How to Fix American Carmakers

For years, we have been hearing the laments about the fall of the auto industry. The bankruptcy of GM and Chrysler had corresponded with the unemployment in the northern midwest. Detroit is one of the poorest cities in America. To remedy this, the government has practically taken over GM. Chrysler is releasing ads about "buying American" and "made in Detroit". American engineering has begun to be improved. However, the auto trade deficit continues to increase. The top brands in America are Japanese and Korean. The world´s largest auto manufacturer is Japanese. What are the reasons? 

The Morning After: First Things First

Sorry this is late: I've been busy and didn't get a chance to post till now.
So this week, we talked about the famous Matthew 6:33 verse: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.


There are three things that our pastor challenged us to seek God first in:

My Week: Getting back to school...

So this was a more quiet week. We got a new electric keyboard!! I'm having fun trying out different jams and sounds. Maybe I'll record one of my covers some day and post it. :) It depends if you guys want to hear it :P.

Operation Sandwich

So today, I organized a community service project with my honor society to make and pack 600 sandwiches and take them downtown to the shelter! Here's how we did it:

CoC: The Civil War and Slavery

NOTE: This is the second article in my weekly series. To see the first, click the conversing on controversy tag. This article is a reprint of a research paper that I wrote last year. I can't find my final draft so this is my second one. 
This topic is, ahem, very controversial in my neck of the woods so I want to emphasize that I don't mean to offend anyone and that I personally am not a fanatic about either side. However, after studying the time, I'd like to set the record straight based on how I see it. Some statements that may seem a little strong are meant to spark debate. Just as in a debate people take extreme positions, I'm trying to remain consistent here with a basic thesis. In reality, my views are not so black-and-white about the subject.

The Civil War must qualify as one of the most divisive topics in American history. Historians do not quibble over what happened in most cases, but rather the motivation. On this point, scholars divide sharply. No modern consensus exists upon the cause of the war. Many in the South still call it the War of Northern Aggression and justify the South both morally and legally. Due to the books written by Southern apologists, U.S. textbooks now fudge the subject and no longer say that slavery caused the war. These scholars now portray Lincoln as a calculating, racist politician who trampled on the rights of the states. More confusion exists about the war now than existed in its own time. By looking at the historical facts however, it becomes possible to clear things up and set the record straight. After careful historical review, it becomes clear that the North, led by Lincoln, walked the narrow line between idealist goals like abolition of slavery and practical concerns like preservation of the Union, while the South supported neither.

I got a lot of response....

So...basically I got so much response to my Belief of Conservatism op-ed that I'm going to have a follow-up this coming Tuesday! Stay tuned...

Movie Review: Shawshank Redemption

This is a movie about hope. About a man who refused to be bowed down by his circumstances. By the unfairness of life. By the institution. The Shawshank Redemption is a movie about Andy Dufresne. Andy is a well-off banker who is withdrawn and quiet. His wife finally fesses up to cheating on him and openly drives to her lover's house. Andy follows them there, drunk and contemplating murder. He loads his revolver, steps out of the car...and then? According to the prosecutor, Andy is a criminal. A man who committed cold-blooded murder. Witness the facts: Two dead victims, riddled with 12 bullets, a broken bottle nearby with fingerprints on it, revolver bullets, and tire tracks that match Andy's. It doesn't help that after leaving the place, Andy throws the gun in the ocean. He claims he thought better of his actions and simply drove home, but the judge doesn't listen. A double life sentence. In the Shawshank prison. The movie chronicles Andy's life in prison, as told from "Red's" perspective.

The Fundamental Belief of Conservatism

A friend once asked me, "What's the difference between a conservative and liberal?" Aren't they just stereotypes? Arbitrary labels? I didn't have a clear response but after thinking about it, now I do. Thus, this post.

The key difference is that at the heart of it, liberals are fundamentally pessimistic while conservatives are fundamentally optimistic.

Bear with me...

The Morning After: Holy Dissatisfaction

What I learned from Sunday's sermon:

1 Samuel 14

 ¹ One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

So what struck me about this passage was Jonathan's complete trust in God. He didn't care about the circumstances. He's the only guy in the entire army with a weapon. Can you imagine? An entire country without weapons. To give some background, the Philistines are occupying Israel and none of the Israelites have iron weapons. In essence, they are utterly defenseless. Jonathan was showing incredible courage to go up in broad daylight to the Philistine outpost. He's the prince of Israel! The heir! Imagine how excited the Philistines would be! Here's one guy with one of the only two weapons in Israel and he's the prince to boot!

My Week: My Winter Break

So...for Christmas, we all sat around, sang songs (us kids played piano, Dad played guitar), ate a great breakfast (Mom made blueberry muffins) and watched some holiday basketball. Interestingly, we don't have any holiday traditions. No lights or Christmas tree. No yule log or *gasp* presents. Instead, my parents buy us stuff when we need it year-round. The presents tradition is hokey. Maybe I'll write a post eventually about that.

Because of all the great sales, we usually get some great 'presents' anyway. This year though, my laptop pretty much died. So...I got