Honor's Voice, A Tale of Self-Identity and Ethical Decisions Part 2

In the second section of Honor's Voice, Wilson writes about Lincoln at the age of Twenty-Two as he arrives in New Salem, Illinois only a boat's ride away from his hometown of Springfield. At first glance, Wilson uses Lincoln's own words to describe Lincoln's appearance: "He was, he said later, 'a strange, friendless, uneducated, penniless boy, working on a flat boat - at then dollars per month'"(Wilson 56) Lincoln had come to the town to work, returning home after several months had passed. When he came back again for work, "his unrolled pants...were several inches too short. And even on the frontier, people judged by appearances, and the impression made by the young Abraham Lincoln was hardly favorable" (Wilson 64).

Yes, this was Lincoln's appearance, but to use the old expression, 'don't judge a book by its cover' wouldn't be inappropriate in Lincoln's case; "In his dress and physical appearance he was every inch a bumpkin, a yokel, a slightly eccentric example of a recognizable type" (Wilson 65). Through Lincoln, we see this classical example. One's appearance doesn't always tell you what one will be like in character. In fact, one's appearance may be completely misleading if either by purpose, like Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, or if by nature, like in Abraham Lincoln's case. It was what Lincoln experienced the first time in New Salem that led him on a course of self-education. He had no formal education so he resorted to teaching himself through poetry, history, and philosophy. Through philosophy and skeptic religious studies "he pursued a course of intellectual inquiry that challenged some of the most deeply held beliefs of his time and place" (Wilson 85). Choosing what he wished to study, Lincoln became educated in reason which led him to adopt ideas which were "against the grain" (Wilson 85). These ideas, and therefore his education, led him to make the ethical decisions of his presidency.

Honor's Voice, A Tale of Self-Identity and Ethical Decisions Part 1

Honor's voice, written by Douglas L. Wilson, is an auto-biography about Abraham Lincoln and the transformation he went through from an early age. Many people, when they think of Abraham Lincoln, think about the success of his presidency, his brown beard, or his tall top hat, but what is more interesting is the path Lincoln traveled in becoming a great president. Wilson stresses the importance of Lincoln's early life and the struggles he went through. He says, "Lincoln's early life and the circumstances that brought about his emergence as a man of consequence constitute an important part of the Lincoln story and, it can be argued, are in need of particular attention" (Wilson 4). For much of the lengthy introduction, Wilson makes this clear. From his repeating this, it becomes apparant to us that even if a person has achieved prestige or high-standing, there being in that position is not important. What is important is the path one takes to achieve that standing. What is important is what one endures on the road to bettering oneself. In Lincoln's case, his path wasn't as easy as it would seem: "He struggled with doubts and fears who he was and what he could become" (Wilson 14).


The first glimpse we get of Lincoln as a boy shows us how he may struggled with himself. When he was wrestling with a boy named Jack Armstrong, he finally decided to end the fight saying, "Jack let's quit. I can't throw you - you can't throw me" (Wilson 47). This does not directly tell us that Lincoln struggled at all, but as the author later explains, we see the fights significance. This was the first time in his life where he had dealt with a difficult situation. In the past, he had been unable to do so. According to Wilson, "Lincoln had even more difficulties to surmount then this...periods of deep depression...and moments of suicidal depression" (Wilson 51). From this, as I have not even begun to get into the meat of the story, I assume that Lincoln went through some rough patches. He did come out of, though. No matter how difficult something is, it is important to overcome those difficulties.

How Obama Lost

In a Newsweek article author John Alter lays out a potential scenario. Alter discusses a potential scenario that would leave McCain, not Obama, with the presidency. That seems unlikely as Obama is up five to ten points in polls around the nation. With the help of the media, it seems as if Obama has already locked up the election. However, 'it ain't over 'till the fat lady sings.' As history will tell, polls don't always accurately predict future outcomes. Also, numbers usually tighten up in the week before the election. On top of that, either candidate could make a major gaffe.

Interestingly enough, Alter doesn't include any of these facts in his scenario. He instead lists a multitude of reasons as to how Obama could lose. Hypothetically speaking, this is how he lost: As well as Obama did in bringing new voters to the table, what he couldn't do was bring in the LIVs or "low-information voters, the three fifths of the electorate that show up once every four years to vote for president but mostly hate politics. " Originally, they supported him, but in the end, they ended up voting for McCain partly because of legitimate reasons and partly because of race. Just as Obama wasn't able to bring in the LIVs, he was unable to bring in the independents who overwhelmingly supported McCain. When it came to the key states, Obama wasn't able to snag them either; He couldn't grab Ohio, a battleground state, which edged towards McCain; Florida and its older population went McCain's way; Colorado went to McCain with help from Sarah Palin and her frontier image; Virginia, which has a considerable African-American population also went to McCain due to overwhelming margins in the southern half of the state and; New Hampshire, who always liked the maverick, couldn't resist him. With all of these nightmares piling up in Obama's head, one more was added. He had done so well in getting them to vote during the primaries, but they were just "too busy." Most of the reasons as to why Obama lost were because he failed to do something, but when McCain finally pounded the issue of taxes and the possibility of a terrorist attack into the minds of voters, that was what did it.

\

The result of next Tuesday's election may be surprising or it may be completely expected, but whatever the case, one should be prepared for any outcome.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/165657

The Positive Effects of Motion Blur

Its incredibly frustrating to be photographing important images only to have them turn out blurry. There's nothing more irritating then taking a photo of something cool and then realizing the photo is going to come out blurry because someone nudged you. Its equally annoying when trying to balance on one foot in order to take a cool shot when you lose your balance just as you click the camera. It would be better off if little annoyances like this which result in motion blur didn't exist.

Although motion blur is usually the result of an accident and can result in disappointing images, motion blur, if used correctly, can incredibly enhance an image. In an article titled "Move Your Camera to Create Motion Blur," the author writers about some of motion blur's positive effects. He says, "[a] purposeful camera shake can actually give an image a sense of movement, excitement and energy." Generally, while taking photos, one would want a camera to be secured to either a tripod or a monopod in order to reduce movement and blur. However, as the author emphasizes, blur can significantly add to a photo's mood. Blur can give a sense of life to an otherwise lifeless image.

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/move-your-camera-to-create-motion-blur/

A Wise Man

SNL Vice-Presidential Debate

On Thursday, October 2nd, Vice Presidential Candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin went toe-to-toe in a debate. During the debate, many important issues were discussed. Two days later, Saturday Night Live put together a skit of the two debating. Joe Biden and Sarah Palin were played by Jason Sudeikis and Tina Fey, respectively. Although, in my opinion, it was not as funny as the openers of the previous two weeks, it was good entertainment. In particular, instead of just tearing Sarah Palin apart, The SNL writers decided to poke fun at Senator Joe Biden as if they were mocking him. The writers had Sudeikis say, "I come from Scranton, Pa., as hard scrabble a place as there is. ... It's a hellhole, an absolute jerkwater of a town, you couldn't stand to spend a weekend there. It's just an awful, awful sad place." As this line was delivered it became clear that Biden spends too much time talking about the great city he came from. Sudeikis, impersonating Biden, also pointed out McCain's faults, but while doing so, he couldn't help but compliment McCain as a friend. He once talked about McCain saying, "...a raging maniac and a dear, dear friend." The writers also talked about Biden being a Washington insider. When it came to making fun of Palin, Tina Fey used the usual tricks: "Fey showed no mercy on Saturday night as she skewered Palin with her colloquialisms, gestures and northern accent." Overall, it was a pretty fun opener.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/05/snl-slices-dices-palin-biden-debate-send/

Omision, Deception, and Politics

In almost every presidential election since Jefferson v. Adams, political tactics have been used to advance one's cause in becoming president. Throughout the years, candidates have used omission and deception to get elected. Whether its an economic liberal avoiding the issue of taxes or a social conservative avoiding the issue of personal freedoms, the tactic of omission is popular...as long as the topic is never debated. It crucial that a candidate not do this because of the importance of every issue. Deception, one might say, is as dirty as it gets. When your competitor begins to falsely speak of your record, twist your words, and unfairly bring your personal affairs into the race, he/she is resorting to 'do anything, say anything politics.' It is a shame that a race can come down information that includes anything, but the most important, critical issues. Unfortunately, that's just human nature and it will never stop.

To relate those points to an article I recently read, Sarah Palin claimed, "Barack had 94 opportunities to side on the people's side and reduce taxes, and 94 times he voted to increase taxes or not support a tax reduction — 94 times." Although this is true, one must dig deeper to determine the truth of the statement. When one does dig deeper, he or she will find that about twenty percent of those ninety-four votes included tax-increases for some, but tax cuts for others. A great majority of the votes included votes on amendments that "could not have resulted by themselves in raising taxes, though many were clear statements of approval for increased taxes. Also, the total included duplications. This is an example of how politicians, be they running for president, governor, or mayor, will try to deceive the public. And by no means do these actions only occur on one side of the aisle.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/02/fact-check-94-times/#more-22199