21 May, 2010- Dunzo.

Friday was my final obligation as president of the Associated Students of Cuesta College.  I was the student speaker at Cuesta's 45th Commencement ceremony.  It was a nice ceremony, and our VP of Student Services Dr. Linda Fontanilla gave me one hell of an introduction.  It was pretty sweet.  Then I gave my speech.  All went well, and it was a sweet farewell to Cuesta.

After the graduation I headed straight to the coche, where I had a cold keg strapped in & waiting for its expeditious trip to the beach.  (It was pretty funny- the campus police were a little up in arms I was bringing a keg on campus, but they knew I was the pres & I explained the beer store closed before the ceremony would be over.  They asked me to cover the keg up)  I headed directly to Oceano Dunes where I met up with all the ASCC folks & we had a windy good time.

Anyway- I'm done.  And am breathing so much easier.

Kaizen: Continuous Improvement

I'm speaking at my college's commencement ceremonies on Friday, and the topic of my speech is Kaizen.  Kaizen is a Japanese industrial process for continual improvement, and the simple philosophies can really be carried into your everyday lives easily.  I found this video, that while somewhat cheesy, shows just how effective Kaizen can be.


Kaizen - FastCap Style from FastCap on Vimeo.

Hike

Went hiking with Gabbydog up Broderson a while ago.  It started raining and it was great.  After I got to the top I continued to the sandy trail down the other side.  Great thing about the sandy trail is, well- it's sandy.  If you possess kid tendencies, you see the big downhill sandy path as an opportunity to run as fast as you can.  It's incredible.  Gabby loves it too.  A description- like a bobsled, on foot.  Want to be 5 again?  Come run the sandy trail.

Once I got near the bottom, I couldn't help it...

Do Republicans resemble 1984's 'Proles' to anyone else?

I do not hate blue-collar Republicans.  I pity them, just as I pitied the Proles from George Orwell's seminal book '1984'.  What I loathe are elites who engage in misinformation and manipulation in order to maintain control over the masses, while espousing hatred and discontent toward any sort of intellectualism- and labeling it 'liberal elitism'.  It is only through maintaining an ignorant electorate that the profiteering and warmongering is able to go on.  Knowledge is for the masses, but it's been painted with a scarlet letter.  It just makes me sad.

The outcome is that our fellow humans (beautiful, vibrant people) elsewhere in the world are subjugated as the servants to capitalism, while our standards domestically are maintained with some semblance of 'freedom'.  Nobody sees the dire situations across the rest of the world, and they carry on in ignorant bliss.

Ok I'm putting a sock in it.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. -Martin Luther King Jr.

Mumford & Sons: Dustbowl Dance

I've been diggin these guys.

Bullshit Marketing Term of the Day:

'Clinically Proven' or 'Clinically Tested'

Almost done as ASCC President

Had my final ASCC Senate Meeting yesterday, where we approved a resolution to name Cuesta's Building 5400 the 'Associated Students Auditorium', as well as my final Student Community Liaison Committee meeting.  Also cleaned out my office on Wednesday, which felt incredibly good!

On to bigger & better things.

Anderson Cooper owns Birther Lt. Colonel AND his lawyer.

Immortal Technique: The 4th Branch of Government

Letter to Senator Lieberman regarding Terrorist Expatriation Act

Hello,

I heard about Senator Lieberman's proposed legislation with the Terrorist Expatriation Act.

It is absolutely unlawful for the government to make a subjective choice that would result in the stripping of citizenship from US Citizens. Citizens are a sovereign entity and NOBODY can remove their citizenship- it can only be given away by an individual.

If a citizen of the United States is CONVICTED of terrorism, it has become OUR problem. They should be subject to OUR Justice system & laws, not exported to another country where they may very well be congratulated.

The potential for abuse with legislation such as this by our government is all too real. There are too many shady deals out of sight of the public to silence people, infringe on their rights, etc. The ability of maligned government 'officials' to erroneously revoke someone's 'American-ism' is one of the most heinous & grievous potentialities I can imagine.

I strongly urge Senator Lieberman to resist the temptation to resort to tyranny out of fear. A certain Mr. Orwell was certainly & unfortunately all too prophetic when he wrote '1984' all those years ago. If Senator Lieberman hasn't read it, let me know & I will ship a copy to him immediately.

Once again, I am absolutely & utterly opposed to this bill. As a military veteran who put myself on the line for my country for six years, I cannot & will not sit by while our constitution is mangled. Personal liberty is greater than any government will ever be.

Thanks for your consideration & send my regards to Senator Lieberman.

Joshua Shepherd

US Navy (2002-2008)

President, Associated Students of Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

Disgusting