Ben's Unifying Theroy.

Okay, so this is  me trying to write another post for November-trying to keep with my "two a month " postings. Hasn't worked out so far, but hey, I 'm trying. Okay, so here is the big disclosure-I stopped believing in God about a month ago. Now, before you go all faith-y and accepting things on blind principles, and "that's the mystery of life" hold on one sec. I don't believe in God with a capital G, but I beileve in god, a master of predestiny sort of thing. I was rasied Catholic, and still hold the doctrine near and dear to my heart. But after some reflection ( and copious amounts of AP World History) I decided that I didn't believe in God. It was ironic, because I was scheduled to be Confirmed in about 4 weeks when I had this realization. I got to thinking about it, and I happened to recall something someone said to me- " I don't believe in Jesus, but I believe SOMETHING made this beautiful sunset." So here's what I think:
God as we believe in him, as Jesus, Allah, or anyother name being kicked around, doesn't exist.
HOWEVER, there is a thing, a 'force' if you will, that guides us, spirtually. Think of it this way- He holds the lantern to guide us on our road to life.
It's up to us to discover where that road leads.
The way I see it is this- There is an inate sense of how things should be in the world-good always triumphs in the end.
The unifying force is responsible for our creation, and thats it.
He's the master machiner of windup toys.
We are the wind up toys, and just like wind up toys, are free to go anywhere we choose.
The person "in charge" as it were, has a beginning and an end point for us. It's up to us to choose how we get there, and determine how we will travle on the road.
This idea is heavily determined on free will, which is why there is violence in the world- man made violence, because that is the path some have choosen to take, and natural violence is just luck of the draw.
Now after reading this you may be saying " But Ben, that sounds like so many religions out there, specifically Taoism and possible Daoism. " or "Ben, your argument has been used by Atheists for generations, who want to appear superior to their Religious counterparts. " You can argue that one unifying force is a nifty concept, but ultimatly futile. To that I ask you this.
If there is absolutely no God, no unifying force, then why is there so much beauty in the world? It is a proven fact that Human Beings do not need beauty to survive. No one has died becasue he did not view the latest art installation at his local muesum. No person has died upon seeing a sunset. According to Darwin's theroy, uneccessary traits are weeded out. Could it not be said that beauty is unneccessary in life? We have been proven to function in souless enviroments, and exist without art. Then why is beauty there? Answer- Because the unifying force decided that beauty should be there, if for no other reason for contemplation. I typed that, and it seemed flimsy. Thats' my idea, though. let me know if you agree, disagree, or have no thoughts on the matter.


Plus, in a universe this big, there is no way in hell that we are a random occurence.

And Now Sports Fans, Time for another Semi-Pointless Update

Hey, it's your old pal Benjy Here, the one the only ( no, truely the only) contributer to this blog. As I sit here, wasting homework time on a fine Thursday night with a huge list of chores ahead, I though Why not wait a bit and add to this blog that no one reads? As ol Robbie Frost said, " miles to go, and many more before I sleep" AND let me tell you, I don't plan on getting any sleep next night. Nosiree, Bob, for I am going to be in the City that Never Sleeps, the Big Apple, The Five Boroughs, thats right, you guesed it, NEW YORK CITY! ( or for Yankees, New Yawk City, or That Damn Hellhole of Pinstrip Lovin' Babies) I am going to go see "the best Broadway show in da world... Wicked" and I am pumped up. Aslo, I got meself into a little contest- who ever can get the most hugs in one hour in TImes Square with photographic proof, wins a bar of Chocolate no more than ten bucks. So if you see me, and just happen to stop by and say hello, give me a hug while you get the chance. Talk to you cool cats later.

We Didn't Start The Fire- 1980's to 2010

Inspired by my America In The 60's class, and Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" song, I wrote this one in class. I know, his song has more verses, but I was working under pressure. I think I did a pretty good job with monumental events, however, let me know if you think I missed something important.

Enjoy

Elton John, Enron,
Gulf Spill,
Exxon Valdez,
Health Care Bill.

Google, Apple, Yahoo,
Ipod, Lymewire, always need more
Pac-Man, Internet, Atari,
Commodore Sixty-Four.

Iran-Contra,Ollie Notrh,
Waco, Bulger, President Bush and Bush,
Cheney, Katrina,
Bin Laden, Terrorist Mush,

Baltic States, Challenger,
Star Wars, Tsunami, USSR Breaks,
Columbine, Chilean Mines,
Obama, Finally the Red Sox's Time.

Obesity, Child Abuse,
Harry Potters on the Loose
Horrific Attacks, on that Day,
WHAT ELSE DO I HAFTA SAY?!?!?



Looking at it now, I wish  I had added something about Lady Gaga, and the Marine Barracks in the Middle East. I realize 'Terrorist Mush" isn't the best, but It was the best rhyme I could think of. Again, I welcome everybodys input.

Octoberist Post

So a lot of things on my mind, which I may or may not go into detail at length. Though Crime- definetly gonna discuss that. Homecoming- I'm starting to question my sanity. No seriously, questioning my own pyschcosis-that CAN'T be good. Anywho, just had a thought- wasn't their an October Revolution in Russia in 191-something? ( I am not up to checking more into it. I know it happened. Elsewise who they name their sub the Red October?)  ALSO- my mom's birthday is tommorrow. PANIC ATTACK!!! I'm kinda past the point of making cheesy cards for her, and since I am approaching dead broke( plus the fact that I cannot think of ANYTHING to get her...) i can't get a gift, yet I'll feel like a tool if  I do not commemerate it. Thats October for ya!

Three Reasons Why Normal Wrist Watches are better Than Pocket Watches

1. ) Try taking a pocket watch to 35,000 feet in either direction. Call me and tell me how it worked.
2.) Pocket watches do not allow for sureptious viewing.
3.) Wrist Watches can be both digital AND analog.

Three Reasons Why Pocket Watches are Better than Normal Wrist Watches

1.) Stylish, Yet practical
2. ) Adds a hint of class and standoutishness to any outfit.
3.) Much, much easier to set the time on.
(4. could be used as a potential weapon in a street fight)

Stupid Popularity

So, Tommorrow I'm gonna run for class president. That's right, Ben Savage,  2012 Class President. The problem is, this is my third time running. I haven't won once. Now, I know that our society says " It's not about winning, it's about the experience" or "If at first you don't suceed, get back up on the horse,"  or a million other platitudes,but the fact that I haven't won, and likely WON'T win, irks me. Bear in mind, I know the former canidates that beat me, and I know the canidates that I am running against. I enjoy their company and bear them no ill will. I would love if I could call them my friends. The problem is, they were( and are) almost guareented to win, because they have so many friends, and people just vote for their friends-or the same guy as last year. I get that politics is a dirty buisness, but it's the junior class election. And favortisim is annoying as h***. I guess the question I am asking myself is why am I running if I have no chance of winning? Because I want to. Does that change the fact that high school is a hot bed of favoritism and cliques?
Not in the slightest. Oh well.

Top Five Evil Robots that I know And Love

Okay, so this blog post was brought on by a new game coming out called Portal 2. Never played it, but watched the videos with the evil robot antagonist.  Which led to this blog post to fill space, cause you can't write about just one thing. Counting down top five evil robots-

5.) OTTO from Wall-E. From the electroshock prod to the sinister red eye, the Pixar animated autopiolet in the movie Wall-E was smooth and fluid...yet tried to kill Wall-E and Eve and everyone else who wanted to make the world a better place.
4.) HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odessey- I don't think Hal was really bad. ( Haven't seen the movie, so I can't really say for sure.) The sinster red eye, the disembodied voice, the basis for Number Five on this list, embodies all that is evil in the mechanical world. However, Hal was good hearted, but he couldn't understand  a higher distinction than 'preserve the human's life' which is what his controllers did by limiting what he could tell them in the name of 'national security' . Hal was really just a small child, alone and confused.
3.) Ummmm...Oh yeah, MEGATRON. Not so much a robot as a hugemongous death-dealing uber-machine. From his multiple transformations (gun, tank, plane etc al.) to his perpetual sneer, he is one robot baddie that you do not want to tangle with.
2.) THE TERMINATOR. Haven't seen the movies, so I can't judge, but no list is complete with out the Terminator. Besides, Arnie could totally take on Megatron mano-e-mano and come out on top.
1.) GLaDOS- the whole reason for this post. GLaDOS is a super-computer and the main villian in the original Portal game. She taunts the protagonist, Chell, and makes it appear like an accident that Chell nearly keeps on dying...and is polite the whole time. Now, in the new game, she is P.O'ed and she is determined to outright kill Chell-but still being polite about it. She doesn't do the dirty work, just uses giant lasers, automatic turrets, and other death dealing machines. I think really is all I am saying is that she is one scary lady...which is probably the point. The game play looks awesome, and intense, and she appears to be really angry at you. Making her even more scary.

Feeding the Hype?

So after a short hiatus of writing on my blog, I have come back. First off, like my school and all my classes, no complaints. Also avoiding homework right now so yeah. The thing that got me, however, was this guy in the news planning to burn the Koran on 9/11. First off, I respect his right to constitionionally do that as a form of protest. But it is just stupid. It would be like Muslims burning the bible for outrage against Catholic sex abuses. (I know that does not appraoch the magnitude of anything that has happened, but it was the only analogy I could think of.) This is personifiing all that is wrong with extreme hate and fear in a people. By doing this, we only feed the fires of ignorance and hate, and they will not burn slower after this. America was not founded on the exclusion of certain religions- but religious freedom  to all. I know I am probably echoing the sentiments of many, but it's true- it's a fundamentally stupid idea, with no reason for it and it will only hinder and hurt America. So yeah, there's my soapbox and I am sticking too it.

EARL

Feel like I should write something about it...but yeah. Preping for rain, wind...and watching (hopefully) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-the original. If power goes out, it goes out. Pretty cool that a hurricane comes this way...bad that it comes this way. So yeah. I really got nothing to say. Oh hey, winds picking up when I look outside. Let the fun begin, and batten down the hatches!

Blu-Ray Judgement.

Okay, so I had this random thought a while ago. My family has a Blu-Ray player, and it's not so new that it doesn't accept old style DVD's. Here's the thing, though. Whenever I put in an old style DVD, the light on the top of the disk drive changes in color. Usually when a Blu Ray disk is put in, then the color is a rich, electric blue. However, when I  put in an old-style DVD, the color changes to a paltry grey. Like, corpse grey. If corpses were lit by an internal light. I feel like the Blu-Ray player is judging me, like it's saying
" Whoa, wait, what is this? Am I not good enough for Blu-Ray? You don't want to spend more money to get me to my full potential? Feh! I'm done with you!"

As you can tell, sometimes the voices in my head don't shut up.

Hmmmm...Oh, yeah, The Title.

So in the first of several planned blog posts( which have nothing to do with the more pressing matters on my plate,) I decided to answer the question of Why my Blog Has this Name. ( Even though no one actually asked this question, and I am mainly doing this to fill space, cause  I doubt people will read this anytime soon. ) Aces And Eights is a long standing fascination of mine, starting with the movie...I want to say Jack& Jill with Morgan Freeman. It was an James Patterson Alex Cross movie adaptation. In the movie, the female love intrest/partner/villian? shows Morgan Freeman a dual barrel, top over bottom Turkish Shotgun. ( Boys and their toys.) Morgan/Cross asks her how she got it and she says her father won it in a game of poker with a hand of aces and eights. He comments that it was a dead man's hand, and I was hooked. It sounded sweet, and conjured up a nice image.

Did some research (Okay, okay, I went on a family trip to South Dakota. So I learned something-It's not a crime!) and found out there is some truth to the whole 'dead man's hand' thing. Turns out, when the outlaw Wild Bill Hicock was shot to death, he was playing poker, and he held five cards. Two black aces, two black eights, and one red card that varies on the story. This became known as the "Deadman's Hand"

So, my intrest in this name was from an outlaw, or Morgan Freeman. Take your pick.

Fact of the Day/Week(x2)

It is legal to duel on Boston Common if the govener is present.

You need a permit for a goatee in Massachusetts.

My Trust Issues

So, apparently, I got picked to have lunch with five other guys and a girl I barely know. THis is where my trust issues come into play- Am I getting punked, or pranked, or whatever the current lingo is? Maybe I'm just paranoid, but these things rarely go my way. Oh well. At worst, I get free food out of it.

But yeah. That's been a constant issue with me.( The pranking, not the free food. Believe me, if I had a problem with free food, everyone would be able to see it.) I guess mabye I was an easy target, and it just carried over. That, and I am notoriously thin skined.  Is it just like something that's popular in society now, having fun at other's expense? Or is this just me writing a random blog post for the one sporadic reader and the one potential one? No idea.

YAY BREAKING THE FORTH WALL!!!

The Weather

Just a quick note on the weather here- whether it be a light rain, or a devasting hurricane, either way we're getting cooled off. But has anyone considered what happens if the hurricane swings up like some are predicting, and swings up over Long Island? The damage to New York will be catastrophic, nevermind Boston. BUT, since no one is reading this blog, my opinion doesn't really matter much.

One last thought, and the whole reason for this post-
"Hurricane warning means that a hurricane MIGHT happen. Hurricane watch means, it's GONNA happen"
Mike Smith and Adam Cunningham

Movie Rant (Rovie)

So, I meant to do this a little while ago, but never got to do it. I want to rant about movies I have seen. I'll call it a movie rant, or 'rovie' for short. ( When you pronounce it, think Scooby Doo. Love that Great Dane)
Anywho, since I recently re-watched Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I decided to critque that. So here goes.

First off, ( and this gets me every time) when Josh Duhamel who plays Major Lennox is watching his comrades' coffin being  carried into the plane, he turns abrubtly to watch a Black Hawk Helicopter fly over the base. I am not even in the military, and I know this basic fact- You DO NOT turn your back on your comrades or dishonor them in ANYWAY when they are being CARRIED OFF IN A COFFIN!!!! Let me say that again...YOU JUST DON'T DO IT!! I know it is for dramatic effect, but you Do. Not. Do. That. It is a breach of etiqute of enourmous magnitude.

Second, Jetfire. He's cool, as a Blackbird, and even cooler as an old guy. However, the old guy is played over way too much. It was funny, then it became dragging. More dragging, and you got tired of the guy. Then he redeemed himself....Then got killed. My Advice is less crochety old man, more of the 'retired commando' vibe. Would've made it so much better.

Okay, the ending of the movie. I'm not the first to comment on this, but the ending fight....kinda sucked. The heart crushing manuever was really cool, and the fight, neat, but seriously? Devastator was made up of 7, count'em, 7 robots. And he gets deystroyed with a single shot. Granted, a rail gun shot, but ONE SHOT. And the doomsday device? If all it takes is a flying semi truck shooting two shots into it to destroy it, it is not a doomsday weapon I respect. On the flying semi truck note- Optimus Jet Fire was cool , and Jetfire was really noble to give his parts, but what would Optimus transform into?  A Stealthy  Semi Truck, or a Semi Truck that Could Fly? Mmm, real creative, Hasbro.

Fourth, I am ninety five percent sure that the Decepticons must have a magical reincarnation decive. I saw some Decepticons that were DEFINETELY destroyed in the first movie- one even in a five minute battle scene with Optimus Prime. Yet there they were, trundling into battle. Mabye they could hook Optimus up to that device, instead of a sissy sand-key.

Speaking of the sand-key, how did it stay in the sock for that entire time? At least some of it must've leaked out.

Also, if the cold ocean was specifically chosen to inhibit Megatron, shouldn't the other Decepticons shut down approaching the depth and the cold?

Finally, and this note is more about the Tranformers in general, why don't the Autobots have more kick-ass alternative modes? I mean, the Decepticons have tanks, F-22's and things that don't have a name. But they have spikes and guns out the wazoo. I get the fact that Autobots are all peacy-lovey types, and they don't fight unless drawn into it. ( And Rachet's new off road rescue vehicle is pretty sweet.) But can't you keep the peace AND kick ass at the same time? I mean, the dispariety between the coolness factor of the Decepticons and the Autobots is huge. I mean, helicopters can be life saving. So can tracked vehicles .That's all I am saying in regard to the coolness factor.

That's all I have to say (for now) on the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

School.

So yeah, like many other peole across the nation, I am now back in school. Whoop De Doo. Like any school day, it had it's ups and downs. I cannot take Spanish IV becasue of irreproachable scheduling conflicts,(it's always band....always.) and re-entry just was difficult. On the plus side, most of my classes are pretty cool, and the teachers seem nice, especially the principal and my history teacher. Not looking forward really to algebra tommorrow and more heat and humidity. Oh, and the simple fact tht I have band and haven't touched my trumpet for a year. Ah, can't complain though. Got my shades to keep cool and look cool doing it, a freshly oiled trumpet for tommorrow, and I got a pocket watch. Seriously, you can't go wrong with a pocket watch.

First Inagural Blog Post!!!

Okay, so the blog wasn't actually registered, so the deep ,poignant blog post that I wrote isn't anywhere to be found. So to recap: I got this idea from Dave Bray(or Brave Day if you want to think about it like that) and Luke Coughlin. Figured all the stuff bouncing around my head that couldn't fit on a facebook status update would go here. I'll try to update it 2-3 times a week, mabye more, mabye less.  So yeah....Can't rembember much what I wrote specifically-

I hate having ADHD, especially right now
I don't want to go back to school. I know everyone is saying that now, but I really don't. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind school itself. the teachers are great, the buildings nice, some of the students are pretty neat. Then others ruin it all, so I am of mixed feelings. Oh yeah, I will try not to use names in this blog.
I miss camp. Like, A lot. It was my second home, and I really miss my friends there, the noise, the laughter, yeah. Stuff like that. Camp is the only place I can be myself with out people giving me wierd stares. (okay, more than a few wierd stares at any given time)

So yeah, I will try and write more fluff soon.

Fun fact of the day: The guy who played Chancellor Adam Sutherland in V for Vendetta (one of my favorite movies by the way) also played Winston Smith, the downtrodden protagonist in 1984 another film about totalitarinism goverment. Nifty bit of coincidence, hmm?