Brain Goop TV?

I was recently shown a television show... I think Vampire Diaries... but my friend was really eager to get me watching this television show. I watched the first two episodes and my friend asked how I felt about it. I said that I felt that it was going to be boring because the main girl will end up with the blond brother and somewhere in between fall in love with who I referred to as the "evil-sexy" brother. I also remember saying something about her brother getting out of his dark emo hole and progressing into another after loosing a few girlfriends and the sassy blond friend was going to get herself killed. I ranted a little more about how cliche it is and yada yada while she just gawked at me. She said I just zapped through most of the major plot points in each season. Of course I did, it's that predictable.

I have a nack for predicting shows lately. I managed to sum up most of the ABC Family series and a few others after watching the first episode. I haven't mastered sitcoms, because most of the episodes are fillers. Anyway, I am concluding that we need better television shows.

We need more shows that require thinking! Like Criminal Minds before they started connecting conclusions too fast, White Collar, House, Monk, Psych, Bones before the baby, and best of all... Doctor Who.

I like Criminal Minds because it's (or was) about the process of finding the killer. I like White Collar because you can see behind the conman's ways. I like House because he is such an unusually cruel doctor that always manages to find the cure. I like Monk because it's all about the details. I like Psych because it is hilarious and full of 80's references that I actually understand. I like Bones because it introduced me to how the skeleton can tell you someone's life story. I love Doctor Who because I get excited when I actually manage to guess what happens and see the connections (never saw the River Song secret coming... Spoilers).

Television shows need to be more creative. I know there are some shows that you can use so that you can just shut down your brain, but there are far too many! There are channels dedicated to "Brain Goop TV". We need more shows that require thought and education.

If there are any television show writers out there.... HEAR MY PLEA!

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

But Have Not Love, I Am Nothing.

"Love is patient Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

Somehow people think this doesn't apply to homosexuals. 

Yes, this is going there. I'm doing a project on equal marriage rights and some YouTube comments have me really upset. Mainly on this one. You can even see my comment on some bigot-asshole's post. I do not condone swearing, but I am angry and it happens to the best of us (don't deny it).

God once told the nation of Israel, "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a women; that is detestable."

Since people are taking this literally, lets discuss the holes here (pun not intended). One, a man cannot have sex with a man like he does a women, that would be weird if they did since you know... men don't have vaginas. Two, God left out the bit about the woman and a woman but included having sex with your donkey or your neighbors wife. And three, the nation of Israel implies everyone so women cannot lie with a man as they would a woman?

I take my Bible metaphorically and I apply it to everyday life. I still go by the teachings of God, but I don't go around repeating it word for word. God gives me challenges everyday that I am left to interpret for myself. And for all I know, King James felt like throwing some curve-balls.

Since homosexuality marriage rights is the challenge God has given us in modern day society, it's time for me to interpret for myself.

First of... Nobody is anything without love, and everyone is unconditionally loved by God if they choose to accept him. Love also keeps no records of wrongs and is greater than faith and hope.

I know that in in 2 John 6 John says love is defined by God's commands, but love keeps no records of wrongs so breaking one or two of the many commands given by God is not undeserving of God's love.

At the United Methodist General Conference Reverend Adam Hamilton positioned that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching.” But he also said, “We commit to disagree and respect with love, we commit to love all persons and, above all, we pledge to seek God’s will. With regard to homosexuality, as with so many other issues, United Methodists adopt the attitude of John Wesley who once said, ‘Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may.’” I believe he had the right idea. While it isn't necessarily compatible, it isn't wrong to love.

Sure, homosexuality breaks one command and then another about sex before marriage, but that is only because society isn't allowing homosexuals to marry. Basically, a homosexual couple break no less commands than that of a heterosexual couple. I mean at extremes we have Kim Kardashian and Chris Humphries who were married for 72 days and then Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka who have been happily together for almost 10 years and have raised a beautiful set of twins. How is is okay for the Kardashian couple and not the Harris couple?

In my scientific opinion, there is nothing seriously wrong or unhealthy about it. Obviously the anatomy of a human is able to accept pleasure using same and opposite sex body parts. The prostate and the clitoris are located in those places, by God, for a reason. Sorry for being awkwardly scientific, but it's evident!

There is no definite psychological explanations, but there are some theories. One being the slight (and I mean slight in the minimal perspective) increase in estrogen production in the homosexual male (hence the high pitched voices) during embryonic development and the same for testosterone in female homosexuals. There isn't any harm in an increase in hormones, people take extra hormones all the time. Way more than is required to change the sexual orientation of someone in development. It is in no way a deformation, just a different hormone fluctuation.

In the end, the Bible doesn't completely condemn (doesn't even say they're going to Hell) and psychology doesn't call it a deformation or disorder. The only problem is society and how they interpret God's challenges.

What Makes America the Greatest Country in One Sentence or Less

“What Makes America the Greatest Country in One Sentence or Less”

So... If you have ever watched the Newsroom on HBO, you will understand this post better than others. In my AP Government class we were shown the opening scene (Click here to watch) and told to write an essay on why America is or is not the greatest country. This was my response:

"It’s not, but it can be.”- MacKenzie MaHale, Episode 1, The Newsroom. 

I do agree that America is not the greatest country in the world. The word “greatest” has a very broad definition and everyone will think that their country is the greatest country. William McAvoy, The Newsroom, supports the definition of the word “greatest” with rankings of countries. Some of the numbers have improved since the episode aired, but there is still little evidence that shows that America is the “greatest” country. America is sixth in literacy, Finland is first. It is thirty-second in math, China is first and Finland is second. It is sixteenth in reading, Finland is first. It is sixteenth in life expectancy, Japan is first. It is fiftieth in infant mortality, Monaco is first and Japan is second. It is third in median income, Luxemburg is first. It is third in exports, China is first. America is thirteenth in education and decreasing and Finland is at a steady first. Sadly America tops in number of incarcerated citizens per capita, imports, and defense spending. Defense spending is almost seven times greater than the defense spending in China, who is second in defense spending. And surprisingly 80% of American adults believe in ethereal beings, which also top the charts. America’s chart toppers are not the most desired. Based on statistics, Finland seems to be the “greatest” country, not America.

I think that at one point in history America had the potential to be one of the greatest countries. There was a point that America was full of innovation, imagination, technological advances, opportunities, and so forth. Every country aspired to be America. Somewhere we lost the dream and respect. I didn’t live any time before the end of the 20th century so I can never be absolutely sure of America’s greatness. From what I hear, even though it had its ups and downs, America was a wonderful place to be in the past.

Originally, America was built on a great and powerful idea. It broke away from the most powerful colonizing force and became its own powerful nation. It all started with an idea and then the action that made the idea become reality. In the industrial revolution America built great factories filled with the most advanced machinery. Americans have made iPhones and mobile computers within thirty years of the creation of the household desktop and mobile phone. America used to have ambition and creativity and that was the greatest aspect a country could have.

I can go on and on about the downfalls of America today. McAvoy was right when he said “you are without a doubt a member of the worst, period, generation, period, ever, period.” This generation is full of ignorance, discrimination, bickering, hate, lies, deceit, uneducated politics, and everything in between. We still have aspirations, everyone does, and we just won’t work for it. Yes, we want it all -- the cars, houses, six figure incomes, and respect and admiration for our unparalleled brilliance -- and we don't want to work for it. This generation is born ignorant so that the people who see that this generation is ignorant still cannot be released from ignorance because there are no opportunities anymore because more money is spent fighting other countries wars instead of educating the people of America. That is another problem Americans have, they lost the idea that they once had and replaced it with fast paced action. Americans need results “now, now, now” but are too lazy to learn to be able to do it themselves. That is not even the complete downfall of America.

All I have to say to the government is “Get your heads out of your butts and do something productive.” The two major political parties cannot stop attacking each other long enough to fix a problem. They need to inform the public, they need to educate the public, they need to protect the rights of the public, not sit around and argue over abortion, which males should never have a say in, and the wealth’s tax cuts expiring. The government needs to act logically for the benefit of the public and right now that isn't happening.

As a citizen, one needs to inform and educate oneself to form unbiased conclusions. DO NOT just follow someone else’s ideas, create them for yourself. By doing this you open yourself to so many possibilities and opportunities. You’ll be able to get that six figure job if you educate yourself. You can have it all as long as you are informed. That is all that a citizen can really do for themselves and society.

Overall, McAvoy was right. We used to be great, we aren't anymore. But we still can be.

I hope that this enlightened you all! This is my personal opinion, feel free to challenge it! I welcome challenges.

~Emily, The Yellow Umbrella

Introductions

First Post!

I'm excited! This is my first post. I really want this blog to be successful, but I cannot do it without followers and good posts.

First off... I should probably introduce myself and the blog.

First here are some pictures that describe myself.                         

 

My name is Emily. I am a senior in high school. I basically have all AP classes. I am Christian and very scientific. I plan to go to college and major in Biology under pre-medical. My top choice is UNC Greensboro, because they have a Human Biology program and dorms with bathrooms inside of them. I have some problems with clutter and public bathrooms, so dorm life may kill me. I think I am creative, but I will let you be the judge of that. I can be funny, and I say this because people laugh at some of the things I say that are meant to be funny. I am also the sole author of this blog.

This is The Yellow Umbrella Blog. It has nothing to do with doctors (I will just mention the pains of becoming one from time to time) or How I Met Your Mother. The idea came to me in the shower, where all good ideas arise. A week before this post my AP Government teacher told us about how we needed to express our ideas to the government and blah blah blah. Then my sister's friend, who is 12, wrote to a senator expressing what she feels the government should do. This 7th grader didn't do this for a project or extra credit, she did it because she wanted to use the voice that the Constitution of the United States gave her. After I saw her letter, I felt awful because I complain but never say anything. And hence the blog.

I named the blog after a project my mother participated in during the 90's. It's called the Black Umbrella Project. It is where a group of women held black umbrellas over the faces of women going into abortion clinics. I am different from that. I do not believe in abortion, but I believe that I don't completely understand the situations that led these women to the clinic and therefore they have a right to control their body. I will not personally get an abortion, but that is not what everyone believes and I am okay with that. I've given it great thought and I think that it is better to get an abortion when you cannot support a child and then raise a child in a horrible environment. What I don't understand is the old men who are avidly against abortion. I mean what do they know about child birth? Or raising a child without a father? They don't.

I am also a huge supporter of having the baby and allowing a couple who can raise a child but are not able to have a child on their own. AKA: Huge supporter of homosexual marriage rights. Yes, yes, this goes against what Jesus taught us about a man should not lie with a man, but didn't he also teach us to love and treat others the way we wanted to be treated? I believe love is love whether it be a homosexual or a heterosexual relationship. I also need to treat others the way I want to be treated, therefore if I want to be gifted with marriage then everyone should have marriage. I refuse to get married until everyone has that right, even if it is extreme.

Believe it or not, I am actually a Christian Conservative Republican on top of being a science student. Don, don, don. Confused yet? Well only by definition, of course. I get my beliefs and practices from the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, so I am Christian. I value tradition and am cautious to change and innovation, so I am conservative. I believe that each person is responsible for his or her own place in society, so I am republican. I have taken mostly higher level science classes and plan to go into medicine through biology, so I am a science student. I, however, am not uneducated in thought nor do I just repeat everything my parents tell me without a second thought. I also do not trust everything science tells me because there is room for error. I question. I think for myself. I believe. I have confidence.

My family is a Liberal Democratic Pagan family. My mother is also a High Priestess and a successful blogger (The Bad Witch Files, where I am known as the Bad Child and am often mentioned). If I didn't question, didn't think for myself, and just repeated everything my parents told me I wouldn't be the person I am today. My mother and I often get in heated arguments about our beliefs. Both of us back up our opinions with facts and both arguments seem equally logical. We often joke about the differences in religion/political views. When something technologically goes wrong I would say "What did I tell you about spells in the house" or if something freaky happens, like books flying off shelves, I would say "I told you to get up in them corners" (if you have seen True Blood, you'd get it). And she often jokes about getting me to help out with workshops for her students she'd laugh and say "We solicited the Jesus lover". She also likes to call me Marilyn Munster.

I am also the only Caucasian in my immediate group of friends. I have AP and IB courses and I just ended up with the friends that are Asian. Because we were raised in different cultures we often have clashing beliefs, but we know and respect each other's opinions.

I am the person who stands out in a culture of conformity. I hope to change the fate of Generation Y, the worst generation ever. When I was on a cruise  to Mexico, a Mayan tour guide told me that December 21st was not the end of the world, but a time for change. I need to be that change I want to see in the world. And if it starts with a blog, then so be it. America is not the greatest country, but it can be (if you haven't watched the Newsroom, shame on you).

And that is why I am the "Yellow Umbrella".