Monday, June 10, 2013
SPICINESS GOES TO ELEVEN
As you enter into George's Thai Bistro, you're greeted with a bar
stocked with sake, plum wine, and Asian drafts. Next to is is a display of
various knickknacks you can purchase and are scattered around the restaurant.
Along the yellow walls and in between the red trim are photographs and
lithographs of Thai culture. Walking on a carpet of flowers, you'll hear the
Stevie Nicks belting “Go Your Own Way”, clashing with the atmosphere already
established, but if you don't mind classic rock (Really who doesn't like
classic rock?) you'll hardly notice after a while. When you sit down you are
greeted with a caricature of the George himself juggling serving pans with the
company info and if you're lucky enough, you'll probably see George running
around and if he takes your order, be sure to have him sign your menu. The
Asian restaurant is complete with mistakes within the menu obvious to us but
oblivious to the owner such as “Warning... If you can not spicy food please
do not try this dish.”
As far as drink
selection, you have a choice between standard soft drinks, house wines, and
various bottles of Asian beers and foreign lagers. The selection is separated
according to category such as soups, salads, dishes, and George's favorites.
Naturally I order from George's favorites, Thai Jambalya which fits the
description perfectly given in the menu. When ordering your meal, you are asked
on a scale from one to ten how spicy you'd like your food prepared. It's
uncertain whether they ad more peppers or different kinds of peppers based on
the number given, but when I ordered seven, I could feel my taste buds come
alive and slight tears perfusing from my eyes. Needless to say, the endless
refills of raspberry tea was a blessing. The Thai Jambalya is bathed in a bath
of spicy aromas and swimming in it is shrimp, salmon, crab, scallops, and
chicken. Topped on the island of rice are flushed tomatoes, mushrooms,
lemongrass, and cilantro. The crab and salmon is buttery and melts in the
mouth, however, the chicken is has a rough texture and dryness. As well, the
shrimp still has it's frills attached, which maybe part of the dish or
negligence on the cooks' part. Finally, as a minor complaint, you have a choice
between jasmine rice or brown rice which my waiter forgot to ask which I preferred.
Minor as I neglected to even notice it until well after I ordered. All in all
the Jambalya is delicious and is easy to overlook the dry chicken and shrimp
frills.
Now it was time
for dessert and one particular dish caught my eye before I even ordered the
Thai Jamblya: Fried Banana with Coconut Ice Cream. It seemed like a unique
choice and indeed the taste did not disappoint. Inside the fried crust
dissolving in the mouth is a hot mash of banana and shreds of coconut that
entice the spices of the previous meal. What would have complemented the banana
and healed the sour wounds of the spices is the coconut which is curiously
missing from the dessert. With the ice cream, this dessert would have been a
must try but as is, it is an unique dish that is worth the try.
George's Thai Bistro is located
at 3732 S
Bristol St, Santa Ana, CA 92704 and is open from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, Sundays from 12:00 PM to 9:00
PM. It's easy to find, if you know Asian restaurants are tucked away in
shopping centers but if you get lost you can call them at (714) 979-8366. It is
a decent restaurant with a medium-range price for the food. The George and his
waitresses were kind and accommodating, however, given the unexpectedly large
party, their services were lacking. At one moment they'd be there with a
refill, then others it took them a while for them to comeback around. As well,
they only took orders one at a time, run off, and come back, rinse and repeat.
Overall the experience was fun and I'm sure to come back with a smaller group,
tolerance of spices, and demand ice cream with the delicious fried banana.
ENSIGNIA ENTERTAINMENT
In February 2013, three friends
started their first business “Ensignia Entertainment, LLC” based in Huntington
Beach, California. Their mission statement states that they are “focused on
providing peerless traditional games that blend simple concepts and limitless
strategic potential.” I had a chance to speak to two members of the company.
Rick Barnes, at age 25 years old attended Trabuco high school and dropped out
of Saddleback College, citing that he didn’t need a degree to do what he wants
to do with his life. He is sole owner of the company. The other is Zack
Schuster, age 23 years, is the Art Director. He has attended Tesoro High School
and will be graduating from the Art Institute of Orange County with Media Arts
and Animation at the end of the second quarter of this year.
What does the name
mean? How did you arrive at this name?
Zack: “Ensignia Entertainment” came from our flagship game,
“Privateer.” It’s a callback to the flag signs that pirates would use and the
company is based on the definition of the word “Insignia.”
Rick: We had a number of trademarks we wanted to use before
we arrived at “Ensignia Entertainment,” In fact there was about thirty
different names we wanted to use. But “Ensignia Entertainment” is a good name
because it promotes the game and is an alliterative name with the initials
“EE.”
What came first:
the game or company?
Zack: Rick had created the board game in his spare time and
it inspired the company. It was originally just made for fun and our friends
were having a great time playing the game that eventually came up with the idea
that we could sell it through our own company so that we keep all the
residuals.
Rick: We created the game just to have fun with our friends
until Zack’s mother suggested that it’d be stupid if we didn’t monetize off the
game. So Braven’s father had a friend who helps company get started and helps
them along, and he owed his father a favor so he helped us with the inception
and choosing a name and founding the company.
What is
“Privateer?”
Rick: At its essence, it is a game on the high seas dealing
with commodities and merchants, and emphasizes simplicity with the potential
for complex strategy. I’ve been working on it in my free time for two years
before I solidified the game and rules, and started testing it out.
What does the
release schedule look like for “Privateer?”
Zack: We’ll finish the final layout and rules of “Privateer”
by June 16th, and will start a Kickstarter by the end of the month. By the end
of summer, “Privateer” will be launched.
Why did you want
to do a board game?
Honestly, they are easy to make and not as technically
advanced to create, such as video games which may be in our near future
depending upon how well the company grows.
Will you continue
to produce board games?
Zack: The plan is to move into video games after we make
enough board games to support the company.
Any plans for
future games?
Zack: Right now we are focused on “Privateer.” There are
ideas for other games; however, they are tentative and unofficial at this
moment.
Rick: I have two ideas but once again we’re focused on
“Privateer.” The first one deals with spies, espionage, and the mafia. Another
one would be a mining game.
Describe how these
games are being produced?
Zack: We’ll be financed through Kickstarter and will be producing
all the pieces through local distributors.
Rick: We are dealing with local printers and local
producers. The main thing is that we are trying to avoid warehouses as much as
possible and are sticking to assembling the pieces from local businesses.
Eventually, you’d
like to move into video games. What about video games interest you?
Rick: Unfortunately video games require a lot of capital.
When we do move into video games, it’ll primarily be applications for mobile
devices as it would be straight forward to implement our existing games into
these app games. We would like to move into more complex video games for home
computer and consoles but ultimately our capital will dictate the projects we
do. We do have the trademark for our company to start making games so when the
time comes, we will.
How many people is
a part of the company at this moment?
Rick: There are currently four members at the moment. The
company consists of Zack, Braven Carver, who deals with social media,
marketing, and business development, Lonnie, who is outsourced concept artists,
and I. Three of us (Barnes, Schuster, and Carver) have invested about 1500 to
2000 dollars in starting the company.
As far as growing
the company, what kind of employees are looking to hire?
Rick: At the moment we are going to keep the company as
small as possible and grow it as needs be. We’ll hire people out of necessity
so that there isn’t any overlap in skill and ability.
Zack: This is all dependent on how the company grows.
Rick: Right now we’re just going to ride it out with three
people.
(To Zack) How has
your experiences at Art Institute helped you with this company?
Zack: I’m the art director and I
create the concepts and guide Lonnie, an outsourced artist, through the designs
of the pirates. All designs are approved by Rick. Rick is not an artist so he
needed help with the concepts. The success of this company will dictate my
future employment at other animation studios.
SELLING OUT
Art is a subjective word, as the
definition states it is the expression or application of human creative skill
and imagination. As well, it is work that is produced with such skill and
imagination. A more fitting definition comes from “The Devil's Dictionary” by
Ambrose Bierce which states that this word has not definition. The point being is that
literally everything could be considered art, further the credibility and merit
of such art completely up to the beholder. In relation to the supposed sell out
of an artist, it is again up to the consumer to determine if the artist has
compromised all meaning to their art. Critically acclaimed art may not hold the
same resonance to everyone and other art that are overlooked or despised may do
more for such people. Ultimately, everyone enjoys art in one form or another,
however, not everyone enjoys it the same or even can widely accept an art
piece. When people become angry at a band who has changed their sound, they
immediately cry sell out in certain cases, however, the inverse is beating the
same four chords to the ground and hindering the artist's or band's growth and
discovery. This is not to say that these groups do not feel
the pressure of the major labels to change their sound into something the
mainstream would appreciate, but sometimes that proves to be the better. Look
no further than Nirvana's debut album “Bleach”, which is distilled grunge rock
and listenable and compare that to the next album and most acclaimed album of
the 1990s “Nevermind.” As well, signing on to a major label doesn't immediately
suggest sell out, as the very truth is that major labels help artists spread
their music out to the mainstream and spreads their message to people who may
not be like minded.
The very clear and present
selling out is when it involves advertisement, which by its very nature
contributes to commercialism and devalues the integrity and meaning behind the
song used in the advertising. The argument could be made that supporting an
advertiser would only further their music to audiences who would not have
caught wind of it otherwise. It's unfortunate that it has become so widely
accepted that consumers barely notice it any longer. Even self proclaimed
opponents of selling out are ironically found in the same damning position.
This is the subject of John Densmore's The Doors Unhinged: Jim
Morrison's Legacy Goes On Trail in which he fights his other musical partners to
retain a sense of decency and integrity for their music and their fallen band
member.
Perhaps the biggest poster child
when it comes to sell outs within the music industry would have to be
Metallica, who are also arguably the biggest metal band today. Along with
Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax, this band was a founding member of a new kind of
metal called thrash with fast tempos and an overall aggressive sound. The
subject of their lyrics continued the metal tradition of dissatisfaction and
anger with the status quo and includes themes of religion, rage, military,
government, insanity, monsters, and drugs. That said, they took a turn with
their fifth album release with perhaps the most mainstream album, their self-titled
album also known as the black album, where the sound took a notable change.
Years later, it became apparent that the core values of the band had changed or
that they were only in it for the money as the band attempted to sue fans
downloading their music through Napster back in the early 2000s. This opens
another can of worms discussing the moral implications of pirating and artists
receiving their right dues from the record company, however, ultimately the
concern should not be receiving every penny from people listening to their
music, but drawing in more fans and listeners that might not have discovered
the music through financial instability. Given that, does that not mean that
their efforts of late have lost the merits of their early work, which has
influenced future generations of fans and musicians and ushered in thrash metal
along with the other members of the Big Four? Does that mean that the music
they produced today is completely non-authentic if their objective is to raise
profits?
PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY MR MOJO RISIN
John Densmore at a recent signing at Fingerprints in Long Beach, CA.
On April 17th
of 2013, John Densmore released his second book The Doors Unhinged: Jim
Morrison's Legacy Goes On Trial recounting the drummer's legal battle with
the remaining members of The Doors over the use of trademark and his veto for
Cadillac to buy the rights to the Doors music. Densmore is not free of such sin
as the book opens to a very distraught Morrison cursing his other band members
for allowing Buick the rights to “Light My Fire” back in 1968. As Densmore
quickly explains, Morrison had a peculiar theory that a band should run like
the Three Musketeers, “All for one, and one for all.” This meant that all
members had equal share in the royalties, writing credit, and any member of the
band had the power to veto a decision. Morrison had such strong feelings on
this that he wanted the albums to feature all the band members and was quick to
correct reporters that it was “The Doors” not “Jim Morrison and The Doors.” So
to hear that the other band members had gone ahead and sold out, devastated Jim
Morrison and angered him to no end. Densmore describes Morrison's fervent anger
that he curses the other members of the band and demands counter suing Buick,
stating that at each show he'll beat a Buick car onstage for every show until
the deal was over.
This has been imprinted on
Densmore's mind and has since tried to keep the integrity of the Doors intact,
especially after the tragic death of Jim Morrison in 1971. That is not to say
that the drummer hasn't dabbled in the dark side since the golden years as he's
allowed"Riders on the Storm" to be used to sell Pirelli Tires in
England. Which he has later stated that he heard Jim's voice and that he
donated the royalties to charity.
In 2002, Densmore vetoed an
offer by Cadillac for $15 million for "Break on Through (To the Other
Side)" because of his strong views to conserve the environment. Later,
Densmore would butt heads with the other members of the band who wanted to go
out on tour as “The Doors of the 21st Century.” This is the center
piece of this book as it recalls the legal battle throughout intermission to
golden days of the Doors with various insights and commentaries throughout.
Even though Densmore won the case, he was disappointed in his fellow band
members who continued on as “Manzarek-Krieger” or sometimes “Ray Manzarek and
Robby Krieger of The Doors.” Since their disbandment in 1973, Densmore had
thought that it would honor Jim's memory, who died two years earlier, to leave
their legacy alone. There would be projects and tribute concerts here and there
but it would be in bad taste for the band to do it for the money, which is what
Densmore had accused of Manzarek of doing. Nevertheless, Densmore had denied
each and every invitation from his band members to participate in tours.
As the end of the book nears, it
appears that the relationship between each of the band members has been
deterred and strained. He ends a the book in the same way he ends his
autobiography Riders on the Storm, with a series of letters to his two
lost brothers, explaining what they were trying to do and why who took a stand
against them.
Since the book's release, one of
the band members, Ray Manzarek had succumbed to his long battle with bile duct
cancer and died at a hospital in Rosenheim, Germany on May 20th,
2013 at the age of seventy-four. In response to his death, the author said
"There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to support
Jim Morrison's words. Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically. It was
like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to
float on top of. I will miss my musical brother." At a recent signing for
the book at Fingerprints in Long Beach, a fan had asked whether Densmore had
reconciled with Ray Manzarek before his death, in which his response was “Yeah,
I did, and I'm very grateful for that. We spent some time together. We both had
closure." Only Densmore knows the truth on this matter and it is not for
us to presume whether he said this to put the fans at ease after they had lost
another one of their heroes or it is indeed the truth.
The Doors Unhinged: Jim
Morrison's Legacy Goes On Trial is a must for any fans of The Doors and anyone interested
in the integrity of music. The book is filled with wonderful insights into the
production of the Doors to the unfortunate litigation between the surviving
members of the band. There enough intermissions and humor throughout to read
this two-hundred-sixty-six page book one summer's weekend.
20TH BLACK SABBATH ALBUM "13" IN 2013
That's not Bill Ward!http://www.thrashhits.com/2013/01/2013-album-preview-black-sabbath-13/
Since the death of
Heaven and Hell’s front-man Ronnie James Dio in May 16th, 2013, rumors had been
circulating for an original Black Sabbath reunion, which had been both welcomed
and denied by band members until a formal announcement in November 11th, 2011
at the Whiskey a Go Go with all four original members and Rick Rubin. However,
it was later announced that original drummer Bill Ward was having contractual
issues and omitted himself from the band until a signable contract could be
provided. There has been a fury of rumors stating that he couldn't play anymore
and a diagnosis lymphoma from Ronnie James Dio incited Tony Iommi to get one
with it. So they proceeded with drummer Brad Wilk, of Rage Against the Machine
and Audioslave. Jump to 2013, the release of their latest output is upon us,
come June 10th, and streaming itunes is the standard album in its
entirety. This is the review of Black Sabbath’s 13.
The first song “End of the Beginning”
resembles their first song “Black Sabbath” from the album “Black Sabbath” with
a slow doomy melody at beginning and ominous lyrics, then kicks into high gear
with a fast paced solo and then slows down again as a resolution. The song
follows a three act structure, unlike “Black Sabbath” and is a solid song. Like
the next song on the album, this song runs at eight-minutes and takes it time,
however, the differentiation in tone and riffs will entertain nonetheless
Next, the first single from the
album, “God Is Dead?” and with a title like that it seems like a bold move to
alienate potential listeners. Then again with a name like Black Sabbath and
years of accusations of Satanism, people who would be sensitive to such subject
matter wouldn’t be listening to this band. In reference to a quote by German
Philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, lyrics describe someone deliberating whether
God is truly deceased and coming to grips with it. Like End of the Beginning,
it has a slow guitar work at the beginning with intermissions of ascending
guitar and bass riffs with accompanying drums until it all culminates into fast
rhythm section. As stated this was the first single from the album released in
back in April 2013, for many people this was the first song they heard. It
takes time to grow on you but ultimately isn’t a standout song.
The third song on the album is
“Loner”, which for those familiar with Black Sabbath's discography, the riff
and bass-line mimics the signature riff of N.I.B. off the first album. In that
sense, this song demands head-banging and is one of the more fast-paced songs
of the album as it runs at five minutes. The song is not as thought provoking
as the first songs as it tells the story of an outsider and could easily be the
most poppy song on the album.
“Zeitgeist”, or “Return to
Planet Caravan” as it should be called, opens with laughter rippling into
synthetic sound effect which dissolves into acoustic guitar and bongo drums.
Osborne’s distorted vocal, and it’s likely that they used the same technique
they used on the “Paranoid” album of Leslie speakers. The original song was
about floating through the universe with one's lover, and it seems that Sabbath
has returned. It is the only song that could be described as easy listening,
which this reviewer would describe it as ‘boring.’
“Age of Reason” will certainly
shake you from your dormant sleep as it returns to the doomy strumming of Tony
Iommi’s guitar. With the exception of “God Is Dead?” each song has a distinct
linage to a song of the past; however, this one sounds like a new creation.
Drums launch the rest of the band into action but ultimately this is Tony
Iommi’s moment to shine with an extended solo. The input of a choir in certain
moments of the song is a nice touch
“Live Forever” is the bastard
child of “Children of the Grave” and “Hole in the Sky,” and like those songs,
it is a good song, but unlike those songs, doesn’t amount to anything
spectacular. It’s a solid song certainly, however, it trudges along
undistinguished within Black Sabbath’s catalogue. “Damaged Soul” calls upon
heavy metal’s predecessor of blues and Tony Iommi solo and guitar work
throughout the song is the centerpiece of the song.
“Dear Father”, the last song on
the album, contains a tangible ambience as if you’re transported into the
recording studio and can guitar picking and ascension. It cannot be overstated
that Tony Iommi is the master of riffs and handles his guitar better than most
people handle their lives. The song ends with the same doomy church bell intro
found at the beginning of their first album and ends “13” as if it were the
bookends of Black Sabbath’s discography.
Overall, “13” is exactly what anyone would expect from
this Black Sabbath reunion. This is a review of the standard album and there
another three to four songs provided on various deluxe editions and Best Buy
exclusives. Half of the album has a startling resemblance to their early work,
even to the point of retreading ground. Ozzy Osbourne returns to the Black
Sabbath as if thirty years hadn't pass and distinguishes himself from his solo
career. The standout performer, as always, is Tony Iommi who brings back the
master riffs and brooding guitar, and Geezer Butler complements these riffs
with his bass. Brad Wilk does a fine job, however, it is inescapable to hide
from the angered metal maniacs wanting a true reunion with Bill Ward. Bill Ward
would certainly bring in improvisation and the album would be all the better
with his involvement. Ultimately this Black Sabbath album doesn't step out of their
comfort zone to present something of note; it is in the end a very solid album.
It would be very controversial to step outside the Black Sabbath formula, so
metal fans will rejoice for Sabbath’s return.
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE: WHY ARE WE STILL DISCUSSING THIS?
Growing up in a Christian
family, I was introduced to the idea that this is a Christian nation, based on
the fact that was the original intention of our forefathers, and that any
deviation from their plan would be sacrilege to our creator and to our forefathers.
Americans who identify themselves as Christians have very strong feelings on
this issue as well as other controversies such as separation of Church and
State, prayer in schools, posting the Ten Commandments at court houses, and
other such debates. However, why is this a debate when clearly this is the
wrong mentality.
Firstly on the first claim that
this is a Christian nation, which would suggest that Americans uphold the
virtues of the Holy Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ. Contradictory to this
assessment, this nation also claims that there is freedom of religion. Are we
only free to worship Jehovah within the different sects of Christianity?
Whenever the debate the
Separation of Church and State surfaces, those against are quick to say that there
is no mention of this phrase within the Constitution or any other living
document of the United States. True that the constitution does not use this
phrase but anyone who is even reading the document poorly will come across the
First Amendment, yes the very first amendment, which states: “Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a
redress of grievances.” Not only is it the First Amendment but it's the first
mention within the Amendment. It clearly states that congress, our government,
shall not establish a religion nor inhibit the practice thereof. If only there
were simpler language to describe this, perhaps “Separation of Church and
State.”
Previously, it mentioned that
“no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or
public trust under the United States,” which I've went out of my way to find
for those who have difficulty reading long documents without coloring pages in
between. There are as well several documents from Thomas Jefferson, one of our
precious forefather, from United States Supreme Court cases which he implores
that such a device should be put in place to be sustain a free country.
Concerning the forefathers,
critics of separation of Church and State will quickly point to the forefathers
being Christians setting up a Christian nation for future generations to enjoy.
Once again, they fail to put any research into this as the majority of the our
forefathers are actually proclaimed deists, which is a fancy word for the
belief that a creator formed the heavens and earth, then went off to catch
Saturday morning cartoons and could care less about us insignificant humans.
It's a metaphysical belief that atheists and agnostics alike would be all right
with, not wild about it but they wouldn't be angry either. This is not to say
that there were not any Christian forefathers but to say that the vast majority
of the forefathers would surprise Christians.
Proposing that the Christianity
right wing still have a leg to stand on, they'll continue to state that their
children aren't allowed to pray or read the Bible in schools. Firstly, if they
were concerned about this, send your children to the schools where they teach
children the earth is only four-thousand years old and that Moses led the
Jewish people to the promise land on the back of a triceratops. Secondly, these are not
prohibited as your child is still able
to read his or her Bible during recess and can talk to God when no one else
wants to play with them. True that the school will not designate time for
prayer and Bible reading during their regiment, after all nap time is much more
important. This is to uphold Separation of Church and State as to not offend
the other children who may hold other values different from your family.
This is no way in shape or form
to offend the Christian religion, even though its a guarantee that they'll be
offended anyways and reject any of the information provided, but to show that
there is no established religion in the United States and it certainly is not
Christianity, nor should there ever be. There even more evidence that I could include
in here to support separation of Church and State. But why does this even
matter? Isn't Christianity and any other religions uphold morals that we can
all agree upon? Yes, however, there are others that are restricting us such as
prohibiting homosexuals getting married and stem cell research. It's
frustrating that when presented truth and factual evidence, religious
supporters will call with their Bibles, which they have not read thoroughly,
and misconceptions, such as the ones discussed, and hold this nation back.
EVEN THE KKK WON'T TAKE THEM
The Westboro Baptist Church would protest
Jesus Christ’s burial if they could…
The Boston
bombings on Monday April 15th, 2013 have captured America's
attention. Within the past week, there has been an increase in security during
major events and sure enough there have been inspired attacks. As for the
victims of the Boston bombings, 183 people were brutally injured and three
victims were killed. The victims’ names are Krystle Campbell, Lü Lingzi, and
Martin Richard; the two women were in their late twenties while the boy was
eight years old. (Botelho) Their lives were tragically lost and they deserve an
honorable funeral, but not according to one group, who have announced that they
will protest the funerals of the victims. This group thanks God for the Boston
Marathon Bombs and further claims these attacks were not “senseless act[s] of terrorism,”
but a “foretaste of God’s wrath.” (Chumley) This group is of course the
Westboro Baptist Church, or the “God Hates Fags” group by most, of Topeka,
Kansas.
First established in 1931
by the East Side Baptist Church, later Westboro broke away from the
denomination by Pastor Fred Phelps in 1956 and has been transformed into his
cult, consisting of mostly his family. Despite their name, they do not belong
to either of Baptist World Alliance or the Southern Baptist Convention, both
denouncing their ideologies as contradictory of what the Bible teaches us.
Since 1991, they have made an active movement against the Lesbian Bisexual Gay
& Transsexual community, believing that God is punishing America for their
tolerance of homosexuality. As stomach churning it is to hear that someone
would dare dishonor the victims of the Boston bombings with their presence at
the funeral, the church has been using the funerals of homosexuals, soldiers,
and celebrities as a platform for their deranged message. A large majority of
people in American is angered and hates the group. Absolutely no sane person,
regardless of religious choice or stance on homosexuality, agrees with the church's
methods and many are frustrated trying to combat the church's bigotry.
In response to the
church's announcement to protest the Boston Marathon victims' funerals,
Anonymous, a loosely associated hacktivist group, has infiltrated the church's
facebook page and have changed Westboro’s profile page to a parody and also
posted comedic videos and memes, backdated some of Westboro’s postings.
(Chumley) Anonymous has targeted the church for cyber terror since Westboro
announced that they were going to protest the twenty-six victims of the Sandy
School shootings, twenty of which were children. As a result, a distributed
denial of service attack (DDOS) has been issued on Westboro's website, Anonymous
stating “We will continuously DDOS until they are forced to put their inbred
church tithes to use to pay for bandwidth.” (Roy) Simultaneous to these
attacks, they have released the Westboro membership list, with the personal
contact information for most Westboro members. (Musil)
Anonymous are
not alone in trying to stop the Westboro Baptist Church as the most popular
petition created by the White House initiative, with 250,000 signatures, seeks
to label the Westboro Baptist Church as an official hate group on December 14th
of last year. (Wing) As a hate group, they will be recognized by the FBI as a
group whose "primary purpose is to promote animosity, hostility, and
malice against persons belonging to a race, religion, disability, sexual
orientation, or ethnicity/national origin which differs from that of the
members of the organization." Along with the FBI, they will be monitored
by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
There is as well an overwhelming response to revoke the congregation's
tax-exemption. (Wing)
Since the
congregation has been hosting these protests, measures have been made to ensure
the protection of funeral services, starting in the States including Indiana,
Michigan, Illinois, and Arizona. It became a national issue in 2006, when
George W. Bush signed the Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act, prohibiting
protests of the National Cemetery Administration within 300 feet and 60 minutes
before or after the service. In August of last year, President Obama signed the
Honoring America's Veterans Act, which protected military funerals by saying
that the protests could not be held within 300 feet from the funeral and that
they could not be held two hours before or after the scheduled time.
The Westboro
Baptist Church has been a subject of debate on the issue of the First
Amendment. Time and time again, their acts have been protected by free speech
as it is a “matter of public concern, including the issues of homosexuals in
the military, the sex-abuse scandal within the Catholic Church, and the
political and moral conduct of the United States and its citizens." How
long can the church be protected under the First Amendment, especially as a
newly labeled hate group. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett, of the Snyder
v. Phelps trial, instructor urged the jurors to decide "whether the
defendant's actions would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, whether
they were extreme and outrageous and whether these actions were so offensive
and shocking as to not be entitled to First Amendment protection". The
First Amendment does not entitle a U.S. Citizen full freedom of speech as in
the 1941 Supreme Court Case of Chaplinksy v. New Hampshire, where a Jehovah’s
Witness called a city marshal certain personal slurs and obscene utterances in
a public place which had the potential for violence resulting from their
utterance. He was arrested and convicted under a state law for violating a
breach of the peace.
Though the group
denies it, they have been accused of seeking only attention and publicity.
Another theory suggests that they are a straw man group, a weak argument and is
an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. One
has to consider what their motivation is if not attention. Though they are not
associated with any denomination, their intolerance of homosexuality has turned
people off to religion, who mistakenly associate their views with that of the
Christian denomination. Even the Ku Klux Klan calls the group “hatemongers” back
in 2011. Whatever their purpose, people are furious with the group and want
them stopped. As the years go on, it is a guarantee that the United States will
become intolerant to this bigot organization and will continue to limit their
effect on people.
SMOKING TO BETTER HEALTH
“SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING:
Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate
Pregnancy.” This warning is printed on every packet of cigarettes to remind people
of the dangers of smoking. All throughout elementary and secondary education,
teachers and health organizations are there to educate students on the dangers
of smoking. The picture they paint is not a particularly flattering one, an
exaggerated one at that. Smoking causes the body to turn yellow: first the
teeth, then the fingers, and then finally the rest of the body will follow
suite. As well, the body’s lungs will become tar and the body will be nothing
more than a cindered corpse sitting in a wheel chair, breathing through an
oxygen tank and talking through an electric box. These are all exaggerations to
be sure, however, the fact remains that smoking has negative side effects and
fatal consequences. With that said, a large portion of the population continues
to smoke despite these warnings. Why would someone continue to use a drug which
has no positive effects and would eventually kill a person after continual use?
The negative effects of smoking
are prevalent to the point that the positive effects of smoking are seemingly
nonexistent, boiling down to giving into peer-pressure or to win popularity
contests. While these attribute to the number of smokers, non-smokers would be
surprised to hear the positive effects of smoking. In 1994, Christopher Hitchens
writes in an article for Vanity Fair, “Cigarettes improve my short-term
concentration, aid my digestion, make me a finer writer and a better dinner
companion, and in several other ways prolong my life.” Tobacco makes a smoker
more alert, relaxed, concentrated, and gives a mild euphoria. Smokers engage in
smoking as a means of self-therapy, attributing to staving off withdrawals
according to anti-smoking organizations.
Three health analysts studied
the effects of nicotine and tobacco on aspects of human performance, led by
Stephen Heishman of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethea Kleykamp of
Johns Hopkins University and Edward Singleton of Stevenson University. The
study reviewed fifteen years of published effects of these drugs and studied
both non-smokers and smokers alike. They found that cigarettes benefit motor
skills, attention, and memory. The researchers explain, “The significant
effects of nicotine on motor abilities, attention, and memory likely represent
true performance enhancement because they are not confounded by withdrawal
relief. The beneficial cognitive effects of nicotine have implications for
initiation of smoking and maintenance of tobacco dependence.”
Smoking as well alleviates
symptoms of mental illnesses according to an article in Neuroscience &
Biobehavioral Reviews in 2005, which studies the smoking habits of
schizophrenics who use their smoking as self-medication. “Nicotine found in
cigarettes reduces psychiatric, cognitive, sensory, and physical effects of
schizophrenia, and also provides relief of common side effects from antipsychotic
drugs.” (Russo)
Studies as well indicate that
non-smokers are more at risk of both Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's
disease than smokers. Doctor Laura Fratiglioni of Huddinge University Hospital
in Sweden states, "Cigarette smokers are 50% less likely to have
Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease than are age and gender-matched
nonsmokers... cigarette smoking exerts an undefined, biologic, neuroprotective
influence against the development of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s
disease." (Russo) Studies indicate a temporal relationship between smoking
and reduced risk of Parkinson's disease and these effects ware off after
smokers quit. Dr. Tanner's group continued to see significant differences when
dose was calculated until 10 years or 20 years prior to diagnosis. They
conclude that this finding refutes the suggestion that individuals who smoke
more are less likely to have Parkinson's disease because those who develop
symptoms quit smoking. The inverse association of smoking dose and Parkinson's
disease can be attributed to environmental, and not genetic, causes with near
certainty. (www.forces.org)
Nicotine as well acts as an
anti-inflammatory agent and decreases the risk in ulceraltive colitis, a
potentially severe digestive disorder, according to the University Hospital of
Wales. These effects as well lower rates of allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma,
atopic eczema, and food allergies, according to a study in Sweden consisting of
two generations of Swedish adults and children. (Russo) Studies even show that
smoking prevents gum disease, something the anti-smoking groups have used as
evidence against smoking. In some strange cases, smoking has either increased
or had no effect at all on the lifetime expectancy of a smoker.
With all these benefits of
smoking, it does not warrant for everyone to grab a packet of cigarettes and
smoke to better health. The warnings and negative attributes of smoking tobacco
are still prevalent. This is to recognize that there are both positive and
negative effects to each drug and that everyone should exercise discretion when
using such drugs. The anti-smoking ads, though well intent, are in their
essence propaganda. As described before, the benefits of smoking seemed
nonexistent and seemed as though these special interest groups wanted to keep
them a secret. People should be well advised of both the positive and negative
effects of not only cigarettes but other drugs and pharmaceuticals as well. To
those researchers, more studies should be performed and widely accessible to
the average citizen to learn more about the effects these drugs.
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