1531, Tepeyac, Mexico. On Saturday, December 9, 55 year old
Juan Diego claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary. She sent him to tell
the local bishop to build a church in her name. The Bishop and his men
initially did not believe the story, but when he opened the tilma he was wearing,
a picture of Mary was mysteriously painted on it. The confusion continued when upon
further examination, it was found that the paint amazingly stayed on the top surface of
the cloth and never seeped in to the thread.

Memories from the East Corner
I REMEMBER one time in High school when I was on the bus ride home and we went by a house where a kid was running out the door to a car. It was obvious the kid was mentally challenged and he was wearing a T-shirt with a big drawing on it ( I think it was Goofy from the Mickey Mouse cartoons ). He had what looked like a movie or video game in his hand and their was a woman walking behind him who looked like an aunt or something like that. My first thought was that he was going to sleep over her house for the weekend and he looked very happy. At that moment a kid a couple seats in front of me yelled out the window to the kid in the yard. He shouted out making fun of the kid's shirt and threw an insult at him. At that moment the boy with the “Goofy” shirt stopped dead in his tracks staring back at us with the saddest look I think I have ever seen on a person's face. I will never forget how someone was so cruel to this innocent kid who didn't have a care in the world until that moment.
" Through nurturing a society in which testosterone and pride means everything, we assure a volatile atmosphere in which fights can break out at the drop of a hat."

KILLING is the ultimate offense, as the taking of another life is in foul, putrid contrast of a harmonious existence. Yet we approach the taking of another's life as a trivial pass time; something for small talk or in passing. In the past few months alone there have been instances in the U.S. where children have been killed by the passing bullets of gang wars, beaten to death, and babies thrown against walls or out car windows. There is a cycle of Karma which encompasses life; and I have seen it played out over and over again, even if it takes years. There are consequences to our actions which we can not run from, and we will all have to answer for the pain we cause.
VIOLENCE is an option we can resort to as a last resort when a person has a knife to your back, or when a baby is seconds away from being harmed. When we need to rely on methods such as war or any type of fighting, we must do so with great regret, shame, and disgust in ourselves over the fact that we couldn't find a more intelligent way to resolve the conflict. Yet we celebrate violence through television and other types of media as a trivial piece of entertainment in which the other person doesn't matter as long as it is not our friends or relatives in which the pain or aggression is targeted against. In recent years the citizens of the United States of America have made a collective and conscious decision to involve itself in a mesh of obscenely selfish behavior ranging from crime and robberies, to epic displays of disregard for human life. From mothers being shot dead by their husbands in front of their children, to babies being murdered; we have handed this problem over to the excuse that there are just “some people who are psychos”. I however do not buy in to this meaningless cliché'. Once in a great while, amidst hundreds of thousands of people, you might get one person who truly is sick and doesn't know right from wrong ( even in those situations, research has shown us that many famous criminals and killers went through extreme and horrific abuse as a children, which implies that through neglect and lack of love we can actually create these people ). However, in modern times we have seen more and more atrocious behavior which once horrified people, now becoming normal protocol which doesn't even raise an eyebrow unless you happen to be connected to the victims. Our modern way of life has created a safe haven for such crimes; as the lack of shame for involving oneself in what was once considered to be embarrassing behavior, has created a more laid back approach to making decisions which could affect other's lives or feelings. I refuse to believe that these bi-weekly occurrences of extreme abuse towards babies, children, adults, and even animals, are a result of “crazy”, “messed up”, and “psychotic people”. The reality is that the total lack of any concept for another's pain which our culture has created, is a breeding ground for quick selfish decisions. Through websites with child pornography and television shows which turn ten year olds in to sexual object, we facilitate an environment which fosters pedophiles. Through nurturing a society in which testosterone and pride means everything, we assure a volatile atmosphere in which fights can break out at the drop of a hat.
IN this current day of crime; we rely more and more on surveillance cameras. I can see having a camera in certain places such as banks or 24 hour convenience stores, but I believe having them in every corner of public life simply builds walls between people in a world where we are always suspiciously looking over our shoulders instead of working together to solve problems. What does it say about our refusal to co-exist that things are so bad we need to babysit each other? I personally find it embarrassing that we are so immersed in selfish petty crime that it has arrived at this point.
EVERY time we get a muscle pain or headache, we take a pill or medication. There are pills for everything; its as if we don't even attempt to take care of ourselves anymore, but instead we just hand it over to a pill. I seriously question how healthy it is to be taking all these medications, and I also question how often they actually work as opposed to it just being the power of suggestion. Nature provides many natural remedies, and I am a strong believer that naturally grown foods ( fruits and vegetables ) are very healthy for people. I also think that a frighteningly large portion of our country uses medication as a means to solve their problems. Life has challenges and we all go through them, and resorting to medication just to get by everyday problems which most of us are all experiencing is not the answer. Yes its true that a small amount of people have severe disorders which require help, but I do not believe there is any justification in the massive consumption of pills in recent years by the public. It is unhealthy and it is used as a crutch. We can take better care of ourselves, or we can spend all our time and money on cigarettes and pills. I also think people go running to have surgeries when they don't even need them. I remember one time when I pulled a muscle in my shoulder really bad, and before I could even figure out what was wrong, I had a guy telling me I needed surgery. Meanwhile, I didn't need surgery and I didn't even go to a doctor; I just rested it for a couple days and I was fine. I am not passing judgment on anyone or how they conduct their own business, but I just feel as if people run to the doctor looking for a pill or surgery without even considering the body's natural healing mechanisms.
EXTREMISM kills political causes and its killing the animal rights movement. Many times people see our movement as taking it too far, and ultimately I think it has actually been hurting animals and causing them more suffering at the hands of people who otherwise may have been persuaded to stop if more intelligent means and information had been applicated. We now live in the world of technology, and the Internet can be used to show millions of people first hand the images and videos of animals suffering in factory farming or cosmetic testing facilities. We are at a breaking point where the only ones in the way of this movement is ourselves. I truly believe that the animal welfare movement needs to focus all our energy on public awareness via the most disturbing images possible in order to show people the true nature of how animals end up on the plate. We can go down this effective route and educate the public, or we can continue being the focal point of jokes.