Ignition Point Actually Hamlet?

So I was watching Adventure Time the other day, as I often do on lazy afternoons, and noticed the very obvious references to Hamlet throughout the episode.  Finn and Jake were traveling to the Fire Kingdom to retrieve the Fire Princess' scented candles, and as they were doing so, overheard two people plotting to kill the King.  There just so happened to be a troupe of players in the kingdom at the time, so they donned costumes and thought of a way to warn the King of the plot:  they would act out what they had heard, in the hopes that the culprits would reveal themselves and the King would be saved!  Sound familiar?  Why yes, yes it does! The premise of this episode was in fact, inspired by "The Murder of Gonzago," the play within the play.

The moral of this story?  Adventure Time is actually educational, thus by watching it, I am not actually procrastinating, but am expanding my knowledge of the universe. 

America Again?

Stephen Colbert is my one true love, and the force that fuels all of my political ravings.  This being said, I must break from my challenge and compose a response to his newest work--America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't.  As perfect as America is in every way, our country is broken, thus launching Colbert's thesis into full effect.  He uses his sharp wit to pick out America's follies, and shares his solutions with those who are willing to buy his book.  Unfortunately, mere ownership of this book bound me into a non-disclosure agreement to not share the contents of the book with anyone.  This being said, I have decided to discuss the ingenuity of the work anyway.

One of my personal favorite quotes appeared in reference to our initial growing into an agricultural power: "We've defeated the Native Americans, the Nazis, and even the metric system" - I particularly appreciate the latter.  In his 'Easy Solutions,' he suggests retracing our steps to where we last saw our thriving economy, spicing up one of our clunker states (eg. new windows and rat traps) before selling it to a Saudi Prince, limiting maternity leaves to 15 minutes, and singing the National Anthem twice before football games.  Ah Mr. Colbert, you are too funny.  I absolutely loved I Am America (And So Can You), but America Again may be even better, given how it's focused itself on the current economic situation and offers advice on what America is doing well (just about everything) and the problems with it (mainly regular people). America Again is one of those books that I almost hated to read in public, because with all the time I spent giggling and cracking up, I'm sure I looked like a moron to people around me. But it's all but impossible not to laugh on just about every page of this, from the odd footnotes to the numerous "regular" voices in the book to the gloriously insane methods to help people with things like insurance forms and resume work.

It is important to remember however, that Mr. Colbert is not being serious.  He is simply being his character, a conservative Republican who hates gays and liberals.  America Again is by far, the most entertaining work that I have read in a very long time.  There is no word to describe my excitement about Mr. Colbert and his talent as a political satirist.  I love him, is that not good enough?

Another Year, Another Rant

Being the President of a country of very diverse people is in fact, a very difficult job.  It's unfortunate that people talk badly about President Obama, when he is truly doing all that he possibly can in the conditions in which he was placed.  You do realize that there is some serious bipartisan (which, yes, can be a good thing) tension, that is preventing the President from really get big things done.  Look around, our society is money hungry and self-indulgent.  Maybe once society is able to shape up and realize that in order to accomplish something big, we need to change the way in which we think.  We cannot throw all of our own responsibilities onto one man, just because we are not emotionally mature enough to try to fix things for ourselves.  Yes, it is vital to have a strong leader to guide use through times of darkness, but guess what, we have more than a strong leader.  We have a man who is willingly to put his own needs aside, in order to guide our country toward a successful future.  In the end, it is not physically possible for one man to do something of this caliber on his own.  This being said, stop complaining about what President Obama is "doing wrong," and maybe take the time to educate yourself regarding politics and the current state of your country.

For us, the poor, there is no action, but only to wait and to witness.