Meghan and I explain PPC charts in the most exciting way possible.

A few years ago I received the most wonderful gift from my Dad. My JVC camcorder. I use it all the time, it's wonderful. However, the software it came with is not. PowerDirector Express was the original software. I used that for about a year before I got my bearings with the whole movie editing thing. It worked, but it lacked a lot of the simple effects I desired. Like titles, and a black and white effect. Both of which are basic effects that video software has. The following Christmas I upgraded to PowerDirector 9. Only to find that not only did it still lack the simplistic black and white filter, but it had some serious glitches. I couldn't make DVD, a feature proudly displayed on CyberLink's website. And I have lost several movies (hours of cutting clips, adding transitions and music) to this program. I believe Meghan O'Toole can vouch for me when I say it's frustrating. She's has sat through many rants about this damn program. During the first few weeks of using this software I found all of those defects and complained to my father about them. The program had cost around sixty dollars which is an obscene amount of money to pay for something that doesn't work. I went to the internet forums to see if others were having the same problems, and they were. Someone mentioned a patch offered by CyberLink to fix the program and included a link. The only problem? It cost an additional twenty dollars. I wasn't going to pay another twenty bucks to fix something that came broken. So I powered through the angst caused by this damn video editing software until now. Now, I'm fed up.

My family just got a new computer. It's amazing and all of that. My father bought the software package offered with the computer. It came with a transfer disc to get things from our old computer, photoshop, and PowerDirector 10. A step up from my old software. Which I never actually got a hard copy of, so it's gone forever along with our  monster computer. The next version is obviously better than the one that came before it, right? Wrong. I used it for the first time last night, and after importing my video files guess what popped up on the screen. A notification saying that I needed another piece of software in order to have sound on my movie clips. I clicked on the link given to me thinking it'd be this free software. I have this habit of underestimating CyberLink's ability to screw people over because that shit software was going to cost me an additional seventy dollars. I was not in the mood to yell at my computer last night so I downloaded the trial version of PowerDirector 11. Still the same crappy software, but this one came with two whole title templates in 3-D. So it's basically word art on my movie. I had to edit a video for my sister because she wasn't able to come home for Thanksgiving this year and I wanted to say that I missed her. The titles didn't really matter. I finished editing the whole thing and uploaded it to Youtube, only to find that this trial program watermarked my video. Right above Storytime With Lincoln & McClellan it says "CyberLink PowderDirector Trial Version."

This business has not only stolen money from me, with it's accompaniment of the JVC camcorder and general simplicity, but from other people as well. They correct the problems with other products you're forced to buy if you want to be able to use the feature affected. It's frustrating, especially if you don't have the money to buy the patches. But this is how our economy works. How it's "stimulated." Americans are notoriously wasteful. It's who we are as a whole, and probably a contributing factor in why most of the world hates us. Would a person with a steady income think twice about purchasing a twenty dollar patch in order to participate a hobby they enjoy? No. Would someone whose income is currently nonexistent? Yes, and they're the ones who have to suffer because the company couldn't get it right the first time. It's completely backwards.

~Margaret

Illinois is a Democratic state. There's no denying that. The other day I realized how much that warps the minds of my peers. Kids are told one side of the argument by teachers, family members, and local media. Unless they have people in their lives rooting for the otherside. If they don't really care, which think about it, at age seven did you really care about politics? No, these children just go with what their "advisors" say, not bothering to do research on other people's view points.

If someone has one set of views promoted by their peers, their teachers, their family, everyone surrounding them, then who are they worrying about offending? No one, because they already have this completely onesided idea of "politcal correctness" in their minds.

People claim Conservatives need to be more open minded, tolerant and accepting. Acceptance works both ways. Recently, Tim Tebow had to trademark his "tebowing" image because people were using it to mock him and his faith. Some may argue that it's the equivalent to the celebration dance most athletes participate in after a great play. Those players dance to celebrate themselves and their teammates. Praying is to celebrate a Creator. Something or someone far greater than any human. Something or someone that deserves respect regardless or whether or not you believe. Quite frankly, I admire Tim Tebow for sticking up not only for himself, but for God too. When people watch others get down on one knee to pretend to pray to God, and take pictures to Instagram, sticking up for what you believe is right, is hard to do.


Comedians, televisions shows, everyday people make jokes about "tebowing" and Tebow. Like being religious is some sort of strupid trend to be ridiculed. What would happen if I mocked homosexuality? I would be verbally hanged by the administration at Fremd. There would be possible suspension and an apology I didn't mean would have to made. But everyone else can go right ahead and mock God, and Conservatives are suppose to take it. We're suppose to be tolerant. Whereas anyone with a different opinion can say whatever the hell they want.

Please, dear Liberals, tell me how that's equality.

~Margaret