The Drifter

“I have managed to merely exist in a life worth living, while you have managed to live in a life worth existing…” This was a line I created for one of my characters in a story I call The Drifter. I let this line sit in the corner of my thoughts gathering dust until I took an inspecting eye to it. This single line of mine inadvertently summed up one of my core beliefs. I believe that you should face your problems head on and overcome them.

When I was much younger I could barely say a single word because of how severe my stuttering speech impediment was. At the age of four, it was so bad that santa couldn’t understand what I asked for. Throughout the years I constantly faced my crutch and after nearly eight years of hard work I was able to erode it to the point of irrelevance in my day-to-day life.

When I was just starting elementary school my father died, this event had a very deep and profound effect on me. The shock of his death caused me to miss large chunks of first grade which left me at a severe disadvantage when compared to everyone else. I lacked the same strong foundation that the leaning tower of Pisa has lacked.

It wasn’t until 3^rd grade that I finally was able to begin to overcome my problems. I saw my disadvantage as an obstacle and worked gruelingly to catch up and surpass my peers. I went from the runt of the litter to a strong competitor for leader of the pack.

During all those hardships another issue had arose that if left unchecked would have landed me in Juve hall. My anger was like an abyss with frothing black rapids that threatened to sweep me up in their poisonous currents. It took me 4 or 5 years of arduous mental discipline to finally control those unruly waters. Before I would respond with venom and physical strife, and now when faced with adversity I tighten my jaw and construct a set of simple yet powerfully heavy words.

I believe that by facing your problems and overcoming them you can open opportunities that would never be open to you. If I had never faced my problems I would not be the person that writes this essay today. I took up the gauntlet, persevered, and because of that I have become the polar opposite of who I was in my younger life.

“The Drifter sat hunched in the chair, a joint idly burning between his fingers. A cold chuckle escapes his lips, “The ones on the outside looking in would love to live a life like mine… A life where you’re constantly in strife against yourself.” His voice fades before continuing once more, “… but I would trade it all just to live a single day of peace…” His voice dies off and the only sound to be heard is the ticking of a grandfather clock…”

Evelyn Glennie

What I will remember about her performance is that she was able to perform in such a high-quality way even though she is deaf and can't hear anything. I remember when I was in concert band one year we had a disabled person in our class and it reminded me of the special way they had to learn how to play a instrument.

When she played on the marimba it created a sort of mysterious feeling that made me think of instances within my stories when there was a disturbing or tense moment before a major battle that would determine the outcome of well everything. What helped create this kind of moment was the feel of the music and my own imagination.

I think what influenced what the audience heard was the theater they were in, where they were sitting, the position of the speakers, and their own ears.

I think she meant that through life experiences they experience music in all sorts of ways. Some may find deep meaning in music like punk rock but others might see nothing but angry people. Music and the way it is received and interpreted revolves around the cultural stresses at the time. For instance after 9/11 people who usually hate patriotic/country music started listening to it with pride for a short while.

Sustainability Visit

1. What is your name and role here?

My name is Kathi and I am a shopper here.

2. Why do you choose to shop here?

Well there are fresh food... and I am sort of forced to by my children, but I also like to support.

3. When did you first start coming here?

ummm, A while go... few years now. I think five years, at least.

4. Do you garden at home?

uh, no. I live in a apartment so it really wouldn't be all that easy for me to garden at home.

5. What would your advice to get others to do what you do?

hmmm, I guess because it's a good thing...

1. I guess what struck me about it was how small it was. The one I went to you could easily walk up and down the entire length of it in what seemed to be only a minute. As far as goods there it was what I expected, they had all the average stuff you would expect to find at a farmer's market.

2. I didn't really look at the prices of most items but I did notice that honey at the market I went to was fairly expense compared to what I was use to.

3. hmmm, I don't think my family will any time soon seeing how stubborn some of us are, but I think further down the line I will eventually start going to them more often than not.

4. I think these places and the people at them show why most don't live sustainably because I realized that some there have the want and desire to live more sustainably i.e. growing their own foods, but those people don't have the means to live sustainably. I think these places really show that the only way to get the average person convinced you need to make it more easily accessible and less of a annoyance/burden.

Discussion of My Ishmael and Food, Inc.

well, my mother and I discussed both My Ishmael and Food, Inc. With food, inc we were in agreement that what has been happening recently (according to the movie) was deplorable and actually shocked my mother a few times. This discussion led us in to talking about how food is locked up (according to My Ishmael) and my mom didn't find it as interesting of a concept as it was to me. I eventually got around to talking about a hypothetical house design I have been constructing slowly but surely. I described it to her as a "house that is more like its own city than just a home." what I mean by that is this design I have been concocting is a dramatic re-design of the everyday home. The roofs are 100% replaced by solar panels and the roof is lined with a gutter system that leads all the rain water into a underground purifier that recycles the water to be used for the household. My design also involves a automated greenhouse slapped onto the back. Thats not even the half of it... I am just personally a little lazy and don't want to go in-depth. We next moved on to another subject from My Ishmael, Education. Now my mom is a firm believer that the current education system overall has been doing a great job so far. I on the other hand have always thought our educational system was crap and lacked severely in more than one way. My Ishmael essentially just gave more enough fuel to argue with her over the subject for months, maybe years to come... heh. She tried to fiercely defend our educational system but I eventually was able to best her when I explained a prototype design that I have been toying with... Essentially this design revolves around the base idea of a collage only on a much longer term. Again my laziness prohibits me from explaining this in any real depth.

Dialectic Journal: My Ishmael

quote: "Mother Culture's deception here is that schools exist to serve the needs of people. In fact, they

exist to serve the needs of your economy. The schools turn out graduates who can't live without jobs but

who have no job skills, and this suits your economic needs perfectly. What you're seeing at work in your

schools isn't a system defect, it's a system requirement, and they meet that requirement with close to one

hundred percent efficiency."

Response: Once again My Ishmael has proven to reveal yet another obvious truth that barely anyone see's until it is pointed out to them. This quote, to me, connects perfectly to our current government and its increasing failure to do anything at all useful for the common man. What I mean by this is that the US government cares more about keeping the corporations happy, fat, and powerful while they make Americans dumb, docile, and blind. At first when I started noticing this trend with the government I never looked to see just how far it reached until I read these chapters and realized that the government isn't just doing this on a scale that encompasses the media. It is also doing it down to the schools themselves, essentially, making brain dead lemmings out of most people before they even have a chance to make something of themselves. This not only infuriates me but it frustrates me to the point that I feel the need to attempt to come up with a better, not perfect, but better education model for a hypothetical government that is both capitalist and socialist (along with also being a true democratic republic). Essentially my current idea is to have a school that teaches you what you need to learn at first and then at a certain stage (varying from person to person) you chose a certain set of studies that fascinate you and eventually help you to get into the field of work you want to go into for the future.

Idealism

Hegemon Drift Darwin stalks his office with the look of a man that is at a loss. His figure is hunched over and his face downcast. His sulking eyes roam his large sterile office for any inspiration until his eyes fall upon the picture of his father. The image is abused and old, sighing the Hegemon straightens himself and fetches the old picture. Fixated on it he slumps into a chair and recounts, what his father had said once to him,

“… It’s up to you and the path you choose… to be lead to the slaughter or to lead the way…The question is… Will you have what it takes?” It looks as if I am leading my people to their doom father… I guess I don’t have what it takes to save everyone. This thought looms in his head before finally putting the picture down & exiting his alienated office.

A scowl crosses his face as he walks through the black on white hallways. Everything is so sterile and disconnected from life that he wonders if his government has gone blind. His wrinkled and dirty clothing looks utterly out of place in this world. A cloud of despair hovers over everyone he passes which just adds more to the weight that he feels every minute of his life. As he rounds a corner he spots Arnim, an old friend, who is on the floor with his back slumped against the wall. When Drift reaches him he stares at his sleeping friend before kicking him lightly in the side

“Get up… I need to talk to someone…” Arnim groans and opens one of his eyes and squints at the Hegemon. His face is distorted with exhaustion and woe. His Brown skin has slowly turned to a pale like color from lack of sun.

“Let me ask you… Do I look ANYTHING like a psychiatrist… because if I do than I have less of a fashion sense than I was led on to have,” This produces a weak smile from The Hegemon who helped Arnim up onto his feet. “It’s not that you look like a psychiatrist… but it is more of a fact that you are the only other insane person in this bunker,”

The Hegemon quickly gets past the pleasantries and jesting and gets right to the point of things. “Arnim, I am going to be doing something that will be highly controversial and I need you to back me up… I am inviting the separatist’s leader into the Inner Bunker. I believe that if he and I talk it out like reasonable men then this entire situation may just all blow over and allow everyone to fight against Emperor Arnold together,” Arnim stares at Drift with a face that blares ‘are you insane’

“Drift, you know I will back you up whole heartily with anything you decide to do… but allowing that man into the heart of what’s left of your government is just crazy… Either way I will back you up but I do think your idealism will be the foil of us all,” Drift nods knowingly but ignores his friend’s advice.

Rounding another corner both men are now at the main access. Soldiers stand guard and await the Hegemon’s orders. They’re clad head to toe in black armor, and their faces are covered in a special re-breather mask that allows them to fight in any field of combat. Drift nods to them to proceed. Quickly the soldiers open the main access gate and are forced to push back a crowd of dirty commoners. Out of the mob surfaces the Separatist leader who quickly gets past the soldiers and shakes hands with the Hegemon.

“It’s a…pleasure to meet you Mr. Hegemon,” The Separatist leader say’s with a sly tone. Drift smiles seemingly oblivious to the man’s tone.

“Come let’s continue talking in the Command Information Center,” Drift guides the man down a hallway as Arnim follows closely behind them with a scowl on his face.

As the trio enters the large terraced CIC it goes completely silent. All the eyes are not on the Hegemon or Arnim but are all boring into the Separatist leader. His ragged clothing look almost ancient compared to the post-modern looks of the CIC and its people. Arnim takes up a position near the center of the CIC while the other two stand in the center and begin their political discussions.

“There is nothing more that I would want than to see both our flocks working together to fight the true enemy… Emperor Arnold… now I know we have been harsh to your people over the last few years but can’t we put the past behind us?” Drift speaks passionately and continues onward while the Separatist leader simply stands and nods quietly.

As the Hegemon is nearing his finale an explosion rackets the entire bunker and throw’s the Hegemon to the ground. The Separatist smiles broadly as he sees the Hegemon on the ground. Slowly the man bends down and stares the Hegemon in the eye.

“You are more foolish than we thought… We would never have peace with you. Say goodbye to your precious government,” The man speaks viciously as he rips off his outer jacket revealing a small bomb belt. Arnim who is quick on his feet charges and pushes the man into a corner, and Arnim whips around grabbing the Hegemon and throws both themselves behind the center Holo Table…

“D…Dri...wake...p…Drift!...wake…up!” Slowly Drift comes to and groans wishing he hadn’t. The room is filled with smoke and his head and side burn horribly.

“What the hell happened Arnim!?” Drift asks through a fit of coughing. His once clean suit is now torn, dirtied, and is covered in someone’s blood.

“It appears the separatists have planned an assignation attempt and a coup,” Arnim says groggily. His head is smeared with blood and his combat armored is dented inward causing it to stab into his flesh.

The CIC is still chaotic as people rush in and out of it trying to get control over the situation. Wounded are slowly making their way out into the corridors. Gun fire is echoing through the corridors and it is getting closer. A large hole in a section of CIC is what’s left of the separatist leader. Slowly Drift tries to sit up and quickly realizes he has a shard of metal in his side as he shouts out in pain.

“What do you have to complain about? My breast plate has banana-peeled inward so I have metal digging into my chest… you big baby,” Arnim says and does a laugh that turns into a liquid filled cough. Drift laughs along with him but his turns into a low groan. Both faces wrinkle in concern because the gun fire has ceased and they hear marching. A group of grimy and tattered civilian soldiers force their way into CIC. They bark commands to the people to all gather in the center. When one spots the Hegemon on the floor slowly bleeding out from shrapnel wounds he bellows a deep laugh that sends shivers down the Hegemon’s (Drift’s) spine.

“Look here! The Hegemon! Looks like your idea of peace hasn’t really spanned out for you? Has it!” The soldier laughs ones more. “It’s time your tyranny ends forever!” The soldier lifts up his gun and fires multiple rounds into the Hegemon.

As the first bullet enters his gut Drift can’t help but laugh like a maniac and his laughter only gets louder and more desperate as more bullets enter his dying and shocked system until one bores itself deep into his cranial cavity.

Link to our Zine PDF

Medicine

The article I was reading was in the medicine section. It is talking about how pharmaceutical companies are going to lose major-patents on their best selling drugs. It explained how this might be a good thing for cheaper drugs, but it also talked about how it will more than likely cut R&D in drugs.

This is a big thing because it could lead to A. cheaper generic drugs and B. no new drugs at all due to no money for R&D

Not much will be happening in 2010 but a lot will happen in 2011 when a lot of companies lose their patents to drugs.

The biggest issue I see is the fact that there will be a major drop in R&D which might hurt us all more in the long run.