Ah let it ring... An appeal to Pastor Jones

We live in America; a gorgeous country that affords indulgence in life, love, the pursuit of happiness and of course, freedom - freedom to think, to write, to say, to do, to believe anything we choose.  I personally believe that freedom is a human right, not a privilege. There is a rudimentary albeit critical element to freedom that I will describe with an old, apt cliché...

Freedom is power, and with that power comes great responsibility. After 234 years, I suppose it's reasonable that the majority take our freedoms for granted.  After all, we've come a long way from war-torn, Revolutionary America. The problem with taking our freedoms for granted is that we put ourselves at great risk.  Case in point - Pastor Terry Jones, the Pentecostal religious "leader" in Florida who announced he would burn the Quran.

As I believe in our freedom of speech and religion, I practice tolerance regardless of agreeing with other ideas or not.  If Pastor Jones burned the Quran, I'd  have to say that it is his choice, his freedom of speech, his right.  Yes he has the right, but should he? Absolutely not!  This country was founded by we the people, for the people, something Pastor Jones seems to have forgotten and this is where the danger lies.  You see, freedom is about people.  Everything we have comes from the strife, pain and trials of all of the people who fought, died and came before us.  Our decisions, how we choose to exercise our freedoms, affects others whether we realize it or not.  Because of this, we - the individual - need to account for how our choices may influence other people.  It is our moral obligation.

Pastor Jones is abusing his freedom, his power, his responsibility  as a human, an American and a religious leader.  He is not taking his position in the church, state, nation and world seriously.  If he were, he'd realize what a grave error he is making.  One person can make a difference, whether for good or bad.  If Jones were to publicly burn the Quran, that single gesture would fuel the fire of anti-American sentiment of those who seek to do harm against us.  They will use this as petrol on the fire to recruit others and induce violence.  Pastor Jones will be putting potentially thousands of lives in jeopardy, all to practice his individual freedom.

I implore him to reconsider and follow his moral onus to other people's welfare and safety; put away this idea of publicly burning the Quran entirely and forever.  And I urge you to please not take our freedoms for granted.  Think before you leap.

Mmmm, Art!

Here's one from my latest shoot.  Just felt like sharin'.  I hope you enjoy.

 

"When All Turns to Nothingness, Compendium Fades."

My favorite sushi in all of Los Angeles!!!

Not only beautiful but delicious as well. I went to Ichiriki and the owner, Peter, presented this to me for my birthday.  Come on, ya know you want some!

Spaceman Stu for Stu

I recommend listening through quality headphones or really good speakers...

For My Friend Stu...

Turn up your volume first.

I Ate Neil Young's Cookie...

And it kicked my ass!

"Better Than Prince" by Flairs

Digital Breakdown

This is a clever and funny bit. After 4 previous videos, she added some production value and it's terrific! Enjoy...

"1973" by Tahiti Boy and the Palm Tree Family

Please enjoy the music while you are on hold...

I can hear you now...

Verizon pun intended and aside, this is an update on the iPhone 4 dropped call dilemma. As I mentioned I would, I purchased a smooth, rubber case for my iPhone. I do not know the manufacturer as there is no print or hallmark on the case, nor was there any packaging. I purchased it from a nice Russian fellow at a kiosk in the Manhattan Village Mall. While I prefer understated and low key (read as black), blue was the only color they had that I could live with.



"Well, how has it affected the phone?", you ask. Beneficially, I say. While Apple has admittedly stated their formula for discerning signal strength is faulty, I have noticed that my dropped calls have waned significantly. First and foremost, I am thankful that this little adjustment has greatly improved and enhanced my phone experience. That said, I still believe the antenna setup to be a poor design choice. Again, that the phone would be designed in such a way that the simple act of holding it in it's raw, intended form impedes proper functionality, is a major disappointment. This is Apple, after all. They have continually provided cutting edge technology in a splendiforously sleek package, however, they have finally dropped the ball on this one.

The look of the pone is nice, trim, clean, sexy. How it feels in the hand though, that is the clincher. It is unfortunate that one is remanded to forgo the tactile experience in lieu of proper performance. This aside, I love the device. I'm certain Mr. J will figure it out in the next go around.

Please do not let this deter you from getting a new iPhone! Merely purchase a case synchronously with the phone and enjoy! For anyone who may like this particular case, I found its likeness online, here, although I cannot attest to it being the same texture.