Wander.Discover.Ramble

hopefisch: hannahpoucher: breathe-lioness: rootsgrowdeeper: j...

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 19:29:49 -0800

hannahpoucher:

breathe-lioness:

rootsgrowdeeper:

just sitting here crying. no biggie.

wowowowowowowwowowowowow

yes, yes, yes.
oh goodness, Jesus.

That’s the Gospel…

when he starts singing…. done/

I like adoption.

Grandfathers Against Guns (GAG)

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 00:56:25 -0800

chaseandre:

Note: The following is a proposal written by my professor, and founder of Hollenbeck House where I live. He’s pushing for Charlotte’s Law, named after his granddaughter, because he’s tired of laws being named after dead kids. As he writes, we all have a part to play in the future of this country. What’s yours?
-Chase

Grandfather’s Against Guns (GAG)

To Whom It May Concern (hopefully everyone):

As with the entire country, I mourn the chronic disregard for human life in the US, particularly the violence recently visited upon 20 elementary school students in one of the safest cities in America. Today, no city is safe - thanks to the proliferation of easily-
obtainable firearms.

In a perfect world, I would work and pray for the total elimination of privately-owned guns – the only exception being single-shot hunting rifles. Because my countrymen will never buy that the Second Amendment doesn’t allow for private gun ownership (what part of “Militia” don’t we comprehend!?), I move on to Charlotte’s* Law. While I applaud statues like Megan’s Law and Jessica’s Law, the tragedy remains that both girls are dead. Charlotte, my vibrant 4-year-old granddaughter, is fully alive but under threat by our increasingly imbalanced society. My goal is to work within a cumbersome system to somehow secure her future, to watch her grow up to be as lovely and productive as her mother – not time-warped in kindergarten because a suicidal psycho with a Bushmaster erased her future.

Do I have any power? Only that which comes from passion and the pen. I can let the president know that this is his “Lincoln Moment”; I can let the Republicans know that some of their zeal to protect the unborn could be broadened to include the already-born.

Do I have new ideas? Probably not, but to continue on the current “Mourn Now and Act Later” path is no longer acceptable.

Do I want you to act? Yes.

Do I know what you should do? No, but you do and it’s not to passively allow the status quo to become America’s epilogue. If you are a gifted writer, write; if you are an athlete, muscle through necessary changes to our current frontier mentality; if you are a celebrity, use your name to help take away this overwhelming pain; if you’re an ordinary Joe, put extraordinary pressure on lawmakers: tell them to grow up, stare down the NRA, and slam their fist onto a tabletop like Lincoln and declare that no more children are going to be sacrificed on the altar of gun rights!

Beyond lobbying for intelligent gun laws and the absolute prohibition of firearm sales at gun shows and via the Internet, I have a feeling that, with enough determination, America can end this plague with the two attributes that have made us exceptional: Capitalism and Innovation.

Capitalism: How do we partially regulate the use of tobacco products? We tax. Nothing prevents participation in non-essential tasks more than prohibitive expense. If every firearm is taxed at 500%, people will think twice about purchasing a Glock. If every round of ammunition comes with an additional dollar in federal fees, they will sit a lot longer on their Walmart-Sporting-Goods Department shelves – maybe forever! An economic/employment bi-product will be the creation of a whole new industry: school protection.

Innovation: If we can kill a Pakistani terrorist with a drone-controlled missile from Bagram Air Base, if we can invent smart phones that do everything short of tucking us into our Sleep Number beds, if we can develop cures for yet-unknown diseases, we can certainly figure out how to protect schools from the next black-clad video-game addict who hopes to see his name engraved in Satan’s Hall of Infamy. Can we not install tamper-proof chips on all guns which will trigger automatic lockdowns of a school perimeter and an emergency 9-11 call if it comes within 100 feet of said-facility? How about firearms which automatically de-activate on school grounds? How about magazines which cannot be modified to hold more than a small number of rounds? Guns which jam at the sound of a high-pitched scream (as from a child!)? Guys my age volunteering to stand cross-armed and intimidating at the main gate of every educational institution? There MUST be ideas out there! To quote SNL’s Oscar Rogers, we’ve got to “FIX IT!”

I may be unrealistic, but inaction is a hallmark of a decaying society. While my pride in today’s America may be diminishing, I am bursting with feelings of possibility about Charlotte…and Owen…and Ava…and Hemingway…and the rest of our grandchildren and children who deserve a chance to be the next Steve Jobs, Jennifer Lawrence, Magic Johnson, or Hillary Clinton.

Sincerely,

Larry Smith, founder of GAG

*You may replace the name with that of your own grandchild, child, neighbor, or the beautiful 2nd grader who lives across the street.

How to have a conversation

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 23:53:02 -0800

thewaterisblack:

In decision making, in conversation, your point-of-view, your starting place is rarely where someone else starts. If you expect people to be where you are, you will lose them, or confuse them, or anger them. They will hear what you say from the place where they’re standing. …words will have different meanings, your comfort with an idea will be their red flag.

I want to listen first to the person in front of me, see where they’re coming from, and speak their language. That is what it means to have a conversation, as opposed to two parallel monologues.

Also, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN2oG8QFXxQ&feature=relmfu

Still learning.

Take a walk. Take a walk. Take a walk. #movedc #lobbyday...

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:38:03 -0800

Take a walk. Take a walk. Take a walk. #movedc #lobbyday #walkingshoes

Alpha family dinner two years later. #thanksgivingcameearly...

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 19:44:57 -0800

Alpha family dinner two years later. #thanksgivingcameearly #laughter #love (at The Dwelling Place )

Pretty good way to start a Saturday morning. #teamsouthafrica ...

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 16:45:45 -0800

Pretty good way to start a Saturday morning. #teamsouthafrica (at Inspiration Point)

stephalise: Do yourself and your future/current marriage a...

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:40:32 -0700

stephalise:

Do yourself and your future/current marriage a favor and watch this video. It’s a story of unfaithfulness & faithfulness, the hard things & the Gospel. And then it’s about what life looks like after that: messy & beautiful. Should I be blessed to have children, I hope they build fort/ramps on my couch and do flips on them. And I won’t even care if it ruins the cushions.

[disclaimer: the first 3 mins is the audio of a letter they wrote to one another. don’t worry, it’s not frozen.]

from the natos.

Photo

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:33:29 -0700

invisible: There are 27 26 days until MOVE:DC....

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:22:43 -0700

invisible:

There are 27 26 days until MOVE:DC. Not-so-subliminal meaning: sign up now at KONY2012.com

theroyalsons: The single “Vicious Love” off our upcoming album....

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:01:08 -0700

theroyalsons:

The single “Vicious Love” off our upcoming album. Please support by sharing/reblogging!

Retreat. #smu #stm #lake #nofilter (Taken with Instagram at...

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:19:24 -0700

Retreat. #smu #stm #lake #nofilter (Taken with Instagram at Lake Arrowhead)

Sad that the time with my mini-me was so short. Love this girl....

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 14:26:34 -0700

Sad that the time with my mini-me was so short. Love this girl. #vscocam (Taken with Instagram)

Evening stroll. (Taken with Instagram)

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 19:24:24 -0700

Evening stroll. (Taken with Instagram)

Closing out the summer with a beautiful hike and 3 wonderful...

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 13:00:28 -0700

Closing out the summer with a beautiful hike and 3 wonderful friends. #laborday #view #hike (Taken with Instagram at Turnbull Canyon Hiking Trail)

Taken with Instagram

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 14:42:24 -0700

Taken with Instagram

Starting off @papa_patrick’s 21st birthday with karaoke at...

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 01:53:18 -0700

Starting off @papa_patrick’s 21st birthday with karaoke at a sketchy bar. Yes, we sang One Direction. Obviously. #birthday #karaoke (Taken with Instagram)

Photo

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:18:59 -0700

Thanks, Barack. #home (Taken with Instagram at Los Angeles...

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:42:12 -0700

Thanks, Barack. #home (Taken with Instagram at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX))

Final hugs. The only picture my “photographer” got...

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:41:22 -0700

Final hugs. The only picture my “photographer” got in focus was the one that we weren’t ready. #candid #goodbyes #southafrica (Taken with Instagram)

Yanga tatting herself up. “Stacie Gillespie I Love...

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 01:34:36 -0700

Yanga tatting herself up. “Stacie Gillespie I Love You” #myheart #precious (Taken with Instagram at Bridges Academy)