CBrajkovich Ramblings

Kostas Grammatis believes that every human deserves access to the Internet. The world is unbalanced, with more people having less than most others. But what would happen if an opportunity was provided to every single human to give them access to information that would allow them to grow. Current statistics indicate that 78% of the world has electricity, but only 26.5% have access to the Internet. Think of how many bright ideas that could revolutionize the world will never see the light of day because those people never saw the spark that could have set them free. This is really sad and unacceptable. Continue reading →

I see this man on the streets and wonder and worry about him. It’s especially heart-breaking because there are so many like him, and we only notice them occasionally or shut them out completely. I wish that I could help everyone, but I know that it’s not possible and it sucks. But this old man has been around for a while, popping up on my radar at different locations near where I live. I decided to stop by and give him some food and water as the heat has been intolerable. It’s got to be miserable to be on the streets, watching people go by as they ignore you for whatever reasons.

I know that I should have asked him what he wanted to eat, but I did try to be careful on my food and drink choices so that it didn’t make him sick. After all, it’s not like he has access to readily-available health care. Especially since a lot of working people are limited in their health care options because of reasons that don’t belong in this story.

I’d like to use his name, but it kind of went by in a blur as he was happy that someone had stopped to talk to him. I can imagine that he doesn’t get much opportunity for that. I let him talk because it seemed like the best thing to do. Simply be a sounding board for someone who doesn’t have many. He told me that he had once been married, but got a divorce years ago from a woman who didn’t have the same ideas as him. He has a son who he hasn’t seen in over 10 years, as the divorce wasn’t amicable. He’s heart-broken for the repeated hardships that he’s endured. He said that it’s especially been hard for him over the past year and a half. He even talked about his delicate health which has landed him in the hospital for treatment, because our fire department and ambulance services were kind enough to take him in without any comments about his life. I thought that this was at least some kind of blessing that there were people who kept their eyes on him. Continue reading →

Today, we all heard the shocking news. Well, not so much shocking as it is heart-breaking. One of the greatest innovators out there, Steve Jobs, is stepping down from his long-time reign as the leader of Apple. We’ve all been a part of his inspirational travels that helped to create this world that we all live in. His genius put the Mac computer into so many hands, and allowed creativity to run free. And then he repeated this miracle with new creations that keep revolutionizing the way we live. Thanks for all of your hard work and love. The world is never going to be the same without you in the lead. And we all hope that your days are filled with much more inspiration and comfort. Stay strong, as you always do. You’ve been an inspiration for so long, and deserve the rest.

I have to say that Joe Mulvey’s blog, DisCiPLinEd IrrEveREncE (still hard to type), is a really interesting read that shows how difficult overcoming a stereotype can be. The premise behind his series, It’s time to find out what you REALLY know about comics, is his attempt at opening up the readership of the comics genre. Considering that we all grew up with comics, it wouldn’t seem like such a hard task. But also considering that once we reach adulthood, we are shackled by preconceptions that skew our observations, it’s not an easy task at all.

I’m only part of the way through his interviews, and I actually cringed at a few of the types of people that he interviewed. I guess that since I consider myself to be fairly open-minded (at least I try to be), I never expected that people would be quite so close-minded about a genre that many people simply find to be immature. Although I have to say that all things considered lately, I’m not a big fan of maturity anymore. No, I’m not saying that being a juvenile is the way to go, but that a child’s ability to see past the surface into the imagination is something that we should never lose. That wonder is what’s necessary to create and inspire. Continue reading →