FakeSoundofProgress

And it started with such promise....
Classes went great.
Seeing the event tent blown up against Harrelson was good for a laugh.
And most importantly....
Sudan has agreed to allow UN Peacekeeping troops to enter the country.
This is a HUGE step towards resolving the genocide currently raging in Darfur.
A ray of hope for the people of that region and serious progress for the global community in terms of fulfilling a duty towards humanity.

And then there was VA Tech.


We live in such an ugly world.

This one goes out the the Zidane basher's, the elite group who have made their "great stand" within the last several hours. Lay off. Instead of evaluating the man based off of one mistake, try looking at his illustrious career. One could only dream of having the talent and the success that Zizou has shared with the world. Do you not think that he's beating himself up enough for losing his temper? Do you not think he realizes that with his red card ejection the hopes of his country and teammates left the field as well? Am I saying he didnt deserve the card? Heck no, I'd have red carded him too. But give the man a break. Its already a mistake that will stay with him, probably for the rest of his life. I'm sure not gonna fault him for losing his temper in the biggest game of the biggest sporting event in the world. There was a lot to lose and a lot to gain. Lord knows I've gotten mad enough in just a regular season game. I choose however, to remember Zinedine Zidane as the world class player he was and is and for the thrills he provided his fans during this world cup final and every game he played in before today. To remember him as anything else would be a complete discredit to his deserved place in soccer history. And to all those French kids who have and continue to grow up to be the next Zinedine...dream on...you couldnt dream for better. Allez Zizou et merci pour toutes les memoires!

By Sharon Cohen, AP

He was a stern-faced sniper and a soft hearted Marine who handed out candy to kids in Iraq. he was a warrior who wrote poetry about life and death. He was featured in Michael Moore's anti-war documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," portrayed as an overzealous Marine recruiter who targeted poor kids. But Staff Sgt. Raymond Plouhar was far more complicated than that. And it was that complicated man who died in Iraq in late June, as he served with some of the same men he had recruited years ago. it was that complex man who was buried Friday, by a family that honored his service, but would never forget his humanity. "He had a huge heart, " says his widow, Leigha.

Plouhar was a Marine for 10 of his 30 years, but he had dreamed of joining the military ever since he was a little boy who liked to watch MASH on television and dress in fatigues and a camouflage shirt. It was as a recruiter that Plouhar was seen in Moore's award winning "Fahrenheit 9/11." The segment shows Plouhar and another Marine in a mall parking lot in the depressed city of Flint, Michigan; it suggests the two men were cynically hunting for poor teens to sign up, rather than go to a wealthy suburb where they would likely be rejected. Plouhar's father, also named Raymond, says his son told him he believed he was being filmed for a documentary that would appear on the Discovery Channel. (Moore's office didnt return calls or e-mail messages seeking comment.) "He cried when he found out what it really was," his father says. "he never dreamed that it was going to be something to slam the country, which he dearly loved." And yet, the elder Plouhar also says he doesnt see anything wrong with his son's actions. "If you really watched just the part with my son in it," he asks, "how could you not say that he was standing tall and proud?" His parents say the've seen only the segment featuring their son, Leigha Plouhar says her husband asked her not to watch the film-and she never has. Nor has Stephen Wandrie, his friend of 20 years, who says Plouhar was hurt but told him: "You know what? I know what i do is good for this country and every one of those people I'm recruiting-those guys are my brothers."

Plouhar entered the Crops straight out of high school, was trained as a sniper and traveled the world-Bosnia, Sunda and Israel. He had a ramrod posture and a fierce pride in his appearance: He once ironed his uniform and polished its brass buttons for two hours before allowing his mom to photograph him. "He told me lots of times that he learned what could be accomplished...if you put your heart and soul in it- and he put his heart and soul in the Marine Corps," his father says. "He was gung-ho from the time he signed his name until the day he died." His signature was a memorable one. His birth certificate read Raymond James Byron Anthony Charles Plouhar-he was named aftaer all his grandfathers. He followed a long family tradition of military service that included a grandfather who earned a Purple Heart in World War II and an older sister, Toni, who was in the Army. Plouhar carried a Bible from his frandfather Raymmond to Iraq. He kept it in his left shirt pocket next to his heart. Tucked inside was a photo of his wife and their two sons, Raymond, 9 and Michael, 5. As devoted as he was to the Marines, Plouhar had a full life outside the military. He liked to hunt and camp, take canoe trips and fish with his boys. He was known as a charmer, a good talker, a champion of the underdog) always defending and befriending kids picked on in school) and though he was trained to fight and kill, he preferred the rold of peacemaker. "He didnt' like turmoil," recalls his mother, Cynthia. "He wanted everybody to be happy, to get along...He'd say "Life's too short to sweat the small stuff.'"

As family members gathered last week in their lakefront home 30 miles north of Detroit, they lined the walls and windwos with photo collages that tell Raymond Plouhar's life in chapters. There's the grinning kid with the protruding ears proudly holding up the bass he caught. There's the sturdy athlete grappling with an opponent anround a wrestling circle and posing in the green-and-white football uniform of the Lake Orion Dragons. There's the young man sitting with high school sweetheart Leigha on his dad's Harley on their way to the prom; then years later, together again, he in Marine blue , she in white, on their wedding day. Then there's the tough-minded Marine in helmet and combat gear- doling out candy from a plastic bag two months ago to school children in Iraq. "He admired the Iraqi people," his father says. "He said, 'Dad, even though I can't understand a word they're saying, if we were back home...we'd be buddies.'" Plouhar was addigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th marine Regiment, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton, California. He was killed June 26 by a rouadide bomb in Anbar Province in his second tour of duty in Iraq, weeks before he was to return home. Plouhar's family says he had to qualms about returning to Iraq and he believed conditions had improved since his first tour in 2005. "i never worried," Leigha says, "because in my head he was indestructible and nothing could ever happen to him because he was so good at what he did." In an undated entry in a blog on Myspace.com, Plouhar said," you can callme crazy," but he liked being in Iraq. "someone has to do it plus I love what I do," he wrote, In a poem he sent to his family last year, he said he knew he could die serving his country and was ready to sacrifice.

"I will leave my loved ones, my kids, my wife...Do not feel pity for me, for this is my choice..," he wrote. "This is who I am. I am a Marine to the very end."

Could they not have known, What they have done
Sentenced the only pure thing left
That graces, the dirt on this earth, to Death
Betrayal is and easy way out, and let a filthy tyrant, run free
had we have ever known that, he'd still love us, after we turned our backs
and left him in the shadows.
Where the sun still shines, as bright as a thousand torches, open the gates
rip the blood stained clothes from his back still he wore courage, tightly
wrapped around his neck, marching the death, marching, echoes through a god forsaken city cut like knifes, their words kill, i killed you........(i built this tower for you) you know love and you know me, the sharpend end of a blade brought safety, drenched in grace you took the fall along with your life.
innocence dies today, and im quite ready to leave here, you still saw me, as i lay motionless from the shadows............you carried me while we buried you......(i built this tower for you)
you bleed love true love i found in you

Oh my god why'd you kill him, we cruxify him over and over again
dont you know that he loved you, but im coming home clean of all the dirt you thought you had on me

*akissforjersey*

I think I'm in love...like for real.
akissforjersey.






www.myspace.com/akissforjersey
eat it up.

I heard a song on the radio today...one I hadnt heard in over a year. And then irony of ironies.....there you were.

10 Reasons why I should be more than happy with my life:

1. I love my lunatic pack of friends, though they're so far away. They mean more to me than they know. And coming from a college grad, your college friends are people who CANNOT be replaced. Regardless of how far away they might wander or who else comes along.

2. My parents love me and are willing and able to help support me till I find my calling. Even if my dad still likes to nag about continuing to apply for positions. ;)

3. My sister is the coolest person to walk the planet. She's been to hell and back with me...multiple times. And is still, after all that, willing to stay up till 2 am and listen to me cry my eyes out again. She's been there through everything and knows and loves me like noone else can.

4. Tater is the pimpest dog in the world. She's my hairy little baby lamb and can make me smile and laugh without saying a word.

5. Though Barnes & Noble isnt where I saw myself a year and a half ago, I am lucky enough to work there. I have a job that I dont hate, that allows me to pay for some bills and stuff. Plus though Im in many ways their opposite, my coworkers are crazy fun people.

6. Im a smart kid and I have a lot going for me. I've been given a passion and a gift for language. That's bound to open doors somewhere. I might not know where Im going in life right now, but there are so many opportunities out there for me. Its only a matter of finding them and giving my all. Im gonna succeed. And I know that. Besides, if anything....at least I can surprise my francophone customers and (english speaking coworkers) with fluent french. ;)

7. There are so many things that I love....chocolate, shrimp, genealogy, history, the Civil War, plants, my beta fish, crocheting, perfecting my french, scrapbooking, driving fast, day dreaming, sleeping, watching junk reality tv, spending time in the mnts., spending time at the beach, bodyboarding till my body is totally rocked with fatigue, playing/watching soccer, reading, listening to music, dancing.....and Im able to do all these things. Especially since I moved my room around....so much more room for my impromptu dance parties now. hehe

8. Ive done and seen things that few others I know have experienced. I look back on my life so far, what I've done, where I've been, who I've met. And I know Im truly truly blessed and that I wouldnt be the same without every single detail.

9. We all knew this was coming..........IM A FREAKIN AMERICAN. I think that should speak for itself.

10. And last but not least, if all else fades away, Jesus is my rock. And its He who loves me in a way I cant even comprehend. Even when I dont have the words to say what Im feeling, He knows and He understands. Even when Im confused scared and hurt, even when I have no idea where to turn or what to do....He knows how to give me peace. Even when I dont know where the heck my life is going, He does. And its gonna work out better than I could possibly ever imagine.
---------------
Thats my list and Im sticking to it. I have every reason to be happy. And I shouldnt give any thing or person the power to take that happiness from me.

Let that Be Enough
:Switchfoot

I wish I had what I need
To be on my own
'Cause I feel so defeated
And I'm feeling alone

And it all seems so helpless
And I have no plans
I'm a plane in the sunset
With nowhere to land

And all I see
It could never make me happy And all my sand castles
Spend their time collapsing

Let me know that You hear me
Let me know Your touch
Let me know that You love me
Let that be enough

Population of Creswell, NC........269 people as of 2004.

So here I am, fighting sleep after the end of a long and work filled last 32 hours or so. Im exhausted, but I have tomorrow off, so all will be right with the world on Saturday. Speaking of Saturday.....I'll finally get to see Noah after 5 weeks. Longest its been ever and its been extremely hard in some ways and perhaps beneficial in others. Hopefully things are on the mend, but in the end I suppose only time will truly tell. But back to tomorrow, Im going to see Narnia and am correspondingly quite excited. I only hope it lives up to my expectations and my love for the whole series. I've also finally started Christmas shopping. I figured it was about time since I dont have leisure time like I used to....the joys of working retail. I've also been on a french music kick lately. Not sure what started it, though I suppose it could be all the frenchies that come into work. But anywho, Netscape Radio has a splendid French Scene station under World Music and I seriously suggest people listen to it. So what if you dont understand a word of it....do we really understand half of the english songs out there?