Judgment Day

According to sources, this Saturday - May 21 - is Judgment Day.

Here are four perspectives.


My Friend Steve

In discussing the upcoming New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, he guides his readers:
Maybe you’re afraid you’ll be Raptured this weekend and don’t want to make any big plans. That’s understandable, but I am here to help. If you fear you may be a divine bubble-team, a potential at-large participant on Selection Saturday, you still have time to ensure this is not so. Here’s a handy list of activities. Make sure you do a few of these over the next day or so and you can rest easy that your name will be wiped from the Rapture list, freeing you for dinner next Wednesday. You can thank me at MiLa.

1. Assert that the earth is more than 4000 years old
2. Believe in evolution
3. Treat someone gay as, like, just another human being
4. Dance (see Footloose for more information)
5. Refuse to handle snakes
6. Commit a crime against nature (this is an advanced strategy)


My Friend Jason




My Current Favorite TV Show Ever - This Week (Supernatural)

The series's Season 4 Episode 20 episode entitled The Rapture (click the link to see the episode) is described as:
Castiel appears to Dean in a dream and says he has something important to tell him but they need to meet somewhere private. Dean and Sam go searching for Castiel but instead find Jimmy, Castiel’s human vessel, who has only a spotty recollection of being an angel. Jimmy wants to return to his family and normal life, but Dean and Sam are concerned about his safety.



This movie (or Arnold Schwarzenegger's current situation)



New Post This...Sunday (May 22)

News Story: Wasilla High School Bans Song by Gay Rock Legend

Freddie Mercury's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' deemed inappropriate

By K.T. McKee
Frontiersman

Published on Thursday, May 12, 2011 9:39 AM AKDT

WASILLA (Alaska) — When members of Wasilla High School’s symphonic jazz choir heard Friday it wouldn’t be singing the popular Queen hit “Bohemian Rhapsody” at this year’s graduation ceremony after working on it all year, the students couldn’t get their heads around it.

WHS Principal Dwight Probasco reportedly had received complaints from at least one parent that the 1975 hit written by Freddie Mercury wasn’t appropriate for the ceremony simply because Mercury was gay.

“The whole thing was just ridiculous,” senior Rachel Clark said Monday. “They’d played the song on the school intercom and we played it at prom. It’s a great song and the choir was really excited to be singing it. And the senior class felt like it defined them.” Choir member Casey Hight, a junior, was angry enough to contact a gay and lesbian support organization in Anchorage for help. They told her to contact an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union.

“I felt like the school was discriminating for sexual orientation and I felt it was wrong,” Hight said Monday. “It’s so stupid because there’s nothing sexual in the song. There aren’t even any cuss words.”

Although Probasco wouldn’t comment on the issue Monday, Senior Class Advisor Deb Haynes said Probasco has now agreed to allow the choir to sing an edited version of Bohemian Rhapsody that doesn’t include lyrics in one section about killing a man.

“The kids had put a lot of time into the song, but at graduation we really try to accommodate anything that might be a sensitive issue for anybody,” Haynes said, adding she didn’t understand why the song would have been a problem in the first place. “I’ve heard it a hundred times and it’s never bothered me.”

Hight said she believes Probasco decided to put the song back on the graduation program because he didn’t want any problems with the ACLU.

Clark said it didn’t make sense for the school district to tout tolerance for all and then turn around and allow homophobia to dictate something such as graduation music.

“We were joking about singing Elton John’s ‘Candle in the Wind,’ instead,” Clark said. “I guess no matter what you do, someone’s feathers are going to get ruffled.”

Clark said she’s glad the choir will be able to sing the song after all, because several of the singers have solos.

“The whole attitude of the song just seems to fit our class,” she said.

---------------

Link to original story.

Economics

Back in college, I took three Economics courses. I remember hearing about "guns and butter" and tuning out. I was totally confused. Somewhere in my third course, however, I had a breakthrough and suddenly understood the concepts.


I never considered being an Economics major - though I did end up studying for four other majors (Psychology, English, Math, and Business) - before settling on the one that I graduated with - Marketing.

I was thinking about Economics recently because NPR's Planet Money ran a story about the website The Economics of Seinfeld. From the website: Seinfeld ran for nine seasons on NBC and became famous as a “show about nothing.” Basically, the show allows viewers to follow the antics of Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer as they move through their daily lives, often encountering interesting people or dealing with special circumstances.

It is the simplicity of Seinfeld that makes it so appropriate for use in economics courses. Using these clips (as well as clips from other television shows or movies) makes economic concepts come alive, making them more real for students. Ultimately, students will start seeing economics everywhere – in other TV shows, in popular music, and most importantly, in their own lives.

I haven't yet read through the seven pages of examples, but the site does bring back the memories of college - and my fascination with Economics.

Awesome Things Video

One of the blogs I regularly read is 1000 Awesome Things.

We can all use some positive thoughts in our life. Here is the accompanying video by the blog's author. Description from the site: Neil Pasricha's blog 1000 Awesome Things savors life's simple pleasures, from free refills to clean sheets. In this heartfelt talk from TEDxToronto, he reveals the 3 secrets (all starting with A) to leading a life that's truly awesome.