Wordless Wednesday- artwork:)

Rome was a famed city and was glorious in action, all of which made it's downfall that much more drastic. Many opinoins have been expressed on how its fall came about, one of which is Gibbons' opinoin that the fall of the Roman empire was brought about by the Chrisitian faith.

As always one needs someone or something to to blame. In this case ,as it was above said, Gibbons blames Christianity for the downfall of Rome.He states that Rome was large enough and would have been able to create a magnificent and unbeatable army if it had not been for the Christian doctrine. Gibbons goes on to say that the clergy of the Christians were passive in their virtues of society and mainly preached the doctrines of patience and cowardness. All of which resulted, as he says, in the military spirit being burried within the cloister. The revolutions, as Gibbons described the wave of Christianity , aroused the persectued sects to become the hidden enemies of Rome. It was only hastened when one of the Roman leaders, Constantine, converted to Christianity and thusforth brought Rome down with him.

Romes downfall, as I see it, was not solely based upon Christianity.The downfall was more or less based uopn the rejection of a new faith, and the fact that Rome had tired to grasp all that it could, therefor crumbling. The Romans, in a sence, worshipped their emperors and made them thier Gods. Christians believing as they do in only one supreme being would not swear oaths to the Roman encampments henceforth making it impossible for the Christians to fight for Rome and ceasing an unbeatable army to exist.

Rome had reached as far as as it could, it had taken in so many smaller countries that it beagn to crumble beaneath itself. It grew to such a vast extent that the people within it began to split, and the leaders disageed on the simplest of terms. The power was not evenly dispersed between the leaders resulting in a war of Rome against itself.

To blame one thing such as Christianity for fall of such a great empire as Rome is based upon the writers personal bias against Christianity. Although Christianity played a part in the downfall of the Roman empire, it was not the sole cause for the destruction. The authors personal opinion is not an objective case for the downfall of the Roman empire.

Spiderman 3

It hit the box office May 4th breaking all records with phenomenal showings , but was it really that great?We all know how it started, the genius teenage boy gets bit by a scientific spider giving him "spidy powers". He then finds out that it is his destiny to to save New York from all its evils. But when all else fails in the second movie he abandons his suit and his legacy, turning him into all but ordinary and finally decides to fall for his true love M.J. and go back to saving the world. In the third movie it was filled with heart pounding , edge of your seat, don't touch my popcorn moments as well corquy scenes that didn't even fit the movie, and the geeky ones that just made you feel sympathetic for Toby Maguire(Spiderman).

In the third movie we are faced with the question of choice, should spiderman go to the dark side or should he stay true to the red and blue. In the movie he becomes not so much evil but bad.As the bad spidy he has gained more power and a new sense of excitement. All of this not only plays part during superhero work, but in his daily life. Face it, they turned him emo.The side swept hair,black clothing, and oh so bad attitude, all that's missing is the eyeliner. But before he turns evil it shows his sweet side. Peter still loves M.J. and is going to purpose to her when all the sudden thew New Green Goblin, a.k.a Harry, comes into the picture and tries to kill Peter. He then gets a concussion which makes him forget everything after high school,including his fathers death. But they tell him he died, just not how. While all this is going on there is an escape convict running loose and stumbles upon a scientific sand site that turns him into the sandman. They really need more than the 2 by 2in. signs that say "please don't pass" and the three foot high plastic fence, that's why they have all the super powered villains.Then you get back to the story were Peter is about to be replaced by a new photographer, named Brock, and M.J.'s career is falling apart.

Harry then stumbles into his dads secret laboratory and then goes back to wanting to ruin Peters life. Harry gets M.J. to break up with Peter by blackmail. All the while Perter is freaking out because the suit is taking over his life only leaving him with chaos. He finally gets the suit off by crashing into the church bells where he was hiding out for some time. Coincidentally, Brock, was there and the suit took over him and turned him into Venom. As the movie goes on Venom is terrorizing New York with the help of Sandman and Spiderman is the only one who can stop them. The New Green Goblin has it out for Spiderman too, but he decides to help spidy instead because he can't kill him if he's already dead; and it wouldn't be that nice of a story either. In the end Spiderman gets the suit off of Brock and he destroys it along with Brock who was emotionally attached. The Sandman gets away, but not before telling his side of the story about Uncle Ben's true death, which was an accident. And last but not least and terribly sad Harry dies while defending Peter in battle. All in all, I give this movie four out of five stars.

Society in 2007

As we go about our daily lives pursing what we strive for in life we have our typical worries to think about. Parents worry about their children's health, grades, the bills, and their children's happiness and overall well being. While teens worry about the fads, sometimes grades, games and their social lives. While kids are just kids, thinking about games, toys, friends and for some school. But in our world and society it is not easy, par say, to worry about the everyday things anymore. We now have so much more added onto our plates that we must, worry, contemplate, and pray for. The once absurd things to think about have now become everyday things to ponder over. Parents can not send their kids to school anymore without worrying if they will be shot, as it has happened more often now, or if they will be kidnapped or try and be bought out by drugs. Teens cant go to school anymore without always being on guard, without thinking if there school is going to get shot down, or even being made fun of because they are religious. Children have been subjected to horrific things on video games, in movies and even at school.
One must wonder were all of this is coming from and were all of it is heading.Most of it, if not all, is societies lack of morals .We live in a world that tells everyone whether it is through magazines, the movies or T.V that they must worry only about their looks. A world that tells you yes it is alright to be gay, to not get married, and that more than two kids per family is absurd.A world that tells you yes you can have an abortion, use birth control and that sex before marriage is alright, as long as it makes you fell better.As long as you, yourself are happy.
Yes that's the phrase the world can now use, as long as your happy. That is what it has turned into. So what do we say to the murderers in prison who felt so ecstatic when they murdered or raped someone? Do we say it is all fine and dandy, or do we sentence them to life? It may be "outrageous" to compare all this to such a thing as murder, but that is what society has done, that is what our world has turned into.Abortion is homicide. Its there plane and simple, it is murder.Divorce is hurting people and splitting whole families apart. Consumption of money is driving people mad and causing them to go as far as killing and hurting others for more. Telling people they must weigh a certain amount in order to be beautiful and loved is causing them to be anorexic and bulimic, which leads to death. Telling people if they don't have a certain nose or chin they must get plastic surgery or lipo leads them to undergo numerous life threatening surgeries. Just for the sake of others opinions. In our day and age the world is saying that there is no God, we originated from the big bang and can govern ourselves. The world needs people that will step up and say something, not be suppressed buy the rest of the world for saying what they believe. If the world and our society don't turn around now, there wont be anything to go back onto, no set of morals, rules, or regulations and the world will go into utter havoc over something as simple as a choice.

The world around us

So many of us wonder what we are going to eat for dinner, hoping its not more meatloaf or another casserole. We are all wondering what matters most to us, for some its the dinner theory, for others its clothes, video games, friends, school, even paying the bills and getting your taxes in on time. Of course we worry about those things because it is what matters most to us for some it is wrongly based with material things and with others it is there family, the family that they have grown to love and cherish.But if we were to stop, turn off the T.V's, the ipod's, and the games we shall see there are others in the world that have hardships that they have to live with everyday.The U.S has had it pretty easy, of course we have been blessed with a multitude of things that some have taken for granted, while others have counted them. There is a war in Iraq many, if not all people know about,there is communism in North Korea, and starvation as well as genocide in Darfur, but that is just a small portion of what is going on in the world.
Lets start with the war in Iraq, something most know about. People are being bombed on the streets , not only men, but women and children. Journalists are being taken, held hostage, tourchered and even beheaded. There are peoples sons , daughters, nieces ,nephews and grandchildren, peoples families,out there risking there lives all because someone decided to ram two planes into the twin towers. So many people died that day and so many are dying today. There is controversy over whether or not the U.S. should stay in Iraq,some say it is helping while others say it is just making more problems. I say it is all based upon your personal beliefs about war and all that have died in 9-11 and the deaths that have gone on during the war. But is it really worth the sacrifice?
Then there is North Korea, there leader has subjected them to limited knowledge of the outside world.They are unable to do what they please, even in their own homes.They must ask permission to read certain books, they can't have anything from outside of their country. When tourists come they are told to stay away, they are told nonsense about Americans and they way the rest of the world is.They even have to ask permission to go out of town, even for just a few hours or miles. They are unable to have cars and can't even color their hair a different color or see a western movie. Although their leader has done most, if not all the things he is depriving his people of. People have gone "missing" there and no one bothers to ask, for fear that they will be killed. A country that is completely controlled by there government with no freedom.
And last but not least amongst the issues that I must mention is Darfur.The Sudanese government ans ethnic militia called "Janjaweed" have been in an armed conflict with rebel groups called the SLM and the SLA ( Sudanese Literation Movement/Army) and the Justice Equality Movement (JEM) since early 2003. As part of its operations against the rebels, government forces have developed a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against the civilization population who are members of the same ethnic group as the rebels. The Sudanese government forces and Junjaweed militia burned and destroyed hundreds of villages. They have killed and caused the deaths of 200,000 people and have raped and assaulted hundreds of women and girls. As of January 2007 about two million displaced people live in camps in Darfur, and at least 232,000 have fled to neighboring Chad where they live in refugee camps.Thousands upon millions need food, clothing and shelter because the conflict has damaged the local economy, markets and trade in Darfur.The rebel allegiances have split and shifted since the conflict began in November 2005 when the SLA split into two fracture's.Now as of early 2007 there are more than a dozen split fractures of the SLA and the JEM . The rebel groups are well divided with some supporting the May 2006 Peace agreement and then there is the majority of others who refuse to sign the agreement. Some of them operate under an umbrella cooperation known as the National Redemption Front (NRF). Although they have settled down some and are getting help, it is still extremely bad.
All of this is just a smidgen of what is going on in the world.Yes the U.S. has it bad, but not nearly as bad as the some other countries do. People are being killed in Nicaragua for there shoes! Yes there are crisis' in the U.S as well, I'm not saying there aren't. But it is far better than what others have around the world.We have controlled settings and a government that supports us, not one that is against us.

Intelligence v.s. Perception

Intelligence as many would say would be your typical street smarts or book smarts,but it is far more than that. It is the ability to learn and solve problems .If you have intelligence you have intellect and vice- versa.These two things enable you to reason between situations. While perception is the ability to perceive. Perceiving is knowledge obtained by becoming aware of things and situations through your senses.True perception stems from security, self esteem comes from plain perception, whereas insecurity comes from a lack of identity or bruised perception. It is all in the way you look at things, the way you see yourself and less importantly the way the world sees you. Perception is not everything to an individual, it can either help you by finding your own true self, or it can ruin you (which is what it does to most) by making you do whatever the world around you does.Like liberals. Intelligence will allow you to see things as the truly are, while perception from ones mind may be different to anothers'.Sensation stems from perception. It is a feeling of immense gratitude, it is a sense of being highly pleased. It is what allows you to accept a compliment or a good deed when people perceive what they see and put thoughts into action. All of this call upon attention, which heeds others and allows you and others around you notice their surroundings.Your memory plays apart in all of this by allowing you to remember things that have happened to you and others whether they are significant or not. All of these make associations, or connections within ones mind which kicks in your intelligence and the ability to reason as well as turning on your perception to enable you to have a secure or insecure idea on how you are to base things. And finally your imagination is what allows you to compile all of these things together within your head and make up day dreams or just dreams based upon your range of intelligence and the way you perceive situations.It is what allows someone to make up stories of princesses being rescued by a handsome prince of the world going into utter chaos over a small situation. That is probably what all those pause( ll ) commercials are for. And your attention calls all of it to mind.

As we go about our daily lives doing what we do everyday we do not stop to think of our train of thoughts and the way we look at things as easy as intelligence verses perception. But if we were to really stop and think which is really the superior one. If we were to really stop we would see that intelligence out ways perception by far. It is better to base your thought upon what you know to be true by your own beliefs than to let a whole world govern you. A world that has grown to know and love images only leaving it with scornful regrets. It would be better to be the moral and virtuous person with intelligence living life than to have everything based upon the perceptions of a world that has already fallen through the cracks.

Mom

There when the sunlight seeps through the curtains grasping the darkness with its hands and awakening her to a beautiful summers day. She is there through thick and thin, and never regretting a day in her life, this glorious day is presented to her.

A day in which we acknowledge all all she has done for us. All the headaches, backaches, and days she wanted to pull out her hair, but took a deep breath, put on a smile and lent us an ear when she had none left. She is there to see all our "cartwheels", dances-no matter how bad they are, and accept with a smile every picture that we paint. She is the one to tuck us into bed with a book and a prayer, to be stern when she needs to, and to love you when you feel as if no one else in the world does. She is the one who brought us into this world and prays every night and day we will be safe and God will lead us the right way when she feels she can't.

Today we honor and shower her with all our love, thanks and prayers. Though words can not express all that our hearts desire to say and how grateful we are to have her, the least we can say is Happy Mothers Day.

Reunions and Goodbyes

Loads of tears, welcome backs and sadly, after only a few hours, there were goodbyes.My mums twin sister's son came down from Montana after three years and most of the family came to see him.The day kicked off with us picking him up at his grandmothers and after cheerful "hellos," "we've missed you so much," and my dad happily adding "You need a hair cut," we were off to our house for some pizza and catching up. After cousins yelling, screaming, running up and down the stairs for a couple hours we all decided to calm things down and show him around downtown.With my mum bringing the video camera and taping we have loads of memory lane to stroll down and of course some bloopers.We showed him the city lights and all the greatness of Sacto (secretly trying to convince him to stay,) we finally made way back home, and watched the video. And in all the "do I really look like that?" and all the questions and laughs everyone has after watching themselves on tape we asked if he would like to live in Montana or down here(letting our secret out that we really wanted him to stay.) He smiled and replied with the memorable and hippiest of answers that I have grown to know and love, "its too polluted and you can see the stars better in Montana." The dreaded hour came when we had to say goodbye, and of course my mum started crying, and me taking after her, did as well. In the end all we saw was the back of my aunt Sarah's car driving away and my cousin pretending to escape.

Learning for everyone

There are those in the world that teach and there are those that learn. Although, it is said that when you teach you learn and when you learn you teach. With the knowledge that has been bestowed upon you it is likely that you wish to share it with someone you know or just anyone (even your dog will listen).The saying when you learn you teach and when you teach you learn, I would say, applies to basically everyone in the world who has a brain. There are millions and billions of people in the world with vast assortments of learning and teaching that if I said everything about every one I would probably not only bore you, but myself. Though there is one specific type of teaching and learning that I want to target, and that is homeschooling. Homeschooling isn't at all like your stereotypical stay at home"freak kid" or secluded child that everyone thinks about. Being a homeschooling child for only a few months I have learned so much, not only your basic curriculum of math, science and so on, but about the world around me, and about the value of family and friends. Almost every teacher that you talk to will say that they learn so much from their students, and vise-verse, but I think that homeschooling teachers benefit more when they are teaching. If you are homeschooling your teachers are your parents, some may think that wouldn't be fun, but it actually is. When I say that when you learn you teach and teach you learn it mostly applies to the homeschooling group because your parents don't have to be total brainiacs to teach, or know every answer in the world to every question that you have, they still teach you. In return, they too learn or have their memory refreshed when teaching you. All in all you will learn and they will learn from you and everyone in the world will be in it too, whether it be directly or in directly. The whole paragraph above, as you can tell, is about homeschooling and the learning/teaching experience, but what about the way you are taught, or the way others teach. Take for example, I have a Latin class taught by Father Lino. Now, you have had your teachers that try to make the class and learning experience fun so that it will go in one ear and hopefully stay. They try all of these projects and movies and basically everything you can think of, but Father LIno teaches latin with enthusiasm and is himself, which makes it easier to learn becuase you're not worried about a tense teacher. Since for most in the class it is their third language and for some a second and others have taken the class prior to this year he teaches in a way that will help everyone. This being my first year taking Latin I didn't know what to expect, and certainly didn't expect to laugh and learn so much. When I walked into class and saw Father Lino standing there and the rest of the class in their seats I expected it to be a full on lecture and to have a lot of homework. I was wrong about one thing, the lecturing. He started the class with a story written in Latin, and as he read we went along and he helped us translate. If the word was climb you would look up and see Father Lino speaking in latin the words, and climbing the walls, if the sentence is the dog devours the food, he grabbed anything around him and pretend to eat it. Being in the latin class so far has been fun and I've learned a little latin also.The way people teach and learn is important. Although it may seem funny when you see your teacher, and priest for that matter, climing walls, barking, and falling on the floors, you actually learn and remember when you see and hear the word acted out, what actually went on. Now I'm not saying that is the only way to teach, but it is a hillarious one and one that has helped not only me, but the rest of the class learn latin pretty fast.

Brothers

Many would say that brothers are a nuisance, a terrible thing to have, same with sisters. I don't know about the sisters part, but brothers, I have three. They can be pest sometimes, as goes for all people including myself. The saying " you can't live with them and you can't live without them," really applies to my situation. Sure sometimes they take your stuff, pull your hair, and just plain wreck everything that they put their grubby little hands on, but all they really want is attention. That or the fact that they are highly amused at the sight of their older sister turning purple in the face and pulling her hair out, ( that she probably spent a good amount of time on.) If you think about it though, even for a second, you'll realize that they're actually pretty fun to have around. Not only can you blame stuff on them, you can hang out with them, be yourself around them, and goof off without worrying about it. I was joking about the blaming, you do have to be nice once in a while. Brothers aren't like other people, in quite a lot of ways they are special. They aren't only there for you during the good times, they also know when to stop goofing off and realize when your down and give you a hug to make you feel better. Even my three year old brother asks if I'm okay with an animated " aaaaaaaaaah, you ok?" when I sneeze or trip ( because my feet are getting too big for me.) being the oldest one I am there for them too, when they're not quite happy, or when mom and dad won't let them have ice cream before they've eaten their dinner or let them stay up until whatever time they want. The point that I am trying to get at is that it may not seem all that swell and all you feel like doing is feeding them dog food and saying it's really candy, or playing pranks on them. In the long run, when they grow up and you have also had your share of growing up as well, all the stuff seems pretty ridiculous,but funny, maybe even actually brings you closer together. I know this because I hear the stories of my mother and her siblings and their treacherous tricks that they pulled on each other as all siblings do.

Brothers are incredible to grow up with, so far, and you'll sometimes regret the selfish thought that you oh so frequently think I wish I was an only child. So cherish the times that you share with your brothers because life is short and so are the pranks.

My Temperament

OK, so I just took this test that is supposed to tell you what your personality is like. So I guess this is me. Its kind of creepy because it got right on the spot of who I really am. Hope you like.
My Temperament
melancholic / choleric(54% / 46%)
The Melancholic / Choleric
The melancholic-choleric is also a leader with the potential to accomplish great works. However, where the choleric-melancholic is driven by the challenge and the opportunity, the melancholic-choleric is inspired more by the nobility of the task. The introverted nature of the melancholic, combined with the focused and unempathic nature of the choleric, can result in an individual who is highly motivated by noble ideals (even humanitarian ones), but who prefers to work alone, rather than with people. The melancholic side of both temperament mixtures results in the project being organized, ethical, and high-minded, while the choleric aspect is the driving and demanding force.
If you are melancholic-choleric, you are somewhat less pragmatic (or utilitarian) than a pure choleric, just as persevering and determined, and with a greater emphasis on the ideal. Likely to be motivated by the most noble and demanding of causes, you are capable of founding a humanitarian society, composing a symphony, founding a school, or discovering a cure. You are organized, perfectionist, introspective, driven, and moody (though less so than a pure melancholic). You will be less active than a choleric-melancholic and less extraverted, more internally focused.
But your weaknesses include a tendency to excessive self-criticism and criticism of others, being dismissive or overly judgmental, exhibiting a tendency to self-absorption, and possessing an untrustful and controlling nature. You tend to be inflexible, can bear grudges for a long time and may be prone to discouragement. A melancholic-choleric who is not attentive to his spiritual life, and does not keep his eye assiduously on the truly important things of life can become a cross to those around him, through his nit-picking, perfectionism, disdain, bitterness, resentfulness, spitefulness when crossed, and even haughtiness.
If your temperament is melancholic-choleric, for a better understanding of your temperament it is recommended that you read the full descriptions of the melancholic and choleric.

9-11

We go through our lives each and every day taking for granted all that we have, love, and cherish. Never realizing that within a split second it could all be over. Five years ago on this day we experienced something that we thought only to be in movies. The attacks on the twin towers left many heart broken and devastated. During this day and age we experience evils uttered into many different forms , but on this day five years ago we realized something that we had been trying to cast aside for so many years, how corrupt and vile evil can truly be. No one knows what caused the terroists that concocted these plans, not only to create them but to pursue them and why their primary targets were these buildings. Some give reason for why the terrorists did it though, saying that it was because they didn't have childhoods, or they did it because of other problems. While some make excuse after excuse for them others not only do that but look up to them as a heros, and join these horrible camps that permit such ideas as to bomb innocent people and places. No matter what their excuse is it still doesn't justify the fact that they killed people that did nothing to wrong them, people that they never met, people that were going about their daily lives and who had families to go home to. Innocent people. We have been informed that there are now precautions to ensure everyone that nothing like this ever happens again, and if it does we will be prepared for the worst. In the end we remember all those that risked their lives, the valiant people that stopped the plane that was aimed at the white house and those that were at the twin towers that saved lives, and those that died.

No More Lazy Days of Summer

Fall is approaching and consequently that means summer is at its end. I know its sad to think about, but its true. There are no more days of sleeping in until twelve in the afternoon and having breakfast in front of the T.V while watching cartoons (cool enough there is no rule that says you can't do that on Saturdays though). No more staying up late at night,and no more a lot of stuff. As the school year begins we must do tedious work while we slave for good grades. And every once in a while we might play the "cough*cough*. I'm sick mommy"card, but sadly it usually doesn't work. Although, you must keep in mind that just because summer is ending it doesn't mean that the world is too. There is still loads of stuff to do during the fall and the rest of the school year, just not as much time to do it in. Though summer is fun, it is nothing compared to fall. The cool weather with the crisp cool mornings spent sipping hot chocolate in an oversized sweatshirt, and leaves of all different colors falling in every direction. The leaves changing color is also a sign that the holidays are approaching, and time to catch up with friends and family with delightful diner parties. That's when the traditional pumpkin and apple pies come with days that you can just go out with a warm cozy sweater and your favorite pair of jeans on. I guess the point that I'm getting at is that summer is ending and it may seem like a horrible time, but in reality there is so much more after it that most people don't even think about.

"Everything Is Illuminated" is a movie based on a genuine novel written by Jonathan Safran Foer. In this unforgettable and heart warming tale unlike any other,Jonathan,who is obsessed with collecting family heirlooms from those who have past away, finds himself in the midst of an adventure when he collects an interesting amber necklace from his grandmothers bedside. As the beginning of the movie unfolds it introduces two very important characters, Alex and Grandfather,who help Jonathan(played by Elija Wood)find a woman,named Augustine,that saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Alex is a man from Odessa that was swept up in the American culture of Michael Jackson and Shaquile O'Neal and their ways of "premium" dancing.While the grandfather is also from Odessa he is somewhat deranged and thinks he is blind. He insists on having a seeing eye dog that is also somewhat demented. Jonathan traves with Alex and Grandfather in a car throughout the whole movie searching for Trachimbrod,a Jewish shtetl (village) located in western Ukraine, and also the location of Augustine. All through the movie you are filled with laughter, suspense,sadness,and happiness as the three men take unexpected twists and turns to find a woman that made it possible for Jonathans grandfather to escape.

As most movies are now a days based on novels, remakes, and stories,some are outstanding ones that you would love to enjoy over and over again, while others are on the dull side. This movie was unlike any other that I've ever seen,not because it had state of the art technology or because it had the best special effects to make up for the lack of story plot, but because of the sheer brilliance and originality that it brought to the screen. It had real life characters that people could easily connect with. It is because of this that I give this movie five out of five stars.

Happiness, for now, has been found in a mocha.