The British Monarchy: Who Is to Rule?

So while searching for my photography notebook, I came across a relatively new issue of People magazine and it stated that Charles was going to renounce his title of King of England and that William and Kate were going to take over when Queen Elizabeth II steps down or passes away. I read the article with immense interest and it seemed plausible because considering the age of the Queen of England and that Prince Charles is in his mid-sixties; it seems rational that the modern generation would take over. But, then you have to think about the traditions that the monarchy upholds. Each sovereign that enters the role of King or Queen must make a vow to serve its subjects for life and turn in their reins for a normal life. That particular issue gave me chills because Charles has prepared his entire life beginning at birth to rule over the country of England and its 16 commonwealths which boasts a staggering population of over 140 million people. That's quite a responsibility!!!! Not only to mention that they have to maintain alliances with multiple countries around the world, including the United States.

But, some subjects speculate that Charles is not ready or even capable to run the British establishment and this is partially due to the fact that his marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales, broke down and that he admitted to convoluting with Camilla Parker-Bowles during the years they were married. I don't think his relationships have anything to do with running a country and nor should it be considered as a requirement or standard for a royal personnel. Even though, I personally believe that Charles and Diana should have stayed together for the sake of the monarchy and then possibly she would still be alive today. But truthfully who knows? I also personally think that Charles having the illicit affair with Camilla during his marriage to Diana was unacceptable because it shows that cheating is acceptable. The royal family, however, seemed to find it acceptable considering previous royalty have taken mistresses/ lovers in the past and also, it seemed to be the only sure fire way to keep their marriage intact. But, it also seemed to give both the Prince and Princess a great deal of sympathy towards their tumultuous marriage which was slowly deteriorating into madness and was exaggerated immensely by the press editors.

But, simply my argument or point for that matter is that there is no clear evidence that Charles is going to step down from taking the throne when the Queen leaves her post. it seems plausible but more evidence needs to be extracted and perhaps a one-on-one interview with the Prince of Wales himself would be helpful, too. To elaborate my argument even further I have attached an article from BBC News so you can make your own judgment calls on who is to rule the country and be heir to the throne.

http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2011/04/could-prince-william-become-king-instead-of-prince-charles/

Are we a danger to ourselves?

So I'm sure everyone has heard of the terrorist attacks in Nice, France. That is a tragedy beyond comprehension. I feel that mankind has themselves to blame for this atrocity because there seems to be no control over anything anymore. Has anyone noticed that since the beginning of World War one till now we have experienced epic turmoil inside the United States and around the world? The last time we had a true era of peace was when......???? Hmm I can't really think of an exact era because I don't think that there ever was one.

The attacks in France are just the beginning of a 3rd World war and I know from following history and doing my own extensive research on America's past that every country will get involved so that humanity can go back to its " semi-peaceful" ways. And I say semi- peaceful because everyone has their prejudices and their opposing opinions and no one is going to agree on every decision that others make. Do I feel we need to go to war? Not exactly. The only reason I feel America or any country should go to war is if and only if its lands are attacked and civilian lives are lost without cause. France has two distinct reasons to go to war with ISIS but it is up to its president to call that shot since I have no political power. But, I think these attacks teach us a hardcore lesson about life.

Trust is a very fragile thing and you can't just give it away willy nilly. Trust cannot be given immediately and nor can it be given to those who intend to betray it, but that is not something you can judge or prepare for because once you give the trust it is the beholders decision to do with it what they will. But, giving trust is a very dangerous risk especially when it comes to foreign affairs because once you give it you never know if it will be given back in return. You can count your blessings and sing the Hail Mary's from the Bible but only fate or allies can really save you from those choices.

Baptism under fire

So it has been said that pride is a weakness and the ambition is a sin. Well, both are very true but both are also not true and the reason for this is point of view and perception. Pride is a weakness of the soul when we look to boasting our accomplishments and looking to the future instead of being humble and looking back to where we once we're and being thankful for the trials it took to get to where we are. Never let pride blind you or over shadow the past because without the past you wouldn't have a future. Now ambition can be just as sinful as pride because if you are too ambitious it can lead you down the path of enemies and disloyalty and treachery. We are want to reach higher and obtain goals that give us the future and opportunities we desire but we tend to lose who we are as individuals when doing so. That is a problem that our society still faces and why personality tends to change with the decisions we make. The percaptions of others can also backfire if you come across with a negative, arrogant attitude. So if we show pride in our accomplishments and we are ambitious to keep going, when is it time to say enough? Or when is it time for us to realize we've lost ourselves? Here is a quote from the film Rocky Balboa, that may get you to think. "Pride is what got your ass out of here and pride is what brought you back. People like you need to be tested. There is always someone out there. Always. When you find yourself in a position where you have a force that's hitting on you, that ain't running, that ain't stopping, and ain't backing down and you are struggling and you're too damn tired to breathe. You find yourself in that situation that's good cause that's baptism under fire. Do you agree?

Ring Those Church Bells

BANG. BANG. BANG. Damn Carrie Underwood knows what women face when they are in an abusive relationship. Her new song 'Church Bells' sums it all up beautifully. Those men who give in to alcohol and substance abuse have destroy any opportunity to live in peace and harmony. A shot won't make you smarter and getting smashed won't make you any happier.

It is has been proven many, many times that alcohol is a depressant and it is a demon to all. Hence I myself do not drink because I have seen with my own eyes what it does and how it can conform an individual's mind so drastically that society can only see there ugly side. Who the hell ever invented alcohol and devised the idea that getting drunk is a specialty is out of their senses!!!!!! A little food for thought........your brain doesn't stop growing till the age of 21 but your intelligence suffers when you abuse the life your parents gave you with "luxuries", do you think that's right? You tell me.

What do you think is important?

Fair hair. Blue eyes. Sexy curves. Okay..........so all these things define women today. How is it that looks are the most important thing in a person's life? Me? I love food. I rapture in looking good but personally I'd rather feel good. I would honesty rather spend all day in sweatpants with my family consisting of my significant other and other daughter whom I love with all my heart. But looks seem to destroy how the country perceives people including our presidential candidates.

When Donald Trump started to run for president each and every citizen maybe even a few overseas started to fantasize and/ or criticize about his hair. I mean his hair might be fair and he might be a dog-on millionaire but can we please listen to his voice instead of pinpointing what is not required to run for president of the United States. I mean, really is his hair going to jump off of his head and shed hairballs when we collapse into a war? Is his hair going to sparkle when he is elected? Those this questions are rhetorical.....I'm confident the answer speaks for itself. I'm also sure that Hillary and Bernie do not have the critical appearance cracks that Trump has.

So far as Bernie and Hillary are concerned I have not heard anything concerning their appearances in the media but all I've heard is scandalous acts committed by these two candidates. But who knows if these are true? What if they are an attack on their reputation and it is designated to pierce a wound so they can never be elected or run a country? Hmmm.....some mystery...huh?    Let this be a lesson don't believe everything you hear because damn rumors are annoying.

Voices are heard and remembered

            So backing away from politics and entering a more realistic sense of the world and a very impactful one at that. What is happening in our urban schools? What are our children being subjected to? I can answer that. Bullying and a lot of it.

            I just finished watching ‘CyberBully’ from ABC Family and it is one of the most impactful films on my life. It actually relates to my life in more ways than one because the victim was aspiring to be a journalist and she wrote poetry. She was a blonde haired, blue- eyed girl who had a successful and gracious life ahead of her and she nearly lost all of it because of words. Because she had no way out. Because of one person’s arrogant and narcissistic attitude towards her and who wanted to take revenge on her average life. She also had everything a normal girl would want and she felt she couldn’t enjoy her blessings because of other’s opinions and jealousy.

I was in the same boat. I had everything at my feet and I was aspiring to be a writer as well. I wanted to be a blogger and share my past experiences with the world and inspire others so that they could overcome any obstacle they faced in life. But, I wasn’t bullied because of social media or even through social media. I was bullied from a face-to-face value. It seemed as if whatever I did as an individual was not good enough for anybody and that I needed to be somebody else to be accepted by my colleagues. But, changing for others doesn’t do anything but make you look desperate. And now, that I look back on those turbulent times I can see that I had lost my way and that I wasn’t being true to who I was. Though most do not see this bullying can lead individuals down the wrong path and make them visualize a reality that doesn’t exist. It makes the victim blindsided by what is actually in front of them and it can sometimes get so bad that they don’t see who they really are. They see what the bullies and the world want them to see and feel about themselves. It’s sickening. It’s frightening. I’ve been there. But, that’s the main reason for this posting.

I never called attention to the bullying I witnessed because I was there myself and I didn’t think my words would speak volume. But, if the media didn’t care about these issues a movie like this one wouldn’t have been made and we wouldn’t hear stories of such magnitude in newspapers or on internet news sites. I am calling attention to it now that I have some empowerment to share from my experience. Bullies are cowards who use their insecurity to criticize others. Bullies can be anywhere and they can say anything they feel necessary to bring someone down. But the victims are stronger because they have the power to end it. They have the power to speak; they have a voice. And though sometimes voices are not heard, they are remembered by actions.

So the ruling class REALLY rules????

So the ruling class has degraded our society. That is what I am absorbing from this chapter and I truly do agree. We as a society follow the ruling class because we believe in what they say. A great example of this following is: American politics and capitalism. Let’s start with capitalism.

Capitalism is supposed to be a free-market system that allows companies whether small family-owned or massive corporations to come and go as they please and provide its workers with wages. But, it has flipped into what feels like a communist regime because corporations are taking over these small- family owned shops and becoming monopolies in many different markets. 1% of Americans are exceptionally wealthy and most of this 1% if not all of this wealth is from corporations and the rest is the middle class. The middle class of America is enormous and unfortunately, most of the middle class is sinking into poverty or below the poverty line because wages are being slashed, workers are being released from their duties, and corporations are taking over complete markets. This taking over markets also includes technology. Corporations believe they have the power to control the American people and they want to be able to change the face and path of our society by any means possible even if it means disrupting our privacy and defecting crucial regulations. But, American politics aren’t much better because it gives corporations the money and the opportunity for influence over the American public.

American politics are manipulative and destructive because it thrives on influence and power. This is a main reason why our technology is lacking boundaries and why regulation is not stable or protective in anyway. On page 217 of Digital Disconnect, it states “the reason for corruption is the policy-making process” (McChesney, 217) and the policy-making process is how our country regulates technology. The American political system wants to please the American public by making the right decisions and basically positioning themselves in our good graces. But, who are the politicians really serving? Corporations or their own self- interest? The politicians want to please the American public because they want to have influence with some of the most powerful people in the country they are ruling which are none other than the managers and CEOs of massive corporations. Once an alliance is made between these powerful beings anything can change and our power as a democratic society deflates almost to extinction. This is where regulation on technology comes in because corporations regardless of the ranking in their market want to have just as much influence as the politicians do. They want to be beloved by the people but behind closed doors controlling, too. Corporations are given influence through the government and through the piece of action they receive they can control the regulation of our technology and other assets of our daily lives. In our class discussion about Capitalism and the Internet, we discussed the influence corporations and the government has on the technology our society uses. We mentioned the fact of the government tapping our phones and placing GPS devices on our phones so they could investigate federal crimes and study any suspicious activities. How is this privacy again? Also, we supposedly live in a country of privilege and freedom but how do we have freedom to explore our world or have conversations with our peers if CEOs and politicians can see everything and they can do whatever they want but deny us the illegal freedoms they practice?