The Top

The top is where everything looks different, it all comes into perspective. Suddenly everything that is such a big deal is so small and insignificant. The top takes many forms; it can be the peak of success or just the peak… I have reached a peak and I hope to ride this out for a while. Like sitting atop a Ferris wheel, looking out at the events below.

The Beatty Street Grocery

South Jackson is known for many things, most of them not so good things. The Beatty Street Grocery is one of the few good things that South Jackson is known for. Beatty Street is a throw back to the old general stores that used to dot the Mississippi landscapes until the Wal-Mart’s moved in. Beatty Street has been around as long as most people can remember, and it has a deli attached that can serve food that can rival most store chains. Now I need to warn you, the store does not look like much inside or out, but over all it is a jewel in the heart of a city that needs as many jewels as it can get.

Update: sadly, this jewel has closed it’s doors. 

A Tad Political

I try not to be very political on my posts but recently the government did something that was not the best course of action. They voted to give 700 BILLION dollars to the fat pigs that got our economy into this terrible mess anyway. To me it makes no logical sense to give the irresponsible people money, especially money that is going to end up coming from the pockets of people that need it. This is how economic depressions are born, when we have political leaders that are so corrupt that they give the pigs on Wall Street more money when the people that need it can barely put food on the table, it makes NO SENSE. We all thought for a little while that maybe the politicians were smart and would not pass a bill as irresponsible as that, but alas after adding some selfish sweeteners and more pork than in a BBQ resultant, they passed it. We the PEOPLE of the United States of America do not have to stand up for corrupt politicians that think that they do not have to answer to the people; we can stand up and make our voices heard!

http://votenoconfidence.orgfree.com/
http://ni4d.us/

Mississippi State Fair

The Mississippi State Fair is one of the events that people throughout the state look forward to every year in October. Held in Jackson, Mississippi at the state fairgrounds, it is full of games and food that people usually just experience once a year, I know that I personally prefer to go at least once. I have many fond memories through my childhood of trips to the fair, some of my earliest memories actually are from the fair. The fair is more than just rides and food, they have judging for the best of the best in Mississippi. From Cars to Jam and everything in between… it gets judged and awarded, it really is one of the best traditions in the state, and after all it has lasted 149 years.

Some Crazies

I work for tech support for a major corporation in their phone and Internet repair department. I hear some really crazy things, and I write some of these down… just for kicks.

“The Internet is all I have to live for right now!”
(Oh Really! Don’t worry, I don’t have a life either.)

“Honey, I don’t think there is a modem here, I think they are fucking around with my brain, excuse the language.”
(Well isn’t that special!... EVERYONE with our services has a modem!)

“That’s goofy! OH WOW, It works!”
(Oh Wow! I know what I am talking about!)

“You know, people can’t live without internet.”
(Is that why the suicide level jumps when the internet goes out?)

“I have gotten my big computer out of the pawn shop.”
(Interesting… was it next to the big guns?)

“Hello… I’m calling about my phone…. Apparently I don’t have any tones… in my phone.”
(Have some happy pills this morning?)

“We don’t have any high speed in our house today.”
(So everyone is rrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllyyyyyyyy slow?)

“I am an illiterate computer.”
(I believe you!)

“I should unscrew the cable from the outback?”
(Let’s go outback tonight!)

Cingular

Cingular has been dead and gone a while now, at least since AT&T took over. With the death of the orange Cingular logo, one of the most unique mobile phone characters in history died with it, I think that was sadder than the fact that suddenly I was with AT&T. I liked the Cingular Guy and I kinda miss him. This building is part of what was once the Jackson Light Company on Highway 80 just across from Battlefield Park in South Jackson, it is now part of the Jackson Enterprise Center home to many up and coming businesses in the area. I am not certain of the original intent of the odd shape of the roof, but it always reminds me of the Cingular Guy, and now it makes me wish that AT&T would find a way to revive him… maybe blue rather than orange. You know my very first cell phone came in a box that had him on it that said “I’m Cingular and I think you are too!” Oh how I miss the little guy… you know, I am Cingular, and I always will be.

Seasons Change

October is the month that contains the most interesting holiday in modern history, Halloween. This holiday gives people the chance to portray themselves in a manner not normally seen; they can be anyone or anything they choose. Most social conventions are thrown out the door, and the world slips into a controlled Macabre of dark fantasies from the deepest darkest corners of the mind… but just for one day, after all it is in good fun.

Cloning

Cloning is one of those subjects that I have debated in my head over and over again, and through that process I have been able to see many different sides of the issue. I personally tend to place myself among those that do not believe that cloning is necessarily a bad thing. I do know that many people will disagree with me on this, however I do understand and respect the right to their opinion and I believe that there are many moral and ethical questions that are raised with this issue that can make it wrong.

People have cloned plants for centuries, and animals have cloned themselves for just as long. The resulting offspring from these cloning may have the same genetic material as the original donor, but it is by far anything similar to the original. Genetic Makeup does not make the person; we can see that with twins, it is the personal experiences that make the person unique and different, not necessarily genetics.

I believe the real moral issues for human cloning should come from the reasons behind the person’s reason to clone. Cloning a dead loved one is all well and good, but as I stated earlier this will not bring the person back, and at the most it may serve to do nothing more than constantly remind the person of the lost loved one, or worse yet cause an unhealthy fixation with the cloned child. This unhealthy psychological aspect could cause some negative family interactions especially with how the “parents” respond to the other children who are not clones. However cloning someone you love or even yourself to create a child that is related to you for the benefit of having a child is another story all together. This I personally have no problem with, I could see many opportunities for people who for no fault of their own: illness, accident, rape, etc that are unable to conceive or have children to carry on their own genetic code, especially since their inability to have children is not due to genetics, so their “Grandchildren” would in effect be their true next generation. This is itself creates an entirely new family structure, not just on the aspect of what generation is what, but what would the structure of such a family be like… what would it be like to raise your identical twin from birth?

Many people cite religious reasons for cloning to be wring, but like all technology it is a double edged sword. God gave us the ability to grow in knowledge and experience, if he did not intend for humans to ever be able to learn to clone, then he could simply make it impossible to clone a person. (This may actually be the case since the Clonaid claims have never been proven.) I believe personally that a life is a life from the very moment of conception, and I believe that a cloned child is no different, just because the genetic material is the same does not mean that it lacks a soul, God would love it as a unique person. I believe like with all technology the ability to clone is a double edged sword and can create many issues in the future, what is to stop people from enslaving clones as secondary citizens because they were not conceived in a normal way?

My main issue with cloning is on the fact that people and other species tend to weed out genetic shortcomings over time due to selective breeding, if we become a species that reproduces asexually then we keep the same genetic material, we do not evolve and grow as a species.