It's Been a While.

There's no business like work business I guess. I'm not quite certain what happened to this week. Between work, writing, and graduate school stuff (and some minor social events) I have been busy non-stop, that all I have time for is to merely relax. God knows how I am going to manage when graduate school actually begins. A week in review really quick? Nah. Read the newspapers, and watch the news for that; it's actually getting so depressing to read about how non-functional governments are, how you're own government is spying on you, and how the whole bloody world is slowly tearing itself apart. I would prefer joyful and positive news, and its no wonder that people are flocking more and more to entertainment; the world is getting darker. I finished watching The Bible series today from the History Channel. Well, Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe did an excellent job with the music. The visuals most of the time looked great; from the Jewish temple, to creation, to the parting of the Red Sea I was impressed, although at times some of their sets had much to be desired. Their scripts for the most part sucked, as did a good portion of their acting talent, but I think the fault was more in the writers and the directors than the acting talent. I could spend a long time on how inaccurately the creators portrayed the events in the Biblical texts, but sufficed to say that they did remain true to the "spirit" of what is recorded within the Bible if not the details and precise facts. In the end, the idea was really great and the visuals also rather good, but it really fell kind of flat; I don't see it really standing the test of time whatsoever. It will be a nice television anecdote that will pop on every now and then around religious holidays, but I don't think anything more. I have a few ideas about taking the recorded facts in the Bible and crafting something powerful, enticing, good, and of course most importantly of all...well done, which is something more Christian driven productions tend to lack more often than not. I also just finished watching this documentary about the history of Arabia, and the two golden ages of Islam. I don't know how many of you have studied Arabic culture and history, but it one of the most interesting and fascinating, much like Chinese and Korean history are to me as well. An interesting note I learned was where frankincense came from, and how it got shipped to the Roman Empire and throughout. Apparently it comes from a tree, and was transported from (geographically) the bottom of Saudi Arabia to the Mediterranean Sea. Since the Romans worshiped so many gods, a great deal of frankincense was required, but after the Roman Empire converted to Christianity there wasn't as much demand for the precious commodity, and thus came the end to the first Islamic Golden Age. As I mentioned above, I have been busy writing, which translated means that I have been editing Book II, which is coming along, but very slowly. It's a much larger book than the first one was, meaning more chapters, more things going on, and therefore more work to look over. I would like to get it over quickly, but I don't want to rush the process and make mistakes. I would like the need for this book to only get a second edition because the first one sold out, not because it needs help. I hate to close on a sad note, but I heard a couple days ago that the numbers of deaths in Syria has risen to approximately 100,000. Yet the response from President Obama and his cabinet remains tepid and unenthusiastic, and there has yet to be an outcry from the American people concerning this reaction, and to what is happening over there in Syria. Perhaps I am hoping for something that isn't there. I spoke to someone a few weeks ago that stated he spent an average of about 6 hours a day on his smartphone. First comes complacency, then comes laziness followed by willful ignorance, next comes decadence, after which comes decline, lastly comes implosion. How long each phase lasts, I'm not sure, but it remains a fairly concrete historical cycle of every great empire, kingdom or government. Perhaps it would be best if the American people focused more on what matters, than merely themselves. There you have my soap box for the night. Good night everyone, and good luck.
The Bible "Abraham Sacrifices Isaiah"
Interview with Diogo Morgado (played Jesus)
Frozen Trailer (this preview made me laugh so hard, and yes it is from Disney)