It’s Beautiful
I was never one for organized sports. This is not to say that I harbor any ill will towards them , however, in my experience, i have always found other pursuits to be more critical to my personal growth. Fond of baseball as a child, on my twelfth birthday i learned the second kind of strike with the baseball strike of 1994, which effectively canceled my birthday party that year, and as I yet to understand the importance of collective bargaining, ruined baseball for me for several years to come.
Never really a fan of the industrialized sports with their constant attention to time clocks, incremental progress, and rigid structure, my regular schedule of football ingestion averages at less than one game a year, with that game usually being parts of the super bowl.
This year was no different. Although I had not partaken in recent years, as a proud resident of Colorado, I felt I had at least some responsibility to watch the biggest game of the year and to support the Denver team. While there are many things that could be discussed at this point, including the fact that the NFL has tax exempt status, despite the fact that it is a multibillion dollar industry, or the disgusting budgets for advertising during this game, or the issue of sex trafficking that has been an unavoidable, yet rarely talked about issue for several years. However, while all of these subjects are important and deserve our attention, the issue that i found to be almost unavoidable is the pervasive nationalism that has become part and parcel of event such as these. Illustrating this point was a Coca-Cola commercial which featured the song America the Beautiful (not the national anthem) sung in a variety of languages, obviously paying homage to the diversity that makes this country this country beautiful. However, for those taken with extreme nationalism and xenophobic tendencies this was an inexcusable mistake, that lead to a back lash of racist comments, the majority of which can be found on… you guessed it, twitter.
Although exclusionary nationalism is not a new feature of this country, if isolated enough, one can forget quickly, just how far we have left to go. With something of a colorful past, two of the best features of this country are its ideas, and its diversity, and while neither of these are ever perfect, through continual evolution and effort to learn and grow, many have come to see much more value in our unity than our division, and honestly it’s beautiful.
-Joshua Genius
Kaputt eh?
With the unfortunate death of Philip Seymour Hoffman more questions are being raised about the resurgence of heroin throughout the country.
Heroin is cheap and plentiful.
Mr. Hoffman had been battling drug addiction since his days in college. He was clean for many years until he started using that insidious drug OxyContin.
OxyContin also known as Oxycodone was first invented in Germany in 1916. It is an opioid derived from Thebaine that was primarily used for end of life patients to ease their suffering.
The patent ran out until Purdue (one of the evil big pharma companies) won approval from the FDA to sell and market their ‘timed release’ version of the product.
Since its inception into the market it has turned this nation into a nation of essentially heroin addicts.
Now with the shortage of the pills people who are hooked are turning to cheaper and more readily accessible street heroin to feed their addiction.
Such was the case with Mr. Hoffman.
When you can buy around six hits for the same price of a one hit pill the answer is easy.
What the pushers of heroin are cutting it with lately is a morphine based drug called fentanyl. This drug is the main cause of death for heroin users as it stops your breathing. You don’t wake up.
Sales for Oxy went through the roof from $45 million in 1996 to over $3 Billion in 2009.
It seems as a nation we love nothing more than to get high and pop pills. Of course it wasn’t helped by the fact that our primary care physicians prescribed this for almost any ailment.
I despise big pharma as much as I despise all the other evil, malevolent money hungry corporations that are enslaving us.
It is ‘high’ time that we push back and demand that these entities pay for their evil deeds.
-TDB
More Human Than Robot
Living in this digital generation,
We each have the choice to keep
It intimate and personal
Or take away the sensation
Of having to see the person
You’re talking to.
Living 2,000 miles away
From family and friends,
I’ve learned that the conversation
Is only beneficial
If it feels more human
Than robot.
I don’t just want to be an avatar
Backed with a code,
But a woman communicating feelings.
I don’t just want to say
Lol and Btw,
But rather write poetry
And stories.
I want to keep the human
Heart inside of me
Beating with emotions,
And thankfully,
Facebook is expanding
Its collection of emoticons.
Instead of a smiley face
For when I’m happy,
There are foxes with thumbs up,
Cheerleaders and astronauts
For when words said
Are out of this world
Or when you need some
Team spirit.
FaceTime is the only way
I get to see my family for 4 months,
Because pictures aren’t the same
As live action.
I’m not sure if we are making
The robots any more human,
Or if we are making ourselves
Less code worthy,
But when I smile
It looks far goofier
Than what a simple ☺ can show.
And when I find something funny,
I rarely :P.
Laughter is more than a LOL,
It’s a belly full of air,
Diaphragm work out.
I have 900+ Facebook friends.
I have 3 best friends.
I have 1 world to discover,
Taking my reality one
Mouse click at a time.
-Seraphine the Poet
February 8, 2014
Home
Stone butterflies
Carved out of fingernails and swallowed pride
That don't know how to spread their wings
In this enviroment
Keep touching down in my stomach
I never meant to ground anything
Didn't want my body to be a landing pad
I'd rather look like a runway
A clear path for your broken wing
A port in the storm
That last cliff-side root strong enough to support your weigh
tBut never a resting spot
Never a notebook for broken motors
Just a pit stop for weary road
People tired of being driven on
Take solace in me, though I am not much
My chest is a hangar with old skeletons for rafters
The lights can flicker if you're too loud,
The floors are dusty and you should bring long sleeves
But you can call this 'home' if you need one
-Thomas Thompson
Winter Wonder
More than the body can freeze at these temperatures. I seek solace underneath blankets and survive off heat of the moments. When something dies, it grows cold, can stick to skin. Difficult to let go even when you want to. You have to drag said carcass in the snow. Watch a trail of what used to be bleeding out from your trailing shadow.
Overdramatic? No. If anything you're unrealistic to the depths severing relationships can dig. Six feet of earth, hollow. Six miles of snow top it all off. My thoughts gone with the wind. Skin screaming in the key of withdrawals. Affection has always been my favorite drug. But like any good addict, I could care less about anything other than my fix. Broken habits stalk hard. Waiting for the slightest crack in your will to creep back in. Making friends with all of your other vices. Soon you have to stop talking to the whole crew.
Sun Tsu your away through the bare branches picking at your brain. Break away from the limbs weighing you down. Bury yourself in the dirt, half dead, half at peace. These times can be harsh. Sometimes we rely on basic instinct to survive. Long nights, even longer bar tabs. Meeting strangers, meating strangers. But that can always add another layer to the damage we're already facing. Sometimes you have to be present of the past. Sober and aware in the wake of the pain.
What was not meant to be, will not grow again. But you, you'll be there. Thawed out and budding. Green from the envy of everyone who doubted. I see you. I know you. We only feel like this because of how deep we love. Its never a weakness. I'll show you. Just wait for the sun.
-DCR
