Country Feedback

This is sick.
The photos from photojournalist Scott Strazzante are compared with their counterparts from about seven years ago.
The second page of photos depicts the drastic transformation that has happened in the city of Lockport, once home to the Cagwin family. Most depict the extreme differences between the once-rural home of the Cagwins and the now-suburban home of the Grabenhofers, but some show the similarities, such as family, practical jokes, and animals.
This essay is wonderfully constructed and certainly thought-provoking ...enjoy.

I'm Not Worried At All

(Just for the record, many [hopefully not all] of my blog post titles from now on are going to titles of songs. I was thinking, why try to be creative myself when others have already been more creative? Plus, it's just a song/post title--nothing too important/intriguing that I should be using my own material here. Hey! How about a little game? First person who guesses then comments with the artist of the song, gets a point. Then whenever you want, you can cash in your points. Then, I don't know what, but we'll go from there. So, I'll start: Moby! One point for Catherine. Oh, and no cheating, i.e. googling. I WILL know if you've cheated.)
So I was going to actually say something in this post but I'll save it, since I have a post's worth of words already here.

Apparently

he died.

Barack Hussein Obama

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200712/obama
I read this article on the plane ride back to Missouri, and I found it to be very informative one of my favorite presidential candidates.
First of all, The Atlantic is possibly my new favorite magazine. The writing is just phenomenal. I would like to see more photos, but that's me: a photojournalism student. Overall, the magazine, and this article in particular, is just excellent. This article is all about Obama, and here are just a few of my thoughts on it.
One of the more thought-provoking points in the article comes when Andrew Sullivan is discussing the uniqueness of Obama's face and the impact it in itself has on his candidacy. He is obviously different from any other president in history, in both his ethnicity and upbringing. And, when it comes to the war in Iraq, this fact may absolutely come into play. It seems ironic when Sullivan presents the situation of the young Pakistani Muslim, seeing the face of Barack Hussein Obama as "now the alleged enemy."
Secondly, the article leaves me wondering what sort of "Christian" Obama is and what sort of faith he has. Sullivan thinks it critical that Obama is not born again. But the article continues and includes an excerpt from a 2004 speech, in which Obama "described his religious conversion." Obama spoke of a choice he made: "I submitted myself to [God's] will, and dedicated myself to discovering his truth and carrying out his works." Ok...that's all well and good, but it makes me wonder if he thinks he is saved because he knows about Jesus Christ and has "affirmed [his] Christian faith." Has he actually accepted Jesus for his life? Does he love Jesus? Apparently not.
Although Obama may not have the years of experience in political office that his opponents do, I still have a lot of respect for him. I was pleasantly surprised to read that he left a comfortable upper-class East Coast career to join a community on Chicago's South Side. That, to me, shows character.
Anyway, read the article. Let me know what you think.

The Day Has Come

FINALLY: my last day in the mitt.
I have been home in L-town for no less than 35, yes 35, days. The length of this holiday break is, in my opinion, a bit ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I love to be home. I love Detroit, I love my people here, and I love almost everything about my life in Michigan. But, in a way, I have just moved on from my life here. I don't think I necessarily call Missouri home yet, but it is definitely growing on me. I've established relationships and roots that I think (I hope) will last for my life.
In saying all that, I know that Michigan will always be home. Missouri, and wherever else my life takes me, will also be home, in due time. I am SO ready to be back in Columbia, start school again, and reunite with my friends and "family" there. Maybe Mizzou makes this break so long on purpose so that we students are all hyped to be doing schoolwork again. We're all so bored and all, "Yeah, studying! Let's do it." But first, we have ANOTHER holiday off school tomorrow. So, here's to no school, ever. And here's to the one man who changed history forever.

Here I Am

And so begins my journey into the blogosphere. How very exciting.
You may be wondering why on earth I am starting a blog in the first place. As I've discovered, many blogs are themed. For example, a new parent may keep a blog of the goings-on in the family, as to keep extended relatives informed; a traveling student may keep a blog about his or her studies abroad. A group of people might keep a blog about a common interest, like cats or NASCAR. Obviously, not a one of these applies to me. So, I suppose the reason behind my blogging is just to write. In the future, I plan on doing journalistical sorts of things, and these things always include writing. And you know what they say. Practice, practice practice. And apparently, when you apply for a job, they like you to have "experience," or something along those lines. So here goes.