fountains at the zoo

“NOT JUST A TOASTER WITH PICTURES”

“Since 1950 there has been a total of more than 3,500 research studies conducted in America on the effects of media violence on the population. One random analysis of almost 1,000 studies found to demonstrate there is a tangible correlation between violent entertainment and violent behavior.”

“In the realm of media violence research scientists over five decades have been able to repeatedly demonstrate both short term and long term increases of violent behavior as the result of short term and long term exposure of manufactured horror.”

- Stop Teaching Our Kids To Kill – Dave Grossman and Gloria DeGaetano

Knowledge, a rude unprofitable mass

“Knowledge, a rude unprofitable mass, the mere materials with which wisdom builds, till smoothed and squared and fitted to its place, does but encumber whom it seems to enrich. Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much; wisdom is humble that he knows no more.” – William Cowper

Drink at the Bar Nothing bar anything

X – The Have Not

Drink at the Bar Nothing bar anything

But the bottom step of the ladder
It keeps getting higher and higher

Dawn comes soon enough for the working class
It keeps getting sooner or later
This is the game that moves as you play

How does it feel to have your own bottle of booze
Behind the bar, how does it feel
To play cards with the barmaids while they work

At Jocko’s Rocketship
Or The One Eye Jack
My Sin and The Lucky Star
A steady place to study and drink

Day old days
Ancient bloody mary bastards
In a hardcore blue collar bar
Here we sit, a shot and a beer
After another hard earned day

Dawn comes soon enough for the working class
It keeps getting sooner or later
This is the game that moves as you play

At the Hi-D-Hi
And The Hula Gal
Bee-Hive Bar and The Zircon Lounge
G.G.’s Cozy Corner
The Gift Of Love
Stop’N'Drink, Sit’N'Sip, Rest’N'Pieces
Dexter’s New Approach and The Get Down Lounge
The Aorta Bar, Detroit’s Main Vein

Sadako and the Paper Cranes

I recently had the privilege of visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial in OKC. As part of the museum exhibit you come upon hundreds of golden cranes. The description says they started arriving in OKC after the bombing and at first people were not sure why. Then they learned of the story SADAKO.

I bought the SADAKO book in the museum shop to learn more.  From Wikipedia on Sadako:

On August 3, 1955, Sadako’s best friend Chizuko Hamamoto came to the hospital to visit and cut a golden piece of paper into a square and folded it into a paper crane. At first Sadako didn’t understand why Chizuko was doing this but then Chizuko retold the story about the paper cranes. Inspired by the crane, she started folding them herself, spurred on by the Japanese saying that one who folded 1,000 cranes was granted a wish.

It just struck me on several chords. First the story of the paper cranes. Second the unexpected gesture from Japan and the global community to OKC in a time of sadness. Third the origin of the story from the Hiroshima bombing. I can’t quite wrap my brain around it, but it definitely hit me in the gut.

The photo above is from the Hiroshima Peace Park in Japan. Thanks to Flickr userKamodo for the CC licensed photo.