tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48036133337356927392012-01-21T09:34:32.386-08:00a rethink(i3) initiativenoreply@blogger.comBlogger2201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-36996329040129170132012-01-21T09:06:00.000-08:002012-01-21T09:34:32.402-08:00

“Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.” -- John F. Kennedy (1917 – 1963) (There is no rhyme or reason to this reflection; it is mostly a 3am hymn to my own angry dark places.)  Justice Black said in

a rethink(i3) initiativenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-87034870832351493642011-04-13T09:04:00.000-07:002011-04-13T15:54:48.364-07:00

The Law: Indiana law, Title 31 of the Indiana Code, places a duty for child support on parents without gender bias. Each parent is obligated to child support “based upon their financial resources and needs, the standard of living the child would have enjoyed had the marriage not been dissolved . . ., the physical or mental condition of the child, and the child's educational needs.” Indiana

a rethink(i3) initiativenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-89487061583625490052011-02-23T12:19:00.001-08:002011-02-23T12:19:14.237-08:00

--> I held off writing this blog because I didn’t know how or what to write. A few days ago one of my facebook contacts posted a remembrance for someone in my old unit killed in action on February 16, 2005. Remembering SGT Adam Plumondore K.I.A. 16 Feb 2005 Mosul Iraq. We lost quit a few men during that tour and as a medic I would trade my life for anyone of theirs. I had wanted to write

a rethink(i3) initiativenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-40384249352701504722011-01-25T18:30:00.001-08:002011-01-25T18:36:45.465-08:00

I decided today that "the green elephant" should be commercial free. There are several advantages for doing this. It gives readers less distractions and more focus on the actual content. It gives us the freedom to write not for the audience, but for our beliefs. I hope it will stimulate more thinking and communication in meaningful ways as well to improve the quality of our social media. The

a rethink(i3) initiativenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-76885856086857109052011-01-19T11:39:00.001-08:002011-01-19T11:40:25.285-08:00

When I served in the military, I served in a highly effective infantry unity that embodied the warrior ethos. In fact, during our morning runs we would often sing cadences about standing our ground and fight for what we believe as a nation. I miss that kind of unit cohesion that is precisely effective because of its core philosophy. Imagine if you will, some 800 people together believing in a set

a rethink(i3) initiativenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-87957742641615708552010-10-19T22:01:00.000-07:002010-10-19T22:12:50.215-07:00

Robert Burns once tantalized the emotional aspect of our landlord tenant relationship as gracious, one that is secret, sweet, and precious between his landlady and Tam. Less romantic, but nonetheless dramatic, is the modern day landlord tenant love affair in a rather cold economy. Frankly, observing the landlord and tenant court on a Tuesday morning was not the most tempting of thoughts. It was

a rethink(i3) initiativenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-60387184370316600212010-09-30T06:56:00.000-07:002010-09-30T10:43:54.629-07:00

@font-face { font-family: "Calibri"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "Times-Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } In The Constitution and Human Values: The Unfinished Agenda, professor Vine Deloria Jr. raised an interesting

a rethink(i3) initiativenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-13541645854155983672010-08-25T07:09:00.000-07:002010-09-17T09:29:57.305-07:00

a response to a dear friend who sent me the link below: http://view.news.qq.com/a/20100825/000041.htm (cut and paste because i don't want them to back track to my site) if you don't read Chinese, it's about a man suing the local tax officials for their wrong doings. he lost because in China, you don't pick a fight against the government. so he wired himself with explosives and attempted to

a rethink(i3) initiativenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-85362195915118752932010-08-18T09:52:00.000-07:002010-09-30T10:43:28.453-07:00

I remember vaguely John Locke’s natural rights and the infamous “life, liberty and property” found in the Second Treatise. I was so naive then and was wholly confused by the evolution to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence. Growing up in communist China I had very little understanding of private property; and growing up in a Buddhist tradition I lacked

a rethink(i3) initiativenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-90514043886903819952010-02-28T20:22:00.000-08:002010-02-28T20:43:43.423-08:00

I was on a project recently and came across this article on npr.org, talking about the economy is sending “mix signals.” Sales of durable goods are up, but jobless numbers also rose. I kept reading for a while and got onto another article, talking about younger generation are displaced from their jobs.I had suspected this. More and more young people are displaced because the sudden realization of

a rethink(i3) initiativenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-33527670662196677332009-11-19T12:27:00.000-08:002010-09-17T05:41:14.397-07:00

My interest in human rights came not of overnight wisdom but by dreadful experiences and a gradual understanding of my life’s purpose. More than twenty years ago, I witnessed a perplexing moment when all that I’ve known to be good and purposeful redefined as evil and unthinkable. I was ten and lived in Beijing. I was a good student, top of the class and strived for excellence. I was a member of

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-51399927210158596582009-11-13T09:36:00.000-08:002010-09-17T09:25:21.708-07:00

When I was young, my mother and I frequently traveled by train between Beijing and Lanzhou. The trip took more than two days and as reward for being quiet and on the promise of no tantrums, mother would always let me have the window seat. I treasured having a view to pass the boredom; it was the only means by which I could tolerate what felt like eternity. I enjoyed watching farmers leaving

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-62833150666028952812009-11-02T10:59:00.000-08:002010-09-17T05:37:20.854-07:00

Sometimes a dream transforms a person, a nation, a generation… Dr. King had a dream; Gandhi had a dream; and yes, even Alice had a dream… I had a dream last night, and I just can’t seem to reconcile with waking up from it… before I tell you about my dream, take a few seconds to watch this video. You don’t have to watch the whole thing, just know that

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-63527105038280613562009-10-30T07:04:00.001-07:002009-10-30T07:09:22.943-07:00

Sometimes a dream seems so real that you actually believe the memories of that dream... but when you wake up you are reminded of the degree of freedom uninhibited by the providence of that dream. From there, you remember the details and suddenly you realize that faith only in part determines your existence, and it is the power of your choice – to remember, to live, and to hope – that determines

Jinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-72415943393818923542009-10-22T08:57:00.000-07:002009-10-22T09:04:36.897-07:00

I’ve always thought I am one of those endangered personality types: taking risks when unnecessary, and writing off rewards as bounced [karma] checks… I never went to my high school or college graduation. When everyone in my classes were busy ordering their graduation gowns and soliciting additional tickets for their distant relatives, I was offering up my tickets and messing around on the

Jinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-7229077299391912772009-10-21T07:34:00.000-07:002009-10-21T07:40:31.121-07:00

What gives Sebastian Bach and Mozart a place apart is that these two great expressive composers never sacrificed form to expression. As high as their expression may soar, their musical form remains supreme and all-sufficient.– Camille Saint-Saëns, from a letter to Camille Bellaigue, 1907This is a long overdue post: because I’m still struggling with a lack of creative energy – drained most

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-67263433860189927932009-10-05T08:13:00.000-07:002009-10-05T12:08:17.305-07:00

Fear is natural and often very much part of change. When the routines change and the comforts of patterns dissolve, we struggle to find ourselves once again. A few weeks back, a friend of mine made the comment about starting law school, that when every last bit of creativity is purged from your body, then you can be sure you are ready to become a lawyer. There is a sense of wisdom in his

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-17463206074477003752009-09-29T08:32:00.000-07:002009-09-29T08:57:58.904-07:00

This is not an argument to prove or dis-prove God's existence. The truth is I don't know if God exist. This post is my reaction to a video I saw:First, we all can agree now that Einstein is wrong in some respects regarding theoretical quantum physics, therefore one must consider the gravitational pull from blackhole in which light cannot escape. Anti-matter is a result of our discoveries into

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-18187329148194810842009-09-28T10:26:00.001-07:002009-09-28T10:33:35.842-07:00

But now I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth. -Umberto EcoWhat the world doesn’t understand is that the enigma is often taken for the truth for the sake of identifying a purpose. Such purpose gives hope and instills reason in our waking moments to carry on as if

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-73241784905508429212009-09-17T11:18:00.000-07:002009-09-19T10:27:32.988-07:00

Often, language defines who we are and what we should expect out of life. Yet unexpected opportunities breathe new life into us, the diligent observers, with the moments encapsulated in enchanting choices. I remember touching down on US soil, not knowing a word of English, having to rely on the few universal characteristics of body language and facial expressions, I was lost in translation. It

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-51773405691352457212009-09-16T09:41:00.000-07:002009-09-16T09:42:09.252-07:00

Talking about survival always gets my blood pumping… Philosophically, it’s more than just a science, bordering an art form for some, and a religion for me… Survival demands a capacity for mental focus, a certain personality trait of unconditional conviction, the mastery of self-reliance, and most of all-the curiosity to engage life as no one has before… these are the things I struggle to learn

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-65384279311846756902009-09-16T06:20:00.000-07:002009-09-16T06:26:49.745-07:00

Seth Godin's "The problem with non"I understand your point. As a veteran just separated from service, I was looking for a sense of purpose in employment, and eventually found my way to The American Legion (a 501c19 organization). For someone who didn’t know a thing about the Legion, I quickly realized that this is an organization once changed the course of history. It was The American Legion,

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-5776131082189311672009-09-13T09:47:00.000-07:002009-09-13T09:49:50.768-07:00

This is my third week in law school. To celebrate, I’m taking this Sunday off from trying to get ahead in reading - seeing how it just gets me more lost in my studies anyway, and reading some off topic things…A few stories about Iraq, and I find myself turning too emotionally irrational to continue. I turned my attention to the technology sector and saw a article recommended by my LARC professor

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-31502106155718731862009-09-09T11:38:00.001-07:002009-09-09T11:38:53.236-07:00

I have not returned to the topic of “Love” since my days aimlessly wondering in philosophy. But I feel that now, more so than ever, I need to revisit the idea of “Love”…Love, to me, is not just something I say, and more than just something I do. It is a state of mind, a peaceful insight to motivate myself to do great things. Love is about how I believe in myself, to unconditionally give to others

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-23009944925684826382009-09-09T11:27:00.000-07:002009-09-09T11:29:29.251-07:00

Name: Jin Kong Age: 30Time served in US military: 2002 - 2006Describe your decision to enlist in the military. What were your considerations?(How did your family react?)Prior to enlistment, I was a PhD candidate studying Philosophy at the University of Cincinnati. Part of my duty was to teach a summer class, Philosophy 103, on the topics of Moral and Political Ideas. I recall a student of mine, a

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-74127395462504192692009-09-02T07:15:00.001-07:002009-09-02T07:36:26.810-07:00

For the most part, I am reserved from writing about politics, or engage in pointless debates that are counter-productive; less on topics I care to discuss: PTSD awareness to discourage the media from over-exaggerating the negatives of veterans’ social reintegration. For one, I don’t understand politics much and politicians seem to have agendas usually not portrayed by their well executed

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-16137508225805751552009-08-31T13:03:00.001-07:002009-08-31T13:06:14.720-07:00

I remember the first time I watched Gandhi-the movie, I was so moved by the ideals of nonviolent actions, recognized the power of peaceful protest, thus determined to live my life, if only in hopelessness, forever by its principles…Well, that lasted until I became a medic in the army, deployed to a combat zone, and put in situations when non violence presented imperative choice of life or

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-78282512826783779872009-08-30T20:05:00.000-07:002009-08-30T20:06:35.992-07:00

For someone who is, like me, not so familiar with the United States Articles of Constitution, reading court opinions has really brought a sense of appreciation for its importance. After the initial reading of Pennoyer v. Neff 95 U.S. 714 (1877) , I felt trapped in the labyrinth of ye-olde hypothetical imperatives. It made no sense to me on several levels. First, the protection of property must

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-75056027386352370842009-08-26T07:48:00.001-07:002009-08-26T11:25:09.312-07:00

Something interesting happened that got me really thinking… Here’s what happened:Our neighbors (husband and wife who shall remain nameless) have two adorable beagles… one was a stray and adopted out of the goodness of their hearts… Even though I know very little about our neighbors referenced here, but I think they are very warm hearted and are well intended in what they do…Well, recently their

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-3059838583486204752009-08-26T05:51:00.000-07:002009-08-26T06:00:59.559-07:00

Recent popularity of twitter has created a problem for message delivery. If you are following a few hundred, thousand, or even upwards around tens or hundreds of thousand users, you will notice the small screen size does not give you a full view of all the tweets that came through… some users tweet constantly, every second, minute and hour, while others are happy to do one per hour or per day…

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-57010965596173773162009-08-25T09:39:00.000-07:002009-08-25T11:59:31.908-07:00

this is my Civil Procedure Professorthis is Harry Stone from the old sitcom "Night Court"What do you think?

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-2496224543376289232009-08-20T10:34:00.001-07:002009-08-26T06:06:30.104-07:00

My girlfriend and I start school next week, and both of us feel like we are five again, anxiously anticipating the first day of class. We ventured out to office furniture stores and upgraded our study from the ironing board and pet toys layout to more studious double study station design. She carefully labeled her notebooks, arranged her pencils, color coded her folders, all the while jumped up

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-22638658778490367532009-08-18T10:38:00.000-07:002009-08-26T06:01:15.772-07:00

In this day and age, internet has empowered the bloggers, twitters and your old fashion IRC chatters to do as we please and opinionate as we come. Old fashion investigative news is dying from a slow and painful infection of the ignorant. And bliss is never too proud of its newest generation of self-promoted publishers. As I sit and scan the web, things catching my eyes are too disturbing to

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-79207095772860408632009-08-01T18:07:00.000-07:002009-08-26T06:01:39.554-07:00

According to the art of war, there are five critical elements to victory in War:The first is the Way of cause; the second is the Restraint of seasons; third is the Perspective in which War occurs; fourth is leadership of wisdom, benevolence, courage, discipline and action; and finally, it is the Architecture of War that determines the outcome of Warfare.Naturally the competitive market or any

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-13210300543939370022009-07-31T06:03:00.001-07:002009-08-26T06:01:48.689-07:00

A friend on facebook posted this status update today:“This is VERY weird...any help? I was browsing my friends and noticed someone I have NEVER added 'Celien Dion' (yes, incorrectly spelled). I removed this person from my friends list but cannot remove it from my connections. Funnier still, when I click on that name, it takes me to my Profile Page. Anyone else had similar things happen? Is this

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-605906000227978232009-07-28T11:31:00.001-07:002009-07-28T11:32:29.337-07:00

Okay, so two blogs in one day is rare for me… well, come to think of it, I’ve never posted two postings in one day unless it was some random picture I took with my phone for a mobile upload…But this topic is important and very personal for me…I wrote a response to Justine Brown’s blog on the disturbing news about an Iraq veteran committing murder. Well, it’s not really a blog, but a space where

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-45792267070567894932009-07-28T07:25:00.000-07:002009-07-28T07:26:16.379-07:00

I have avoided talking about PTSD recently because it is such a hard topic to discuss openly. After my initial burst of inspirations to write on PTSD and the urgent need for positive and productive approach (see my mini-series about watching the dark-side of the sun), I dropped the topic to focus on some positive things in my own life. After all, I’ve always believed that one should practice

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-55949571502691076252009-07-27T08:08:00.001-07:002009-08-26T06:01:57.619-07:00

First I had to overcome my insensitive nature to these short twitter messages that lack the depth of intellectual stimulation. Discovering the power of micro-blogging that utilizes publishing mechanics and headline exposés is one thing, but it is entirely another to check my ego and buy what twitter is selling…Then there is the confusion as to what Twitter is used for… my lunch expedition with

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-68039659993177082022009-07-24T10:52:00.001-07:002009-08-26T06:02:09.066-07:00

Recently I noticed a lot of organizations and companies putting up a facebook group, a twitter page, and whatever else they can think of. I don’t think they understand why, and just by the buzz in mainstream media today, they feel it’s important to have a presence. So they put a few pictures up, invite some of their contacts, and hoping that by some magic trick, they can simply sit-back and

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-53548643142878131892009-07-22T11:09:00.001-07:002009-08-26T06:02:18.538-07:00

“I’ll take web 2.0 for $2000 Alex…”It’s all about emergence and pattern recognition! It’s about how you become an opportunist, not afraid of connecting the dots, making predictions and taking risks.Let me say this again: It’s about recognizing patterns that emerges in social networks, and social media, taking advantages of these patterns to fit your business needs. By leveraging the power of

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-61519939774096863822009-07-14T11:15:00.001-07:002009-08-26T06:04:35.806-07:00

Something I’ve been thinking about, the success of manufacturing sector in Total Quality Management (TQM), Lean, Six Sigma, all focus on reducing waste and optimizing performance… Design under these principles for the manufactures has been centered on customer feedback, and simplicity models to reduce cost…In nature, we see a sort of parallel application of these principles in the path of least

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-83681189686229251442009-07-13T07:13:00.001-07:002009-08-26T06:03:23.309-07:00

Many people asked me recently about twitter. What is it? How do you use it? What do you use it for???And to be quite honest, I don’t have the answers. That’s because twitter is such an interesting phenomenon. It breaks down the traditional sense of user interactions, web publishing, technology integration, and it will take a while for the users to become familiar with it and sort out all of

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-53803425744551284002009-07-09T06:07:00.000-07:002009-08-26T06:04:49.561-07:00

When I was in college, I was always fascinated by Artificial Intelligence. The research and study led me to quantum paradox (EPR) and fractal theory. Needless to say, before I knew what I was getting into, the problem of localized artificial intelligence became seemingly impossible. The computing power in the early 2000 era was not enough to compensate for the quantifiable chaos, and

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-26784536359051807682009-07-08T11:37:00.001-07:002009-08-26T06:03:32.392-07:00

Have you noticed that the more friends you add to your facebook profile, the less you get to see the updates that really matters? When you only have 7 friends, and belong to only a hand full of groups, life is easy. You log-in, check your empty inbox, look through the few updates you receive, comment on the “funny life is a troll” kind of things, cleaning up your “green patch” to save the

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-79592459203167209882009-07-07T09:22:00.000-07:002009-08-26T06:06:56.898-07:00

"Man In The Mirror"I'm Gonna Make A Change,For Once In My LifeIt's Gonna Feel Real Good,Gonna Make A DifferenceGonna Make It Right . . .As I, Turn Up The Collar On MyFavourite Winter CoatThis Wind Is Blowin' My MindI See The Kids In The Street,With Not Enough To EatWho Am I, To Be Blind?Pretending Not To SeeTheir NeedsA Summer's Disregard,A Broken Bottle TopAnd A One Man's SoulThey Follow Each

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-68084502703269333512009-07-06T22:34:00.000-07:002009-08-26T06:04:59.621-07:00

Most membership organizations and newspapers stand at an advantage in this social media market place. let's look at membership-based organizations first:With clusters of ready-to-go “social networks” easily identifiable within the organizational ranks, all is missing is the valuable user data necessary to segment, target and monetize from advertisers. This is achieved through a quality media

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-68305925263388614792009-06-04T06:31:00.000-07:002009-08-26T06:09:31.476-07:00

20 years ago I stood on the streets of Beijing unable to believe my eyes. The surreal moments of peace and violence that seemed to have blurred into a passing memory. Today, I can only recall bits and pieces of the month that led to the massacre of students on Tiananmen, and I can only vaguely remember my parents explaining why people choose not to eat and why so many of them were so young yet

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-32108161677232857552009-06-02T13:01:00.001-07:002009-08-26T06:07:10.449-07:00

This weekend was productive for me. After four or five blisters on my hand and a relatively painless sun-burn quickly turned into tan, I can proudly say that I have brought the beast of my yard to its knees. The patches of grass I manage to kill with weed-killers are now covered with grass-starter patches and lined with grass seeds and fertilizers. Keen-high wild grasses are now plucked from

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-86321459693674656752009-05-26T06:44:00.000-07:002009-08-26T06:09:49.029-07:00

Now that Memorial Day has come and gone, I want to take this opportunity to discuss, openly, the problems of PTSD. You see, while everyone is cooking out, playing golf, watching the race, I was depressed for no apparent reason. I did make plans to go hiking with some friends, and had wanted to spend some time to cook out. Instead, I managed to piss off my girlfriend, and cancelled our hiking

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-5966824424108089892009-05-22T12:01:00.001-07:002009-08-26T06:07:41.414-07:00

I tried my hardest not to think about this weekend. I have plans to visit family, and spend time with friends. There is a Chinese place that serves Dim Sum and my girlfriend will get to try some authentic funk…I tried my hardest not to think about my brothers who never made it back from Iraq. If I do I do not sleep, and if I don’t sleep, I can’t give my best back to you. I tried my best to

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-40371580235090558652009-05-18T22:29:00.000-07:002009-05-18T22:30:30.557-07:00

I haven’t had insomnia quite like this in a while, wide-awake and thoughts running through my head like a heard of raging buffalos. It does bring with it, a sense of nostalgia lost in the mist of a busy life, and perhaps for the best, a sense of relief that this considerable depression has finally ran its course.For a while now, I have been battling a wild fire of psychological ups and downs,

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-77162320893419528512009-05-14T05:42:00.001-07:002009-05-14T05:42:49.216-07:00

Last night I watched a PBS special on Michelangelo’s Moses, part of Pope Julius II tomb. The discovery was that Michelangelo, in his defiance to the churches’ doctrine and the Inquisition, made changes to the Moses in his final days to depict a symbolic representation of the Spiritualist movement more in line with the Protestants’ belief. During his time, the Church experienced factions of

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-11122670822731531072009-05-13T06:14:00.001-07:002009-08-26T06:09:59.891-07:00

Recently The American Legion National Commander, Dave Rehbein, made some comments on Wall Street Journal about the upcoming release of photos of US detainee abuse. Rehbein warned the public that "a picture may be worth a thousand words, but is it worth the death of a single American soldier?...The Defense Department owes it to the soldiers to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in order to block

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-47362234274236638682009-02-18T06:06:00.000-08:002009-02-18T06:08:02.233-08:00

It’s a green eye blond kind of day. The kind of day when snow is slowly melting away as nostalgia once escaped our journey home. The kind of day when a hero is trying to find his way home yet the crudeness of the road beneath his feet has transformed what was once the proud to now the humble. 6 am, a text message from a distance friend I have never met. A once and always Marine walking with

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-85792362419736441502009-01-28T08:19:00.000-08:002009-01-28T08:20:40.099-08:00

IndestructibleI am indestructible. I am human, and I survive the apocalypse by my own fruition. From which I stand, proud and purposeful. I face those in doubt, and I reaffirm once for more, the existence of what is around me, what is most important, what is eternal.On the battlefield we speak of this as trust, and we gave our completeness to that bound and survives as one. In unity we

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-12681809450930682092009-01-21T12:49:00.000-08:002009-01-21T12:50:13.474-08:00

“Let it be told to future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it.”Such is the spirit of the people, of a nation’s destiny not determined by politicians, but by the men and women of courage, freedom, and devotion. Such is the flame that gave birth to pride and purpose, and

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-90874793826665060902009-01-20T07:16:00.000-08:002009-01-20T09:48:40.909-08:00

It’s Sunday again. I am driving between the metropolitan madness and the cool and calm presences of Midwest countryside. The radio vibrates to a clear compilation of Miles Davis, $1.89 gas, and the friendly truck driver yielding to the side of the road. I turned on my bright eyes, watching as the world quietly passes by, and as I feel the warmth of sunlight through the front windshield,

Jinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-33086470312632136292009-01-05T12:58:00.000-08:002009-01-05T13:01:25.541-08:00

Victimization, under the disguise of PTSD, seems to feed the frenzy of social, political, and economical attention on our returning troops these days. Too often have the media portrayed our returning servicemembers as having no clue to social readjustment, and thereby becoming at-risk for isolation and misunderstanding. IAVA and the Ad Council capitalized on this concept and used those powerful

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-12206076383233445192008-12-30T10:55:00.001-08:002008-12-30T11:04:48.326-08:00

Yard work is harder than it sounds. Just as anything else in life, the easy way often is the wrong way and will most likely return you to the starting point because you failed to pay attention to the details. I remember during basic training at Ft. Sill, our drill instructors would make us do push-ups and scream at the top of our lungs: “attention to detail” on the down, and “team work is the

Jinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-18600750118982889602008-12-29T07:26:00.001-08:002008-12-30T10:56:01.098-08:00

I enjoy Sundays because of ESPN and CNN. I enjoy just lounging around in my only pair of pajama pants with a cup of coffee watching what were moments of history portrayed as news. “News, by its very definition,” as one Vietnam veteran enjoyed repeating it to me, “is history in the making…”At any given Sunday, I am lucky enough to catch a few football games, enjoy my morning paper in the

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-35520875507641514832008-12-12T07:27:00.000-08:002009-08-26T06:08:11.027-07:00

Religion is one of my favorite topics, not because of its controversy but for its significant impact on our everyday lives…I grew up in Communist China, with explicit government indoctrination on religion’s negative influences… I therefore became fascinated with religious studies, and perhaps it was why I became a philosophy major…While I served with the Army in Iraq, I saw religion as a way for

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-79058447518625505152008-12-10T09:50:00.000-08:002008-12-29T07:32:00.652-08:00

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-63472080260826250212008-12-08T06:55:00.001-08:002008-12-30T10:56:10.942-08:00

Sometimes we live for the best moments, and we forget our fears. We learn to reflect on our mistakes and ponder our flaws. We love in ways that we understand our lives best. And then we die with no regrets. Know that this is the perfect rule of harmony, that this is the truth we all experience. Faith leaves us in a tormented place, but we know that in the end, we will have been only all too human

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-43710966294694277022008-12-03T05:27:00.000-08:002008-12-30T10:56:29.779-08:00

“I remember Iraq, like it was yesterday; and I just can’t get the faces out of my head…”The following paintings were done by my best friend, Mark A. Smith, aka ‘HULK SMASH’. Mark was a medic deployed with the ‘duce’ during our rotation in 2004. We often talk about those people we remember, the scenes in our heads that seem to never go away, and children we often wonder about…It had seemed that

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-45179615737995337232008-11-22T08:44:00.000-08:002009-08-26T06:08:28.920-07:00

i woke this morning and had my coffee... struck by the gloom outside, lacking color and hope... i came to my study, plugged myself into the world wide web... i found this video:it is a good video, well produced! my interest in this video is not the blind association with empty words such as "hope" or "change", but rather in its power to organize and unite a cross section of America, a nation i

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-81517926437493909842008-11-19T10:54:00.000-08:002009-08-26T06:08:44.939-07:00

It’s almost three years since our chow hall was bombed by a suicide bomber. That was the day I lost my first patient to the war. I still remember watching his eyes rolled into the back of his head and thinking to myself “holy shit this guy is not coming back…” I remember putting a j-tube down his throat and pumping air into his lungs… no pulse… the chaotic attempt to put him on a FLA for

Jinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-36655407754031998802008-10-16T08:43:00.000-07:002009-08-26T06:10:28.022-07:00

Today I had some time to browse through a website devoted to those stryker troops killed in action. http://www.strykernews.com/memorial.html I wanted to see the pictures of those 13 brave men whom I had known, and whom I had lost to Iraq forever... it was kind of a way for me to make my peace once in a while so I don't think of them when I am down... it's a therapy for myself...but... there are

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-38824558548611825882008-10-15T10:54:00.000-07:002008-10-15T12:58:01.336-07:00

Okay, so after I got a scolding from my significant other… I decided to write more about life that really matters… the 5am butt itch, 9am coffee breath, noon time crash due to lack of sleep, and finally the 5pm jitter bug driving in traffic…Well, actually I really appreciated these things in life. And here are some of the reasons why: I have a beautiful house, and now you get to see it I have a

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-63511852918170189522008-10-01T10:36:00.000-07:002008-10-01T10:37:31.289-07:00

The best part of being in a meaningful relationship is that sometimes during a busy work day, I get a call from my girlfriend, demanding that I explain my last few blog posts. She asked why I have been in such a pity-potty mood and all I write about are the things that are not going well…To which I have no response, except my usual philosophical bull about how existence is of the suffering sort

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-27758245789050010872008-09-28T08:05:00.000-07:002009-08-26T06:11:27.226-07:00

My best bud called me yesterday and we talked for a while (one hour and fifty-seven minutes to be exact, don’t you love the way cell phones track your life?)I haven’t seen him in over a year now, but since we left the military, we keep pretty close contact. After all we did manage to go to war together and survive a year of random things that you would never thought a couple of peace-loving

Jinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-80600043320570876512008-09-26T10:08:00.000-07:002008-09-26T10:09:19.689-07:00

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock , Arkansas did something not to be forgotten.On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom. When the first period kids entered the

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-43601592521767676212008-09-25T06:58:00.001-07:002008-09-25T06:58:51.070-07:00

There is very little accountability up to this point on the financial market. back end mortgage securities were sold with appreciated values and CEOs dumped the losses on us... now we have to pay for their mistakes and help them sustain their extravagant lives... what I have problems with is why are all the politicians still insist on tax payers to pay salaries to these CEOs... I say let these

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-80914849852039718682008-09-21T12:53:00.000-07:002008-09-21T13:17:43.746-07:00

I am inspired to blog this week because I am attending the 2008 blog world expo. It is kind of lame that I only get this kind of inspiration to write when I find these excuses to be productive. But the truth is since today, I really don’t know what I want to blog about. I use to think I can put my philosophical training to use and come up with some profound blog that will wow the world. I got

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-34665223404674814492008-07-17T10:30:00.000-07:002008-08-11T06:49:37.277-07:00

hello... well, it's been a while and yes i have been busy and not just being lazy...i am now a proud debt owner just like the rest of America. I took on a mortgage and will be making my first payment coming up in SEP... i moved in just two weeks ago and have been busy cleaning out five years worth of dirt and pet hair... the garden needed a lot of work and i am proud to say that after this

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-53183915387280844812008-03-15T13:32:00.001-07:002008-12-11T01:04:55.997-08:00

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-77875648654140037862008-03-12T09:19:00.000-07:002008-03-12T09:30:27.018-07:00

This is a comment made to my last blog, and I feel I need to say a few things since this did help me remember that things are never as simply as one would like to believe... (Thanks scott... keep them coming...)"Ahh...was that statement meant to be facetious or did you just gag guzzling the Legion flag?Have you heard about the attrition rate? Didn't you as half the new staff just get out of

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-56670871170667253462008-03-11T08:55:00.001-07:002008-03-11T08:55:56.161-07:00

At some point in my academic life, I heard a saying that goes something like this: “how you deal with war reflects on how you deal with life; you either stand strong and live the inevitable tragedy or you sleep in shame and let the tragedies taunt your dreams.…” From looking at these blogs and comments, and difference of opinions, I can’t help but feel that some of the veterans against this war

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-3151639454066348592008-03-01T20:28:00.001-08:002008-12-11T01:04:56.149-08:00

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-44167186240692588072008-02-22T13:19:00.000-08:002008-12-11T01:04:56.347-08:00

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-37236228059155489262008-02-21T09:53:00.001-08:002008-12-11T01:04:57.850-08:00

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-90014348489524203912008-02-20T05:38:00.001-08:002008-12-11T01:04:57.958-08:00

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-2915341266918048852008-02-19T12:58:00.000-08:002008-12-11T01:04:58.124-08:00

Jinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-17966608537430825582008-02-19T05:48:00.001-08:002008-12-11T01:04:59.870-08:00

Jinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-55435654920227447072008-02-19T05:00:00.001-08:002008-12-11T01:05:00.010-08:00

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-85328770039140773142008-02-19T04:59:00.001-08:002008-12-11T01:05:00.087-08:00

Jinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-74518123735249405712008-02-05T16:32:00.000-08:002008-12-11T01:05:00.887-08:00

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-51633443757349051302008-02-03T08:41:00.000-08:002008-12-11T01:05:01.205-08:00

Jinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-79366859670103049062008-01-31T05:21:00.000-08:002008-01-31T05:23:12.428-08:00

“This is the land of confusion… this is the world we live in…” I have heard this song over and over again, and just not sure how to feel about all of this. As a veteran during this election season, I often reflect on the ideas that this is my very first chance to vote. I just became a citizen not too long ago. Although I have witnessed and assisted the Iraqi people with their election, this

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-81344803036256356772008-01-26T20:19:00.001-08:002008-12-11T01:05:01.429-08:00

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Taking a break from beer eating tacos

Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-40146576712826920492008-01-25T18:58:00.001-08:002008-12-11T01:05:03.338-08:00

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Jinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4803613333735692739.post-18569568800036509472008-01-24T08:30:00.001-08:002008-12-11T01:05:03.705-08:00

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Jinnoreply@blogger.com0