Top Secret: Do Not Read (28)

Censorship – a controversial word that brings to mind images of Communist officers rifling through books and writings, looking for forbidden material. The tables seemed to have turned as of late. In an increasingly dangerous world filled with terrorists, the governments of such free countries as the U.S. are removing freedoms to protect the security of the people. But certain questions start coming up when this is done. One of them involves censorship; should it be allowed, and if so how much? Freedom of the press has long been argued in the U.S. and it has stood as a symbol of the free world. But when the government has unlimited access to personal emails, simple or not-so-simple opinions become dangerous to the individual expressing them. Depending on what you write, you never know when government agents will come swarming into your house. Yes censorship is definitely becoming a problem. There are always going to be a few nutcases that write the stupidest things; a few terrorists do get caught as well by their incriminating messages. But these isolated cases are eventually going to make it such that opinions can’t be freely expressed anymore. Opinions will become national threats. Right now, it is still possible to chew out the government without getting in trouble. But add a few key words like “blow up”, “A l Kyduh”(just making sure I don't get arrested!), and other such terrorist-linked words and you’ll be serving time. After a while, other individuals may be targeted, as new kinds of “threats”. It’s a slippery slope that gets steeper and steeper, terminating in a cliff looking over empty space devoid of a Constitution.

What did you say? (27)

I’ve been hired to write a dictionary of phrases and words that my peers and I often use. (So where’s the money?) Here are a few words that a person starts hearing over and over again at W.A.

Like - adv. : The universal gap-filler of teenage conversation. Can be inserted into almost any part of the sentence to substitute for harder-to-find words. “I was like…” “It’s like this…” “He like didn’t know what to like say…”

Dang-it : Euphemistic expression directly derived from a much stronger phrase. Used to express frustration. Not the best phrase as it sounds almost exactly like its unholy relative.

Cool - adj. : Common descriptive adjective used by almost every American teen that can be used to describe almost anything pleasing or satisfying.

Go Levi! : Not really sure how this phrase originated, but Marshall says it a lot. Overall, it seems to enhance the morale at W.A.

Stranded In Comfort (26)

Here’s a good one: If you were to be stranded on a deserted island for ten years and you were allowed to bring one item from each of these categories – a book, person, CD, food item, drink item, piece of clothing, and one miscellaneous item – what would you pack? Here’s my list of what I would bring:

Book: Boat-building for Dummies

Person: A ship captain

CD: Any CD would be perfect; the signaling qualities of a disc’s reflective side are stupendous.

Food item: My sister’s vegan cheesecake; no particular reason except the exquisite flavor.

Drink item: Water. It’s just the best beverage out there.

Piece of clothing: A robe from a Sahara nomad. It’s bound to get hot and I want to keep cool.

One miscellaneous item: A large tree. How else am I going to build my boat?

Okay, there are a few flaws in my list. First of all I’m supposed to be on the island for ten years. Naturally I would be picked up afterwards, so the items I bring are just to keep me busy. My book and lovely large tree would be useless (I'd still need a saw and nails anyway). Of course I could use t the pages to make paper airplanes and climb the tree to fly them . . . Here then are the things I would change on my list:

Book: 1001 Things To Do When Stranded

Person: An expert desert-island farmer – to provide the eats.

CD: The Bible and Ellen White’s Writings – for spiritual sustenance.

One miscellaneous item: Solar-powered laptop with Microsoft Flight Simulator pre-loaded onto it. With it I’d be able to read the books on the CD as well as keep my instrument flying skills sharp.

T'is the Year After Christmas (25)

It’s good to be back at the keyboard blogging away. Let me bring you up-to-date as to what happened over break – if I can remember. Ah yes, a number of interesting things happened over break, one of them being the arrival, and of course the inevitable subsequent departure, of Christmas day. I got some much needed R&R, and I continued to take calls at the Welcome Center a few hours a day. Socialization on campus was out of the question as every young person had fled the grounds for Christmas break and un-vegan gastronomics. I stayed home to keep company with my mom’s delectable Dutch apple pie (perfectly vegan and loaded with sugar) and the computer.

Yes, a number of exotic locations were graced by my virtual presence as I flew my simulated aircraft all over the world through Microsoft Flight Simulator. I did manage to get out and see some people, however, on New Year’s Eve at a church social in Meadow Vista. Maria and I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Cullinan’s group games. I again indulged in the foolishness of staying up till midnight to watch the Old Year transform into the New through the passing of a single second. Christmas break was far from sensational for me, but I definitely enjoyed the respite from the frenzied life at W.A.

It’s back to the grind, but variety is indeed the “spice of life”. Breaks get equally as old as school does. One day all the Scotch broom behind the house will be pulled and nothing will be left to do if vacations were to continue forever. I am ready to return to the institution of learning, to continue furthering my education. Tighten your backpack straps; here we go!

"We interrupt this program to reflect. . ." (24)

Yup, it's just about halftime and it looks like I'm still on the winning team as far as grades go. (Studies may show a link between telephone operators and higher grades.) Time has flown by like a slug on a roller coaster. And now, even before I can take time out of the game, as I make the last lunge for the ball, I am already forced to look back on the first half of my Junior year in high school.

School work can be a drag, but in Chemistry we're going out on a cheerful note; we have recently been studying the gas laws. Well, maybe I'm the only one who actually enjoys it, but learning about PV=nRT is fascinating! Also, I've learned a bit more about time management, through the unofficial intensive course that is forced upon every W.A. student. My fellow men's chorus members and I have learned some really neat songs; after working hard on the pieces, I've been able to figuratively lean back and relax while singing, enabling me to listen to the meaningful words of the song. I've had many good laughs with the Juniors and the English teacher, Ms. Chi. And I've spent hours trying to hack out eloquent blogs.

As far as funny things that happened this year, I really can't bring to mind the year's funniest moment. But Carsten, Manny, and I did have some laughs on Openhouse night, as I called from one phone in the dorm to the other, posing as an automated telemarketer. The great part was that both phones in the guys' dorm were in the same room! Oh yeah, you guys, (you know who you are) you never claimed your free cruise :-P

Yeah, this year's been fun. And tiring. And boring. And frustrating. And soporific. (Seriously, you need to read your dictionary.) But despite the seemingly dead-weight cons that threaten to tip my balance in favor of deserting W.A., there's that all-important, unmeasurable factor that keeps drawing me back. It's the special memories, made sweeter by the friends they are shared with, and the promise of new memories to be made with friends, old and new alike.

But the school year isn't over, so you can't shut me up yet. Don't go away; I'll be right back after this break!

To Be Perfectly Honest . . . (23)

Here's another charged question on ethics: Should one hold secrets that have been shared by a friend, even if someone is in danger? Would this betray the friend, as well as break some unwritten code of honor? My response is: Forget about not wanting to hurt your friend's feelings. Do the right thing; secrets should only be kept if they protect people. And if the situation is confusing enough to make you question which action would be right, pick the "lesser of two evils" (Source unknown). If it's inevitable that someone's going to get hurt, either keep the secret or disclose it so that the least amount of damage occurs.

Life is so much simpler when complicated stuff like this doesn't happen. But that's not the case, so it can still be made easier by developing and following protocols like the one outlined above. If all else fails, just stop listening to your friends' secrets. Or catch the next Space Shuttle flight.

Brains for Sale (22)

In the most recent prompt, Ms. Chi asked us a no-brainer – excuse my pun: If you had to choose between beauty and brains, which would you pick? For those uncertain individuals, a good question to ask next would be: Which one gets you further in life? I’d pick brains hands-down. Good judgment and a sound mind are the keys to success. All the beauty in the world couldn’t begin to take their place. There’s a proverb that describes this best: “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.” (Proverbs 11:22 NASB). This verse really applies to both genders, and it perfectly illustrates why I would choose brains over beauty.