I've Been Missing (You)

It has been quite some time since I published my last blog on this site. Many things have happened. Some have been great (marriage, two more children) and some have been a struggle (moving 4 times in 2 months with a newborn and 1 year old). Overall, it has been an interesting several years. Since I finally found my login credentials I figured it would be a good time to start posting again every once-in-a-while.

During my time at Angelo State University primarily under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Ehlers, who was at the time the President of the College of Security Studies and Criminal Justice, I found a passion for economic development. Furthermore, I realized that my passion was concentrated primarily on the African continent and probably even more precisely the Horn Of Africa.

Three years ago I was learning Amharic, the language of Ethiopia. For nearly the last year I have been involved with website design and online marketing. Two vastly different fields of work and interests, to say the least. But I believe that my path so far has led me closer to an understanding of how I might be able to combine many of the talents I have been blessed with into fulfilling what has become a long-term goal: helping depressed and primarily agrarian economies grow. I believe that in time I will find a way to combine my love and propensity for languages, my leadership abilities, and my new-found knowledge of web and mobile technology into a system or organization that will help increase production and reduce food spoilage in Ethiopia and other Horn of Africa countries.

Along this path, Dr. Ehlers of Angelo State University helped me hone some writing skills and helped me focus on specific goals while writing. Looking back, some of my writing seemed like it wandered aimlessly at times. I plan on publishing some of the papers that I wrote and Dr. Ehlers edited in order to shed some light on the the Political Economy of Africa. Somehow I frequently managed to re-route papers to Economic Security and its importance in basically every facet of a society. One day my hope is that whether directly or indirectly (being physically located in Africa or aiding an organization that helps with what I hope to achieve), I will be able to make an impact on lives of those who are hurting. Education and Support is how I believe we do it. And I have dedicated my studies and my vector in life to achieving the goal of helping people.

I look forward to posting here, and if I have followers, great! If I end up just posting thoughts, then it will be a sounding board over time to help me see where my goals were and whether or not they change over time.

The Cove, 2010 Best Documentary

About a month ago my friend and I were looking for a movie On Demand through my cable provider, Cox Communications.  I came across a movie that seemed pretty interesting.  I am an animal lover, so naturally a movie about dolphins was right up my alley.  My friend, however, is not an animal lover.  Around an hour-and-a-half later, both my friend and I were completely blown away by this low budget, fascinating, heart-wrenching movie. 

My friend immediately went to their website, http://www.thecovemovie.com/, and began to look up information encompassing the practically unbelievable information that was brought to light in this amazingly tragic documentary.  I decided that I should write a blog about the film as it was so moving that I would really love my friends and followers to see it.

Last night The Cove won the Academy Award for Best Documentary.  This would be the crowning achievement for every typical group of filmmakers. It also added to the 46 earlier awards garnered by this illustrious movie making team.  The difference in this group of activists is that the Academy Award win served only one purpose.  It would allow them to further promote the films rudimentary request: Stop the Murder of Dolphins in Japan. 

Every person who watched the Oscars could not help but see Ric O'Barry, the world renowned trainer of the 5 Flipper dolphins, hold up a sign that read "Text Dolphin to 44144."  I grew up thinking that an activist was a nut, a member of PETA, and a card carrying psycho.  After seeing this movie, I now realize that an activist is simply a person that doesn't watch a true story about murder and then just sit on the couch saying, "Wow," and going right back to mindlessly surfing the net.  An activist is one who holds something dear, life in this case, and takes steps to fix the problem no matter how small the steps or how large the obstacle.

Ric O'Barry was not always an activist, but once he saw the most frequently used Flipper dolphin (Kathy) commit suicide in his arms, he realized what true pain the dolphin industry was causing these remarkably intelligent and social animals.  Every one of you that read this blog need to go see or rent The Cove.  If for nothing else than to test your immunity to any emotion or feelings.  Even I teared up while watching it, and for those of you who know me, that is really saying something.




A really sad part of this whole thing is that the dolphin meat, which is eaten in many cases by unknowing Japanese people, is extremely high in Mercury.  By that I mean to say that the level is 500 times higher than the level the World Health Organization recommends for eating.  The people are merely poisoning themselves.  And Mercury is deadly without question.  All around the world animals that are widely considered sentient beings, which are fully self aware, are massacred.  Watching whales being slaughtered in the Denmark constituent Faeroe Islands is completely unnerving.  Whatever we can do to help this cause is an ethical duty.  If you are not a person who is concerned with animal well-being and think they are here simply for man to eat, then the fact that this dolphin meat is poisoning humans should still be enough of a reason to get off your couch.

Sometimes it takes someone else taking action to get us out of our own tiny box.  I hope that each of you will watch this movie and be moved enough to do something about it.