Archive for the ‘Best Of’ Category

Afghanistan – War

Soldier in Afghanistan

It’s hard to believe, that will all the coverage of The Terminator’s illegitimate child, Katie Couric leaving evening new and Newt Gingrich running for office, that there’s a war going on, but apparently there is.  The war in Afghanistan, often known as ‘The Forgotten War,’ has been going on for over a decade and troop morale is reported to be at one of its lowest points.  And who could blame them.  The troops are overseas fighting, and risking their lives, and the biggest news story is about Arnold Schwarzenegger and his illegitimate child.   It’s pathetic!

Battlestar Galactica – Can Emotions Die?

I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m a total Sci Fi nerd.  And I’ve been watching that TV show Battlestar Galactica…I won’t get into details about what the show’s about, but I’m on season 3 and the show has got me thinking about emotions.

There’s a certain spectrum of emotions that people feel and some people can and will live their entire lives without feeling certain emotions–and that’s a good thing in most cases, kinda.  A white, middle class, christian, protestant, male, etc, will most likely never know the feeling of oppression.  An African-American who grew up down south in the 1950′s, someone who’s still alive today, carries with him the memory of those emotions, the memory of what it FEELS like to be oppressed.   Like cigarette smoke on a carpet, it will always be there and you can’t wash or beat it out.  But here’s my question…

Bright Yellow Sun – Original Poem

Of my countrymen
I dreamed,
All of us looking
At each other
In different ways
Beneath white clouds,
On a tiny blue planet,
Rotating around
A bright yellow sun.

Me, my fellow Americans
And all creatures:
Laughing, crying,
Hurting? and loving?

We spin
And the rotation
Is felt
From planet to planet
And universe to universe
Nothing can stop our rotation
From being touched
By everything,
And nothing ever will

Michael Anthony is an Iraq War Veteran and is the Author of: Mass Casualties: A Young Medic’s True Story of Death, Destruction, and Dishonor in Iraq.

Veteran Wellness and The War Within – Guest Post – Part 2

The Veteran Code of Health’s fourth chapter focuses on Nutrition.  After subsisting on military rations for any extended period of time, the definition for what qualifies as food could easily get distorted.  Yet with the body turning over approximately two billion red blood cells every second, you literally are what you eat.  Thus, the following rules should be implemented when determining whether or not it should be on your plate:

–if God didn’t make it, don’t eat it.
–if you cannot pronounce an ingredient in a food, don’t eat it.
–if it hasn’t been on this earth for 5000+ years, don’t eat it.
–if it won’t keep your dog alive, don’t eat it.
–the more ingredients in a food, the worse it is for you.

Veteran Wellness and The War Within – Guest Post – Part 1

Your tour of duty is over.  You march off the airplane after the long trip home, conscious of the different looks your uniform receives.  Most are ones of appreciation.  Simple nods or even out right thanks given by strangers who try to stand a bit straighter when addressing you.  Others are thinly veiled looks of disgust, and you’re not sure if it’s you or your uniform they cannot stand.  But at least it’s some sort of acknowledgement—a sign that the past eighteen months were real.  The worst are the people who don’t even seem to see you.  Rushing past you on errands, they bark orders on cell phones while drinking mocha lattes from Starbucks.  Some sit at restaurants gorging themselves in front of the flat screens which hang on the walls.  CNN is the station.  But the diners only put their forks down when the stats from last night’s game are read by the announcer.  And as you take those first steps back into your hometown, the haughty ignorance of your sacrifices makes you hotter than the Iraqi sun.

Akashic Records – My Reading about Writing

So…the other day I came across someone who was offering to read my Akashic Record for five bucks.  I’ve heard about the Akashic Records from a few of my more mythical friends, and I decided to give it a shot.

The way this works is, a special akashic reader (a psychic) will go into the records (through deep  meditation, etc) and then will find an answer to your question.

Question:

“How do I take my writing to the next level?”

Answer:

Thank you for your order and for allowing me a glimpse into your Akashic Records. It is always an honour.

Leadership Sanity – Guest Post

“Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.” These challenging words were spoken by Winston Churchill in a BBC radio broadcast on February 9th, 1941. As one of the great leaders of modern western civilization, Churchill reminded us that leadership is comprised of a set of tools. Although the direction a leader will take people today is different than it was during World War II, the principles used to get there remain constant.

Landmark Education Forum: A Thorough Review

Anyone who’s heard of Landmark Education knows they’re an organization clouded in controversy.  There have been rumors of everything from it being the best personal development program ever, to being a cult.  I’d read all the reviews of the program and even watched a documentary about the original founder of Landmark (EST) Werner Erhard.  After it was all said and done, I was too skeptical about Landmark to do the program…then Time Magazine and BusinessWeek (within a few weeks of one another) had reviews about Landmark and what a great program it was—both articles praised it as a great program for business people.  At that point, I decided to give it a go.  I figured, best case scenario, I would go to Landmark and it would be the best personal development program ever, worst case scenario, if it was a cult, I could at least infiltrate it and write a good story about what a cult it is.

Going Raw Vegan Update

At the beginning of March, I was celebrating Spring Break and had decided to become a raw food vegan .  Well, it’s thirty days later, and I’ve decided to give up being a raw food vegan, but it was a great worthwhile experience.

Anyone who is a vegan/vegetarian knows that the no-meat lifestyle has its benefits and pitfalls.  Raw veganism is no different.  There was good and bad.

The Good: For starters, more energy.  Waking up with a cup of coffee  is nothing compared to waking up with a fresh smoothie.

How to Be a Stand up Comedian

It starts with an awkward silence.  All eyes are glued to you as you walk to the stage; the littlest misstep and you’ll never live it down.  The second that your foot hits the stage, you take a deep breath, sweat drips down your brow and your palms freeze.  Stepping up the microphone you exhale and tell yourself that you’ve been here before, that you’ve only got five minutes and you can handle it.  You look out over the audience; finally its time to ease the tension, theirs and yours.