(This isn't really a random thought but it is something i find myself constantly flashing to in comments or discussions about the U.S. or society in general. I figured I'd put it down here in brief since it's actually something important that i wish more people would realize for themselves.)

Capitalism is like a suicidal death sentence for a society. It’s got great potential for riches, but it's always at the cost of someone else's riches, life style, or life in general. It’s very bad for creating a stable society or economy (despite what economists will tell you about it). It’s one of three major things that are keeping the U.S. (and similar societies) in a downward death spiral (and maybe these are more similarities of the U.S. to ancient Rome).

The other 2 things that are hurting the country are the U.S. society's strong dependency and attachment to independent and competitive mind settings. In all of world history, all societies and cultures that were cooperative in how people interacted with each other, and how the government dealt with other nations, flourished and grew to become very prosperous. Societies with an emphasis on dependant social family and community ties became more self-sufficient and helped to ensure the longevity of prosperity; while nations that had more independent and/or competitive societal behavior were much more unstable or unable to maintain long spans of peace or prosperity. Many Asian countries and ancient societies had both cooperative and dependent cultures and were very stable and successful. When societies like ancient Rome became more competitive and independent they began to fall apart. With the U.S. being so reliant on capitalism and its Independence and competitive culture, it’s griped by the choking stranglehold of greed, unsuccessful development, and instability; a true disaster waiting to happen and something no country could ever hope to sustain itself on.

I've always loved music, especially for video games and movies, and have always wondered what my personal theme might be. I'm going to list mine and would like to see what music you'd think would be a theme for yourself or any of your characters. feel free to list more than one theme if you want.

My theme for Huggles is probably "Gods Bound by Rules" composed by Keiichi Okabe.
my character: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5353536
song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7DASgD3_p8

Here is a list of the all the video games i currently own, as well as a list of game that i am seeking to replace to do them going missing or being sold by my older brother. I will continue to update this both lists as i buy more games and remember others that i used to have.

(games in collection)
Game Boy
1. Final Fantasy Adventure
2. The Final Fantasy Legend
3. Final Fantasy Legend 2
4. Final Fantasy Legend 3
5. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
6. Pokémon Blue Version (have 2 of them)
7. Pokémon Red Version
8. Pokémon Yellow Version
9. Pokémon Gold Version
10. Pokémon Pinball

Game Boy Color
1. Caesars Palace 2
2. Mega Man Xtreme
3. The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening DX
4. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
5. The legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
6. X-Men: Mutant Academy
7. X-Men: Mutant Wars

Game Boy Advanced
1. Classic NES Series: Metroid
2. Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku 2
3. Golden Sun
4. Golden Sun: The Lost Age
5. Metroid Fusion
6. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team
7. Pokémon Sapphire Version
8. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Game Boy DS
1. Army Defender (DSiWare)
2. AlphaBounce (DSiWare)
3. A Topsy Turvy Life: The Turvys Strike Back (DSiWare)
4. Castle Conqueror (DSiWare)
5. Castle Conqueror: Against (DSiWare)
6. Chrono Trigger
7. Come On! Heroes (DSiWare)
8. Cosmos X2 (DSiWare)
9. Dairojo! Samurai Defenders (DSiWare)
10. Dragon Quest 4: Chapters of the Chosen
11. Dragon Quest 5: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
12. Dragon Quest 6: Realms of Revelation
13. Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies
14. Dragon Quest Wars (DSiWare)
15. Dynasty Warriors DS: Fighters Battle
16. Etrian Odyssey 3: The Drowned City
17. Final Fantasy 3
18. Final Fantasy 4
19. Final Fantasy 12: Revenant Wings
20. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
21. Flipnote Studio (DSiWare)
22. Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
23. Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth Remix
24. Mr. Driller: Drill till you Drop (DSiWare)
25. Photo Dojo (DSiWare)
26. Pokémon: Diamond Version
27. Pokémon: Heart Gold Version
28. Pokémon: Platinum Version
29. Pokémon: Black Version
30. Pokémon: White Version
31. Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
32. Tetris Party Live (DSiWare)
33. The Dark Spire
34. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition (DSiWare)
35. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
1. Bram Stoker's Dracula
2. Castlevania
3. Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest
4. Contra
5. Defender 2
6. Double Dragon 2
7. Final Fantasy
8. Gotcha! The Sport!
9. Gyruss
10. Metroid
11. Operation Wolf
12. Paperboy
13. Pictionary
14. Roger Clemens’ MVP Baseball
15. Smash TV
16. Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt
17. Super Mario Bros. 2
18. Super Mario Bros. 3
19. Tecmo Bowl
20. Tecmo Super Bowl (have 2 of them)
21. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game
22. The Immortal
23. The Legend of Zelda
24. The Simpsons: Bart vs. the World
25. Top Gun
26. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
1. College Slam
2. Donkey Kong Country
3. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest
4. Doom
5. Jurassic Park
6. Killer Instinct
7. Mortal Kombat
8. Mortal Kombat 3
9. NBA Give ‘N Go
10. NBA Hang Time
11. NBA Jam
12. NBA Jam: Tournament Edition
13. NCAA Basketball
14. Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge
15. Star Fox
16. Street Fighter 2
17. Stunt Race FX
18. Super Mario All Stars / Super Mario World
19. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
20. Super Metroid
21. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
22. Wolverine: Adamantium Rage

Genesis
1. Barkley: Shut Up and Jam!
2. Captain America and the Avengers
3. College Football USA 96
4. Comix Zone
5. Evander 'Real Deal' Holyfield's Boxing
6. Gargoyles
7. Golden Axe
8. Golden Axe 2
9. Jammit
10. Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs
11. NBA Live 95
12. NBA Live 96
13. NFL Sports Talk Football '93 Starring Joe Montana
14. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
15. Spider-Man & Venom: Separation Anxiety
16. Tecmo Super Bowl

Playstation Portable
1. Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded
2. Capcom Classics Collection Remixed
3. Capcom Puzzle World
4. Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
5. Class of Heroes
6. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7
7. Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower
8. Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
9. Dissidia: Final Fantasy
10. Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy
11. Dungeons & Dragons Tactics
12. Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce
13. Final Fantasy
14. Final Fantasy 2
15. Final Fantasy 4 Complete Collection
16. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ware of the Lions
17. Gradius Collection
18. Knights in the Nightmare
19. Lunar: Silver Star Harmony
20. Metal Slug XX
21. ModNation Racers (download)
22. Natuto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress
23. Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero?
24. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
25. Star Ocean: First Departure
26. Star Ocean: Second Evolution
27. Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max
28. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
29. Rengoku: The Tower of Purgatory
30. Rengoku 2: The Stairway to H.E.A.V.E.N.
31. Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth
32. Warriors of the Lost Empire
33. Y’s 1 & 2 Chronicles
34. Y’s: The Oath in Felghana
35. Y’s 7
36. Yggdra Union (download)

Playstation
1. Atari: Anniversary Edition Redux
2. Battle Arena Toshinden
3. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
4. Colony Wars
5. Crash Bandicoot
6. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
7. Dark Stone
8. Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22
9. Ehrgeiz
10. Eternal Eyes
11. Final Doom
12. Final Fantasy 7
13. Final Fantasy 8
14. Final Fantasy 9
15. Final Fantasy Anthology (have 2 of them)
16. Final Fantasy Chronicles
17. Final Fantasy Origins
18. Final Fantasy Tactics
19. Gauntlet Legends
20. Jet Moto
21. Jumping Flash 2
22. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
23. Mega Man X 4
24. Mega Man Legends
25. Mega Man Legends 2
26. Resident Evil: Director’s Cut
27. Resident Evil 2
28. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
29. Soul Blade
30. Soviet Strike
31. Spider: The Video Game
32. Spyro the Dragon
33. Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage
34. Spyro: Year of the Dragon
35. Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi
36. Star Wars: Rebel Assault 2 – The Hidden Empire
37. Strider 2
38. Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
39. Vampire Hunter D

Playstation 2
1. .hack//Infection Part 1
2. .hack//Mutation Part 2
3. .hack//Outbreak Part 3
4. .hack//Quarantine Part 4
5. .hack//G.U. vol.1//Rebirth
6. .hack//G.U. vol.2//Reminisce
7. .hack//G.U. vol.3//Redemption
8. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
9. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2
10. Barbarian
11. Blood Will Tell: Tezuka Osamu’s Dororo
12. Capcom Fighting Evolution
13. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
14. Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
15. Champions of Norrath
16. Dark Cloud
17. Dark Cloud 2
18. Devil May Cry
19. Devil May Cry 2
20. Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening
21. Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7
22. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai
23. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2
24. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3
25. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaiichi
26. Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King
27. Dynasty Warriors 2
28. Dynasty Warriors 3
29. Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends
30. Dynasty Warriors 4
31. Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires
32. Dynasty Warriors 5
33. Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires
34. Final Fantasy 10
35. Final Fantasy 10-2
36. Final Fantasy 12
37. Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel
38. Gauntlet: Dark Legacy
39. Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows
40. Genji: Dawn of the Samurai
41. Legion: The Legend of Excalibur
42. Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome
43. Marvel vs. Capcom 2
44. Mega Man Anniversary Collection
45. Mega Man X Collection
46. Mega Man X7
47. Monster Rancher EVO
48. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
49. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
50. Mortal Kombat: Deception
51. MS Saga: A New Dawn
52. Onimusha: Warlords
53. Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny
54. Onimusha 3: Demon Siege
55. Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams
56. Radiata Stories
57. Resident Evil 4
58. Resident Evil Code: Veronica X
59. Rise to Honor
60. Samurai Warriors
61. Samurai Warriors: Extreme Legends
62. Shadow of the Colossus
63. Shinobi
64. Soul Calibur 3
65. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
66. Tales of Legendia
67. Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
68. The Bouncer
69. Way of the Samurai
70. X-Men: Legends
71. X-Men: Next Dimension
72. Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament

Playstation 3
1. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
2. Cross Edge
3. Crystal Defenders (download)
4. Dark Souls
5. Demon’s Souls
6. Devil May Cry 4
7. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2
8. Dynasty Warriors 6
9. Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires
10. Enchanted Arms
11. Final Fantasy 13
12. Genji: Days of the Blade
13. LittleBigPlanet (download)
14. Mega Man 9 (download)
15. Mega Man 10 (download)
16. Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
17. Nier
18. Resident Evil 5
19. Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection
20. Soul Calibur 4
21. Star Wars: The Forced Unleashed
22. Street Fighter 4
23. Super Street Fighter 4
24. Super Stardust HD (download)
25. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (Game of the Year Edition)
26. Way of the Samurai 3
27. X-Men: The Arcade Game (download)
28. Zen Pinball (download)

PC
1. Age of Empires 2: Gold Edition
2. Dragon Age Origins
3. Dragon Age 2
4. Final Fantasy 11 (Vana’diel Collection 2008)
5. Final Fantasy 14
6. Microsoft Classic Board Games
7. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind (Game of the Year Edition)
8. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
9. Warlords 3: Reign of Heroes
10. Warlords 4: Heroes of Etheria

(games needing to be replaced)
-PS2-
1. Street Fighter EX3
2. Time Crisis 2

-PS1-
1. Mega Man X5
2. Mega Man X6

-GBA-
1. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
2. Dragon Ball Z: Legacy of Goku
3. Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced

-GBC-
1. Mario Golf

-N64-
1. Castlevania
2. Mario Kart 64
3. Ogre Battle 64
4. Star Fox 64
5. Super Smash Bros.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

-NES-
1. Mega Man 5

-Genesis-
1. Sonic the Hedgehog 3
2. Sonic and Knuckles
3. Wolverine: Adamantium Rage
4. X-Men

-PC-
1. 3D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night
2. Area 51 (the 1996 edition)
3. Road Rash

Common interest and understanding
are the secrets to forging and maintaining good relations.

Keep to these two things
when dealing with people
and you are sure to make even a sour relationship turn sweet.

Here is my Dungeons and Dragons character data. I recently found it in an old notebook. I have never had a chance to play a game but would love to some day. I will update this character info if I ever start playing.

Name: Ta’ Jien
Class and level: Rogue, level 1
Race: Half-elf
Alignment: Chaotic
Deity: Ehlonna
Size: Thin/Medium
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Height: 5 foot, 11 inch
Weight: 164 pounds
Eyes: light blue fade to a light green
Hair: little longer than shoulder length, silvery ice blue. Very fine yet rough and easily molded.
Skin: Pale ice blue.

Recently, I’ve been having the thought of purchasing one of the new Pokémon black/white games. Most people seem to have simply splurged and picked up the game out of impulse for love of the series or some other reason. I’m a little pickier when it comes to what games I buy. Considering the general trend the Pokémon game series has taken, I probably won't enjoy it as much as most people are (those who are going wild over it seem similar to those halo fan boys who don't use reasoning to see that the game isn't as good as they make it out to be). I’m aware that there have been some decent changes to the plot and mechanics of the Black/White games but I’m not about to dive in without considering if it’s a decent buy first (more out of curiosity than seeking enjoyment).

When it comes to the Pokémon games (having recently bought some of the games I missed out on over the years) I’d say the newer they got, the more junk they added in that maybe didn't need to be or could have just used some minor tweaking. An example is in the recent diamond/pearl/platinum games where there seemed to be countless mandatory side-quests that constantly slowed down game play by distracted the gamer from doing the main plot of catching and training monsters and challenging gym leaders (the most enjoyable aspect of the game series for me). The introduction of sooooo many HM moves that were made mandatory to progress through nearly every environment made it impossible to stick with the Pokémon you liked and forced you to switch out for something you never used and was rendered worthless in battle (the classic HM slave Pokémon). In my opinion, the red/blue/yellow and gold/silver/crystal games were some of the most enjoyable for me since they had nice and simple game play with just a few side-quests that really didn't seem to distract you from the main plot but seemed more like something fun rather than tedious and mandatory.

Since I’m sure many of my current watchers have or still are playing Pokémon games, what are some of your favorite games in the series and why? What would you like to see changed about the series?

Ever feel like you have too much work to do or that you are lacking the motivation to continue working? So why not relax? Why not take a break? We always work ourselves so hard (especially if you’re a U.S. citizen). Let’s all take an example from those other countries and cultures and spend time relaxing and resting so that we feel revived in body, mind, and spirit. We should never push ourselves to the point of sickness as we so often do. We should make time every day to simply have fun and not worry about the stresses of work or the world we are in. A rested person makes for a happy, healthy, and capable person.^^

What is the meaning of life? This is a question I saw in a journal recently and felt inspired to ask the same of my current watchers (and any future watchers who come across this in my list of journals).

My own opinion is not exactly something people might expect. Normally, people’s response is determined or influenced by their religious or spiritual belief. Since I mostly follow the philosophies of Taoism, people would probably expect me to say, “The meaning of life is Tao.” But this is not the case. I tend to view the meaning of life as none existent. My perspective is similar to the concept of time being an illusion. The concept of life having meaning is an illusion created from the perception of the individual to bring about a sense of control over their life, or that something more substantial is directing them and therefore they are free of any guilt they may have obtained resulting from their actions (this last part is also part of the Religious Fallacy).

In this sense, there is room for a person to find or feel there is meaning to their existence, but it is therefore self-made. The philosophical concept of time as an illusion is founded on the belief that humans seek control of all things but could never feel control over their own destinies. By creating the concept of time, humans could give substance to existence, and thus gain a false sense of control over existence/fate. I forget what philosopher came up with this but it is a very good way to explain the existence of time along with a related concept of the purpose of life or destiny. I do remember Edgar Cayce saying something along the lines that while time is an illusion it is also needed in our way of life. I think he feared that without a sense of time, humans would become lost in their actions and society would begin to fall apart. Perhaps he is correct, but to the sage time is unimportant. On an individual level, someone living outside of the constraints of time would not be a danger to society as they are unable to effect existence on such a massive scale by such an action; only if others followed the example of the sage would society be in danger.

I would like to quote the philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche on the topic of people having a false sense of time and purpose. This is a poetic form of one of his philosophical concepts. It is titled, "The Immortals".

“Today is meet for me, I come today,
Such is the speech of men foredoomed to stay.
‘Thou art too soon,’ they cry, ‘thou art too late,’
What care the Immortals what the rabble say?”

Worms are such mysterious creatures. When was the last time you stopped to think about worms ever existing? They seem to be the farthest thing from our thoughts yet play such an important role in nature. We should stop and contemplate the existence of all things and our place in nature. We are no different than the worm; ever active; ever present; ever mysterious; yet insignificant in the whole of existence.

When people hear about such a thing as generations in video gaming they instantly think about console or arcade gaming. While there are around 6 or more generations within console and arcade gaming no one really seems to take into account the generation gaps between the players. While many people think that a console is what defines a generation I believe it is the players who do a better job at defining a generation in the end. But this does not mean that the players are the sole defining aspect that shapes each generation in gaming. While the player does impact and help shape what defines the next generation of gaming platforms, those very same platforms can, in turn, shape not only the gamers of the generation that made them, but also the new generation of gamers that is around at the time of their release. Thus, the gamer and gaming platform work together to push the industry into the next generation in a momentum that seems to carry over from one generation to the next; not wanting to stop for anything.

As I would describe it, the the first generation of gamers grew up in the 70's and early 80's when the first home consoles came out and video arcades were the main source of video game entertainment. Gaming seems to have been a sort of special interest thing back then (like Dungeons & Dragons) but was out in the open enough so that it could grow in popularity. Their systems are the old bit systems like the Atari trio and Magnavox Odysseys, along with the Coleco and Intellivision. But these consoles weren’t as influential as the arcade games they were trying to mimic.

By the late 80's and early 90's you have the second generation begin to take shape as gamers of the first generation became parents and began to raise their children on the systems they had growing up or on newer systems like the NES, Genesis, Turbo Graphx systems, and the first successful handhelds; Game Boy and Game Gear. These children gamers seem to have a similar approach to gaming as their parents, both tending to believe in gaming philosophy bent towards mechanics taking prevalence over aesthetic appeal for visuals or audio. I find that there is a transitional gap in this generation as the farther into the 90's they were born the more they seem to lean towards athletic appeal over mechanics.

By the mid to late 90's and into the early 2000's, I see a third generation of gamers emerging with a view towards games that has no knowledge of or experience with past systems but was born with influences from modern consoles like the Playstation, N64, Dreamcast, and Xbox type systems that began featuring high end graphics and gameplay but eventually turning away from fundamental game mechanics and creativity. Some of these third generation gamers have been exposed to older consoles from before their time, but many of them do not understand the enjoyment in them. Many of these gamers also seem to be dedicated fan to specific brand companies or game series and genre without real reason for why it’s better than other systems, games, or genre.

In the most recent years of the late 2000’s, I see a new fourth generation of gamers emerging and being exposed to a more wide spread use of interactivity; with consoles like the Wii featuring motion controls and systems like the PS3 and Xbox360 hosting competitive online gaming. It will be interesting to see how these gamers turn out as they are being bombarded with more things that any previous generation. They have a seemingly wider variety of good modern games tailored with different approaches in mind such as Nintendo doing family games and fun casual gaming very well. Or Sony’s drive to be the cutting edge while Microsoft tries to support interactive online gaming as best they can. Thanks to the internet, this new generation also has a much broader source of information than past generations. There's even an emerging independent gaming industry now that is thriving off of both internet downloads, free-to-play web sites, and home console ports. This fourth generation of gamers is likely to become a very diverse group of people with a wide range of specialties that could help the gaming industry bloom beyond new horizons.

Sometime around 10th grade (around 2004) my friend  Foxbop stated to me that I am probably a furry (after I said something like, "my favorite characters in anime are those cute animal people."). I had no idea what that meant so he explained it to me and I realized I was a furry (especially when you include how much I loved pretending to be animals with friends when I was a little kid). As for how long I’ve been a furry, it's probably been in my DNA since I was a child growing up loving soft stuffed animals and wild life.

*So how did all of you people become aware of the fandom or that you were a furry?

Don’t drop your insanity or you may stop being smart. It’s what gives you imagination and lets you think differently from everyone else who conforms to the ways of society. It’s what lets you see the truth and ignore the ridicules. It’s what powers the motion of all and creates existence. Without the insane we would be stagnate with nothing different happening. We would thus be driven insane.

Another short write up I made in my ethics class last summer. It’s a thought I brought up in class during our debate on crime and punishment. What’s talked about in the write up is something I feel is total bullshit and I see people being imprisoned for similar reasons more and more in recent times. There seems to be no consideration for situational circumstances when it comes to laws and breaking the law. Again, feel free to comment on this. I’m interested in hearing what people think about such things.

What decides what a crime is? Is it wrong to steal? Under law, it is. But what if it’s for survival? What if you or the person you are bringing the food too is starving to death? In your mind it is not a crime. But constitutionally, under the law, you are a criminal for your action and must be punished.

Here is a short write up I did in my Ethics class last summer. This was my personal thought regarding a class discussion with the teacher about freedom of will. My teacher’s standpoint was that there is no true freedom of will. I forget the details of his reasoning (I’m sure I could remember them if I try) but they seemed a little narrow in view point to me at the time. My own thoughts on the mater aren’t perfect either, as when discussing in class as well as with a friend of mine, who is also big into philosophy, we discovered what seemed to be many possible flaws in it that needed further explanation or clearer delivery. My friend did believe that at its core, my view on the issue was valid. This was nothing more than a short write up and not a detailed analysis of what free will is. I may return to this issue and create a more thorough write up on this topic at a later date. Feel free to add your own view or opinion on this issue in the comments.

Freedom of will does exist but the freedom people think they have under the law is false and nonexistent. Law is all about limiting freedom (in order to protect freedom) therefore the law cannot provide freedom by limiting freedom. Furthermore, those who make the laws are in power to break the laws or manipulate them to their advantage. This can lead to loss of freedom considered to be guaranteed under the law. But in the end, personal freedom of will is never taken or damaged in any way. A person is always free to make decisions and act according to their own will. It is through their free will that people decide to conform to law and throw away their freedom. But if a conformed person realized this truth they will regain their, thought to be lost, freedom and gain insight to the world they live in.

This is a response I wrote to a journal talking about disgust with the failure of education in the U.S. I lay out my thoughts on what is and has led to the current failed situation the education system is for the U.S.

There are many reasons why the education system fails here (in my opinion). One is the ignorance of modern institutions and groups (I think that's the wording I should use) that create things like text books that don't actually have updated information that the rest of the worlds modern countries have (like U.S. students still being taught that it wasn't Vikings who discovered America but Christopher Columbus). Ignorance in our scientific community of historians, archeologists, and other disciplines relevant to this kind of information are partly to blame for their lack of trust with each other as it is up to them to finalize newly realized information that would be added to text books and thus benefit students and society as a whole. Another reason would be our country’s method of condemning failing institutions of education by shutting them down and not actually trying to improve the situation or fix the problem that caused it to fail. This leads to my 3rd reason of failed education being no communication between institutions when transferring from an elementary school to a middle school or from a middle school to a high school. Because each institution does not communicate records of students that say what the students have been taught, the new schools they have graduated into must guess at what they didn’t learn and normally end up teaching them things they may have learned several years ago. This leaves little time to teach new things

There’s also the new method of "curving" test and assignment scores so more students can pass regardless of the fact that they didn't actually perform to the level they were graded to be. This leads to more students graduating without having fully learned what they were supposed to learn. But this curving of test grades may have only come about because of schools funding being maintained by the number of graduates from the school. As long as there is this sort of business model approach to education, there can be no room for actual progressive education. There’s also some modern mentality towards tests that leads government policy makers to think more testing leads to higher education. Evaluation of education based on tests is redundant as it interferes with teachers educating the student by forcing them to spend time preparing students for the test with strategy's for scamming a multiple choice exam as well has calming students and reinforcing their confidence when they fear they are not prepared for the test. It is in my opinion that there should be no preparation for a test as all that is needed is to continue teaching as normal until the test day. It is up to students in the college if they study for tests or not. If grade school is to be a stepping stone that prepares students for higher learning then it is doing nothing by taking it easy on them with review sessions in classes that could be spent learning more new things (probably why most classes never reach the end of their text books as well).

There is also the lack of handling for retarded students and highly capable student as most of them are kept mixed together. This forces the teacher to slow the class’s progress in order to help the students who are too stupid to understand what they are being taught without assistance at nearly every moment in the process. If the teacher is not willing to slow down the class to help these slow students understand, then they are left behind and don't learn anything at all. Aside from this, when there are no mentally challenged students in the class but ones that have the capability for higher achievements they are held back by the slow progression of the class at its standard rate. Many countries in Europe (and probably Asia) separate these gifted students from the average, and the average from the poor achievers. This helps tailor education for each category of student so they may achieve the most they can.

Despite the U.S.'s advances towards improving education, as long as there are so many things working against it there is no possible way to salvage it from the smoldering ashes of what was once a good nation with a great education system (back in the late 1800's). In many of the countries who have high achieving educated people, the education institutes are often controlled by the government and not some privatized entity meant to operate like a business model. Because of the fear mongering that takes place in U.S. politics, people are too scared of having something like socialized education but it is perhaps the most beneficial thing that could happen to public schools since the enforcement of grade school education for youths in the 1800's (a state by state law that started taking effect in most states between the 1830's and 1850's). Socialism is not as bad of a government method of operation as most people are led to believe (the same can be said about communism). Capitalism is perhaps the most destructive method of government operations in comparison but all forms of operation have their benefits and detriments. Some are good at creating stability and spreading wealth around evenly while others do not allow for stability but do allow for great achievements (as well as great failures). Public skepticism fueled by political rhetoric is perhaps the ultimate hindrance to the U.S.'s education system as nothing can be done to improve the system as long as the politicians who vote on the laws and policies (as well as feed slanted truths and lies to the public to fuel support or hatred for the laws and policies) maintain their tyrannical grasp on the public and societal system that effects the entire country.

This morning, before I woke up, I had a very vivid and amazing dream that has captivated my attention. It was just as realistic as my account of the dream in which I was a Japanese artist and author writing the book of Chou Lin.

This time I was a young boy around the age of 8 or 10. I had hair like I did when I was around that age; dark brown and being just long enough to stop above my eyebrows. I was traveling with my younger sister who was a few years younger than me. I don’t think she was really my sister since her hair was dark blond and its length ran halfway down her back. I think she considered her like my sister since we grew up together and often only had each other to play with. We were both dressed in what could be considered casual clothes for children of that age but had been dirtied from sleeping on the ground and journeying where we had. We were alone in the woods together and had been for a long time (probably several days or weeks). It was as if we had been transported into another dimension similar to our own, but with an air of mystical nature to it. We had found some tarps for a tent that we used like ponchos to stay dry in the rain, and as blankets when cold. We had no idea where the people where who had been using them for their camp, but they seemed to have been discarded and the if it was a campsite where we found them, it hadn’t been used in ages for it looked nearly void of anything else but some trudged up dirt as if animals and nature had taken over the site. Despite our serious dilemma, my sister liked to play around and imagine herself some princess with her tarp wrapped around her like a royal gown or regal cape. This often annoyed me as I was trying to shoulder the burden of the responsible grownup. I would sometimes yell at her for being so childish but knew it was her way of forgetting the miserable situation we were in. In truth, we had no idea what we were searching for or where to find it. All we had was a necklace of a dragon or griffin talon clutching a small blue crystal orb. We knew it would help point the direction as at times it would sway like a magnet towards its attractant.

As we ventured through the forest we eventually came upon a large lack with an enormous hill on its bank opposite of where we stood. We noticed the pendant begin to give a faint glow and knew right away that we had to get to the top of that hill. We began rounding the lake, admiring the beautiful scenery along the way. It seemed to take forever to reach the base of the hill that had seemed so close at first; It’s presence now that of a looming mountain. We searched its base for a way up and eventually found a hill, deep in the wood, gradual enough for us to walk up. It was beginning to get dark and started to rain so we decided to rest for the night under the tarps we had found. By morning the sky was clear again with bright white clouds dotting the sky. The treetops helped to hide the sun that seemed to gleam through the swaying branches. Once we set off it wasn’t too long till we reached one of the flat part sections that lay part way up the hill. There where wide clearings as if trails had been made, leading in both directions around the hill. My sister pointed out that the pendant around my neck had begun to point in the direction of the right path. I took it from around my head and held it in front of us, allowing it to lead the way. We eagerly picked up pace and followed the trail till something change in the scenery. It was as if we crossed through an invisible curtain and where back in the real world. The trail we had been following became a paved street but there was no sign of traffic or people. The pendant was pulling even stronger towards something on the other side of the street so we continued to follow its direction. As we stepped onto the street, I noticed in the distance a white van coming our way. I glanced at the fat, black skinned, driver who wore a look of astonishment on his face. As we reached the other side of the road I could hear him stop his vehicle and step out at if to confront us seemingly homeless children who had ventured from the forest. But it seems that as we set foot on the grass again, we had vanished as I heard the man’s shocked and distant sounding words of, “What the hell?”

At this point, the pendant was tugging even harder and seemed to fight to free itself from the bonds of the black string that held it in my grasp. The man from the real world did not seem to be following us, or perhaps, he could not follow us. Without a second though to this my sister and I followed the direction the pendant pulled towards; eventually being led to what looked like the villa or manor for a castle. The glow of the pendant had begun to pulse and its pull so strong I had to hold it tight with two hands for fear of it flying from my hands. It thrashed and spun on the string as I held it tight; not wanting to let go of our only direction of truth. It pulled so strongly towards the manor that I begin to run, not caring if my sister was following behind me or not. I was too anxious to see what lay at the end of our quest. I ran over the grass and stone walkways not caring if there were guards patrolling the premises. As I neared the back side of the manor I noticed a voice that sounded like a maiden’s call. Its gentle tone soothed and enchanted me like a mother singing a lullaby to her child. The voice seemed to be coming from within a small hedge garden on the backside of the manor. The soothing chords of the song pulling me towards it just as the pendant tugged towards our goal. I knew that whoever was singing this lovely melody was the same thing the pendant had been leading me and my sister towards. I expected to see a beautiful young princess in her teens as I rounded the final statue lined hedge. I had this feeling that she had been waiting for me this entire time and her song was that of a signal to come find her. But as I would have caught my first glance of her, I awoke; her song echoing in my head as I ponder this vivid dream.

*I would like to note that the van in the dream seemed to be a van for the Comcast Company, and its driver resembled Cedric Kyles (aka – Cedric the Entertainer). Along with this, the song sung by the woman at the end of the dream was Melodies of Life from the video game, Final Fantasy 9. However, this version of the song was without the lyrics but instead with the Lo’s and La’s of someone simply voicing the tune.

*If there are any questions regarding how to interpret anything from Chinese astrology or what your animal/elements are, feel free to ask them in the comments section or send them to me in a note.*

Today, at 11am, begins the cycle of the new moon; and with it, the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit. The Rabbit is the fourth animal of the Chinese zodiac and is the lucky sign out of the twelve animals. The Rabbit is the Yin wood animal and is associated with the direction of East, the season of spring, the lunar cycle of the new moon, windy weather, the color of green, the sense of smell, and the body’s Liver. This current year of the Chinese Lunar Calendar is of the Metal element and is associated with the direction of the West, the season of autumn, the lunar cycle of the full moon, dry weather, the color of white, the sense of hearing, and the body’s lungs. This year of the Rabbit has Li Chun; the Eyes of Spring. This makes it an auspicious year and one that is bright with good fortune for things like planed events and goals.

To be born in this year will grant rabbits the strength of yin metal. While the aspects of yang for metal are that of a sharp sword that can cut down adversaries, the yin of metal is like a sturdy shield that provides unyielding protection. Metal is the controlling element towards wood and has the ability to overpower it like an ax felling a tree, but can also be more deliberate with its controlling aspects like shires pruning a bonsai tree. Rabbits imbued with the qualities of yin metal will have unwavering conviction in themselves and will stubbornly cling to their ideals and perspectives. They do not like having their intellect or options scoffed at or challenged as they will always feel their way is the correct way. This unwavering quality will also give them much devotion towards their work and studies, allowing them to see great success and knowledge beyond what most rabbits and others will normally achieve. The Rabbit is a reclusive animal and while quaint, does not often find itself in the company of many friends. The resilient qualities of metal and how it adds to the rabbit will make it even more reclusive as well has being more stubborn may find that making friends is even more difficult than normal. But the Rabbit will have more confidence than normal in its abilities thanks to metal and it’s strengthening qualities.

Combined with the yin wood aspects of being flexible yet sturdy, the rabbit of this year will be very astute and know when to give way in situations so as to gain the beneficial outcome. They will be clever with their words and decisions so as to never fall from the pedestal that they have built up for themselves. Yin wood is like a leafless tree in the midst of winter and gives true symbolism to the reclusive nature of Rabbit. But yin wood is also symbolized by lumber used to build a shelter. Metal will draw out this aspect and like a hammer with nails construct the shelter that will allow the Rabbit to never be without its green leaves. The Rabbit is also a very loving animal and has an appreciation for the gentler aspects of life. If friends, colleagues, or partners are in trouble, woods discernment towards ethics and moral codes will likely motivate Rabbit to a position of aid. If the situation is of high concern the metal qualities may turn from yin to yang and give the Rabbit its victory through great resourcefulness and cunning. Rabbits rarely have need for conflict and their behavior tends to keep them far from it. But if it should ever present itself, the metal Rabbit and those allied with it are sure to come out victorious.

To those already born, be aware of how your own elements react with metal. Always remember that there is balance in all things, including the elements. The five elements of metal, water, wood, fire, and earth all react with each other in positive and negative ways. There is also a cycle of interaction for what elements strengthen each other and which elements hinder each other. Starting with the pattern of strength: from metal you get water (metal taking the form of a cup from which water is poured as well as metals initial state being liquid when heated by fire), from water you get wood (wood is like a plant that is nourished by flowing water and falling rain), from wood you get fire (fire cannot burn without the aid of something like wood to provide substance), from fire you get earth (all things burned by fire are turned to ash that becomes part of the earth), and from earth you get metal (the earth being the home of metal before it is dug up).

When viewing the elements and their pattern of hindrance you will find that: metal is controlled by fire (fire will melt metal and return it to a form that can be shaped and molded), fire is controlled by water (nothing extinguishes fire faster than water), water is controlled by earth( the earth absorbs water and helps to contain it for plants or direct it’s flow like a river), earth is controlled by wood (the roots of a tree dig into the soil and acquire a firm grasp, as well as break apart solid stone), and wood is controlled by metal (metal blades can cut a wooden tree branch or shape a piece of lumber).

While this is the element initial flow of control and being controlled, the elements can interact with each other in other ways. Water may be absorbed by earth, but the earth has its limits and eventually will flood and form a lake, as well as water’s ability to erode the earth and carve its own path through a mountain. Earth can also extinguish fire by smothering it, while fire can break boulders if hot enough. Wood can harden and dull the metal blade that would cut it. And metal can take a multitude of forms, from which it can do many things (like digging and moving the earth, holding water, or capping a flame). There is an endless list of ways in which the elements interact with each other. Be aware at how your elements interact with the element of this year; metal.

Along with understanding elemental relationships, someone living in this year should also take notice of how their own animal signs relate with the Rabbit. The Rabbit is a very passive animal and one to avoid conflict. They are generally friendly and gentle but enjoy solitude and quiet. Rabbits tend to love the arts or are artistic and creative. They are in harmony with all things and enjoy balance in the things they do. The Rabbit is an animal to be deep in thought and cautious of action; unforeseen spontaneity will often upset and disturb it. With its deep contemplation, the Rabbit is often in a position of relative control over its surroundings and will have a good understanding of everything.

Animals like the Rooster who are very active and spontaneous will not mix well with the rabbit and thus do poorly in this year unless they can slow down and be more planed out. While the easygoing and kind Sheep will get along well with the Rabbit’s calm and friendly nature; expect a Sheep to do just fine so long as its elements are not in conflict with those of the year. The twelve animals all behave differently and mix in various ways; just as the elements do. Even though Rabbits tend to get along with each other fine they can still get on each other’s nerves if they do not respect one another’s personal space. Even if a person’s animal signs are at odds with the animal of the current year, they can still sometimes get along if there is agreement and understanding. Be aware of how your own animal signs relate with this year’s animal; the Rabbit.




Here is a list of the months in the Chinese lunar calendar as they match up to dates in the Gregorian calendar used in modern European type societies. Each month is assigned an animal in the same way that each year, day, and two hour segment is assigned an animal. There are also twenty four solar terms that mark the sun at its 15 and 30 longitudinal degree segments. These solar terms are identified as Sectional Terms that mark each 15 degree segment, and Principal Terms that mark every 30 degree segment. Each solar term also marks a special seasonal event. Please note that the months and terms listed as being in January are for the year 2012 in the Gregorian calendar.

Months
1st Month: February 3 – March 4 (associated with Tiger)
2nd Month: March 5 – April 2 (associated with Rabbit)
3rd Month: April 4 – May 2 (associated with Dragon)
4th Month: May 3 – June 1 (associated with Snake)
5th Month: June 2 – June 30 (associated with Horse)
6th Month: July 1 – July 30 (associated with Sheep)
7th Month: July 31 – August 28 (associated with Monkey)
8th Month: August 29 – September 26 (associated with Rooster)
9th Month: September 27 – October 26 (associated with Dog)
10th Month: October 27 – November 24 (associated with Boar)
11th Month: November 25 – December 24 (associated with Rat)
12th Month: December 25 – January 22 (associated with Ox)

Solar Terms
Sectional Term 1: February 4 – Li Chun/Beginning of Spring
Principal Term 1: February 19 – Yu Shui/Rain Water
Sectional Term 2: March 6 – Jing Zhi/Waking of Insects
Principal Term 2: March 21 – Chun Fen/Spring Equinox
Sectional Term 3: April 5 – Qing Ming/Pure Brightness
Principal Term 3: April 20 – Gu Yu/Grain Rain
Sectional Term 4: May 6 – Li Xia/Beginning of Summer
Principal Term 4: May 21 – Xiao Man/Grain Full
Sectional Term 5: Jun 6 – Mang Zhong/Grain in Ear
Principal Term 5: June 22 – Xia Zhi/Summer Solstice
Sectional Term 6: July 7 – Xiao Shu/Slight Heat
Principal Term 6: July 23 – Da Shu/Great Heat
Sectional Term 7: August 8 – Li Qiu/Beginning of Autumn
Principal Term 7: August 23 – Chu Shu/Limit of Heat
Sectional Term 8: September 8 – Bai Lu/White Dew
Principal Term 8: September 23 – Qui Fen/Autumnal Equinox
Sectional Term 9: October 8 – Han Lu/Cold Dew
Principal Term 9: October 24 – Shunag Jiang/Descent of Forest
Sectional Term 10: November 8 – Li Dong/Beginning of Winter
Principal Term 10: November 23 – Xiao Xue/Slight Snow
Sectional Term 11: December 7 – Da Xue/Great Snow
Principal Term 11: December 22 – Dong Zhi/Winter Solstice
Sectional Term 12: January 6 – Xiao Han/Slight Cold
Principal Term 12: January 20 – Da Han/Great Cold




Here is a listing of the 354 days in this year’s lunar calendar. Each day and month is marked with the corresponding element and animal that is representing it. The elements and animals are assigned a prescribed pattern. The pattern of the animals is: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. The pattern of the Elements is Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. The Yin and Yang quality of the element for the month or day (as well as year and hour) never has Yang or Yin twice in a row and as well as matches the Yin or Yang quality of the given animal for that day, month, year, or hour. This cyclical pattern has been in effect since the first day it was used 4709 years ago, in the sixty-first year of the reign of Emperor Huang Ti.

Use this list of the days and months to help plan ahead and understand what times of the year you are likely to do well in and what times of the year you are likely to do bad in. Understand that no matter how bad a day is in conjunction with your own elements and animas, it is always possible to change your approach to the given day or month just as an element that would be controlled by another can change to meet the situation and alter its circumstance.

*Note: I have not included the elements of the hours since I do not feel like listing all 4,248 of them for this year. If you would like to calculate them out for yourself you can do so knowing that the first hour of the day in the Chinese lunar calendar is actually at 11 pm the previous day in on the Gregorian calendar (so the first hour of the first day in this lunar year is at 11 pm on February 2). The element of and animal for the first hour of the first day for this lunar year is Yang Wood/Rat; each animal is dedicated to two hours of the day with the Rat ruling over the first two hours of the day. Be sure to do the same for assigning the elements (there should only be 12 elements and animals in one day).

First Month
........Gregorian Date........Month.......................Day
1......February 3..............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Earth/Ox
2......February 4..............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Metal/Tiger
3......February 5..............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Metal/Rabbit
4......February 6..............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Water/Dragon
5......February 7..............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Water/Snake
6......February 8..............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Wood/Horse
7......February 9..............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Wood/Sheep
8.,,,,,February 10............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Fire/Monkey
9......February 11............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Fire/Rooster
10....February 12............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Earth/Dog
11....February 13............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Earth/Boar
12....February 14............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Metal/Rat
13....February 15............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Metal/Ox
14....February 16............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Water/Tiger
15....February 17............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Water/Rabbit
16....February 18............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Wood/Dragon
17....February 19............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Wood/Snake
18....February 20............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Fire/Horse
19....February 21............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Fire/Sheep
20....February 22............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Earth/Monkey
21....February 23............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Earth/Rooster
22....February 24............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Metal/Dog
23....February 25............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Metal/Boar
24....February 26............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Water/Rat
25....February 27............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Water/Ox
26....February 28............Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Wood/Tiger
27....March 1..................Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Wood/Rabbit
28....March 2..................Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Fire/Dragon
29....March 3..................Yang Metal/Tiger........Yin Fire/Snake
30....March 4..................Yang Metal/Tiger........Yang Earth/Horse

Second Month
........Gregorian Date........Month.......................Day
1......March 5..................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Earth/Sheep
2......March 6..................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Metal/Monkey
3......March 7..................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Metal/Rooster
4......March 8..................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Water/Dog
5......March 9..................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Water/Boar
6......March 10................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Wood/Rat
7......March 11................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Wood/Ox
8......March 12................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Fire/Tiger
9......March 13................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Fire/Rabbit
10....March 14................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Earth/Dragon
11....March 15................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Earth/Snake
12....March 16................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Metal/Horse
13....March 17................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Metal/Sheep
14....March 18................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Water/Monkey
15....March 19................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Water/Rooster
16....March 20................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Wood/Dog
17....March 21................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Wood/Boar
18....March 22................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Fire/Rat
19....March 23................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Fire/Ox
20....March 24................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Earth/Tiger
21....March 25................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Earth/Rabbit
22....March 26................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Metal/Dragon
23....March 27................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Metal/Snake
24....March 28................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Water/Horse
25....March 29................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Water/Sheep
26....March 30................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Wood/Monkey
27....March 31................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Wood/Rooster
28....April 1....................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yang Fire/Dog
29....April 2....................Yin Metal/Rabbit.........Yin Fire/Boar

Third Month
........Gregorian Date........Month........................Day
1......April 3....................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Earth/Rat
2......April 4....................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Earth/Ox
3......April 5....................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Metal/Tiger
4......April 6....................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Metal/Rabbit
5......April 7....................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Water/Dragon
6......April 8....................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Water/Snake
7......April 9....................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Wood/Horse
8......April 10..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Wood/Sheep
9......April 11..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Fire/Monkey
10....April 12..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Fire/Rooster
11....April 13..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Earth/Dog
12....April 14..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Earth/Boar
13....April 15..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Metal/Rat
14....April 16..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Metal/Ox
15....April 17..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Water/Tiger
16....April 18..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Water/Rabbit
17....April 19..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Wood/Dragon
18....April 20..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Wood/Snake
19....April 21..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Fire/Horse
20....April 22..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Fire/Sheep
21....April 23..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Earth/Monkey
22....April 24..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Earth/Rooster
23....April 25..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Metal/Dog
24....April 26..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Metal/Boar
25....April 27..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Water/Rat
26....April 28..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Water/Ox
27....April 29..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Wood/Tiger
28....April 30..................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Wood/Rabbit
29....May 1 ....................Yang Water/Dragon......Yang Fire/Dragon
30....May 2 ....................Yang Water/Dragon......Yin Fire/Snake

Fourth Month
........Gregorian Date........Month........................Day
1......May 3.....................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Earth/Horse
2......May 4.....................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Earth/Sheep
3......May 5.....................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Metal/Monkey
4......May 6.....................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Metal/Rooster
5......May 7.....................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Water/Dog
6......May 8.....................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Water/Boar
7......May 9.....................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Wood/Rat
8......May 10...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Wood/Ox
9......May 11...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Fire/Tiger
10....May 12...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Fire/Rabbit
11....May 13...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Earth/Dragon
12....May 14...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Earth/Snake
13....May 15...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Metal/Horse
14....May 16...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Metal/Sheep
15....May 17...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Water/Monkey
16....May 18...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Water/Rooster
17....May 19...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Wood/Dog
18....May 20...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Wood/Boar
19....May 21...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Fire/Rat
20....May 22...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Fire/Ox
21....May 23...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Earth/Tiger
22....May 24...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Earth/Rabbit
23....May 25...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Metal/Dragon
24....May 26...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Metal/Snake
25....May 27...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Water/Horse
26....May 28...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Water/Sheep
27....May 29...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Wood/Monkey
28....May 30...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Wood/Rooster
29....May 31...................Yin Water/Snake.........Yang Fire/Dog
30....June 1....................Yin Water/Snake.........Yin Fire/Boar

Fifth Month
........Gregorian Date........Month........................Day
1......June 2....................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Earth/Rat
2......June 3....................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Earth/Ox
3......June 4....................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Metal/Tiger
4......June 5....................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Metal/Rabbit
5......June 6....................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Water/Dragon
6......June 7....................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Water/Snake
7......June 8....................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Wood/Horse
8......June 9....................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Wood/Sheep
9......June 10..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Fire/Monkey
10....June 11..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Fire/Rooster
11....June 12..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Earth/Dog
12....June 13..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Earth/Boar
13....June 14..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Metal/Rat
14....June 15..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Metal/Ox
15....June 16..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Water/Tiger
16....June 17..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Water/Rabbit
17....June 18..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Wood/Dragon
18....June 19..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Wood/Snake
19....June 20..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Fire/Horse
20....June 21..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Fire/Sheep
21....June 22..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Earth/Monkey
22....June 23..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Earth/Rooster
23....June 24..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Metal/Dog
24....June 25..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Metal/Boar
25....June 26..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Water/Rat
26....June 27..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Water/Ox
27....June 28..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Wood/Tiger
28....June 29..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yin Wood/Rabbit
29....June 30..................Yang Wood/Horse.......Yang Fire/Dragon

Sixth Month
........Gregorian Date........Month........................Day
1......July 1.....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Fire/Snake
2......July 2.....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Earth/Horse
3......July 3.....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Earth/Sheep
4......July 4 .....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Metal/Monkey
5......July 5 .....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Metal/Rooster
6......July 6 .....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Water/Dog
7......July 7 .....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Water/Boar
8......July 8 .....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Wood/Rat
9......July 9 .....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Wood/Ox
10....July 10....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Fire/Tiger
11....July 11....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Fire/Rabbit
12....July 12....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Earth/Dragon
13....July 13....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Earth/Snake
14....July 14....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Metal/Horse
15....July 15....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Metal/Sheep
16....July 16....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Water/Monkey
17....July 17....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Water/Rooster
18....July 18....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Wood/Dog
19....July 19....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Wood/Boar
20....July 20....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Fire/Rat
21....July 21....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Fire/Ox
22....July 22....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Earth/Tiger
23....July 23....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Earth/Rabbit
24....July 24....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Metal/Dragon
25....July 25....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Metal/Snake
26....July 26....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Water/Horse
27....July 27....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Water/Sheep
28....July 28....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Wood/Monkey
29....July 29....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yin Wood/Rooster
30....July 30....................Yin Wood/Sheep.........Yang Fire/Dog

Seventh Month
........Gregorian Date.........Month........................Day
1......July 31....................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Fire/Boar
2......August 1..................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Earth/Rat
3......August 2..................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Earth/Ox
4......August 3..................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Metal/Tiger
5......August 4..................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Metal/Rabbit
6......August 5..................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Water/Dragon
7......August 6..................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Water/Snake
8......August 7..................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Wood/Horse
9......August 8..................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Wood/Sheep
10....August 9..................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Fire/Monkey
11....August 10.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Fire/Rooster
12....August 11.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Earth/Dog
13....August 12.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Earth/Boar
14....August 13.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Metal/Rat
15....August 14.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Metal/Ox
16....August 15.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Water/Tiger
17....August 16.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Water/Rabbit
18....August 17.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Wood/Dragon
19....August 18.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Wood/Snake
20....August 19.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Fire/Horse
21....August 20.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Fire/Sheep
22....August 21.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Earth/Monkey
23....August 21.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Earth/Rooster
24....August 23.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Metal/Dog
25....August 24.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Metal/Boar
26....August 25.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Water/Rat
27....August 26.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Water/Ox
28....August 27.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yang Wood/Tiger
29....August 28.................Yang Fire/Monkey........Yin Wood/Rabbit

Eighth Month
........Gregorian Date..........Month........................Day
1......August 29.................Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Fire/Dragon
2......August 30.................Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Fire/Snake
3......August 31.................Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Earth/Horse
4......September 1.............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Earth/Sheep
5......September 2.............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Metal/Monkey
6......September 3.............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Metal/Rooster
7......September 4.............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Water/Dog
8......September 5.............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Water/Boar
9......September 6.............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Wood/Rat
10....September 7.............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Wood/Ox
11....September 8.............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Fire/Tiger
12....September 9.............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Fire/Rabbit
13....September 10............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Earth/Dragon
14....September 11............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Earth/Snake
15....September 12............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Metal/Horse
16....September 13............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Metal/Sheep
17....September 14............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Water/Monkey
18....September 15............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Water/Rooster
19....September 16............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Wood/Dog
20....September 17............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Wood/Boar
21....September 18............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Fire/Rat
22....September 19............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Fire/Ox
23....September 20............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Earth/Tiger
24....September 21............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Earth/Rabbit
25....September 22............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Metal/Dragon
26....September 23............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Metal/Snake
27....September 24............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Water/Horse
28....September 25............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yin Water/Sheep
29....September 26............Yin Fire/Rooster...........Yang Wood/Monkey

Ninth Month
........Gregorian Date...........Month........................Day
1......September 27............Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Wood/Rooster
2......September 28............Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Fire/Dog
3......September 29............Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Fire/Boar
4......September 30............Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Earth/Rat
5......October 1..................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Earth/Ox
6......October 2..................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Metal/Tiger
7......October 3..................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Metal/Rabbit
8......October 4..................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Water/Dragon
9......October 5..................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Water/Snake
10....October 6..................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Wood/Horse
11....October 7..................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Wood/Sheep
12....October 8..................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Fire/Monkey
13....October 9..................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Fire/Rooster
14....October 10.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Earth/Dog
15....October 11.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Earth/Boar
16....October 12.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Metal/Rat
17....October 13.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Metal/Ox
18....October 14.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Water/Tiger
19....October 15.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Water/Rabbit
20....October 16.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Wood/Dragon
21....October 17.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Wood/Snake
22....October 18.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Fire/Horse
23....October 19.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Fire/Sheep
24....October 20.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Earth/Monkey
25....October 21.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Earth/Rooster
26....October 22.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Metal/Dog
27....October 23.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Metal/Boar
28....October 24.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Water/Rat
29....October 25.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yin Water/Ox
30....October 26.................Yang Earth/Dog...........Yang Wood/Tiger

Tenth Month
........Gregorian Date...........Month........................Day
1......October 27.................Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Wood/Rabbit
2......October 28.................Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Fire/Dragon
3......October 29.................Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Fire/Snake
4......October 30.................Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Earth/Horse
5......October 31.................Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Earth/Sheep
6......November 1...............Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Metal/Monkey
7......November 2...............Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Metal/Rooster
8......November 3...............Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Water/Dog
9......November 4...............Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Water/Boar
10....November 5...............Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Wood/Rat
11....November 6...............Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Wood/Ox
12....November 7...............Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Fire/Tiger
13....November 8...............Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Fire/Rabbit
14....November 9...............Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Earth/Dragon
15....November 10..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Earth/Snake
16....November 11..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Metal/Horse
17....November 12..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Metal/Sheep
18....November 13..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Water/Monkey
19....November 14..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Water/Rooster
20....November 15..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Wood/Dog
21....November 16..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Wood/Boar
22....November 17..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Fire/Rat
23....November 18..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Fire/Ox
24....November 19..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Earth/Tiger
25....November 20..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Earth/Rabbit
26....November 21..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Metal/Dragon
27....November 22..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Metal/Snake
28....November 23..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yang Water/Horse
29....November 24..............Yin Earth/Boar............Yin Water/Sheep

Eleventh Month
........Gregorian Date...........Month........................Day
1......November 25..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Wood/Monkey
2......November 26..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Wood/Rooster
3......November 27..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Fire/Dog
4......November 28..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Fire/Boar
5......November 29..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Earth/Rat
6......November 30..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Earth/Ox
7......December 1...............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Metal/Tiger
8......December 2...............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Metal/Rabbit
9......December 3...............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Water/Dragon
10....December 4...............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Water/Snake
11....December 5...............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Wood/Horse
12....December 6...............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Wood/Sheep
13....December 7...............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Fire/Monkey
14....December 8...............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Fire/Rooster
15....December 9...............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Earth/Dog
16....December 10..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Earth/Boar
17....December 11..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Metal/Rat
18....December 12..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Metal/Ox
19....December 13..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Water/Tiger
20....December 14..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Water/Rabbit
21....December 15..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Wood/Dragon
22....December 16..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Wood/Snake
23....December 17..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Fire/Horse
24....December 18..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Fire/Sheep
25....December 19..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Earth/Monkey
26....December 20..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Earth/Rooster
27....December 21..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Metal/Dog
28....December 22..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Metal/Boar
29....December 23..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yang Water/Rat
30....December 24..............Yang Metal/Rat..........Yin Water/Ox

Twelfth Month
........Gregorian Date...........Month........................Day
1......December 25..............Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Wood/Tiger
2......December 26..............Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Wood/Rabbit
3......December 27..............Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Fire/Dragon
4......December 28..............Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Fire/Snake
5......December 29..............Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Earth/Horse
6......December 30..............Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Earth/Sheep
7......December 31..............Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Metal/Monkey
8......January 1...................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Metal/Rooster
9......January 2...................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Water/Dog
10....January 3...................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Water/Boar
11....January 4...................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Wood/Rat
12....January 5...................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Wood/Ox
13....January 6...................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Fire/Tiger
14....January 7...................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Fire/Rabbit
15....January 8...................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Earth/Dragon
16....January 9...................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Earth/Snake
17....January 10.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Metal/Horse
18....January 11.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Metal/Sheep
19....January 12.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Water/Monkey
20....January 13.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Water/Rooster
21....January 14.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Wood/Dog
22....January 15.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Wood/Boar
23....January 16.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Fire/Rat
24....January 17.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Fire/Ox
25....January 18.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Earth/Tiger
26....January 19.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Earth/Rabbit
27....January 20.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Metal/Dragon
28....January 21.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yin Metal/Snake
29....January 22.................Yin Metal/Ox..............Yang Water/Horse

Emotional poetry is always soothing to the soul. It allows for deep reflection and better understanding. It is in essence, a form of meditation.

This is something I thought about in my cultural anthropology class several months ago when the topic was brought up by the teacher for lecture. The topic to be covered was politics in different cultures. Obviously this inevitably led to more talk of our own government in the U.S.A. and some interesting side conversations. This led me to thinking about something I didn’t bring up in class (due to being lost in thought on it) but wanted to and maybe should have. It goes off of what was taught by the teacher to be the structure of the social class system in the U.S. and how it impacts ever day life for people in that country. In order for you to understand my following hypothesis you must know the U.S. social structure as explained by my teacher.

Starting with the lowest bracket of social class is what was called “Lower Class” which was primarily composed of the poor and minority groups. Just above this is the “Working Class”, composed of people working hard labor jobs (blue collar workers). The working class is a mix of both poor and medium wealth families and individuals. Next is the “Middle Class” in which there are people subsisting off service based jobs (white collar workers). The middle class is composed of people who have a range of wealth from medium to high amounts, beginning to border what would be considered wealthy. Which brings me to the next level of social class; the “Lower – Upper Class”. These are the people who managed to obtain a substantial amount of wealth within their own life time. They are people like Bill Gates and Steven Jobs. The final tier of social class is the “Upper – Upper Class”. These are the people born into wealth and prominence. They are often the wealthiest members of the society but not always. Even if they do not have the most wealth they still have the most power because of the prestige carried by their family name or status. These are people like George H. W. Bush and Paris Hilton.

Laid out, the social class structure would look like so:
• Upper – Upper Class (born into wealth)
• Lower – Upper Class (obtained wealth)
• Middle Class (white collar worker)
• Working Class (blue collar worker)
• Lower Class (poor)

Now, according to my anthropology teacher (as well as from what I’ve personally witnessed about society) the current main focus of the U.S. government is to shift from being a state society that is primarily driven by industrial labor and towards one that is more reliant on service based jobs. This is evident in the steady decrease of industrial manufacturing jobs in the U.S. (most being sent to other countries to continue operations) as well with the increase in service based jobs. These low skilled manufacturing jobs (as they’re referred to being since they don’t require higher education beyond grade school) are primarily worked by the members of the working class. The service based jobs that the government wants to move society towards working more of are primarily worked by the middle class and require college level education. The main goal of this vision (as I see it) is to move society towards being more wealthy and educated, as well as working less dangerous jobs. The only problem with this vision is the very fact that society has not removed the social barriers that are inhibiting the poor and minorities from obtaining the education or other necessities to become middle class citizens. Not to mention that colleges are taking advantage of the high influx of low and working class students (as motivated by public speeches from people like Barack Obama) that are attempting to get a good education in order to obtain these service based jobs that are the so called “future of our nation”.

So far, the process of replacing manufacturing jobs with service jobs has been going on for around 40 years now. I am guessing that the federal government was hoping to have the nation transformed within a 50 year period. If this is so, then the process has utterly failed to meet its goal as the majority of the working class has yet to obtain employment with white collar jobs. The majority of the U.S. population sits within the low and working classes. If the current trend of this failed process of advancing the nation’s populous in social status and living conditions continues, the poverty rate of the country will actually grow as those in the working class continue to fail to obtain middle class jobs and are thrown into deeper poverty due to a lack of industrial based labor. If this is the true outcome of the failed process, the U.S. will likely be comprised of around 50% poor with an even smaller percentage being dedicated to the wealthy and those who are better off.

To anyone who reads this journal, I would advise you to read my first journal posting on the new thirteenth zodiac, Ophiuchus. This journal is a follow up conversation that relates to that journal, and in some sense continues it. Here is a link to it in case you have not read it yet. http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2020871/

I really feel that Ophiuchus is part of a different zodiac. If the sun and moon really are running directly through it on the sky (which is how the zodiac is discerned), then that means they aren't running through hardily any of the other constellations we see as the traditional zodiac. This would mean that we need to remake the entire zodiac (which it might still have 12 signs in the end). The only problem is that thanks to science there has been a major separation from astrology in attempt to kill it. It is my thought that in the past, astrology and astronomy were the same profession. There is evidence in Egypt that they knew of stars that could only be seen with a high power telescope; something science has said they didn't have the technology for. But the fact that they plotted out star coordinates that included these high magnitude stars (over a magnitude of 7 is too dim to see with the eye) would mean that not only were there methods of what we call astrology being used (for divination) but these were coupled with what we would call astronomy (location and calculation of stellar coordinates). There are similarities of this mimicked in other ancient civilizations were it is known they had a key understanding of the cosmos through their stone structures that were astronomically aligned (some of which are aligned with stars and planets that could have only lined up at the reverse tilt of the earth's axis). If our current society, based around science, were to stop persecuting things like astrology and learn to work together then there may be a chance to save astrology and help its wise teachings continue. It is my thought that if something as great as astrology were lost, we would be losing perhaps the most valuable link to past human civilization that we have ever had.

Alright, I just had this flash thought while talking to a friend in a chat. She doesn’t see why furies are so drawn to sex or have such a close association with it. Aside from the common stereotypes that sex and gayness is all furies think about I’ve come up with a more rational answer (since there does seem to be a lot of sexual references or general freedom of nudity surrounding furies). I’m thinking that furies are so synonymous with sex because of the concept proposed by philosophers in the 19th or 18th century (I forget which ones) that states something along the lines of, “if humans were to give into their animalistic instincts they would be prone to self satisfaction and pleasure.” This statement is not only referring to a narcissistic lifestyle that would no doubt involve sex and sexual actions. It seems to me that in modern western society, the idea of having laws and morality to insure that humans do not revert to animalistic behavior is a prominent mentality. But this is also, perhaps, a fallacious way of thinking. None the less, if this is the mentality towards animals then it seems reasonable to think it is also why furies are associated with sexuality.

After seeing several journals on FA about this ordeal with the new zodiac, Ophiuchus, I think I should explain some things about how this new zodiac plays a role in western astrology. Technically, Ophiuchus is not a new zodiac; it’s a very old one. Modern astrologers (in the last several hundred years or more) removed it from the common zodiac since it didn't fit in with the idea of one zodiac for one month. It’s thought that the ancient Greeks used all 13 but there's no conclusive evidence to prove it (mostly just guessing and speculation). There’s a long history with Ophiuchus as a zodiac that has been added and removed as people saw it as controversial from time-to-time. I’m trying to personally figure out how to fit it into the normal 12 zodiac (but have found available research material very short coming). I think one reason why it's excluded is because it doesn't truly line up with the other zodiacs; its position is off the side a little. The zodiac is given prominence because it is the same path that the sun and moon trace in the sky. If a constellation falls out of that path then it's not a zodiac.

Another hard thing to figure out is what to do about the astral wheel formed out of the 12 zodiac. In the wheel each zodiac is given its own section (called a house) that correlates with a specific aspect of life. Each house has its opposite (like house 6 being for physical health, and house 12 being for mental health). Each house is also given its qualitative assignment of passive or active (similar to yin and yang). Along with this is how the 4 elements (earth, wind, fire, water) are evenly divided up into 3 groupings of 4 houses (cardinal, fixed, and mutable). These are assigned in a cycle pattern throughout the wheel so that if you start with a fixed sign and proceed in any direction you will eventually return to where you started and also be assigning the same "fixed" sign to that house (given you follow the pattern of fixed, then mutable, then cardinal, and then back to fixed or the reverse of this). The entire method of divining with astrology is formed around symmetry and if you were to have an odd number of zodiacs you would destroy the symmetry. If Ophiuchus is an original zodiac, then there must also be another zodiac to act as the 14th. I am not sure what this 14th zodiac could be since there are many possible constellations. The true answer to the question of why there exists the zodiac of Ophiuchus may lie in the planets axis tilt and human history.

Despite what mainstream archeology and historians want you to consider to be human, and other, history there is actually insurmountable evidence that proves human’s had advanced society long before the Neolithic age (starting around 10,000 B.C.E.). There are ruins of civilizations dating back before 15,000 B.C.E. that not only can match our modern cities in structure, but in some cases surpass our current architectural abilities. There is even mounting evidence to support the claim that ancient Egyptian society is not five thousand years old, but tens of thousands of years old; dating back anywhere from around 25,000 B.C.E. to 35,000 B.C.E. According to all of these new and highly controversial archeological evidence modern humans are a much older species than we have been led to believe. And if human civilization is as old as forty thousand years, then it is entirely possible that earlier human civilizations (who certainly had an equal or superior knowledge of astrology and astronomy) viewed the sky when the planet was at a different tilt in its axis and thus could have viewed the night sky to have different constellations or zodiacs. This would also help explain why the ancient Chinese zodiac is formed out of different animals with the dragon being the superior constellation (the body of the constellation Draco contains the star, Thuban, that would be the North Star when the earth is at a different tilt in axis 4,700 years ago).

Sourcing information is nothing more than a tool to manipulate people. It is used simply to inflate or deflate people’s strength of their opinion. When someone’s source for something is deemed too streamlined it is regarded as useless and weakens the thing being spoken for. And when a source is given neutrality of stance on the thing being spoken for, it is given creditability. But the big problem with this view of sources is that a source being either neutral or slanted doesn’t mean it’s guarantied correct or incorrect. Someone can make a statement that is 100% true but because it either has no sources or there is a source that is deemed to be slanted, the statement is thrown out as being trash. The idea of having to source every little bit of information someone ever knows or talks about is one of the big problems of societies’ agenda of being politically correct. Political correctness is the larger tool that is used to control people through intimidation of being a liar or through praise of being correct. When Socrates (and other philosophers) spoke in Athens he probably had no sources for the things he spoke of yet the wisdom he helped people to see is deemed as some of the wisest teachings of ancient history. If we give such creditability to people like Socrates, Plato, Tsu Suu, Chuang Tsu, and other highly intelligent people, then why is it they do not have to be politically correct? They were likely never scrutinized for their sources and they were able to speak countless words of wisdom and insight. Many people today could be speaking wisdom and insight in very much the same manner. But these people are all silenced by the daunting shadow of political correctness and sourcing. Sourcing is a tool to keep people silent in order to give other people a manipulative advantage in society.

(With that said, it is a conspiracy that the Bourgeois use such things as sourcing information and political correctness to keep the Proletarians from advancing in societal status.)

All people might have the ability, or are having, vision dreams. If people are raised to think that dreams are fake and nothing more than imagination running wild, then of course no one will bother to interpret their dreams and will conclude that seeing into the future is not possible. But if people are not raised to have a closed mind and simply take the time to examine what they dream, they may find more than just a world of fantasy. Often, dreams have cryptic messages and symbolism that can be interpreted to give an understanding of personal (or non personal) future events. These events aren’t always clear to people but those who have the cognitive ability to understand things and gain foresight from those things will be able to accurately predict their own future from their dreams. If an entire nation of non-believers in vision dreams were to take time to attempt this, then that countries understanding of what is possible and real would be rewritten.

I may have some of this theory wrong, but that's what makes it a "flash thought". It’s a theory around people's conception of being harmed by offensive imagery like drawn child/cub pornography. The only reason such is viewed as illegal is because it is still harming people. These people being harmed are simply those who take offense to it. This is a deep controversy in both logic and ethics to this day and I think it's time I made my own decision on the issue. So here it is.

I think it's interesting that drawn cub/child porn is considered harmful to people. It’s in my view that no one is being directly harmed by it. Someone may be offended by it, but that isn't as much of a harm as it is a discomfort (lesser form of harm/pain). In cases of discomfort or offense, it's not exactly the fault of the artist that they don't like it. It’s simply the fault of how the person being offended was raised to view things like that. It’s in that way, a form of personal, mental psychosis and decision making that is causing them to be harmed by it and not the art itself that is causing the harm. After all, a person can decide for them self weather something is not to their tastes or is. And if they are simply going by the way they are raised to think, then they aren't thinking at all and are simply falling victim to a form of literal brainwashing through enculturation.