's entirely irrational. If you don't wish to die by poisonous fish, you simply avoid eating raw puffer fish at all costs. Problem solved.

And yet, there are at least 6 deaths a year from eating raw poisoned fish meat. So, when I see people claiming more guns will solve our gun problem, this is what I think of. It's the ole puffer fish excuse. It's just a bit irrational.

(Coincidentally enough, the rate of gun death in Japan is equivalent to the rate of death by the consumption of poisoned fish. So, scaling up the analogy to 300 million American gun owners should show you the absurdity of the gun rationale. Just saying.)

Being a gun culture simply for the masturbatory lust for guns is a stupid dream. Let's all grow up and realize that the value of life should outstrip the value of ownership of lethal weapons. We don't let people carry around vials of lethal poison just because they feel it's their right to do so. That's insanity. Why should it be any different with guns?

Really, the only real moral argument for owning a gun is to safeguard oneself from a present and imminent harm. Something that is threatening one's life and the life of their loved ones. But, in America, in many cases this threat is simply another person with a gun. Think about that for a moment. Then, you'll see the solution to ending this threat is quite simple.

**Me Too** (My Sexual Harassment experience that I've kept silent about for more than 10 years)

I came to Japan in my mid-twenties and started my career as an English teaching professional teaching TESOL to Japanese students at elementary and Junior high school.

One of the first experiences any foreign teacher has the privilege of experiencing in Japan is the infamous "kancho." 

It's basically a physical gag where a school child will sneak up behind you and wait till you bend over to wash your hands or drink from the drinking fountain, and then, placing their hands together, their index fingers pointed toward your nether regions like a gun--they jam their fingers into your anus with as much force as possible.

Many foreigners yelp out in shock at the first time small probing fingers try to enter their asshole. If you're a guy, sometimes the little kids miss and mash your balls, which really smarts. If you're a girl, sometimes they hit you right in the glory hole. Either way, none are immune to this childish prank.

During my first week in Japanese public schools, I got kancho-ed no less than seven times. Each time I felt myself getting angrier and angrier. I eventually complained to the vice principal of the school who informed me it's simply something children do.

When in Rome, I thought to myself. And sure enough, the antics of the school children blew over once they got to know me. As a matter of fact, I later found out that many school kids do this to new teachers to "test" them and see how they'll react. And being a foreigner in a strange land, I knew that they were taking advantage of the situation. But this isn't a case of sexual harassment since, in most cases, school kids six and seven years old aren't even aware of what sexual harassment is. To them, it's just a silly prank.

What came as a rather big shock to me, however, was when my 14 and 15 year old junior high school students did the same thing my first few weeks of school.

Again, as a new teacher, I got the sense they were testing me. But the guys also liked to swat at my balls in the bathroom when I was taking a pee--as a joke. And if you've ever listened to pubescent teenagers of 15 talk, you know they are all entering their hormonal stage where everything becomes about sex for them.

After my second year teaching, several of my third year students (the equivalent of freshman in high school) decided to play a naughty prank on me.

As it turned out, I achieved the thing I was aiming for--familiarity with my students. I went through great trouble to learn each and every one of the names of my graduating students. I wanted them to like me and think of me as a cool, hip teacher. And to that effect, I succeeded. Also, being the token foreigner amongst an all Japanese staff, many of the students would approach me with questions asking about the difference between their culture and mine. 

I was always happy to answer such questions except when they were sexually explicit and entirely inappropriate.

Once a boy student asked me, "Are Japanese girls' pussies tighter than American girls' pussies?"

I was taken aback by the bluntness of the question. I merely replied to him in Japanese, "I can't talk about such things at school. It's not appropriate."

He laughed and wandered off with his friends. Another time, a different boy student asked me how big my penis was and if he could see it. I didn't know whether to be flattered or traumatized. 

I politely apologized, as is custom in Japan, and informed him it wasn't appropriate to talk about such things and shrugged it off and went about my week. 

But the more familiar my boy students became with me as their teacher the more emboldened they got and, soon enough, began asking me all kinds of lewd questions. 

Granted, they were curious and I was technically the only one who could answer such questions about the "cultural" differences they were interested in, except for the fact that it would have been entirely inappropriate. So, as always, I deflected their questions or did my best to change the subject to something that would hold their attention--such as sports.

As the boys kept me preoccupied, I never saw the real threat of the girls--who were equally curious and perhaps a little more aware of their own sexual maturity. Whereas with the boys it was just a game, the girls approached their sexuality in a more up front sort of way. A way which snuck up on me. Quite literally speaking.

In Japan, the students all have a cleaning hour at the end of the day. They all work together to clean their school. Which is why Japanese schools don't have janitors.

One day while cleaning, a couple of girl students of mine rushed over to tell me that their friend had fallen down and hurt her knee. They were adamant that I should come right away. Worried that a student of mine was actually in trouble, I followed them to the stairwell.

One of the girls pointed to the dark area behind the staircase, which was merely a storage area, and stepped to the side as I leaned in to see what the matter was. Without warning, from behind, both girls shoved me into the nook behind the stairs.

I reached out as I fell forward and my hands mashed into something soft. When I looked up I found one of my girl students, her shirt and bra pulled up over her chest, laying under me as she stared up at me with brown eyes and flushed cheeks.

I looked down to find my hands firmly pressed upon her small budding breasts and I quickly recoiled, pulling my hands away. But as I tried to clamor to my feet, the two girls behind me leaned into my back, practically hopping on me piggy-back style and forced me back down onto the third girl.

I caught myself with my hands, my face hovering dangerously close to the third girl's face. As she looked up at me, she asked me in a deliberately sensual tone, "Do you like me, Mr. Vick?"

One of the girls from behind said in a loud voice, "Mr. Vick, please touch my breasts next!" 

The other girl from behind quipped, "I want him to touch me someplace else."

All three girls snickered and giggled excitedly. I remember one even snorted and that made them laugh all the more.

Angered, I pushed myself up and shoved the two girls behind me out of my way. I retreated to the hallway when, turning to the right, I saw Kanda sensei making his way toward us.

I knew that if he caught wind of anything that had just transpired, I could get in huge trouble. I might even lose my job. And the girl students, for their crime of adolescent naivete and sexually immature antics, could get expelled. 

Flustered, I didn't know what to do. My heart raced with nervous embarrassment and fear gripped me. I remember panic set in and I began to have trouble breathing.

Meanwhile, the girl beneath the stairwell pulled down her clothes and casually stepped out into the hall with us. All the girls turned as Kanda sensei approached and when he saw them giggling he ordered them to get back to cleaning. Without even batting an eye they took off, giggling amongst themselves down the entirety of the school corridor.

Seeing that I was without a broom, Kanda sensei opened the broom closet underneath the stairwell and handed me a bristle broom. I thanked him and moved on. He immediately turned to see boys throwing rocks at each other outside and rushed out to chastise them and order them to get back to cleaning.

As I stood in the hallway, sweeping the same spot over and over again, I tried to wrap my brain around what had just happened. Of course, I never mentioned it to anybody. I was too scared.

I knew that if I came clean with what had actually happened the girls could team up against me and lie about what had occurred, claiming that I attacked them and molested them. I knew they were all close friends and so would protect each other--if push came to shove--and being minors I could lose my job. 

And even if it was deemed that it wasn't my fault--that I merely was a victim to their adolescent antics, at the very least it cast suspicion on me as a potential sexual predator. Which was practically just as bad as actually being falsely accused as one. Because then everyone would be wondering whether the rumors were true and this would give rise to new rumors--none of them bound to be good.

At the same time, I didn't want the girls to be unfairly disciplined, and from my short time in Japan I had seen first-hand how harsh some of the school's punishments were for things that, by my American standards, were trivial non-offenses. I didn't want to get them suspended from school for a one-time offense. Moreover, I didn't want my relationship with my students to become strained to the point where they didn't feel like they could trust me or be themselves around me.

So, I did the only thing I could do. I kept it to myself.

Was it the right thing to do? I think so. 

I couldn't change what had happened. But at least I had some small control over what happened next.

I went the rest of the year without another incident. If it would have continued, I would have certainly mentioned it. But instead, the girls just blew me kissy faces, batted their eyes at me, and giggled the rest of the year long. They were only teasing.

But, in retrospect, I think their big prank was perhaps a little too much. And because it was overly sexual and placed me in an awkward and potentially problematic situation, I sometimes grow anxious whenever the memory should resurface. Which is why I have never talked about it till now.

That said, this account showcases only a mild case of sexual harassment. These students all acted out of innocent ignorance and out of a sense of fun and wanting to get to know me better. And, as the saying goes, no harm no foul. 

In fact, all three girls stay in touch with me to this day. And if that should sound weird, consider that they're all college graduates now, and are the age I was when I first taught them (25). Two of them are married with children and they send me pictures of their families and tell me that whenever they get together they reminisce about the good old days and tell me they always talk about how I was such a fun teacher for them.

Sexual harassment is a sensitive subject matter because it's also a highly personal subject matter--and because people will undoubtedly respond differently to it. Most assuredly, there are cases far more severe and damaging than what I experienced, so please don't feel sorry for me. Everything worked out well enough in the end. Nobody was hurt by it, other than a bit of awkwardness it may have caused me. 

Needless to say, I was on my guard around young adolescent people from there on in, and I most certainly never followed students blindly into dark corners of the school ever again.

7.4 magnitude Earthquake shatters Kumamoto (We survive)

If you follow me on social media, FB, Twitter, that sort of thing... you know that I am extremely active. You may have also noticed that for the past two weeks I've been entirely absent. Dead silent, you might say. There's a reason for this.

As you may well know, Kumamoto, the city I live in, was struck by two back-to-back devastating earthquakes. Both a level 6.5 magnitude quake, which happened on April 15th, and a 7.4 magnitude quake, April 16th, rocked the Mashiki area of Kumamoto city. That's a mere 3 km from where we (my family and I) live. Meanwhile, downtown the quake measured a whopping 7.1. That's about 5 km from the epicenter.

After the 7.4 quake we were forced to evacuate our home, where we fled outside to the middle of the street with all of the stunned neighbors. The local schools in our area were all turned into emergency shelters and the gymnasiums quickly filled up with the elderly and those who had lost their homes due to the quake.

We opted to camp out of our cars instead of go to one of the shelters, and for the past two weeks my family has been living out of our car. Not easy for a family of four, two grandparents, and a couple of dogs. But we managed. We were just glad to be alive. 

Granted, it wasn't the ideal living arrangements, but we made due. My kids thought of it as a kind of camping trips. Mom and dad were just terribly stressed. The ground hasn't stopped rumbling for two weeks. As of now, there have been over 1,000 sizable tremors and aftershocks. 

That's right. There have been over 1,000 earthquakes in just two weeks! 

I felt that it was worth repeating because it's such a large number to even attempt to grasp. Living through it has been... well... educational, to say the least.

The first few days after the big shake there was an aftershock every 15 to 20 minutes. The first few aftershocks register as level 6 magnitude quakes. There were seven of those intermixed with a series of high level 5 quakes. 

Now, the level 6.5 quake was enough to knock down all our bookshelves, cupboards, cabinets, and picture frames. All our dishes, the toaster, and anything else that could fall onto the floor and break into a gazzillion pieces did so.

But the 7.4 was the real trouble maker. 

I describe the difference of a 6.5 quake and a 7.5 five magnitude quake as the difference between Bruce Banner and the Incredible Hulk.

The reason that 1 point is so much more devastating is that it's a 10% increase in magnitude. Remember, earthquakes are measured exponentially. So it's exponential growth. 

Additionally, the level 7.4 quake was powerful enough to send out tsunami warnings. 

Luckily (if luck had anything to do with it) the vibrations headed north inland instead of out to sea. So the tsunami warning abated, but it was still terrifying to have to worry about an 800 ft. tidal wave traveling faster than a Boeing 747 headed your way to wipe you off the map. Luckily that didn't happen. But the threat was very real.

And while you worry about trying not to die, you worry tenfold about keeping your children safe. And that seems like a daunting task when you're up against Mother Nature.

If you want to know what it's like to be in the thick of an earthquake, please read this excellent blog post regarding How Does an Earthquake Really Feel?

By the end of the first week, the aftershocks had died down to a few every 30 minutes or so. At the end of the second week, where we're at now, we're down to a few high-level 3s and 4s every few hours.

Now that I have the Internet back... and I'm sorry to say this... the JAPAN earthquakes here in Kumamoto and the Kyushu region left our house in terrible disarray... and it looks like I'm left little choice but to set up a crowdfunding campaign and start groveling.

It's not something I really ever wanted to have to do. Ask for handouts. But as my friend Brad pointed out, it's not begging for money so much as it's a genuine plea for help when there's a more than valid need for a humanitarian relief effort.

Our water boiler bit the big one. We haven't had hot water in two weeks. And after spending 5 days living out of a car, the first thing you want is a hot bath.

A portion of our roof tiles fell off the roof, and now we're using a blue tarp to keep the rain out.

We lost the east-facing glass windows to our house. The neighbor's stupid cat keeps coming into our house because -- hey -- new hole to explore.

Every wall inside the house needs to be replaced due to the amount of damage done to the drywall. Although they broke mainly along the seems, because our walls use wallpaper (not paint) the wallpaper has been shredded and so the whole thing must come down. (Major pain in the ass -- but this is labor we can do, we just need to be able to afford enough materials for replacing the bulk of our home's walls).

90% of our dishes will need replacing. It's not a huge priority. We still have a lot of bowls that survived because they were protected on the inside of the fridge.

Family portraits lost some glass from the frames, meaning we'll need to replace those. Although it's not a huge priority. A simple glass frame from the dollar store is all we'll need.

Many other small and trivial items need replacing. We lost our toaster oven. Our automatic tea kettle. Things you really take for granted when you want some tea or toast and realize you can't make any.

There are, of course, things I won't ask to replace such as trivial items like my Sideshow Collectibles Premium Format Wonder Woman statue. She's busted up, but I'll probably have a lot of fun gluing the pieces back together and repainting her.

Our house isn't earthquake insured, and it didn't sustain enough damage for regular insurance to kick in (which, I suppose is a good thing considering the house would need to be toppled over for the insurance to kick in), meaning we are getting stuck with the full financial burden of the repairs.

And since it's my wife's family home, we can't just up and move. Which means we will need to do some major fixing. Which costs money.

As such, it seems I have little in the way of options and am currently looking for the best crowdfunding platform to begin my groveling and begging for money. I post the details of that later this week.

Until then, here's a video showing the startling amount of destruction done to Mashiki:
https://www.facebook.com/118317718248118/videos/1066955236717690/

Reflections #1: From Nightmare School to Dream School

After JET Programme finished for me, and I moved from Hiroshima to Kumamoto, I was lucky enough to find a teaching job just two weeks after the move.

It was in a town about an hour and a half from where I lived, but an easy enough commute on the train. A little longer by car.

Needless to say I was just happy I could continue to pay the bills, put food on the table, and provide for my family. I really didn't care how far I had to go to do that.

And everything seems alright. After all, I had taught at 14 different junior high schools and elementary schools in Japan. I thought this one would be like all the others. I couldn't have been further from the truth if I'd tried.

I had a nightmare first year at the new JHS I taught at.

The kids were a nightmare. Every day there was some strange or dangerous incident. Just off the top of my head...

A teen once threw his desk through a window.

A girl student stabbed a teacher with a pair of scissors.

A couple of parents were suing the school because the school counselor found out their daughter wasn't taking her anti-psychotic meds, and the teacher was obligated by the law to inform the school and, supposedly, this embarrassment caused the family to feel as though they lost face with the community -- thus the lawsuit.

And this same girl kicked a underclassman down a flight of stairs because the underclassman wouldn't agree with her as to what the best K-pop band was.

I dad a boy student with ADHD who kept jumping out of the 3rd floor window and scaling the wall to the 2nd story window then running around like a wild-thing.

It was insane to say the least.

And those are the good stories of the year. Everything just got worse from there on in. That school took me to my breaking point as a teacher.

Luckily, once those kids graduated, it was, you might say... a miraculous change. The dynamics of the whole school changed.

Once the Children of the Corn graduated, that school became my all time favorite school I've ever had the privilege of working at.

Strange how that works.

Non-alcoholic Beer and Japan as a Social Drinking Culture

Non-alcoholic beer is just soda flavored beer. It's a lot like chocolate soda flavored beer. It exists without reason or purpose simply for the sake of existing.

That said, non alcoholic beers do play a rather big social function here in Japan, where they have a ZERO alcohol policy for drinking and driving. The actual legal limit is BrAC 0.15 mg/L (equivalent to 0.03%). To put this into perspective, a piece of rum cake would set you over that limit.

A one time offense for drinking and driving in Japan (with zero altercations) is the suspension of your license for six month and a 5K $USD fine! The second offense is the permanent suspension of your license and up to a 10K $USD fine (my Japanese driver's education manual says this fine is actually up to the presiding judge). If you kill anyone in a DUI / DWI it's an automatic jail sentence plus anything else the judge wants to throw at you.

Japan has some of the strictest drinking laws I've ever seen.

That's where non-alcoholic beer comes into the equation.

In Japan, social drinking with work employees is ritualistic. There are several mandatory drinking parties a year -- even for public schools like mine!

New Years, is of course the biggest, but then there are PTA, Graduation, and start and end to the semester drinking parties. There's a Christmas drinking party as well. Every December 22nd all teachers receive a pledge form from their school that they must sign promising that they will not drink and drive and will use good judgement throughout the evening, even if they become intoxicated. The form is legally binding, so drinking and driving would result in losing their job!

Corporate companies have even more drinking parties, as they host foreign bosses and work exchange employees and every time there is a visitor or a tour of the factory / company, there will be a drinking party. In Japan, being a good host is vital to the identity of the Japanese people and part of their inbuilt tradition of manners and serving as a sign of respect. So, of course, such parties are mandatory.

With this amount of pressure to drink -- sometimes two or three times a week... non-alcoholic beer becomes the polite way to join these events without actually becoming an alcoholic, or getting slobbering drunk for that matter.

It allows employees to save face, pay the proper respect, be a part of the group, and not loose their driving privileges! It also allows women employees, who feel the same pressures to drink, to switch out to something that won't give them alcohol poisoning as they have to drink for two to three hours at the main party -- only to have to drink more at the ni-ji-kai or after-party.

The more you know!
(Classic Japanese beer ad snagged from Everything Japan)