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By Francis Scott Key 1814
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
- Mood:
happy - Music:The star Spangled Banner
We have been ripping and running since we got here. I'm tired but there is absolutely no reason to stop!
This has been the best vacation I've had in a looong time. We've gone shopping, gotten massages, seen shows, been up and down the strip, and tonight we are going to club it up St. Patty's Day style in Vegas!
Pictures to come soon.
- Location:LAS VEGAS
- Mood:
giddy
as great as work is going it's pretty boring. i pretty much work and come home. i haven't went out to party in a long time......booo
i wanna go to adams morgan. whose coming with me?
- Location:my room
- Mood:
busy - Music:Daivd Cook
Those that criticize Obama with being inexperienced have yet to realized that the President does not have absolute authority. There is a Senate, a House, and a Presidential cabinet. I believe that these sections of the government was act as a balance to policies and ideas put forth by the president elect.....I mean if they haven't seen what failure to do so can lead to they need to look at the past 8 years.
I for one am excited to have a young(er) president because over the past few years I have learn that young people have a uncanny ability to recognize that change has to occur. While I do not agree with every aspect of Obama and his campaign I do realize that his campaign was based on people working together within the confines of their own FREEDOM to seek out a better America. Yes he has a moral and ethical agenda that he would like to apply to the America people but he was not out to force it on us through laws and policies. The only mar that thus election carried was that people still continue to discriminate against those that are different whether it be race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that create difference and diversity.
This election goes down in the history books of not just America but the world. The world watched and held it's breath to see if the America people would realize that not everyone has the right to vote, to chose not only who they follow but also who the allowed to lead them.
I am and have always been anti the Bush administration for one basic reason: If the man elected President could not take the time to learn how to deliver a speech with out nervousness or stuttering how could he possibly take the time to learn how to lead his country into prosperity? How could not speak his words with conviction and believe that his country would follow? I believe that the people draw from the strength of its leader in good times and bad times but what happens when the the strength is not there?
It has been a rough 8 years for those not financially able to insulate themselves. We also know that it will take time to undo all the damage that has been done. It is not possible to immediately fix everything that has gone wrong. But I have something that I didn't have 4 years ago. Hope.
I apologize for my political soap box rant but I had to get it off my chest.....I have a religious soap box rant that is brewing but that is for another day.
NO PROP 8. I refuse to believe that God rules based upon hatred, intolerance, and discrimination. That just does not make sense to me.
My mama always told me that I could grow up to be whatever I wanted to be and on November 5, 2008 I believed her.
- Location:Silver Spring
- Mood: hopeful
I have been craving sushi like no other. I've had it like 3 times in 3 days. somebody stop me!
yoyo cafe is one of the best sushi places in silver spring. their Chinese food is crap but their sushi is amazing.
the bank (bad) news is someone hacked my paypal account and stole a crap load of money from me. I've been fighting Bank of America and PayPal to get this money back but they don't make it easy. It was really easy for someone to steal money from me but it's hard as hell for me to get it back. bah! I am switching banks when I start my new job. I have had enough!
- Mood:
annoyed
- Location:work
- Mood:
thoughtful - Music:JE
so yeah, i am actually still alive but i have not the time nor the energy to update.
so here's the jist of it:
found an apartment in silver spring moving aug. 15.
still looking for a job.
the one i have now sucks the life out of me.
i'm always sleepy.
dark knight was amazing.
Mummy 3 was shit on top of shit.
boys are fucktards.
it's weird not starting classes in a few weeks.
it's weird not starting early week in a few weeks.
woah is me.....
- Location:Laplata
- Mood:
sleepy
I had 21 drinks.....i was fine until the 151..thanks Aria and Darian.
I got a tattoo....and now I want another one.
I found an apartment......now all I need is a decent job.
I learned that Conferences blows.
My little brother is a prick and annoys the fuck out of me. This is the last time I go on vacation for a week with him.
Growing up makes me die inside.
I don't like it when people question me.
Sometime I prefer being alone.
I don't always want to talk to people....silence is golden.
i'll finish this later
- Location:Georgia
- Mood: annoyed
- Music:Johnny's Entertainment
New Obsession: Johnny's Entertainment Artisits.....now I want to take a trip to japan.
Dear Job Market,
Give me what I want. Now.
No love,
Olivia.
- Location:work
- Mood: tired
The next little kid that hangs out of a window, gets stuck in a elevator, or sticks their finger in a sprinkler is going to get kick in the head.
The parents are actually being decent. I love the supervisors that I work with (and Katie). Odyssey of the Mind is a nightmare because Intelligent kids are actually the dumbest ones.
June 4....please get here soon.
- Mood: exhausted
I now am an official graduate of the university of maryland. w00t!!
work is kicking my ass....it's only thrusday and i have 35 hours for this week (that's with only working like 4 hours on memorial day).....I have a 12+ hour day tomorrow......oh dear lord.......
- Mood: tired
Olivia.
I submitted my thesis to my committee on Monday and now I'm just playing the waiting game. I hope that all goes well with this.
I randomly talked to Shaun last night. It's been a while since I talked to him. I tend to talk to him every few weeks or so. This past month I haven't really talked to anyone because of the thesis.
I graduate in 23 days and I am mildly freaking out.
- Mood:
blah - Music:NEWS- Cherish
I have to set up office hours for work next week. I have to go to an employee luncheon tomorrow...i really hope I don't have to dress nice. I'm glad I got my promotion. Now all I need is a big girl job that I like and a new apartment for the fall.
My current method of procrastination is hot Japanese boys that can sing.
I think I may not go home this weekend and instead live in the library....or maybe Dr. Brighton's office so I get work done on my thesis and studying done.
My dad and I held a civilized conversation and I managed not to swear at him. He apologized for saying that the day and time of my graduation was an inconvenience. He said that he would be there and that everything would be happy. I really don't know if I believe him. I kinda just want to punch him in the face still.
Well I have class in 10 minutes and I need to go because I skipped it on Tuesday. So this is me running to class and hopefully paying attention and learning something.
<3 OC
PS the caps made it to the playoffs and it made me unbelievably happy.
- Location:Club McKeldin
- Mood: okay
- Music:anything by Kat-tun
- Location:Ritchie Coliseum
- Mood: working
- Music:Hot 99.5
Souvenirs:
2.5 days in the hospital
Massive amounts of drugs
A new scar on my chest from the IV
Not a single homework assignment completed (including my thesis)
Lost 6 pounds in a week (due to not eating)
fuckin 'a. I managed to crawl out of bed today and find my way to the couch.
- Mood:
sick - Music:none...it's all too loud.
The one-day content strike is on for this Friday, March 21, from midnight GMT to midnight GMT.
For 24 hours, we will not post or comment to LJ. Not in our own journals, not in communities. Not publicly, privately, or under friends-lock.
This is a protest that will have long-lasting effects, showing up forever in the daily posting statistics.
This is a protest that will not harm LJ in the long run, as leaving LJ might do.
This is a protest that will demonstrate the power of community, as all users unite to support Basic users, the concept of adfree space, and our right to enjoy any interests we choose.
This is a protest that will educate the new owners that LJ is driven by user-created content.
How Can You Help?
DO post about this in your own LJ.
DO post and comment about it in appropriate communities.
DO remember that it's based on Greenwich Mean Time, which may not be your local time.
DO turn off LoudTwitter and your RSS feeds for 24 hours.
DON'T forget to get permission from community mods before making an off-topic post or comment about the strike.
DON'T be spammy with your posts or comments about the strike.
DON'T forget to turn your LoudTwitter and RSS feeds back on when the strike is over.
Appropriate Times
The 24-hour strike will begin at the following times for the following locations:
Thursday, March 20, 2:00 PM -- Honolulu
Thursday, March 20, 4:00 PM -- Anchorage
Thursday, March 20, 5:00 PM -- San Francisco; Los Angeles
Thursday, March 20, 6:00 PM -- Mexico City; Denver
Thursday, March 20, 7:00 PM -- Chicago
Thursday, March 20, 8:00 PM -- Montreal; New York
Thursday, March 20, 9:00 PM -- Buenos Aires
Midnight -- London
Friday, March 21, 1:00 AM -- Paris
Friday, March 21, 2:00 AM -- Istanbul
Friday, March 21, 3:00 AM -- Moscow
Friday, March 21, 4:00 AM -- Dubai
Friday, March 21, 5:00 AM -- Islamabad
Friday, March 21, 6:00 AM -- Bangladesh
Friday, March 21, 7:00 AM -- Bangkok
Friday, March 21, 8:00 AM -- Singapore
Friday, March 21, 9:00 AM -- Tokyo
Friday, March 21, 10:00 AM -- Brisbane
Friday, March 21, 11:00 AM -- Sydney
Friday, March 21, 12 Noon -- Suva
A more complete list of local times can be found here.
Why Are We Striking?
We are holding the Content Strike because we want to demonstrate that LiveJournal is content-driven.
We are holding the Content Strike because we want the new owners of LiveJournal to better understand the power and resolve of the LJ Community of Users.
We are holding the Content Strike because all of us, Paid, Permanent and Plus users as well as Basic, want to demonstrate our solidarity as a Community of Users. We do not consider Basic users to be freeloaders, we consider them to be valuable content-providers and Friends.
We are holding the Content Strike because we ache to do something to show our displeasure, and commenting on the </a></b></a>![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/newsinfo.gif){kind=small}
news post -- even with cat macros -- just isn't powerful enough!
The strike has four terms:
1. Restore basic accounts for new account creation.
2. Inform users before any change to the site that affects how we use the site or demands on our resources.
3. Run change proposals by the Advisory Board and take their advice into account before implementation of any change.
4. Homophobia, misogyny, and racism must not be a part of the decision making processes about appropriate content of the site, including what user interests are deemed appropriate.
NOTE: We are aware that there may be good business decisions for eliminating Basic accounts. If Basic accounts are to be eliminated, though, that action should be taken only after approval of the Advisory Board and consultation with the LJ Community of Users.
Will This Make Any Difference?
The protests are making a difference. Within the last three hours (as of 3pm March 17, '08), the censored interests have been restored!
If you look at the Popular Interests page, you will once again see the formerly filtered "fanfiction", "depression", "bisexuality" -- even "faeries". LiveJournal is once again presenting its true face to the world, not a sanitized blandness.
Please continue to spread the word about the Content Strike. We are not merely consumers. We are a Community of Users, and we will be heard.
No posts. No comments. No content.
