The Move

Hello all.

I have decided to move my blog to WordPress. 30% of this decision comes from the app that WordPress has for the iPhone which will enable me to blog anywhere. The other 70% is that WordPress simply kills blogger when it comes to features. The templates are gorgeous, the stat tracking is amazing, etc. 

So from now on, this blog will be hosted at:

http://waynegrayson.wordpress.com

Thank you for reading and I hope to see you at the new site!

The First (Real) Job

So it's been forever since I've posted and it's one of those things that gets harder and harder to do the longer you go without doing it. I originally intended to update this site at least once a week with my general opinions on current events along with the occasional piece of prose or poetry.

But at the urging of a friend and former teacher, I have decided to take this blog in a new direction.

First off, let me say that I love what I do for a living. I am a journalist. To be more specific, I am aspiring to be what the world needs more of: a good journalist.

My friend said he thought it would be interesting to have a look on the inside of my profession from my perspective: the perspective of a young, Christian Journalist.

I happened to agree. With the economy the way it is right now, things are rough for people my age, graduating with the degree I will have in four short months.

Now, let's get up to date. In the time since I posted, I was offered a job by The Tuscaloosa News as a reporter. It was a hard decision to make. I had accepted an offer to intern at the Mobile Press-Register and I won't graduate until May. On top of that I was applying for an internship in Boston and pursuing a career in magazines. I wasn't even sure that I wanted to work in newspapers anymore. 

But when they made the offer I began to think about how tough things were going to get after graduation, how while that Mobile internship will look great on my resume, it didn't guarantee a job. These people were doing just that. 

So I quit my job at the  Alabama Alumni Magazine and am currently a full time-staff writer at the News as well as a full-time student at the University of Alabama.

And it's a good job. The people here in the newsroom are amazing and everyone at the paper is super nice and have been very friendly to this young journalist. Also, the News publishes Tuscaloosa magazine, which provides me a chance to be published in a magazine as well as in the print and online versions of the paper.

God has provided a way for me to try everything I'm interested in at one place, as well as the time to do so in. I'm extremely blessed to have a job before I graduate and a good one at that.

So, from here on out this blog will focus on my (hopefully) budding career as a writer and specifically, a journalist. However, it will still be infused with the occasional poem or prose item I write as well, since I find those to be very important to my becoming a better writer. I will also still post current events items but from a decidedly more journalistic viewpoint.

Check the next post for my first day on the job.

The Mountaintop—Obama Becomes 44th President

My President is black.

Correction. Our President is black.

At about 9:58 p.m. central time, this country began a new chapter. A better chapter and one still early enough in the story that you can be confident it ends happily.

As the images swirled across television sets nationwide, and were captured in still frames by photographers in the middle of jubilant pandemonium, this nation, in those moments, I believe, finally found itself. For the first time since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we have stood up, determined and resolute against the ugly face of injustice and said, "We have overcome."

And yet, there are those convinced that this is the worst possible thing that could have happened to us. There are those so restricted and caged in by party lines and loyalties that they are blind to the hand of God in what we are all fortunate and blessed to say we were alive to witness.

On April 3, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech in Memphis, Tennessee. On that day, Dr. King set his people on the path to freedom, arming them with faith in God and a zealousness for freedom, and for equality.

The next day he was murdered.

But during that speech, Dr. King spoke of something happening not only in Memphis but in the world around him; something that God Himself had made known to him. He said if God were to ask him in what time he would like to live, he would scan through history, glimpsing all of the proudest moments of mankind and squint into the brightness of those times and close his eyes and point to one of the darkest times.

"I would turn to the Almighty, and say, 'If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the twentieth century, I will be happy.' Now that's a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around. That's a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a away that men, in some strange way, are responding — something is happening in our world."

That something is still happening today and it claimed its proudest moment last night. And think, you saw it happen. You can tell your grandchildren where you were when it happened. And they will be jealous.

Without a doubt, this election has been the most important one in decades. That is evidenced by the record breaking voter turnout alone. But it is mainly shown by the voice of the voters who chose to support Barack Obama. You see, our time though advanced in years from that of Dr. King is much like the troubled world that took his life. And last night, people said enough. Here is Dr. King's thought on this determination:

"We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are God's children. And that we don't have to live like we are forced to live."

However, do not read this as a call to aggression. Instead when you see those who express their anger against Obama's election remember the words of Dr. King. 

"Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the salves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity."

Obama's acceptance speech last night filled me with a sincere joy and hope for our country. In it he spoke to our country as one people and invoked them to perceive themselves in the same way.

"As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection...And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too...It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America."

After his call for unity, Obama spoke to those around the world, introducing himself in the proper way a President should: open but determined.

"To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope."

Last night, as I watched Rev. Jesse Jackson clutch an American flag as tears streamed down his face, I had to wonder what was going through his mind. Though I believe the man has done a lot of hypocritical and sometimes questionable things, I cannot deny that these actions were all done for the advancement of his people and were all rooted in good. This man stood behind Dr. King in Memphis as he gave his heroic speech and the next day he knelt beside him as he died. Forty years later, his work and his pain have paid off and I have to think those tears were ones of joy mixed with sadness in wishing Dr. King could have been here to enjoy it.

But it is important to remember that Dr. King would not have coveted this night. In the final words of his speech, he makes that clear. He simply wanted to do what God would have him do. And until the final breath he drew, he did just that.

"I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

And so America, don't be worried, or angry, or afraid. God is at work in our country. And though it is yet to be seen whether Barack Obama will lead this country the way he is capable of doing, that doesn't mean  we can't pray for that very thing.

I think it is fitting to end with the image that President Obama ended on last night. He told the story of Ann Nixon Cooper, a 106-year-old black woman from Atlanta who has seen the best and worst of America in her long life. Last night could very well have made her life a full one.

"She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can."

Cheers

Note: You can read Dr. King's entire Memphis Mountaintop speech here and you can read President Obama's acceptance speech here.

The Job Fair

I had an interesting chat with Bob, a friend in Birmingham, last night.

Bob and I both love writing and photography, though Bob is light years ahead of me in the latter department. But we are in the same boat nonetheless in terms of figuring out what we want to do after we graduate. We both have a ton of things we'd like to do.

The conversation came to an end as Bob said something incredibly true.

"If you do what you love and you do it well, somebody will find you."

I couldn't agree more. While I would love to go into magazines because they allow more space to write and opportunities like photography that newspapers don't, I realize that it's not a medium you just hop into. It's competitive and takes work. Since most of my experience is with newspapers, that's the most likely route I'll take to better my writing and get into magazines.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend the Alabama Press Association Job Fair on Samford University's campus. It was a full day of interviewing with newspapers from around the state for about 15 minutes a piece. 

I was able to talk to the big three: The Birmingham News, The Mobile Press-Register and The Huntsville Times. I also spoke with some smaller papers, but to be honest, the larger ones were way more encouraging in regards to comments on my resume, and actual possibility of a job. The economy has really hurt my field, smaller papers especially. This means cutting back on jobs and hiring less people.

However, for bigger papers, things are better somewhat. The representative from Birmingham told me that they were offering a summer internship, which I told him I would gladly accept if offered. We had a good chat that ended with him saying he will be handing my resume over to the executive editor with a recommendation. Huntsville and Mobile were good conversations too and delved deeply into the online world of journalism and my skills other than writing, which is pleasantly refreshing since I love photography and design as well.

Overall things went pretty well and if nothing comes from it I got a lot of good interview experience in. I'm going to take Bob's advice and stop stressing so much. Why should I when I know that I am good at and love to do so many things like music, writing, etc. There's no reason.

They are gifts from God, not burdens, and if I perform them to the best of my ability He will provide.

Cheers.

The Time Lost

What I meant to ask was,

is it okay if you're my

secret color?

Flushed white,

with the burden of existence

this necktie pendant is 

becoming too much for me

to bear.

I'm sorry. I mean

I'm

sorry to say

I was never,

not me.

The Don't Know

A first draft for your perusal. Comments are appreciated. Think of this as an online workshop.

"Golem"

Destiny- 

that wonderful ruby- has long legs. 

Legs composed of lines that could only be rendered by that beatific pen, 

journeying ever upward 'til colliding in that efficient juncture with the trunk it so drives forth. 

Destiny, 

that elusive and hungry golem brought to life by Rabbi Loew

with incantations 

and a chicken-scratch tattoo telling only

EMET.

Stomping, fleeing, eating, chasing its creator before it is

MET

by the thumb of a Wednesday priest. 

As for this lump of clay,

more kneading and more

breath

may be required. Maybe treat it like glass—

impaled, melted, and then breathed into.

Restored.

For this is a chase that can no longer be pursued;

ethereal ephemera sucking wind along the

bloody trail left by the robust perpetual. 

You are not fast 

Enough.

The DUMBEST Thing I've Seen In a While

Here's a forwarded chain email I was forwarded earlier today. It suggests instead of the government spending $85 billion to bailout AIG, they should just uh, give it to the American people.

Subject: The Birk Economic Recovery Plan

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in
a "We Deserve it Dividend".

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000
bona fide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman
a nd child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a
We Deserve It Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free.
So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.
That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.
A husband and wife have $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?
Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.
Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college - it'll be there
Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.
Buy a new car - create jobs
Invest in the market - capital drives growth
Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks
who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company
that is cutting back. and of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribut e wealth let's really do it...instead of
trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive that is being
proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every
adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG.

·        Liquidate it.

·        Sell off its parts.

·        Let American General go back to being American General.

·        Sell off the real estate.

·        Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work."

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion
We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington
DC.

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because
$25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Kindest personal regards,

Birk

T. J. Birkenmeier, A Creative Guy & Citizen of the Republic

PS:  Feel free to pass this along to your pals as it's either good for a
laugh or a tear or a very sobering thought on how to best use $85 Billion!!

May want to even flood Congress with this message!!!

Okay. So here are my thoughts on this idiocy. The problem isn't who the money is going to but that we're printing money while we don't have the silver and gold to back it up. Every time we do something like this our dollar loses its worth and we dig ourselves even deeper into this hole. 

And anyone who wants to pin all of the fault onto AIG and these other companies, think again. People should be smart enough to read the contracts that come with their mortgages and not agree to something they can't pay back. The American people don't spend enough time educating themselves on what simple terms like interest rate or credit are.Therefore if you give a lot of money to either of these entities it's a bad move.

This is also hypocritically Republican. A Conservative obviously wrote this message saying "Dang it I'm American and I deserve $250,000 because I work hard." However, that's just like saying "I'm a disadvantaged African American living in a tough neighborhood, so I deserve welfare." We all know how much Republicans dislike welfare so I don't see how someone can be so adamantly opposed to giving money to someone else while saying they deserve the same thing while giving even less reason for it.

Bottom line, no one deserves anything but what they earn. Every time the government gives you something, you can guarantee it's not a gift and they will get it back from you and more than likely at your loss. Less government = more freedom. Americans need to wise up and realize that printing money to fight wars we can't win and bailout companies and lazy people is going to be the downfall of this country if it doesn't stop.

Oh yeah, and Mr. Birk obviously didn't check his math. 85,000,000,000 divided by 200,000,000 DOES NOT equal 425,000. It equals 425. Good luck paying your bills off with that. It is this sort of ignorance and quick decision that is tearing this country in pieces.

Cheers

P.S. Go here for more information.