Dominic’s Jar of Flies

Years of traveling across Asia (during the time I spent living in Seoul, South Korea) have made me appreciate many beautiful places and wonders from all across the world - and then hate the sweaty, pungent, and boisterous nature of the crowds that almost always unfortunately surround them.  It was breathtaking, and I was incredibly lucky to be able to have the experience of traveling to Cambodia and see the Angkor Wat Temple.  Out of all the trips this one by far was my favorite.  Being able to actually go in and explore inside the temple was certainly a once in a lifetime experience.  As I continue let the record show that I am very glad and appreciative I was able to travel there and see it.  But the tourism side to it all was horrible.  In his piece “Consider the Lobster” David Foster Wallace talks about the gridlock and lines and all the transactions that are made when a tourist.  This description could not be more true based on my experiences. ...

Once upon a time in the 50’s and 60’s in the South West of The United states of America, the government would test their nuclear bombs out in the deserts. The low populations in the dessert areas of Nevada, Utah, and Arizona made it a prime location for the United States Military to conduct their tests. Everyone in the region went along with it and payed no mind to the mushroom clouds that sometimes appeared in the sky - a sort of willful ignorance.  Unfortunately, this "willful ignorance" had its price on the people in the region. The radiation from all the tests spread into the population, creating adverse effects. Women in families would be a lot more likely to get cancer because of the radiation exposure. Today however, dangerous tests like that do not fly anymore.  Writers and activists like Terry Tempest Williams have contributed to these tests being stopped - with their rhetoric. Preventing any further harm to the public and generations to come.  Who knows if ...

Should I wear black pants with a red shirt today?  Or maybe the white shirt with khakis.  This decision was made everyday while I went to Seoul Foreign School in South Korea.  It did not matter if I was a boy or girl; I was wearing a combination of either black or khaki pants, with a red or white polo shirt.  I am sure Deborah Tannen could agree that this uniform seems "unmarked" for both genders.    After a while, this uniform got extremely boring.  In addition to the fact that it was wildly uncomfortable for middle and elementary schoolers to wear all day.  Recognizing that fact, the administration would often offer up “free dress days” as a way to reward and motivate the students.  A “free dress day” is exactly what it sounds like.  A day where students can wear whatever they like for that day as long as it is within a standard dress code.  So, did your class raise the most money?  Free dress day!  Standardized tes...

The Champions of the World Rubin "Hurricane" Carter could-a been the champion of the world.  Joe "The Brown Bomber" Louis was the champion of the world.  Separated by about 30 years, both of these African American boxers were greats in their times.   Joe Louis holds a more victorious story by actually having the opportunity to win the title champion of the world.  Louis was the heavyweight champion in from 1937 to 1949.  His victory was a big deal to the African American community, shown in Maya Angelou’s chapter of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings called “Champion of the World.”  Angelou writes of a scene of people packing into “the Store” to listen to the radio calling of Joe Louis’s fight for the title.  Later in the story Louis win the fight and is declared “champion of the world.”  When I read this, I was instantly reminded of Bob Dylan’s song, “Hurricane.”  This ballad is about the story African American boxer Rubin “Hurricane”...