Newspaper staff is cooler than yearbook staff

Let's face it. We've all thought it. We've all acknowledged the truth. The Danegeld is just better then the Eddas. Nothing against yearbook, but newspaper takes the cake.

You Suck! Don't Broadcast Yourself

With the expanding world of technology and media, there comes new ways to make yourself known on the web. One of the most popular ways is through a well known video site called YouTube. This site brings out the filmmaker in all of us and allows us to share what we have made with the world. Using video blogs and short films, people all over the world are broadcasting themselves. But does everyone deserve this great privilege? There seems to be many people who abuse the power of YouTube. I am speaking of the people who upload cellphone videos of a ping pong match, where nothing amusing even happens. Or people who don't even know how to hold a camera, and managed to record capture and upload an upside-down shot of their friend shooting hoops. YouTube is a great location for people who have a lot of talent, or even a little bit of talent, but nobody in the YouTube Community wants to watch people with NO TALENT. Perhaps the terms of use should include: Do not upload videos that suck!
--Zach Allred

The Green Man Is a National Hero

During the Homecoming game, there were many unfortunate mishaps. The Marching Band showing up late, The Number 1 Fan (Viewmont Mascot) dropping the ball, and a premature attempt of the Viewmont "Rowing." But none, so tragic, nor intentional, as the de-masking of the school wide hero - The Green Man. The Green Man is seen as a National Hero to Viewmont students. He can fight crime better than Superman himself. The de-masking of this hero was simply uncalled for. What kind of joker would want to reveal the identity of Viewmont's very own Batman? I simply think it's ludicrous.

-Zach Allred
Danegeld Reporter

In defense of the mind

Knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom. They all have different definitions, they are all different things, but they all are connected. You need knowledge so that you can act with intelligence, and then from there you gain more experience and you learn to act with wisdom. Often people try to connect wisdom to some mystic arbitrary definition. There is nothing arbitrary about wisdom, it's just a higher kind of intelligence.
There is no intelligence without Knowledge, there is no wisdom without intelligence, much in the same way that there is no logic without reason, and there is no understanding without logic, and there is no affinity or friendship without understanding. Knowledge, logic and reason are the base of all things and nothing will be lasting or strong without these things, and these things are bred in the human mind, the most sacred and incredible thing that you will ever be in possession of. I hold that as an absolute. Never let anyone tell you that your mind is bad, that men who rely on the mind for their reasoning are merciless and evil. Never let other's arbitrary whim or mysticism effect your morality or judgment.

Be More...

Here is my final Senior editorial, with an exclusive sentence not included in the print edition. See if you can figure out which one it is! Have a great summer, and life, Vikes!

To me, high school has been about how to function successfully in society. Oh, and something about isotopes, pigs that could talk, and some guy named Metternich. If high school doesn’t teach you about people, you’re damned. There is no hope for you. High school is unforgiving and dirty, like a bunch of cannibalistic apes put in a metal cage with huge, sharp spikes on the sides. You can pretty much sum high school up with the only quote, from a book that I had to read for school, that I remember: “Do it to Julia!” Enter your best friend’s name in place of “Julia,” if you wish.
The first two senior editorials I wrote for this last issue were cruelly rejected. I tried using a boring metaphor of a computer as my life and high school as a disposable software program. I then attempted to make a want ad for myself as a joke to go out on before I leave. Virtually everyone, with the exception of a few philanthropic souls, hated both, and demanded that I write something better and more enjoyable to the masses. I decided that writing about one or two moments from my high school career that summed up the essence of all three years would be satisfactory to the people around me. But all I could come up with was the past few days of rejection and writer’s block (not surprising to Mrs. Whitlock). It’s that, or maybe Melany Bruderer pulling the headphone out of my ear right now, just as I finally recognize a song from her Zune.
I tell you these things to reemphasize that the main thing I have learned from high school is that the world is cruel and finding self-worth is difficult. High school pulls no punches though and grinds that lesson into you with a jackhammer. Although your world will get better over time, it is largely due to your growing abilities to adapt to and accept what comes your way. So after all of this, I do have a conclusion, a brilliant insight that took me years to reach: high school is a bacterium, but it strengthens your immune system. Your time here is worth it. Make the best of it both in academic effort and frivolous shenanigans – just don’t do anything that may overly-affect your future negatively. The constant pain many feel during this time of their life challenges you and makes you better. It may seem like you’re being attacked, but really you’re just being made to be better, to be more – kind of like the relentless push by my peers and advisor to make me write a decent senior editorial.

A Hardball to the Face for Kevin James

Watch Chris Matthews eviscerate conservative radio talk-show host (prick) Kevin James from today's Hardball. It's a torture session for all to gawk at. Enjoy!

I am finished

Okay, so, we haven't had a grammar lesson for a while. This time, we'll go over when to use done and when to use finished. My mother taught me this one when I was very young. I would be finished with dinner and say, "I'm done." My dear sweet mother said, "Russell, things are done, people are finished."

This is the wisdom I would like to impart on you. As you FINISH the AP Tests this AP Test season, remember that you are finished, and the AP Test season is DONE.

-Russell Lowe

A Triad of Poems

To honor the winner of the most recent poll, regarding what readers would most like to see next on the blog, I am going to share some of my latest attempts at poetry. I did not write a haiku, mostly because I generally avoid doing so, since a talented toddler could write one. I thought it would be a nice gesture of humor to include that in the poll options though. I hope you enjoy the poems:

Toast to a Dark Sunrise
- after Robert Bly’s Clothespins

I’d like to have spent my life making
Toast. Nothing more
Except maybe some orange juice and jelly.
I’d make the best toast. I’d see
It toasted to the perfect crisp,
And buttered with
“I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.”
I’d close the fridge, look out the sun-touched window
And go out to give some to horses and geese, all
Just waking up, with the morning humidity
And a little night still on the horizon.

Wormhole

I wish to be able to stare
And be unabashed
To lock eyes with some
Other soul across a room
And to be stared back at
Such an achievement
To have stood so politely
For all this time
Your number is called
And you can go through
The machinery of life
Less the loneliness
To become another
And have that connection
Seasoned for death
Waking up to the
Orifices of nature

I'm the Stranger

I'll be your every-night stand;
your midnight renewal

I'll be your breakfast in the morning
with soy espresso and buckwheat pancakes

I'll be your goodbye kiss
And I'll buy you roses at work

First, I've got to lie to you
so that you can love me.

All poems are Copyright ©2008 Adam Scott Gregg

I have less talent than this elephant

Thought you may like this video. My jaw is dropped.

Attention lovers of Pain!!!

If a fascinating combination of the very worst of Football, Soccer, and Wrestling appeals to you, then I most definitely have found your new favorite pass time. Viewmont, Bountiful, and Woods Cross has a fantastic rugby team and they will be playing this Wednesday at what is known as 'the park next to the skate park off frontage road in centerville/farmington' (for more information contact me at s_hallen27@yahoo.com) They will also have a game this Saturday. The team has three wins out of five games, so they're doing a pretty good job. Come show support for your team! Don't forget, rugby players need love too!

A final Sterling Scholar update

Last night was the awards ceremony for the 2008 Utah Sterling Scholars. In each of the 13 categories, a winner and two runners up were announced. Jared Andersen, one of the eight finalists from Viewmont and also this paper's News Editor, was named a runner up in the Science category. I thought it necessary to announce because Jared wouldn't by himself and it's a big deal. Congratulate Jared if you see him--he deserves it.

If you're still interested after two of my posts on the subject, you can check out all the winners and runners up here.

Who is going on the field trip with whom?

Ah, the power of the dying word, whom. For those of you who are hyper-active about grammar, this will be an eye opener.

Who is subjective, while whom is objective. Mwahaha most of you have almost no clue about what that last sentence meant...do you? While who is rapidly replacing whom, there are those (like myself) who strive to use whom correctly in their everyday language. Let's put this in laman's terms, who can be replaced by he or she or I or they or we or you.

For example, who is going on the field trip? We can reorder the sentence to read: I am going on the field trip, he is going on the field trip, she is going on the field trip, they are going on the field trip, we are going on the field trip, you are going on the field trip.

Now for whom. Whom replaces me or him or her or them or us or you. Again, an example of this is. That is for whom? The sentence can be rearranged to read: that is for me, that is for him, that is for her, that is for them, that is for us, or that is for you.

I leave you at this time once again, hopefully you have gained some form of knowledge that you did not know before, although you might not use it. Choose now whether to let whom slowly die out of the english language forever, or keep it living for another generation! (Notice the wonderful use of the exclaimation mark for emphasis.)

Please, please, use whom and no longer say, "who is going on the field trip with who?"

Happy rearranging,

-Russell Lowe

What color is YOUR toothbrush?

Seeing the ways students promote themselves in a student body election this week has really opened my eyes.

For instance, one candidate boasts that she has a pink toothbrush...
However, anyone can get one of those, they aren't rare. If thats our basis for voting than Obama should fill his bathroom full of pink toothbrushes!

Anyone of her opponents could also own a pink toothbrush! What makes her pink toothbrush superior to my orange and blue one? At least mine has a complementary color scheme! Those toothbrush makers put a little more thought into my toothbrush, I should run for student body office!

I know I shouldn't be worried about these school elections, they wont effect me, I'm a senior. But I'm worried for our youth! Their future high school activities could be run and planned by people who care only for the race of one's toothbrush!

What happened to caring about our SBO's character? Their people skills? Their ability to handle stress? Last year I wanted a SBOs who could relate to all sorts of people, regardless of what color they like to clean their teeth with!

Not only am I worried for the future Vikings, but maybe this election reflects what is really going on in the world. Do we care more about things that shouldn't matter in an election (ex: ones race, sex or religion)? Or do we simply not care at all? Are we more distracted and effected by the next American Idol (which receives more votes than our elections do, coincidently) than we are by our future president; the person that is supposed to represent the people in our country?!

Maybe Jordin Sparks should be our next president, but don't forget to check out her toothbrush first।

-Cassi Githens

Shameless Self Promotion

Viewmont has its season opener lacrosse game at Woods Cross on Friday, March 14. The J.V. game is at 5:30 and the varsity game starts at 7:00 under the lights. We've got a great team this year and would really appreciate any support we can get. If you haven't been to a lacrosse game before, you'll really enjoy it; it's fast paced, hard hitting, and pretty easy to understand. See you there.

From Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope:

We can try to slow globalization, but we can't stop it. The U.S. economy is now so integrated with the rest of the world, and digital commerce so widespread, that it's hard to even imagine, much less enforce, an effective regime of protectionism. A tariff on imported steel may give temporary relief to U.S. steel producers, but it will make every U.S. manufacturer that uses steel in its products less competitive on the world market. It's tough to "buy American" when a video game sold by a U.S. company has been developed by Japanese software engineers and packaged in Mexico. U.S. Border Patrol agents can't interdict the services of a call center in India, or stop an electrical engineer in Prague from sending his work via email to a company in Dubuque. When it comes to trade, there are few borders left.
This doesn't mean, however, that we should just throw up our hands and tell workers to fend for themselves. I would make this point to President Bush toward the end of the CAFTA debate, when I and a group of other senators were invited to the White House for discussions. I told the President that I believed in the benefits of trade, and that I had no doubt the White House could squeeze out the votes for this particular agreement. But I said that resistance to CAFTA had less to do with the specifics of the agreement and more to dod with the growing insecurities of the American worker. Unless we found strategies to allay those fears, and sent a a strong signal to American workers that the federal government was on their side, protectionist sentiment would only grow.
The President listened politely and said that he's be interested in hearing my ideas. In the meantime, he said, he hoped he could count on my vote.
He couldn't. I ended up voting against CAFTA, which passed the Senate by a vote of 55 to 45. My vote gave me no satisfaction, but I felt it was the only way to register a protest against what I considered to be the White House's inattention to the losers from free trade. Like Bob Rubin, I am optimistic about the long-term prospects for the U.S. economy and the ability of U.S. workers to compete in a free trade environment - but only if we distribute the costs and benefits of globalization more fairly across the population.

Americans win when their jobs are outsourced; lower prices compensate for the lost wages. This is pretty well accepted among economists (Greg Mankiw, Mike Boyer, Blake Hounshell). Those who win are able to compensate the losers. They shouldn't have to, though--how can one rebel against the economic system that has benefited them (and all those they care about) from the day they were born? What did they compensate the world when job specialization was a US exclusive?

This idea that the losers in the game of free trade ought be compensated for their job that just went to India for a third the cost of their wages and none of the benefits is nonsensical. When you've been buying a product from the same vendor for many years, then suddenly find out that you can get it somewhere else for a lower price, do you compensate the original provider of the commodity? If you do, you've got a hyperactive superego and need to go rob a bank or something. Years of protectionist policy have sheltered the working American from the realities of free-market capitalism in an increasingly globalized world.

Steven E. Landburg (professor of economics at the University of Rochester) writes:

Bullying and protectionism have a lot in common. They both use force (either directly or through the power of the law) to enrich someone else at your involuntary expense. If you’re forced to pay $20 an hour to an American for goods you could have bought from a Mexican for $5 an hour, you’re being extorted.

Oh, by the way if any of y'all are at all interested in any of my other worldviews, check out my blog.

Wow...

I find that it's usually people with the shallowest understanding of politics (or just no political integrity) who say "Barack Obama is all style and no substance/has no experience/is naive/has no accomplishments." The videobites you see on 10 o'clock news of politicians are never policy proposals and making such an assertion requires more research. Here's a piece I thought might be an interesting starting point.

In spite of all that, the following video is really disheartening. It shows at least one Obama representative isn't bothered by the fact that he only sees in Obama the ability to unite people. As my friend Alex Dushku likes to say, uniting people is only valuable if it's for the purpose of achieving worthwhile goals (sorry for messing with the wording, Alex).

Stuff about stuff-Not as long as it looks

The Democratic debates have certainly begun to go downhill in entertainment value, but at this point it's really a redundant turn off to both candidates. Barack Obama is being a complete wuss and played defense all night. Ms. Clinton, in desperate need of momentum in a campaign that's stalled (to say the least), was on the claws-out, womanly offensive. Attacking her rival's stances on health care, trade, Iraq, and his political tactics, she certainly didn't garner a lot of pathos. To anyone with even an inkling of knowledge about her record on any of the above topics, she came up short in the ethos department as well. The bickering over healthcare was moronic; their stances are functionally the same. Both candidates seek to make it more accessible to Americans with universal coverage as their goal, though Hillary's plan mandates coverage and the only other difference is only a bogus claim of semantics from "certain" health care experts that Obama's plan will exclude 15 million Americans.
Whatever.

For the play by play on the issues, according to yours truly:

Healthcare, as explained above, is kind of an a priori issue for me as a diabetic who probably will struggle getting health insurance considering such a large pre-existing condition. As an avowed free market enthusiast, I cannot endorse a single payer system; competition is necessary to maintain quality. That said, government intervention is necessary for some people who need insurance to get it. While the film Sicko may be one Michael Moore was involved with, it still held some valuable evidence about the exclusionary nature of the health industry, albeit anecdotal. Ms. Clinton's planned mandate isn't a good idea, either. Those who don't need health insurance, or don't think they need it, shouldn't have to be paid for it; they shouldn't get a tax break or any other kind of reimbursement either.

Trade is another game-winner for me. NAFTA (which eliminated most tariffs in the trade bloc and phased others out over a 15 year period, protects intellectual property rights, and functionally phases out all international investment regulations among the block) is a sweet thing. There are allegations flying around all over here, but for the most part they are just that. I think the backlash that would result from anybody screwing around with it prevents any substantial changes from occurring. Some new anti-trust or wage subsidy legislation would be great, though.

Iraq is a quagmire, no doubt about it. There ain't much to be said here regarding the Democratic players: the fact that their approaches are soon or sooner makes this one less issue for Dems to have to decide in 2008. I think both have realistic interpretations of success as the term pertains to American people, and either plan would sufficiently meet the criterion of said success (success defined as what would bring American troops home).

There are more, but I'm going to bed and this is already gnarly long. Adios.

The Oscars -- A Running Report

This year's Academy Awards show was one of the best in memory. Those involved were classy, funny, touching, and impressive en masse. There were no glaring moments of awful-ness, nor did the ceremony feel too long. It was well hosted, well written, and well done. The presenters were admirable and the winners had some great moments. Here are my running notes:

6:06 -- George Clooney is classic Hollywood. And "Michael Clayton" is as close to a classic Hollywood film as the Best Picture(s) get this year.
6:10 -- Miley Ray Cyrus shouldn't be there.
6:13 -- "Where's Regis's oxygen tank?" -- Dad Cheney
6:15 -- Daniel Day-Lewis is awesome, just awesome
6:18 -- Regis needs to stop working the crowd: "One, Two, Three... YAY!" ... Noo!
6:21 -- Spike Lee is so freaking cool
6:22 -- My aunt points out that every woman has a ponytail
6:22 -- Ellen Page is very classy
6:24 -- Okay, officially sick of Regis. Wow. Totally sick of him.
6:27 -- Jack Nicholson might be the only human I can forgive for wearing sunglasses in a closed, dark theatre. I just love the man.
6:28 -- Frank Calliendo's George Bush -- still funny.
6:31 -- Always love Oscar montages
6:32 -- John Stewart looks nice. Viggo doesn't.
6:34 -- "Does this town need a hug? ... all I can say is thank God for teen pregnancy."
6:39 -- LOL John McCain swipe. Oh! Double McCain swipe!
6:41 -- Jennifer Garner looks very nice
6:48 -- Historical montage -- woo hoo! Seriously, I love these.
6:56 -- Katherine Heigl wins Best Wearing of a Red Dress
7:01 -- First song, too long
7:04 -- I love good commercials
7:05 -- I hate bad commercials
7:11 -- I love Cate Blanchett. LOVE her.
7:18 -- AND Philip Seymour Hoffman
7:23 -- Oscar Salute to Binoculars & Periscopes -- HILARIOUS! BRILLIANT!
7:30 -- Most foreign-language acceptance speeches ever
7:40 -- Tilda Swinton -- no. Undeserved, & worst outfit yet. Her role was not demanding, unwavering, and run-of-the-mill. Her performance was good, but not extraordinary. Blanchett in "I'm Not There" was arguably the best performance I saw in any film, this entire year. She was Bob Dylan -- what a rip-off.
7:43 -- There are simply not enough Afros in the world
7:47 -- "Two pregnant women at the Oscars, that's great! But then again, the night is young. And Jack is here." HAhaHa
7:49 -- Miley Cyrus should not be there. Did I say that?
7:50 -- Her intro was actually not bad, though. I'll give her that.
8:03 -- "We look exactly alike, dude."
8:15 -- Very cute acceptance speech, Marion.
8:18 -- They're playing Wii!!! GENIUS!!!!
8:20 -- "The little movie that could" is the "Seabiscuit" of the Oscar race. Not in that way -- the cliche way.
8:24 -- Oh good, Jack took his shades off!
8:35 -- Robert Boyle is awesome. Great movies, great work, great scarf. How chivalric, thanking Kidman for introducing him. How Bad A. -- he calls Alfred Hitchcock, "Hitch"! They're just homies, they're ol' chums!
8:36 -- American Life commercials are good. "Let's Dance" is one of the best songs ever.
8:50 -- Jon McLaughlin totally sucked. And those dancers were lame.
8:52 -- Well, "Once" HAD to win. And they're so cute! "Make art, make art."
8:54 -- "Ugh, that guy is so arrogant."
8:58 -- Awesome, they brought the "Once" girl back out for her thank-you! That is great and sweet.
9:07 -- You want a good commercial? Have a great song in it. Done. Next!
9:12 -- Tom Hanks has one of the best voices ever
9:24 -- TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES?! Are you kidding me?! Are you freaking serious?
9:24 -- Whew, okay. Back on.
9:29 -- "I'm so sick of watching everyday people on television." -- Me
"She does cool stuff but she looks like a goldfish." -- Dad Cheney, on Oprah
9:35 -- Even watching the clip of "There Will Be Blood" made my heart start banging against my ribs again -- wow -- Day-Lewis so deserves it.
9:38 -- Cadillac's ad campaign sucks
9:42 -- I can honestly say Robert Redford has got to be the best looking man of all time.

9:47 -- "With the opportunity to make movies comes the responsibility to make them good."

What a great way to end it.

In the same vein as my last post...

Hi! This is going to be short and sweet. There is a blood drive on TUESDAY the 26th at Viewmont. You can go at any time during the day, ditch any class you feel like, and eat free Lorna Doones to your heart's content. Do it (uh, donate, that is, not eat cookies. Though you are more than welcome to do both)!

Elite Words Contest

"Balderdash" -- Most Pretentious Word Ever

Competitors?

Sterling Scholars School

Such was the anxiety felt by Viewmont's Sterling Scholars at semifinal judging at Roy yesterday. Viewmont fielded candidates in 12 of the 13 categories. 17 high schools competed at the northern area semifinals and 5 students in each category were chosen to advance to finals at Alta in two weeks. Indulge me while I brag a little.

What's remarkable is that Viewmont advanced 8 of 12 candidates. The probability of doing so, given the number of competitors and all things being equal, is .0124, or 1.2% (If you really want to know about the math, ask me). The only schools, of all three regions containing 52 high schools, to advance more than 8 students were Skyline (10), West, and American Fork (9 each). All three are perennial Sterling Scholar powerhouses.

What's also cool is that Viewmont was one of two schools of all 52 to advance scholars to the final round in all four core-curriculum subjects (English, Math, Social Science, Science). The other, if you're curious, was Timpview.

With special deference to Jace Rosemann, Brittney Wayman, Katie Jessee, and Jonathan Cannon, who did very well in coming this far, here are Viewmont's finalists. You can also check them out here.

Sam Cheney - English
Todd Nelson - Math
Yours Truly - Social Science
Jared Andersen - Science
Aaron Sharp - Foreign Language
Connor Lawrence - Business and Marketing
Logan Iverson - Visual Arts
Chelsea Alley - Dance

p.s. Here's a picture taken by the Deseret News of one of Logan's sculptures.
(l-r kinda) Brittney's mom, Brittney, Logan, Sam, Mark Twain look-alike, Aaron, Katie, Chelsea, Todd's mom, Mrs. Barrett, Todd.

A short lesson on the apostrophe

Something has been really bothering me since third period today: the usage of grammar. I am not a grammar nazi, I'm a usage nazi.
In third period, I (not meaning any harm to come upon the teacher) suggested that he change his usage of his possessive name. He had written on the board "A****s' Awesome Activity" (the middle letters of the name have been deleted for both his and my safety). I told him that it would be correct to have A****s's, and not the way he had it. He graciously changed it after much debate from the class.
After this lovely anecdote, I ask a simple question, "Why do we spend so much time in English classes throughout our schooling, yet not seem to manage to use grammar correctly?"
I don't mean for this to sound like a lecture, but it bothers me. Let me just tell you all just one tip to not make yourself look like an idiot to any grammar savvy usage freak.

DON'T USE THE PUNCTUATION MARK IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE IT CORRECTLY.

Now that I've had my two-bits, I feel obligated to follow up with a description of why I offer this advice. I could explain, but I'd rather show with examples of what not to do.
It is not Jones' it's Jones's. When you're making a last name plural (and it ends in "s") it's like so, Joneses. An apostrophe is used to signify possession or to signify letters that are taken out of the word (as in contractions).
That's it for my rant...join me next time for the correct usage of who and whom.

-Russell Lowe

The Dumbing of America

What should the next President's first and primary focus be, if desiring to create widespread and lasting change in the United States of America?

Susan Jacoby has an idea:

The Dumbing of America
The Washington Post

If you don't have the patience to read through this two-page article, then the problem should be very apparent for you.

I want to know everyone's thoughts on this article, so please comment, or even respond through writing a new post if you are a member of the staff and want to (or if you are not a member of the staff, send a letter, that we can post, to vhs.danegeld@gmail.com).

There Will Be Blood: new film illustrates the source and ramifications of capitalism and evolution

This weekend, I lonely enjoyed, as I now traditionally do, a special artwork. This artwork, that relieved me from yet another quick-but-painful week of human driveling, took a mighty swing at such individual worthlessness and hit a home run. The artwork I am referring to was the existentialist film There Will Be Blood, currently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, among other nominations.
A master of inspiring a vapid outlook on life, the movie is naturally unpopular among the Neanderthal masses. Based upon the book Oil! by the genius Upton Sinclair, the film tells the story of oilman Daniel Plainview (played by Daniel Day-Lewis), a character with diametric nomenclature, who lives a life comprised of sincere misanthropy. And his animus is not quelled by sympathy or "love," (refer to my new article in the February issue of the Danegeld, page 6: "Valentine's Day: Celebrating Evolution?") as it dives into depths rarely seen in the average cynic. As he puts it, "I look at people, and see nothing worth liking. I see the worst in people."
His anger and contempt for humankind drives him to abandon his son, and take him back so to use him for profit, and to murder two liars and thieves. Of the two men Plainview kills, one pretended to be his brother so to benefit from his success in the oil industry and the other was a young religious leader who, before being murdered, was willing to follow Plainview's condition of loudly proclaiming, like he meant it, "I am a false prophet; God is a superstition," in hopes that he could make a valuable commercial deal with Plainview.
While others walked out of the theater, flipping off the big screen, I sat close to the front row twiddling my thumbs in pleasure. Why is that? Is there any virtue in such empty morals? The honest truth is that irony pervades every aspect of the question, because all morals are transparently empty. We are not divine creatures, but are merely convoluted evolutionary creations, who likely aren't even close to being an endgame, and being a product of inexorable, competitive evolution, are fooling ourselves by believing in human communion. Misanthropy, which is our human nature, and is therefore the only hint of what our soul is, in the purest form represented by Plainview, is what drives the purest capitalism, that is exemplified by the brutal greed Plainview embodies as he monopolizes the oil industry. Capitalism is founded not on competition, which is only the mechanism for its backbone, which is greed, the true foundation for capitalism. And greed is a mainstay for misanthropy. Plainview epitomizes this reality, the inevitable link between misanthropy and capitalism, when saying, "I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed. I can't keep doing this on my own, with these people."
Capitalists love to spout how competition is the best way to stimulate growth and breed creativity and excellence. But the fact is that cooperation is much more effective at these things, as it is more efficient in accomplishing the same ends, because it does not take players out of the game ("many hands make light work"). It does not require some to succeed and some to fail; the benefits of success can be reaped by everyone. Simply said, cooperation does not leave blood on its hands like competition does. But competition is the only working model we trust, because it coincides with our nature, and nature in general. It is a wishful delusion to think that it is not contradictory to believe that social Darwinism is false, but original Darwinism is not.
There is naturally no ethic in mankind, even among the belief that virtue is its own real entity, because we do not do anything for the sympathy or sole benefit of others. Everything we do is for our own self-promotion. People will refute this claim, but their error is they are only observing the obvious benefits; they are not looking behind the curtain. Altruism is an illusion, and its clever magician is Darwinian evolution's contrivance, natural selection. Natural selection will develop whatever weapons it can to promote the fittest model, even using tools that initially seem contradictory. This paradox is one often seen in the higher animals. Although the reasons are numerous, the most prominent motivators are perception from others and status, which are then used as capital for personal benefit.
Richard Dawkins nailed it in The God Delusion when he said that it is expected for animals, of any species, to base their behavior upon unconscious responsiveness to kind and generous traits in their fellows. Beyond reputation, altruism helps establish "an advertisement of dominance or superiority." As we evolve, our currently perceived morality will digress, but our ability to thrive as a virulent hierarchy will progress as our exploitation of our peers falls closer in line with the beat of natural selection. Many question how this could be, since such behavior would cause a certain deprecation of our own species. But their problem is in how they phrased the question. Natural selection is not a mechanism for species to survive and evolve, but rather it is one for genes. As Richard Dawkins expresses it in The Selfish Gene, bodies are merely "survival machines" for genes to do their work.
There Will Be Blood is a masterpiece because it skillfully glorifies evolution by embracing competition (therefore greed) as the singular virtue (in being our constitution of living), if any exist, and forces it upon unsuspecting adult-children with a sardonic smile. It is beautiful in its depiction and profound in its exploration of the absolute core of human nature. It is relentless and wrathful, yet is forgiving enough to give humankind the opportunity to understand itself. There Will Be Blood is an affronting, foreshadowing title of the inevitability of lives lost and, in fact, gives hope by giving substance to the nihilism of the physical world by laying out a blueprint for mankind to characteristically maximize their benefit in the inescapable and ubiquitous process of evolution.
Lastly, another great existentialist film this award season worth seeing, for those who savor depressing themes and dark tones, is No Country For Old Men (from the book by Cormac McCarthy). The title of the film is self-describing, as the plot elaborates by debunking human delusions in violent and psychologically sadistic sequences. The title and the direction of the movie characterizes the vital evolutionary component of death as a means of avoiding individual wasteful consumption after completion of evolutionary purpose. It's a real treat!

Yes, We Can!

Or, click here for the high quality video.

It could have been truly great: the solitary moaning of a childhood Star Wars fan

I hated Star War Episodes I-III.
I haven’t been a big Star Wars fan since I was young, but I always appreciated the novelty and the sincere belief that the original Star Wars movies had in themselves. The movies were clever and exciting without trying too hard. They succeeded in drawing you into a unique and engaging world of light sabers and Jedi.
When the prequels came out we all knew the ending. We all knew that Luke was Darth’s son, and that the empire fell in the end. What those movies offered instead was a personal and dramatic story about one man. It was the story of the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker.
The beauty of the story lies in its brutal irony. Anakin was the Savior who failed. For millennia people prophesied and anticipated his coming. He was conceived immaculately and gave up everything to serve others. Ultimately, however, it was inverted Christ symbolism. Anakin is corrupted by his need to help others, his profound love for humanity, and his incomprehensible power. Instead of transcending human nature he falls to it; and with his mighty fall he cuts down the very pillars of all that is right and good. He damns the galaxy to an eternity of oppression under a satanic emperor. His son saves the world and through his death he redeems only himself.
This story could have been deeply compelling. Instead we watched Hayden Christensen whining like a teenage who can’t get the keys to his dad’s car.
I would have made Anakin mighty. A human of tremendous dignity and valor. He would have bent to help those hurt on the battlefield, friend or foe. He would have been personal and human, but at the same time possessed of a deep and abiding love for humanity. He would have changed the face of a battle by his very presence, as if all that was right followed in his wake. At the same time he would have flaws ingrained into who he was. But we would love him all the more because he suppressed his pride and ambition. He would fight his vice. But slowly he would become frustrated with others’ weaknesses. He would see the hypocrisy of his superiors, and slowly, he would falter. Eventually, he breaks and turns on all that he once upheld. He is consumed by hatred, lust, and self love.
People would have wept to watch it. Instead Anakin was petty – worse still, he was annoying. When it came down to it we all wanted him to be evil so we had an excuse to hate his whiney attitude and his self righteous drawl. The whole series turned on us loving Anakin Skywalker, but Lucas was too caught up in his special effects.

The problem with Harry Potter

I read the famous Harry Potter series just like everyone else and I enjoyed them, but there was always something about the series that kept me from truly loving the books the way so many others did. I have recently discovered one cause of this. In the series the character Lord Voldemort is described as being evil from his childhood. It never describes an instance that has turned him this way; he just was evil from the beginning. This is probably the shallowest take on the matter of good and evil I have ever heard. Even many religions believe that the devil was a child of God before he became the devil.
And on the other end there’s Harry. Born with the love and pureness of his parents who were killed before be could talk. He is inherently pure and the only one who can stop the ultimate evil. Yet throughout the series he shows no particular goodness other than the basic decency of most humans nor does he show much talent as a wizard. Altogether a pretty naive point of view for a world famous book.

Embracing new talent.

Last Thursday I overheard a number of condescending comments on the sudden and rapid growth of the newspaper staff. The comments were few and I am sure that most did not share in the suggested opinions, but they were heard and not by few. Now I admit I am more than a little bias on this subject because a couple of my good friends have joined at the semester. However the fact remains that new talent is essential to any organization that wishes to be diverse and innovative. Putting down this talent on the contingency that you’re a sophomore,” is stifling the new and creates a social bureaucracy and that is ,in my opinion, the last thing we need.

The Best Albums of 2007

Panda Bear, "Person Pitch"
Panda Bear, a.k.a. Noah Lennox, had a phenomenal 2007. Both albums he played a part in -- "Person Pitch" and "Strawberry Jam" (below) -- were received with almost universal praise.
"Person Pitch" is the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" for the 21st century. Perfect melodies, washed in echoes and reverb, accompany vocals that could easily be Brian Wilson. Masterful electronic sampling and looping add another dimension to the album, and these are the elements that make "Person Pitch" transcendent.

Animal Collective, "Strawberry Jam"
"Strawberry Jam" is not only one of the best releases of this decade, but arguably the most unique. Animal Collective's developed sound is completely fresh: their songs are equal parts harmonious pop and violent electronic noise, but the result is music both accessible and ingenious.

Bright Eyes, "Cassadaga"
This is the best country album of 2007, though no one has bothered to classify it as such. Shrieking fiddles, wavering church organs, and cool slide guitar mix perfectly with Conor Oberst's ever-impressive lyricism, and the production on this album may be his most solid yet.

LCD Soundsystem, "Sound of Silver"
"Sound of Silver" is fun, energetic, get-out-there-and-go-crazy dance music, while at the same time standing as everything electro/dance isn't: contemplative, serious, orchestral, creative, and even touching at times. Of course Mr. Murphy is a killer with synths, beats, and samples -- the man is a dance music virtuoso -- but his greatness is equally owed to unique and powerful usage of guitar, piano, and (gasp!) lyrics. "Sound of Silver" singlehandedly legitimizes its own genre.

5. Beirut, "Lon Gisland (EP)" & "The Flying Club Cup"
6. of Montreal, "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?" & "Icons, Abstract Thee (EP)"
7. Arcade Fire, "Neon Bible"
8. Jay-Z, "American Gangster"
9. Spoon, "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"
10. Kanye West, "Graduation"
11. Justice, "✝"
12. Peter Bjorn And John, "Writer's Block"
13. Okkervil River, "The Stage Names"
14. Jens Lekman, "Night Falls Over Kortedala"
15. Amy Winehouse, "Back to Black"
16. Menomena, "Friend and Foe"
17. Andrew Bird, "Armchair Apochrypha"
18. Feist, "The Reminder"
19. The Shins, "Wincing the Night Away"
20. The Good Life, "Help Wanted Nights"
21. Black Lips, "Good Bad Not Evil"
22. Battles, "Mirrored"
23. Akron/Family, "Love Is Simple"
24. The Hives, "The Black and White Album"
25. Page France, "... and the Family Telephone"

Not being afraid to "step outside the box"," and in essence, be yourself

I want to write a bit about being comfortable with your own self, and being happy with who you are. Sounds cliche, I know. I was very appalled the other day while sitting on the "Senior bench" at good ole' Viewmont High School, one of my friends came up to greet me. As she was walking, it was quite plain to anyone who noticed (which I'm sure no one did) that a group of girls, along with one other boy looked at my friend and quite obviously, observed her outfit. They pointed, and rudely laughed with one another, and sadly, my friend saw. When she turned to look at them, they simply looked away, pretending that they hadn't just two seconds before, been mocking her outfit.

Okay. Now, how old are we? I was very offended, but worse, my friends feelings were very hurt. Which brings me to a more important point. Who do people think they are? It's really sad that A. people get enjoyment out of criticizing others and B. they even give a crap. We're older now. Most of us have applied and gotten into colleges, we are making plans for the future, and I'm willing to bet that a lot of Viewmont's poplulation really could care less what fellow students are wearing and/or doing. Yet, there are still these pathetic "cliques" that simply cannot seem to grow out of their, how shall I put it? "Junior High Phases."
All I want to say is that people need to grow up. We do indeed have some interesting people at our school. But everyone is unique. There should be no set "style." Really though, great for you if you know all the latest trends and insist on only shopping at department stores. Well done! I truly hope that you feel very good about yourself as you get ready for school each day and look in the mirror and say, "Man, I look good in my two hundred dollar jeans!" But guess what? It does not matter. You can wear whatever you want! Everyone has there own style, whether it be "high fashion" clothes, or maybe an ensemble put together from thrift stores, or maybe you prefer to wear red lipstick to school everyday or you want to spike your hair into a mohawk. Who gives? Do whatever you want! If you are comfortable in your own style, that's really all that matters. It has taken me a really long time to learn that, and I hope that everyone can learn it eventually.
Wear what you want and be whoever you want to be! Because trust me, you will make the world a lot more interesting if you are who you want to be, not who the world, or rather Viewmont High School wants you to be.

Federal Bill Fails to Recognize Roots of Economic Crisis

With the U.S. economy rapidly spiraling downward amidst fears of a recession, U.S. Congress has recently reach a “bipartisan” accord to give 150 billon dollars to 116 prospective consumers, oxymoronically claiming the title of a “growth” package. Normally some witty and convoluted metaphor would pervade the duration of this article, but for the sake of clarity albeit the intellectual arrogance avoided, I will cut directly to the proverbial chase.

This new U.S. fiscal policy fails fundamentally to address the roots of the mortgage crisis and instead stakes a façade of government action for almost the express purpose of the election scene in place of economic sense. To reference a common colloquial phrase, it is “Too little, too late.”

Quite simply, the U.S. consumer is paying the value of under priced risk experienced in the global economy with the rapid economic development of China, South Korea, and India, countries that essentially exploited low-paid masses of workers with the technology of the West to pump out light consumer goods. Not only did this trample underfoot the realistic extrapolation of inflation rates, but led to a vast reservoir of income unmatched by consumers in the West, leading to more subsequent savings than investment, as this drive of innovation reached blood-cult worthy intensity and proportion. The three dollar shirt at Wal-Mart produced in Bangladesh became a staple in the U.S. consumer diet, consequently accelerating the rates of innovation experienced in the global economy in these nations. However, statistical data in global savings shows only a slight increase in net value, which seems to indicates that these savings intention were largely tempered by declining investment intentions in the developed world. A recent Canadian Bank study concluded that this is the primary causal factor in the decline of long-term global interest rates.

Demand within the previous U.S. housing market was fueled by the assumption of rising prices, a complex that facilitates the development of most asset-based price bubbles. If demand had not been met, most homes would have been financed with longer fixed rate mortgages versus the innately popular adjustable low-interest rate ones. This premise essentially created a pre-eminent inflationary dilemma during the past several years when the Federal Reserve preserved low interest rates in the threat of acerbic and potentially devastating depression of home value, subsequently affecting the dollar. Rather than the monetary situation tightening as was expected with a hypothetical increase of long term interest rates, the rates declined and stagnated even with increased intervention from federal entities. Although a potential deflation crisis was avoided, the dollar rate and home values have continued to plunge almost to the point of figurative terminal velocity.

This readily denotes that domestic corporations have effectively lost control of long term interest rates in conjunction with asset prices moving increasingly dissonant from short term values. One particular chilling example is the purchase of foreign currency by Japan and China to stabilize its value to preserve their investments, values that exceed over 500 billion dollars. In a doomsday scenario, when Japan stopped creating an artificial buffer around currency when domestic investment was at viable stake, the dollar value should have crashed. Instead, after economic tremors and gyrations, the U.S. economy remained virtually unchanged, a stunning testament to the depth of these global markets, whose value is closing in on 100 trillion dollars, far outstripping the resources of central banks. Constrained by the potential inflationary impacts of expanding their balance sheets to counteract these forces, central banks are further hindered by lowered international trade barriers. Their ability to augment currency value in conjunction with national governments is almost undisputedly gone on an international scale.

To surmise this situation in several words, national governments have lost major control over their long term economic viability. The new bill is not sufficient enough to spark consumer spending, and fails to recognize the influence of foreign markets. Instead, realistic value in the housing market will have to be ascertained independently for the crisis to subside.

-Jared Andersen (in case the diction didn't give it away)

the politics of cultural identity

At a time when national polling is a pretty scrutinized science, we are allowed a glimpse of certain psychological phenomena we would otherwise not have access to. I'll try to keep this both short and cerebral: the politics of cultural categorization and typology are notions so ingrained in our collective psyche not only as Americans, but humans, that those who create these molds receive little no scrutiny. That's a bad thing. My criticism is twofold; not only are the implications their conclusions flawed, but the methodology by which they reach these conclusions, too, are pretty messed up.

While being aware of public opinion is an absolutely essential component to a healthy republic, the media attention, and thus necessarily the attention of political candidates, focused on them is absolutely ri-freakin'-diculous. It seems as though every decision is coldly calculated on public opinion, rather than either common sense or normality. If candidates/public officials spent less time catering so heavily to popular preferences about semantic issues (see: Mitt Romney) and more focusing on their stances on specific policies, we would be substantially better off.

Allow me a caveat/rant here: this notion of political capital is the biggest bunch of fecal matter since the Cowboys' Superbowl hopes. It's turning into the next "tipping point," "paradigm shift," of "perfect storm." Bush's constant insistence, not only throughout his election campaign, but also during his tenure as president, that he was going to "spend that there political capital like a coralled mare in heat" are quite vacuous (see: GWB senior). First, one does not "spend" capital--one would "invest" it. Bush's presidency, analogous to his approach to "political capital," has been one based on the shortsighted approach of spending when you don't have it. Kenny Rogers and Dubya both "got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."

Back to the pseudo-point. The way polls are brought about in the first place are not ok either. The static identity that they cast on each of their categorized subjects is symptomatic of the generalizing typical (no pun intended) of thought that takes into account different groups. This method of thought completely ignores the intersectionality of different groups, or the principle that often a member of one minority group is also a member of another. For example, a young black woman is substantially more likely to be a member of a lower income tax bracket/below the poverty line as well as a single mother. Because she only gets one vote in a certain poll, she can never be truly represented accurately. This skews poll results of different voting blocs to the point where they are pretty much meaningless, except for semantic reasons, which are apparently supreme important to those gunning for their party's nod for the presidency.

The Real Problem With The Legal System

I've noticed a few distinct problems with the way that punishment is dished out in America, most of these problems aren't the fault of the government, rather, they are the fault of the parents. These problems snowball and eventually result in the overcrowding of our prisons, or at least that's the way that I see it. The problem starts during elementary school when kids bully other kids on the playground, whenever one of these incidents come about almost invariably the parents of the bully will deny that anything occured saying that their little angel wouldn't be capable of doing such a thing, thus no real punishment results from the process. This then continues into junior high, and high school, all the time the misbehavior of the youth in question just becomes more and more drastic, this is due to the fact that they are never punished for what they do. I saw a prime example of this Thanksgiving weekend when a group of teenagers caused a raucus by Dick's Market, and got away with it, in fact the parents of the kids in question even threatened to sue over something that was clearly the fault of their respective children. This behavior then continues into the adult world where their crimes becomes even more drastic, and then their parents can't shield them from the hand of justice.

hey.....

video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5547481422995115331

The primary cause of my anxiety

Tomorrow is January's halfway point. Plenty of resolutions have been broken, cabin fever has inspired me to take up treadmilling and most notably, the 2008 presidential nomination process is in full swing.

The two most noted states' days have passed, with four different candidates each taking home a first-place prize: Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee in Iowa and Hillary Clinton and John McCain in New Hampshire. Tomorrow is the Michigan primary, much anticipated as the event, yet unrealized, that may actually break up the field of contenders in the jam-packed Republican competition.

The five candidates with any real chance remaining in that party are Huckabee and McCain, as well as Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson. Each has pursued a different strategy to winning the nomination. Huckabee hopes to find support in the Rust Belt and southern states where his evangelism and populism resonate. Thompson, running as perhaps the most traditionally conservative--but woefully uninspiring and incompetent--candidate is pursuing a similar strategy. Most agree McCain, after winning New Hampshire, needs to win either Michigan or South Carolina or both. Giuliani is less orthodox: he is staking a lot on winning bigger states like Florida. And finally (I didn't forget, don't worry) Romney is in a similar position to McCain: needing a win in Michigan to really be seen as viable.

A little word on tomorrow before I cut to the chase.

Because the Michigan Democratic Party frontloaded its primary to tomorrow, the national party organization stripped it of its delegates. That means that whoever wins the Dems' primary tomorrow (it will, by all counts, be Clinton) will not receive any delegates, votes of support at the national convention, where the nominee is officially chosen. This has inspired many Democrats to come up with creative ideas on whom to vote for. McCain is particularly popular with independents who may choose to vote in the Republican primary (Michigan is an open primary, so it's easy to cross-vote).

But many Democrats are much more ingenuous. Knowing that a Romney win tomorrow is the result most likely to prolong the constipated Republican nomination process, many of Democrats have decided to vote for him in an attempt to minimize what may anyway be a Romney victory, not to mention the prospect of letting the Republicans rip each other apart until the summer while an already-coronated Democratic winner is gaining support from across the entire party. http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/trailhead/archive/2008/01/11/machinations-in-michigan.aspx

Now, that's not nearly all of the prognostication to be spoken of for tomorrow. But it should do. I hope so, at least. After myself succumbing to it, I think it necessary to urge everyone to not give in to shallow horse-race journalism. I'd like to think I've said all that needs to be said on the topic for at least one day. This kind of reporting--on the campaign, who's winning, who's losing, and otherwise instead of on candidates themselves or the efficacy of their policy stances--is dangerous in its failure to substantively educate.

Yesterday, the Deseret News ran a story http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695243664,00.html entitled "62% say Mitt's still in race." This is one of the more egregious examples. 1) This is flagrant in its desire to report only how Mitt Romney is doing, nothing more. 2) Horse-race mentality is bad enough, but the DNews doesn't bother to get experts pontificate on all this vacuity like many organizations feel the need to, but instead just polls Utahns, who I'm not sure have any idea what people in Michigan are thinking. 3) It's another Mitt Romney story above the fold on page 1. Maybe Joe Cannon should just put old conference talks on page 2 and get it over with. Today's front page is "Romney revs up motown voters."

As potential voters, or at least informed citizens, try to look beyond this kind of coverage. It's because most people don't that tomorrow will still matter for Democrats, simply because the winner will get press, but no delegates. This election isn't about who's winning in South Carolina.

If you're interested in gaining a little insight on with whom you most align, spend some time on http://electoralcompass.com/ or http://myelectionchoices.com/, or maybe just read a little bit. Something not about a primary.

Have a heart? Then donate

Several times a year, students have the chance to save up to three lives in roughly 30 minutes. The beauty of it is that all you need to do is sit in a chair and squeeze a rubber ball. Yep, that's it. You even get to miss class for it, and you can grab some free oreos and fig newtons when you're finished. Yet so many of us, most of us, pretty much all of us, don't bother to donate blood when the opportunity comes knocking. Instead, we sit in class and shudder as we look at the kid next to us, sporting hot pink medical tape on his elbow, and give the classic, lame-o excuse: "I'm afraid of needles."
I've got news for you--most people don't like needles. Most people who donate blood don't like needles. In fact, most of the people who do like needles are in jail or drug rehab.
Face it like a grown up: you haven't had a neurological procedure involving spinal cord or brain between 1972 and 1989. You don't work in a abattoir (you probably don't know what that is. Neither did I, but it's not as exciting or as scandalous as it sounds). You've never had Ross River fever. You haven't slept with someone who has lived in the Isle of Man or Whales in the past 12 months. Creuzfelt-Jakob Disease does not run in your family. Give up and give life. You don't have an excuse not to donate!
In a worst-case-scenario, you might hurt a little and you could get a bruise. I survived the worst donating experience possible, but heck, the eight-inch, tri-color bruise was fun to show off! And lo and behold, it went away, and I'm a perfectly happy and healthy seventeen year-old once again. Nine times out of ten, you'll donate without feeling anything but the initial prick. But in the rare case that the donation process doesn't go ideally, you aren't going to die. But someone else awaiting blood donation might if you choose to hold back.
The truth is rarely pure and never simple, but blood donation is one of those occasions where it is both. The excuses high school students make for themselves are ridiculous. Granted, a handful of us may have medical conditions. I'll take that. But plain-old fear of being poked is irrational, immature, and unfounded. Stop making excuses, and do what you can to change the world.

Utopianism

So, over christmas break I read a book titled, The Uglies. It was basically about a Utopian society that gave everyone an operation at the age of 16 that made them beautiful. "Big eyes, full lips, no one fat or skinny."

The story is about a girl about to turn sixteen, the age everyone recieves their operation, who decides to run away to join other rebels who have decided to remain, "ugly" and keep their own faces.

The book touches on a lot of todays issues, such as dependancy on oil, plastic surgerys, and also many issues we deal with as a teenagers.

However The Uglies Author, Scott Westerfeld said in an interview:

Uglies isn't about dire warnings, it's about thinking things through. The more we think about this stuff, the better our choices will be. But here's my cautionary tale: I have a gorgeous friend who has a really big nose. When she was sixteen, she desperately wanted surgery to make her look more like everybody else. Fortunately she kept her own face. Because these days everyone agrees that though she'd be cute with a cute little nose, she is totally striking and sexy now because of her fabulous schnoz. Don't forget, a few decades ago girls who were "too tall" were given drugs to slow their growth. Now it rocks to be tall. My main advice is: stick to make-up, clothes, hair dye, and minor piercings when you're young. Everything else is way too permanent.

So, I was wondering if anyone else had read it and what they thought?