Ernest Alba's Blog

Interesting Links

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050330-062833-8483r.htm

Update on Terry Shiavo

It seems that Terry Shiavo is nearing the end of her life. That is, her body is nearing the end of its life. It is important to remember, especially now that her body is slowly shutting down, that the person her family and husband knew has been dead for fifteen years. What remains is finally following in Terry's footsteps. Of great comfort to everyone watching this bit of drama unfold is her final communion administered by "the revered Roman Catholic priest", Thaddeus Malanowski of the Diocese of St. Petersburg. That probably did nothing for Mrs. Shiavo's soul, but it did wonders for our consciences. We can now, more than her, rest in peace, knowing she has been cleared with God.

Personally, Catholicism is a comforting ideology. It creates a heirarchy of trust, entrenched in thousands of years of history. It's solid, it's a foundation, and it's a shelter. Whenever death seems close by, going to church can really ward off its effects. I've tried Protestant churches - there's no warmth, no heart, no sense of wonder and awe. Cathedrals really add to the effect, and those new-fangled meeting places where many new Protestant congregations worship don't really make you feel at one with God. I think I like the fact that I was raised in the Catholic Church. I bet Mrs. Shiavo's parents feel that way, too. I doubt Terry cares either way.

Update on Jeff Weise

Since my post on Rise of the Dead forum, the site administrator has released a message on Jeff and has removed his posts from the website. That is quite unfortunate, considering Jeff was an excellent writer. Especially considering his educational background. Fully 1/3 of his community is below the poverty line. His school is one of the worst in the state. And despite this, he is an eloquent writer.

The Idiots in Charge of Music

I've liked Fiona Apple for a while. She released an album a long while back(like four years ago with the longest title of any album.ever. it starts "when the pawn hits the...."). But I really like her style. It's ..unconventional. But really good. Look at this story. We need ARTISTS not BUSINESSMEN in charge of the music business. http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/5002/fiona.html

He was into the macabre...and?

As you all know by now, on Monday Minnesota native, Jeff Weise, shot his grandfather and his grandfather's companion before going to school with a shotgun and two handguns and killing nine people and wounding seven. Let us not be quick to condemn those who inflict pain upon others.

Relevant Facts:
1. His father committed suicide.
2. His mother suffers from head trauma due to a car accident and is in a nursing home.
3. He lived with his grandfather.
4. He wore black clothes and eyeliner and was teased at school.

Not satisfied with the news reports, I performed a little online investigation and unearthed snippets of his life. He was a talented writer. Under the username blades11, he penned several parts of several stories. He had begun writing a story prior to the murders, but had become discouraged by a lack of support for his story. The original contributors stopped responding on the forum, and in his final post before he died, he voiced his disappointment and commented that he "might disappear unexpectedly". The final message communicated to him from another user wished for things to be better.

How should I feel about this? Should I pity him? His victims? I make it a point never to pity anyone because I see that as absurd as judging someone. How am I fit to judge or pity anyone? What if I am the one who should be pitied or judged? A judgement I do make is that death a mournful, painful aspect of life. Certainly without it life would not be as sweet as it is, but it would also not be as bitter. Jeff's life and death remind me that death is close. It breathes on our necks, but hides when we flinch. It follows our footsteps and pauses when we do. It is always around the corner, but we never know when it will turn to meet us and greet us in person. When did Jeff realize he was going to kill himself? Did he ever know for sure he would? How did he muster the courage to pull the trigger? Those who are capable of killing themselves are among the bravest. It is not cowardice. It takes unbelievable will and strength to end one's life, and that garners my admiration. To be sure, my heart breaks when I imagine the misery Jeff's actions caused. I try to be a person who looks beyond my pain and look to the pain of others - trying to assuage their pain, carry their burdens on my back, if possible. He did the opposite - he created a heavy burden on the survivors of the dead. His personal pain must have been enormous, and my heart breaks for him, also. Personal pain, though, NEVER makes right the infliction of pain on others. I will close with a quote he placed after all his posts on the forum where he posted his stories.

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear. And the oldest and strongest fear, is the fear of the unknown. -- H.P. Lovecraft

Relevant links:ABC News Report

Milk - It does a body good....or does it?!

This is unbelievable. Now that I think about it, it makes total sense, though. I mean, we drink a lot of milk as a nation. Yet, we have a very high rate of osteoporosis. It's because we drink all this milk, thinking we're doing good, and then we don't exercise at all. But now what of those Got Milk? ads. I bet those celebrities are embarassed for promoting a product that doesn't do what it was claiming to do. The worst part of all of this is that I'm one of those people that doesn't exercise a lot and drinks a lot of milk, thinking happily to myself, hehe, I'm like a rock. Ah jeez, now I have to get off my lazy ass and actually go outside and do something. And on a consistent basis! Ohhhh. The misery.

The Schiavo Crisis

So, what is the story? A 41-year-old woman whose cerebral cortex ("the thinking part of her brain") is gone has just been brought into the national spotlight. I don't believe that anyone who is incapable of thought is truly alive or even existing. This woman does not exist, and people - people who don't know her and never knew her - are now in a frenzy to keep her alive. The closest person to her, her husband, the man who became a nurse so that he could properly take care of her is completely confident that if she knew she were in this condition, she would not want to be "kept alive by artificial means." There have been people outside of the hospice she's lived in for five years holding signs that say "Terri's Only Crime: Marrying Michael" and "Let's stop feeding Michael Schiavo." What blatant hypocrisy. Life is precious only when it can be experienced. Terri Schiavo can not experience it and never will again. Let her die in peace and don't believe you have the right to make choices for someone you have never known.

Relevant Links: No Recovery Possible
Schiavo Timeline
CT Scan

Reduced-Sugar Cereals - Where's the Health Benefit?

I'm definitely a big cereal eater. It's been the staple (aka a noun) element of my diet for at least ten years. And I hate to admit that most of it has been calorific, sugary, carbohydrated cereal with some token nutrients added in. Well, I've begun changing my eating habits - taking care of myself. I've been eating a lot less fast food (once a month), only water and juice to drink, more fruits and vegetables, no more Ramen noodles (deep-fried in vegetable oil), and whole grain wheat bread. It seems like America is beginning to win a couple of battles in our war against our own gargantuan, bloated obesity problem. I've begun to see all my favorite cereals marked with big WHOLE GRAIN labels and even a whopping 75% less sugar (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, specifically). I've jumped on the bandwagon. I've only been eating those reduced sugar cereals in the hopes of maintaining a healthy diet. Man, what an idiot I am. I am referring to this. It basically says that there is really no difference between Splenda-ified cereals and their yummy, sugary counterparts. So I'm in a crisis. What should I do? What should we as Americans do? I suppose I'll buy true whole grain cereals like Total and Shredded Wheat, instead.

Iron Chef

Apparently, Iron Chef is a big deal to many people. My cousin watches it religiously, despite the language and cultural barriers inherent in a show made in Japan. It's hosted by an Asian dude, Kaga, who acts like a guy who's been in too many lame epic movies. But watching my first episode proved to be a thrilling experience. These people are incredibly talented cooks. Given only one hour to prepare five dishes that best represent the food item of the day, they come up with, judging by the reactions of the judges, some incredible food. I saw the episode featuring porcini mushroom. Judges change from episode to episode, and they are usually actors and actresses. Chizuru Azuma, a beautiful Japanese actress, was judging last night, and she is just breath-taking.