Jacques the Vote

Last week I found myself in front of a television that was playing the local news. You may ask "Why is that so important?" Well, long story short, I don't have cable. In fact, I only get one channel, which I've never watched. You read that correctly - I don't watch much television.  Now, I have a fairly prodigious DVD collection, but I probably watch less than 10 hours a week of television at a max (including DVD's.) Most weeks I'd say that I watch around 5, tops. So, the fact that I was watching TV was a little out of the ordinary.

The program I was watching was the eleven o'clock news. Without getting on to a soap box, I will say that I abhor what the news has become. It's 17 minutes of a crime report, 4 minutes of weather, and 2 minutes of other stuff. Newspapers aren't much better either. However, this news program wasn't what really irked me that night. It was the commercials, or, more precisely, the campaign advertisements. One of the benefits of not watching TV is that you don't have to put up with these terrible ads. I believe that I can recreate those ads, in my own words, for you right now:

Ad 1:

Candidate number 1 is a terrible person. He votes the way other people do and doesn't listen to you. Also, he beats puppies (jokingly, of course.)In real life it looks something like this.




Ad 2:

Candidate number 2 has no character. He spends money without thinking and doesn't listen to you. Also, he beats kittens. (again, a joke.) In real life it looks something like this.



These sorts of ads played out during every commericial break. Eventually I just turned the TV off (I was in a public waiting room mind you.) To say I was annoyed would be putting a nice polish on the situation. I was very glad that I don't watch more TV than I do, that's for sure.

However, this doesn't mean I won't vote. If I don't vote, I don't get a voice. I may not like either candidate, or what they stand for, but if I don't vote then I don't matter. One of the biggest political challenges for my / our generation is the concept that since we don't vote, we don't care, and if we don't care, we don't matter. I call foul on that concept. We matter. We pay taxes just like the next guy. It may not be as much or as often, but we pay all the same. Therefore, we get a say. However, if we don't vote, then we can't complain.

DeMolay teaches patriotism on all levels. From times of war to times of peace, being a patriot is an important ideal for us as DeMolays. Part of being a patriot is participating in and caring about your country's electoral process. If you haven't registered to vote in this election, then you're too late, but if you have, I encourage you to go out to your polling place and vote. Not just for DeMolay, or your country, but for you, so that your voice can be heard. This election is one where single votes can matter. While it's not as flashy as a presidential election, it certainly is more important to us as Pennsylvanians. We are electing a Senator, several Congressmen, and a Governor. Now, more than ever, your vote is important. Don't just go out and vote for generic Republican A or model Democrat B! Research your candidates and vote for the one that does a better job of reflecting your views. You're not going to agree with them on everything, but the more big issues you can agree with them on, the better.

Another important point to make here is that I am not advocating a disucssion of politics in your Chapter or in your Lodge. I'm advocating a discussion of the process and it's importance. Politics has no place in the Fraternity, but patriotism in the form of democratic participation does. It's why our country gave you a choice - use it!

Jacques the vote!

Frat!~"Dad" Seth Anthony

A short one today...

Today's post is going to be a short and fairly unsubstantive one. It's been a crazy week here at Patton Campus. From some major computer glitches, to staff not feeling well, to the Flag Football Tournament, and the impending PMYF Board of Directors meeting, life has been hectic. Pile onto that the Key Cru, the Youth Minutes, and the Penn Rainbow that all need to go out (almost 4500 newsletters) and you can see the that the blog has to take a back seat until Thursday.

I do want to hit on a couple of points though.

First I am pleased to announce that Bro. Isaac Holtzer, of Westmoreland Chapter has won the Fezzy Trivia Contest for this week. The correct answer to the question of "Wilbur Chapter, formerly of the Bethlehem, PA area was once prominently featured in Life Magazine. This article went on to cause a lot of trouble for the Chapter, but, more importantly it was also responsible for helping to get DeMolay started in what foreign country?" was "Australia." However, for the second week in a row there has been only one answer to the Fezzy Trivia Question. Are the questions just too hard? Do you not care? What can I do to make it more interesting? Please let me know!

Speaking of fezzes, the Limited Edition DeMolay Fez is still on sale! We are now down to 5 left, but, more importantly, we have decided to lower the price! That's right, you can now own one of these awesome hats for only $75! That's a 25% discount from the original cost! If you want one you better be quick and head over to http://www.pademolay.org/ and get your information to me as soon as possible!

As always, if you are looking for some interesting reading I direct you over to The Art of Manliness blog which has lots of great articles about what it means to be a man in today's society.

Until Thursday - keep on Jacquesing!

Frat!~"Dad" Seth Anthony

Trivia with Fezzy: Week 3!

Each Friday I am posting a PA DeMolay Blog related trivia question. Each active DeMolay from Pennsylania (excluding Elected State Officers) who correctly posts their answer in the comments section of this blog will be placed in a drawing to receive 5 points for the Take Control! program and receive a special "Fezzy" gamer tag over on the points page! All you have to do is leave your answer in the comments section. On Monday morning I will randomly select one of the correct answers and award the person with the points. Answer every week and rack up some major points - it's that easy! Remember, the answer to the question can found right here on the PA DeMolay blog in a previous post. We've had 117 posts so far, but I guarantee you that it's on the blog somewhere!

On to the question!

Wilbur Chapter, formerly of the Bethlehem, PA area was once prominently featured in Life Magazine. This article went on to cause a lot of trouble for the Chapter, but, more importantly it was also responsible for helping to get DeMolay started in what foreign country?

Get answering!

Frat!-"Dad" Seth "Fezzy" Anthony

Hey, unplug the jar, would ya?

Westmoreland Chapter, located in Greensburg, PA, has quickly become one of the greatest adopters of the Take Control! and Unplug concepts. The interesting part of their story is that they were initially one of the more skeptical groups out there. I fielded many questions from Westmoreland on just want it meant to "Unplug." They were working with a younger generation of DeMolays (mostly under 15) and weren't quite sure that it was time to cut the proverbial apron strings just yet.

"Dad" Bruce Neubauer and I talked at length about the idea and how best to apply it in his Chapter. Slowly, but surely, the Advisory Council started taking less and less of a role in the stated meetings, but more of a role before and after them. In this way, they were able to help the guys work up their agendas and prepare for what they were going to talk about. They found that the young men were able to run efficient meetings, with less chatter, that lasted shorter than they had in the past. After the meetings the Advisors would debrief the guys on what worked and what didn't, followed by how they could improve in the future. A little constructive criticism goes a long way!

The last part of this equation was finding a way for the Advisors to become more conscious of how they were behaving in the stated meetings. They took an old concept, the money jar, and applied it to this situation. Each time an Advisor speaks at a stated meeting, without being called upon by the Master Councilor, they  have to put $1 in the jar. By the looks of the jar, there isn't much talking going on during the meetings anymore! This is a fabulous way to become more aware of what you are doing within the stated meetings. Most of the time you don't even think about how you could be effecting the situation.

Thanks to the Unplug jar the Advisors of Westmoreland are becoming more conscious of how they help their guys. This in turn has produced visible changes in how their Chapter is run, all for the positive. So, how have you been "Unplugging?" Tell us about it at webmaster@pademolay.org!

Frat!~"Dad" Seth Anthony

Taking Control of Your Career

The Take Control! campaign is based around video games. I don't know of any young guy who doesn't enjoy playing video games from time to time. Whether it be Halo, Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, or Madden, it seems every guy has played video games to some extent. Most guys also think it would really cool to be a video game designer / programmer for a job once they get out of high school. Lots of young men are looking for that quick break into the video game industry. Sadly, the reality of the industry is much different from the way most young men think about it.

I'm a huge fan of all the work that is done over at The Art of Manliness. Recently they posted a great article called So You Want My Job: Video Game Producer. It does alot to illuminate what it is like to work in the video game industry on a daily basis. Perhaps this is exactly the career path you want, or perhaps not. Either way it offers some  helpful tips on what you should do to prepare yourself if you want to make video games for a living. Check it out, you'll be glad you did!

Frat!~"Dad" Seth Anthony