Oh Blogs, How Art Thou?

Our topics this year have been interesting but I was not excited about writing a good portion of them. I know no one looks forward to homework, but homework should at least be entertaining sometimes. A lot of the given topics needed a lot of thought to write 300 words while others did not seem at all interesting. I enjoyed writing about the opinions on online newspaper sites. We could choose an article or an opinion of an article that we actually liked and wanted to write about. I also liked the days where we could write about anything we wanted. That opened the floor a whole lot more than the Friday assignments even though we somewhat had free reign on those days as well. Overall, I wish we had more fun topics. Maybe analyze videos or news stories that would make a person laugh. A good topic may be to write about the funniest thing you have ever said or done. People would enjoy writing about that. It is as subject that requires little thought but people may look forward to writing it instead of putting it off until the last minute. Another possible topic is if you could be any animal other than a human what would you be and why? This topic requires more thought than the first one but it is also very interesting. I guess students would like more articles or blog topics that they could relate to. Knowing the news is important but it gets boring when it has nothing to do with you and/or it is constantly thrown in your face. An article about illegal downloading or addiction to the internet would be more relatable to our age group. Some topics can need critical thinking but still be interesting if it relates to our generation. Maybe a topic like how has Hip-Hop/Rap changed since it first began? Is the change positive or negative? Sprinkle in a few boring topics so students do no start to think they are getting the easy stuff. I hope these suggestions help you out next semester.

Where Oh Where

The world is an interesting place. It is hard to pick just one place that one would love to live, especially if you take this question seriously. Most people base their ideas of the perfect place to live on weather and beauty. They forget to add on the resourcefulness of an area. If I could live anywhere on earth, I would probably live in Milan. Milan offers a big city feel with Italian tradition. It is the largest city in Italy and the fifth largest in the European Union. It is also considered a fashion capital. If you like clothes, then this is a place to start. Industry is also fairly big in Milan. This means job opportunities should be available. The city is a little pricey but if I can manage to pay a little more, I would be living a much more seemingly luxurious lifestyle. Monuments from previous time periods like the Duomo will surround me. I have always been a fan of Italian cooking, so eating will be of no problem to me. The only thing I may have trouble with is the snow being that Milan is located at the foot of the Alps. I have never been a big fan of cold weather but I could deal with it if I was living in Milan. A plus side for the weather, however, are the warm Italian springs and summers. The heat is not unbearable like it can be during the spring and summer months in Atlanta, but they are not cool either. Living in Italy would also give me easy access to everything Europe has to offer. Since Milan is in northern Italy. I would be close to France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. If I headed south, I could just take a boat into Africa. If I lived in Italy, I would not have to worry much about currency conversion rates if I were to travel across most of Western Europe because of the Euro. Life in Milan would be filled with excitement and challenges but I would probably end up loving every moment of it.

Barking Hound Village

It is a warm afternoon. Roughly 2 o'clock. The sun's rays play games with my skin. I try to find shade, but I have little luck. There is a small amount of shade near a fence but it is not enough to cover me, but since it is all I can get, I place my chair there any way. About twenty dogs run around me. Their barking is constant. This is an average day at my job at Barking Hound Village. I sit there thinking to myself looking at the Atlanta skyline that surrounds me. There is not much else to do that does not involve me overheating. The dogs play. I hear the splashing sounds they make as they wrestle in the pool. Some of them seem oblivious to the heat as they run around playing their own version of tag. One dog sticks his butt in the air as if to say come and get me. The chase is on. Pebbles go flying and other dogs start barking like the instigators of an upcoming fight. The dogs that seem to be in my same position with the sun find their own shadows to hide in in various spaces of the yard. Some are curled around the legs of my chair and others are trying to claim my lap as their own. More splashing in the background as one dog tries his hardest to get to the water that the others seem to be wrestling in. Another dog tries to claim the other pool running any and every dog that comes near away. When the dog is done protecting its domain, it plops in the water satisfied with its own splash as the water falls back on its body. A man and his dog walk by. Another distraction. The dogs, hot and cold, create a chorus at the passerby. The dogs that are still inside add their own lyrics wishing they were here. I pay them no mind in my little sliver of shade. Once the dog and its male counterpart are gone, the dogs go back to their original activities. The dog is back claiming its own pool, the water wrestling match continues, the dogs who want nothing to do with the heat emanating from the sun go back to their shade, and a new dog tries to take its place in my lap. I love it.

Say it Like You Mean It

The phrase, "I'm sorry," is just as overused as the phrase, "I love you." People just throw it out there without realizing they need detailed support for saying these things. If you do not mean it, then what is the point of saying it? Just like saying, "I love you," saying, "I am sorry," means absolutely nothing if the person who is saying it is not really sorry. The person supposedly accepting this apology can normally tell if the person is sincere or not, just as if someone was to tell them that they loved them. Sometimes truth and deceit are easy to detect. I recently read an article title "Sandy Springs: The lost art of the humble apology," by Jim Osterman from the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Like any other journalist these days, his story focuses on Tiger Woods and his apology. Osterman feels like Woods' apology is not sincere. He writes about how a meaningful apology would be a heartfelt, "I'm sorry," followed by a handshake or the deepest look of regret. Nowadays, people just say a simple, "My bad," and move on with their lives. Osterman seems to think that apologies today do not have the same message as they once did. There was a time where someone could tell you they were sorry and truly meant it. The person receiving the apology would know that that person who was giving the apology was never going to do whatever they did again. That concept is not was is behind today's apologies. They are no longer believable. If someone says they are sorry, it is hard to trust them again. People need that same assurance they may have had in the past. Osterman believes that Tiger Woods' apology is not "inclusive" enough. He wants Woods to apologize to the faithful husbands because his actions may have put doubts in the minds of their own wives. Apologies should be encouraged but their should be no major reward if one does apologize. Apologies are expected. One cannot be rewarded for something that is expected by society. According to Osterman, Woods wants a reward that Osterman is unwilling to give. In the end, remember, say it like you mean it.

Don't Make the 'Shine if You Can't do the Time

I guess making moonshine puts a lot on a person, with making sure you do not get caught, avoid the police, making up a cover story, and all the other complicated operations for having an illegal prospering moonshine business. According to the article, "Moonshiner 'Popcorn' Sutton may have committed suicide," making moonshine might have beat him down a little bit. Instead of serving two eighteen month long prison sentences, he may have committed suicide. Was he tired of playing cat and mouse and hide and seek with the law or is he so loyal to his moonshine that he does not want anyone to know the specifics of his lifestyle? Unfortunately, the police are unsure of how he died. They are thinking suicide, but that and other causes have yet to be completely ruled out. Popcorn was a big man in Tennessee. People knew who he was and respected him even if the law was set out to destroy him. According to the comments on the article, people said good things about him. Out of the comments I read, none of them were threatening or disrespectful like comments most people find on articles about criminals. There was no, "I'm glad he is dead," or, "The world is better off," kind of tone to the comments. They were generous and sincere. Popcorn may have been doing something illegal, but somehow he managed to remain a good person in the eyes of those who had no reason to lock him away. Despite his occupation, people were still interested in him. He even had an autobiography written that had not yet been published. Hopefully more news will be put out about his death. Some insight of his life would also be helpful in determining why he may have committed suicide if he did. Even after his death, Popcorn will continue to be cherished in Tennessee.

The Goose Who Lays the Golden Egg

In current times, having sex is no longer the only way to conceive a baby. Thanks to modern science, women can either use their own eggs or someone else's. A real relationship with the baby's father is no longer necessary. If problems occur in a real relationship, like the woman cannot make a baby from her own eggs, she and her partner can always find someone else's. People can also be extremely picky when it comes to where the eggs come from. According to a blog titled "Eggonomics 101" written by William Saletan from Slate, women with higher SAT scores get more money when they sell their eggs. Is intelligence actually in the genetic code? I always thought intelligence depended on the person and what they learn from their surroundings. It is not a hard thing to understand that people what smarter children. Everyone always wants the good stuff no matter what it is, a car, a house, clothes, a new baby. If the eggs' original "mother" is smart, I guess the eggs themselves will be, too. Before reading this article, I thought people who were interested in this process only could choose physical traits, like hair and eye color. Now, it is possible to choose mental attributes as well as long as the genetic lottery works out in their favor. This woman has brown hair and brown eyes and a SAT score of 2350. The eggs go to the highest bidder. Aaron Levine, a professor at Georgia Tech, started to analyze the popularity of smarter eggs. He found that 63 out of more than 100 ads for egg donations had a required minimum SAT score. Ads that offered over $10,000 had appearance and ethnicity requirements. One ad stated that a woman would get a little over $3,000 more for every 100 points she was over the SAT requirement. Nobody wants a rotten egg.

How Important is Your Child?

Most of the time, people see video games as innocent fun, but what happens when the time used to play a video game takes away from the actual time parents could be spending with their own children? I guess two Korean parents thought their virtual baby was a little more important than the real one they would abandon at home on a regular basis. According to a blog post titled "Game over: Baby starves to death while parents play online" written by William Saletan from Slate, a man and a woman from South Korea met online. After the relationship got serious, a real baby came into the world. Unfortunately, the baby girl, who they had not even given a name, was premature and not worthy of their love. Instead of raising their own nameless daughter, they decided to raise a virtual baby on a website called Prius Online, a 3D community where people can find friends, a new job, or have a new baby. Virtual life became more important than reality. The virtual baby was important enough to have a name, Anima. People constantly become addicted to online worlds because they either do not want to face reality or they just cannot pull themselves away from their computer screens. Two of these addicts were the parents of this baby girl. Every day they would leave their baby for extended periods of time in order to take care of Anima in their local Internet cafe. They would return home and feed their own baby powdered milk and then go back into "virtuality." One day they left their baby girl for twelve hours. When they returned, she was dead. According to the autopsy, the little girl died of malnutrition and dehydration. No child should be abandoned like that. Computers and any type of technology are normally fun but in moderate amounts. Nothing should exceed the importance of your own flesh and blood. The baby girl is not the only incident. Two Korean men died from exhaustion and another, sick of his mother nagging him for being in an online world too much, decided to kill her. There is an unseen war going on between the worlds of reality and "virtuality." If I were you, I would take Saletan's advice: "The dead baby is just another casualty of this war between the worlds-- a war increasingly dominated by the world in which you're reading this. So get the hell out of here. Go kiss your spouse, hug your kids, or walk down the hall and say hello to your colleagues. There's a beautiful world out there. Live in it."

Making Money Any Means Necessary

Everyone likes to make money, whether it is an individual, corporation, or the government. Many times, people like to take the easy road either by exploiting others or doing little work and getting a big paycheck. That is the mentality of bondsmen but are they really getting that big paycheck they desire if their potential clients have no way of repaying that bond? Bonds on prisoners are set too high leading to the overcrowded jail problem. People and the government always complain about how much it is to keep a prisoner alive but they never think about why the prisoner is still in jail, especially if they are in jail for something minor, like driving without car insurance or a license. That tax payer money could be saved if bonds were lowered to the point where people in or facing jail time could actually afford to pay a bondsmen. How are bondsmen staying in business without clients jumping into their laps? Well, they are making money some how. If inmates cannot afford their bail and people and the government keep complaining about the costs to house and feed a prisoner, then the correctional system is a little backwards when it comes to commerce. According to the article, a man by the name Leslie Chew was arrested for stealing some blankets because he was getting cold sleeping in his old pick up wagon. His bail was $3500. He said that amount was like a million dollars to him. $3500 is a lot of money to anybody unless one just has money to spend. Most people do not have that much money just sitting around, even for emergency purposes. People with less money often face more consequences for their crimes. Even the down payments to the bondsmen are not really cheap if one is already struggling. To a middle class American, a down payment of $150 is not much. That is less than a down payment on a new car. I almost pay that monthly for car insurance, but that same amount seems like a whole lot more to those who cannot afford to pay for pretty much anything, like the $30 blankets Chew tried to steal. Many others are like Chew. Their consequences for their crimes are hitting them hard. Unfortunately, it seems like the rich always come up on top no matter what the case is.

Dinner Time Suicide

When most families sit down for dinner, the average question is, "How was your day?" The family then goes on about their daily activities, their favorites, and the most disliked parts of the day. Everyone is feeding off of someone else's story. Usually, dinner conversations are happy, but but for those without companionship, Stouffers has decided to add another form of food for thought to the dinner table: suicide. When I think of Stouffers, I think of the quick meals and the cheesy commercials with sayings like, "Family time anytime," and, "Eating together is better for the whole family." Suicide or anything relating to death has never crossed my mind. Maybe the boss at work is a little too much for Timmy to handle emotionally or maybe Ellen just cannot take eating another meal by herself. Being lonely is saddening but is it really worth killing yourself? One can be friends with anyone and everyone on the internet if necessary. The people on the video comment about the tips. Though one should not laugh at their despair, one might not be able to help it. One lady says something like the tips are in small print and you have to turn the light on to see them, but it is better than eating in the dark. First of all, who eats in the dark? Second of all, if someone is already depressed from eating by themselves, doesn't the darkness increase depressive feelings? I have no signs of depression, but I know I feel a little gloomy when it is dark and gray outside. Stouffers also has videos of people eating their meals on their website so people can simulate eating with other people. There are also therapy sessions in the frozen food aisles of grocery stores. According to the video, these tips and support forms are helping people. All I can say is if you really are that lonely that your dinner needs to tell you not to kill yourself then you seriously need a hug. Please find some random friends on Facebook or get a puppy. Dogs love you no matter what as long as you feed them and rub their tummies. As for Stouffers, I guess they don't want their lonely customers choking on their dinners on purpose.

Thank You, Obama

According to an article titled Obama: Loan changes make college more affordable written by Philip Elliot from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Obama is trying to decrease the financial burden of going to college. The title alone sounds good to me because, personally, student loans are already putting me into a hole. I am pretty sure a lot of other students are in a similar position. For some reason, colleges and universities seem to think that all students have an endless supply of money somewhere. Students will be in debt before they actually find a career to help pay for their college expenses. According to the article, Obama is trying to make student loans more affordable and more manageable after graduation. President Obama's expectations for the new education bill include: more student lending, caps on those repayments, and more money for minority colleges and universities. Obama is suppose to sign this new bill into law on Tuesday. Hopefully, these new changes will be reflected in the 2010-2011 Student Aid Report from FAFSA. My existence on the Georgia State University campus is actually riding on how Georgia State processes my Student Aid Report. If another school, say Loyola University Chicago, gives me more money than Georgia State, then I will have to say my farewells to Atlanta. I cannot take another year of being dependent on student loans. Along with helping students, President Obama also says, "This reform of the federal student loan programs will save taxpayers $68 billion over the next decade." This reform sounds like a win for everyone. According to the new law, banks will no longer get fees for acting as the middlemen and Pell Grants will increase. Unfortunately, most aspects of this new law will not kick in until 2014. I will hopefully be on to Graduate school by then, but anything helps. College is suppose to help you get more out of the world, but you can't do that when you spend the rest of your adult life paying for student loans. At least Obama, understands the financial troubles that students face and is making an attempt to do something about it.

The Hours..More Like the Hours I Spent Reading It

I am not much of a book reader, but when I do read, I expect the book to grab and hold my attention. Unfortunately, The Hours by Michael Cunningham does not do either. Since it was for class, I was somewhat forced to read it. There was no putting it down when a grade depended on it. The story is about three women from different time periods whose stories begin to link up towards the end. All three women face different but similar life crisis problems. The women faced death, thoughts of suicide, and had trouble dealing with the lives they lived. It sounds like it should be a little interesting, but that is far from the truth. Most of the students in my class shared my opinion. We felt like the story was just about problems. No solutions other than suicide were ever brought to the table. The plot was basically about three emotional women who did not know how to deal with whatever problems or situations they faced in their lives. According to other ratings and the fact that it one the Pulitzer Prize, maybe this book just isn't made for the younger crowd. Maybe it's just me and my fellow peers who don't appreciate Cunningham's work. I never looked forward to reading The Hours. It was one of those assignments that I really could not wait to finish. I don't really look forward to doing most of my homework like most students, but this book was never high on my to do list. After we had finished reading the book, we watched the movie. It had good a cast with Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and Julianne Moore, but even they were not able to liven up this book. The movie worsened our opinions. The same depressing picture is painted whether it be in writing or in film. If you like reading about middle aged women and their problems, than this might be the book for you. If you like excitement, I highly suggest you stay far from The Hours. Please don't waste your own hours on this read.

Quote of the Week

If you have ever watched The Rugrats on Nickelodeon, you might remember one of Tommy Pickles' main phrases. "A baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do." Even though I am no longer an infant, this quote is my motivation of the week if you just substitute a few words, like baby for college student. This week is probably the most busiest week I have had in my college career. The work I have to do now is probably nothing compared to the amounts of work I have to face in the future. Right now, I have so much work that is due around the same time and me being overwhelmed has nothing to do with procrastination. I have always managed my time well but now it seems like there are not enough hours in the day to get school work done and still manage to eat, sleep, and shower on a daily basis. I guess it is time to make some sacrifices. Maybe no complete meals or a full 8 hours of sleep. I will not be happy but at least my work will be done. I can then rest easier knowing that my academic duties are completed. I will go over what I have to do so you can understand my situation a little better. I have about twenty workbook activities and a quiz tomorrow in my Italian class, a speech outline due for my Human Communication class, a rough draft, which I have already completed, and a movie analysis due in my English class on Wednesday, and about five different activities for Human Communication due Sunday. At least I am getting the blog done now. Reading over it, my workload does not seem too bad, but when it comes to actually doing it, oh, how it's a task. Yesterday, I was in the library from 1pm to 6pm. I'm in the library now writing this and I've been here since about 1pm as well, with only two things completed on my checklist. My brain cannot wait until this week is over. Once again, "A baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do." We all wish we can return to infanthood because there is nothing like having other people do everything for you. How I wish I could say that about my homework.

Banning Police Pursuits in Australia? Should that Be an Option?

I found an article titled New South Wales police commissioner Andrew Scipione rules out ban on car pursuits despite Canberra deaths in The Australian. After a deadly accident, officials thought of banning car pursuits, but should that really be an option? Car thieves might see this as an opportunity. There is smaller chance of being caught if the cops cannot go after them. One would think that banning car pursuits would actually make roads more dangerous, but it is hard to come up with a plan where the good guy always wins. According to the article, police pursuits have decreased but police do not want the community or potential criminals to think that the police are not doing their jobs. The thought of ending police pursuits might make potential criminals think they can avoid being arrested by going a little over the speed limit. Even though the idea of banning police pursuits has good intentions, the idea is also unrealistic. It is a good thing that Scipione ruled out the ban. The roads do not need to become more dangerous because people start believing they can get away with anything if they can out speed a cop. There are not many options to stop car theft and any other crimes related to police pursuits but a complete ban is definitely not the way to go. After reading this article, it was my first time hearing about these bans. I know criminals trying to run from cops exists in the United States, too. That is where television shows like Cops and America's Most Wanted get their stars, but could such a ban exist in the United States? If police were not allowed to chase after criminals, the crime rate would most likely go up because more and more of the criminal minded would start to think they have an easy way out. Criminals should never have the joy of thinking such a thing.

YOU'LL HAVE TO EXCUSE MY SERVANT, SHE WAS TRAGICALLY BORN WITHOUT EYELIDS.

First of all, it took me a while to find someone's blog that actually worked for me. The links of many people kept bringing me to blogs that they followed rather than their own blogs. When I landed on DJ Brown's blog, it was the first one to work for me so I ran with it. His blogs are short, simple, and to the point. He does not spend much time on analysis or going into huge detail about a subject. The post I read from his blog was the one about the "invisible people." He chose to write about Michael. What I liked about this post was that he tried to understand where Michael was coming from by putting himself in Michael's shoes. He tried to relate to him by speaking about his own experiences. According to his blog, it seems like he has had some experience with going short periods of time without a place to go. His own experience made this topic a little easier to write about because he and Michael may share the same view points. I could tell that he put a lot of emotion into writing this post because it was something he had dealt with before. He breaks down why homeless people are seen as invisible and why they are not invisible. His posts are not really long enough to give a greatly detailed critique but they get the job done. Even though his blog posts are simplistic, the title sticks out. The title is a statement that most probably would not associate with an English class or anything school related. The title catches your eye. Besides the title and the emotion he seems to put in his writings, his blog is not all that interesting. The simplicity of it does not give the reader much to go on.

Where Is the Love?

Well, it is definitely not in Berkley, California. No matter where poor Sandy goes, she just cannot get a break. Even the church will not help her out. One would think that a church should be the most helpful when it comes to people in similar situations. After being charged with trespassing for sleeping in a church, Sandy really has no one else to turn to. Sandy is also forced to sleep on the sidewalk because it is illegal to sleep in your car. Why is sleeping in one's car such a bad thing? That person is not bothering anyone. Plus, one would think seeing someone sleep on the sidewalk is worse than someone sleeping in a car. It is a shame that most people only care about themselves. People who have something in life tend to look down own those who have nothing. They see these struggling people as lesser than themselves, but who really is the least humane? If a person claims they have any type of humility, then they should feel like they need to help out some type of cause. Those who claim they are humble but do nothing should really be the ones that are looked down upon. One truly experiences the real world when they are homeless. According to these videos, it seems that many homeless people can go on to do great things if someone just gives them the opportunity. Unfortunately, the world turns their backs on these people. Some people even think that people are homeless because it was their choice to be or they blame the homeless person for making a wrong decision in their lives. What happens when they have done all they can to get a better life and nothing comes out of it? Who is to blame then? What if the situation was reversed? Sandy has it especially hard since she is an older woman. Dangerous people see older women as easier targets, therefore, they are preyed on more at night. The shelters are full and Sandy does not qualify for any type of government income. If the world only meant it when it said all men and women are created equal, the world would most likely be a much better place. More needs to be done for those in need. Who are you to judge if you do nothing?

Don't Take This Guy to the Movies

On Fridays, I normally try to find a serious article, but this one caught my eye. According to Rosecrans Baldwin, the only thing worse than a bad movie itself is the popcorn that people normally get with it. In his article Popcorn: Cinema's Worst Enemy in Slate Magazine, he writes about how much he despises popcorn. Is this article really news worthy? Probably not but it still gives the reader a few laughs. He even goes as far as saying that popcorn is worse than catfish and chitterlings. He is probably the only person I have heard of that hates popcorn with a passion. The fact that he hates popcorn so much is funny but the way he describes this so-called awful snack is even more hilarious. He writes, "People say popcorn is delicious, low-calorie, and fun to chew—no, I'm joking. Anyone who would defend popcorn would also, I'm sure, sell his children for spare parts. I'm routinely surprised to see people eating popcorn—those slimy Styrofoam berries, those dehydrated sea sponges. And it's never dainty picking, the consumption of popcorn. It's gorging. It's glutton-eering. It's the cramming of greasy, tasteless florets in Natural Flavoring down the esophagus is what it is." This man has absolutely no soft spot for the snack that is common for any movie watcher. He even says that popcorn is worse than cell phones and cigarettes. According to his article, cigarettes made be bad but at least, "smoking is silent." I guess he really cannot stand the sound of people smacking and munching next to him in a movie theater. My favorite quote of all was, "I'm just a lone voice, crying in a field of exploding cobs," describing himself as one of the few that hates popcorn. Despite his paragraphs about his hatred of popcorn, he starts writing about how much his friend hates Belgium, which obviously has nothing to do with popcorn. After writing about Belgium, he returns to his popcorn story and writes about his quest to accept the snack. After his attempts of trying store bought popcorn, he returns to his original conclusion that popcorn is the devil. His advice: nachos. After reading the entire article, I noticed the only real thing worth mentioning in the article was the Academy Awards, which he brought up twice. This was a humorous article on a pointless subject. Maybe I'll go make some popcorn.

First College Spring Break..Is it Like What is on TV?

So far, it isn't. Don't get me wrong, I have been having fun. I've only been away for about two days now. Nothing much has been accomplished but I'll just go on a day by day basis to let you know what happened.

Day 1: My friends and I, more like I, spent the day driving to Orlando. Upon arrival, we stopped at my sister's house and relaxed there until it was time to check into our hotel. We ate pizza and chips and salsa and watched reruns of The Game and America's Best Dance Crew. We finally decided to leave. Once we got to the hotel, we pretty much did the same thing, sat around watching television while my friends ate Wendy's. I was tired from the drive, so I was the first one to try to close my eyes. Too bad my friends had other noisy plans and my attempt to get a good night's rest were put down. Day 2: Today I woke up before my friends just to sit there and starve until they wanted to stop being lazy and move. After we got up and about we headed to the mall to buy some much unneeded articles of clothing. After the mall, we headed to the state fair and stayed there all night. Day 3: Once again with the friends who don't know how to move in the morning. I woke up around 10:30 because I wanted to be on my way to Daytona by 1. I got dressed and went to Target. When I get back they were still in the bed with nothing accomplished. Maybe when we actually get to the beach my day will get better. Well, my mood was lifted but the beach didn't share my happiness. The shore was pretty much dead. No one was in the water and the only people one could find were the old folks. After the beach, we went to Ihop, which made everything all better. We took the drive back to Orlando and lied around the hotel room finding anything and everything to laugh at. Day4: Once again, I woke up before everyone else. I picked up my little sister and headed to the mall. The mall visit didn't last long since my sister didn't feel well. I returned to the hotel and waited for something to come up. Later on that day, I went to visit my mother's old friend. We weren't there for long. Afterwards, we made a surprise visit to my sister's house hoping to receive some dinner. We ate quesadillas, managed to rake up some free Disney tickets, and then made our way to Coldstone, diabetes in a cup. After raising our blood sugar, we just relaxed in the room. Day 5: Off to the beach again, not Daytona though. Hopefully New Smyrna Beach will have more to offer than cold waters and old people. Well, it did. Young people and a few racists ones. Some guys drove down the beach honking and waving a Confederate flag out the window. After a better day at the beach, except for the racist people part, we returned to the hotel for some chill time until we went to Bahama Breeze later on that night. After dinner, we met up with some friends and just relaxed around in their hotel room and watched Slumdog Millionaire. We didn't return to our own room until about 5am. After that, all we could do was sleep. Day 6: Woke up around 2pm because of the long night with no plans for the day. Let's see if that changes once my friends actually awake. We finally put some plans together. We met up with some more friends to play laser tag. Unfortunately, the place we we went was being remodeled. We decided to go to Fun Spot and drove go-karts and played arcade games. We returned to our friends' hotel for a while knowing we had to wake up early to head to Disney World the next day. We got back to our own hotel around 4am. Sleep was the only thing on my mind at that time. Day 7: DISNEY WORLD!!! That's all that needs to be said. It was super fun,especially the Tower of Terror. After a rainy but fun day at Disney, we went looking for a club. Too bad all the clubs we could get into closed at 12:30. Mad at the city of Orlando and there horrible club scene, we went to Ihop again and later swam in our friends' hotel's pool. Wet and tired we went back to our hotel around 5am. Day 8: We woke up around 10:45am to check out at 11. After checking out, we went to my sister's house. She treated us to Ihop and let us sleep on her couch until we were ready to head back to Atlanta. We left around 4:30pm expecting the trip to be as short as it was coming. That was not the case. I didn't get back to the dorm until 1am. Tired from the drive, I just hopped in my bed.

So, was my spring break filled with half naked people partying hard like it is on TV? No, but it was still enjoyable.

Tiger Woods..Again..Really?

Are the lives of celebrities actually more important than real news that may actually be relevant to people's lives? I guess it is since Tiger Woods is back in the headlines. I recently read an article titled 'Woods back from family counseling' from The Times of India. I thought this article was bad because it is pointless. The who, what, when, where, why, and how of Tiger Woods' life helps no one out. I understand being a little nosey at times. Sometimes other people's lives are a little more interesting than our own but are they really worth being on the home page of a news site? I think any irrelevant news pertaining to the lives of celebrities should be under a sub category, like entertainment, and kept away from the real news that may impact someone's life for real. And the funny thing about this article is that it paints Woods as the victim. It talks about his routine and how he is managing to cope with past events. He is back at home in Orlando from family counseling in Arizona. He spends his days hitting golf balls and getting in shape. Who cares? Not I. It is almost like the writer of the article feels sorry for what happened in Tiger Woods' life. I do not know why since he had nothing to do with Woods' infidelity. Maybe the author is a big fan. Whoever the author may be, they seem to have high hopes for Tiger coming back to the PGA. So much speculation, though Woods says he will not come back to golf until something has been done to try to save his marriage. Tiger states, "As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words; it will come from my behavior over time." Tiger tries to paint the image that he is truly sorry about his actions but his apology just is not all that believable in my opinion. The writer of the article also writes about how Tiger Woods has lost some of his sponsors because of his actions. Once again, Tiger Woods is painted as the victim. If he had never cheated, he would not have to deal with this problem. The writer needs to know that the only person to blame in this situation is Tiger Woods. In conclusion, besides giving me a topic for this blog, how will this information help me live my life again?

Robert Johnson

Unfortunately, I was unfamiliar with Robert Johnson before reading this article, but I do believe there is a very interesting story behind this man. For him to be one of the first and greatest blues musicians, one would think there would be more information about him. The details of Robert Johnson's life seem like legends themselves. It seems like no one really knew about his true identity or existence. When I was reading the article, I thought it was interesting how people interpreted his "Cross Road Blues" song as Johnson saying he had sold his soul to the devil in order to receive greater playing abilities, but the truth was that he was really begging God for help. From what is known about his life, his life did not seem all that great, especially after the loss of his first wife and child. The interpretation of the song being about pleading to God may actually make more sense when compared to events in his life. Robert Johnson was a mysterious man. It is like he wanted to not be seen. He wanted to play his songs and entertain a crowd, but afterwards, he wanted to be an average African American man that no one really paid attention to. Since not much is known about his life, I understand why Schein's find of that photo was so important. If the picture was really of Robert Johnson, it was really something worth keeping a close eye on. But as good as the find me seem, it may be followed by an agonizing process to authenticate it as well as to determine its actual value and who should be left in charge of it since there is already a growing dispute over his estate. Robert Johnson was definitely one of the greatest. At least his legacy lives on even though most of his life is unknown. He is a man that also proves you don't have to be alive to be famous.

The Flag is Bleeding #2 by Faith Ringgold

Before this assignment, I never really had a favorite painting or photograph. I either like it or I did not like it. In honor of Black History Month, I started looking for African American artists, and I happened to stumble across Faith Ringgold. Many of her artworks are in the form of quilts, and many of them depict Black life in America from the past until the present. Out of the quilts I looked at, the two of the most interesting ones were The Flag is Bleeding #2 and We Came to America. Both seemed to depict the African American struggle in America, but The Flag is Bleeding #2 showed the struggle in a more implicit manner. Both quilts are graphic in a sense, but the graphicness of The Flag is Bleeding #2 seems more symbolic to me. In this quilt, a woman's face is hidden behind the stars of the flag. She and the flag are both bleeding as she clutches two small children. I believe that this quilt represents Black women's struggles and their efforts that they put into building America without receiving much recognition. The woman is hidden behind the stars to signify that even though the United States is "united," the people of this country, including African Americans, are not equal nor "united". The woman is smiling because no matter what life throws at her, she needs to continue to live her life and be optimistic in order to support her family. Her blood and the blood coming from the flag represent the hardships of building this country. The fact that the woman is black rather than white somewhat signifies who did most of the labor. In this case, the woman is most likely a slave. The blood from the woman seems to touch the scared children who hold on to her waist. The blood flowing from the woman to the children represents the present day struggle of African Americans. Even though slavery is over, the struggle for equality and true freedom is not. The woman is the children's backbone, and without her, they have nothing. I like this quilt because it depicts what and who helped build America and what they had to sacrifice. America was built on the exploitation of those less fortunate and the quilt represents this idea very well. This quilt definitely should evoke some type of emotion from all its viewers, especially if the message behind it is well understood. Although The Flag is Bleeding #2 is not the happiest peace of art, it is the truth, and that is why it has now become one of my "like its".

One Good Day with More to Come

So today was an absolutely phenomenal day for my ego. At first, the day did not look all that hopeful. I was suppose to have a test in my Human Communication class at 9. I woke up and went through my everyday morning ritual before heading off to Aderhold. The weather was not all that great either. It was raining but not really hard enough for an umbrella. It was that misty rain that the wind just blows all over the place, so an umbrella would not have been much help anyway. After arriving at my class, I noticed a sign posted outside the door which stated that class was cancelled. This particular part of the Human Communication class only meets once a week. At first I was a little mad since I had woken up early and walked to Aderhold for no reason, but then I became happy knowing that I basically had another week to study for the test and I could also go back to the dorm and get more sleep before going to English class at 12. Nothing special happened in English. It was just a normal day. After English, I returned to my dorm and knocked out some homework, browsed the internet, and watched some baby mama drama on Maury before heading to the gym to play some intramural basketball. I had two games that night and both seemed like the odds were against us. The first game was a co-rec team. For this game, each team needed to have three girls on the court at all times. Our team only had two girls, and the other girl was no Candace Parker, so we were forced to play with only four people. Only the two guys on our team had subs. In a game where it was four against five, we came up on top winning by around 10 points. Since the scoring is different in co-rec games, I ended up scoring 30 points. The next game was an all girls game. We only had five people while the other team basically had a full bench. We thought this game was going to be a little difficult but we ended up beating them by around 12 points. After leaving the gym feeling glorified, I went back to the dorm. I started checking my email and found out that I was in the top 20% of college class and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars wanted me to be a member. My ego was seriously boosted that night. Hopefully this gratified feeling will spill over into spring break. Then I will really be pumped. Now, if I could only get a job.

Respect Your Elders?

Most people are taught to respect their elders, but I guess officer Brandy Dolson had never learned that lesson. In 61 year old Minnie Carey's case, it seems that being curious is a crime worth a little jail time. When asked for their side of the story, Dolson and his partner, Jamie Nelson, claimed that Carey asked, "Why," in a loud and disrespectful manner. Even if Carey had been a little rude when voicing her opinion, that still is not enough to arrest someone. Are officers getting bored and running out of real criminals to harass and arrest? According to the article, Officer Brandy Dolson has had 18 complaints filed against him. In an interview with the Citizen Review Board, he refused to answer questions, making him seem more guilty than he already is. Carey also stated that she has heard of people getting arrested for no reason. She always thought that was a problem in Atlanta, but she never thought it would become her problem after she was arrested for just asking a question. Her question was never really answered by Dolson either. His response was, "because I said so." When was it against the law to stand and talk with some friends on a sidewalk? They were not bothering anyone and no real crime was being committed. I was a little shocked upon reading this article. One can really be arrested for doing absolutely nothing. I do not think anyone will be on Dolson's side of the argument. With this to add on to his other 18 complaints, I do not think he will get much public support. After reading this article, it made me think about a past story where an elderly woman was tased after getting out of her car angrily when an officer tried to give her a traffic ticket. Does the law not take age into consideration when dealing out punishments? Tasing and arrests are a little brutal for citizens who might have just got angry and used a few words to express themselves. False arrest should be more than just a slap on the wrist for the arresting officers.

Jay-Z: On to the Next One

I have always enjoyed Jay-Z. He has always been one of those musicians that I considered to be a true Hip Hop artist. When I heard this song, I thought Jay-Z's message was all about improvement and progression. The video represents these same ideas. Here are the eight points for making visual arguments effective. Point 1: The video pulls the viewer in by introducing interesting graphics. The graphics make the video seem less dull. Point 2: The video uses characters that some viewers may be able to relate to, like the girl in the basketball jersey. These characters help form common ground. Point 3: The video provokes curiosity because many of the graphics used are unfamiliar to most. Some parts of the video are also a little scary, like the man dressed as the Joker. He seems like the type of person most would try to avoid. These visuals also help draw the viewer in. Point 4: Jay-Z uses juxtaposition by putting people who seem like they come from different backgrounds back to back. He may show the basketball player, the man on the drums, and then the man dressed as the Joker. Point 5: In the song, Jay-Z mentions the death of Auto-tune, which is a program that many artists and musicians use to change their voices or to create beats with little effort. Fortunately, Jay-Z's new album does not use Auto-tune. The skull is often a representative of the music industry, especially in rock music. Point 6: The wires that were moving symbolize Auto-tune. When the wires stopped moving, that signified the end to Auto-tune in Jay-Z's case. No Auto-tune is a sign of the progression of music according to Jay-Z. Point 7: The video focuses on the advancement of Hip Hop. Jay-Z is trying to compare himself to other rappers, and trying to prove to them that he is the best; he is Hip Hop. Point 8: The video can have different meanings. Some people liked Jay-Z's older albums better than his newer ones. On the other hand, Jay-Z feels like it is all about moving forward and not moving back. Others may even argue that the video has nothing to do with the song.

No matter what the opinion, Jay-Z will always be a favorite among many.

Pavement- Cut Your Hair

I had originally never heard of the band Pavement or heard of the song Cut Your Hair. Upon watching it, though, I found it interesting. The video also uses the eight points that make visual arguments effective. Point 1: The video catches the viewer's attention by starting off in a scene that should be familiar with the title of the song, a barbershop. One part of the video that caught my eye was when the guy sneezed a cat. This is not usual, so it makes the viewer want to watch more. Point 2: The video establishes common ground by starting in a barbershop and showing a guy about to get his hair cut. Most people have either been to a barbershop or have had their hair done by another person before. Point 3: The video evokes emotion when the guy sneezes the cat, when the guy wears the ape mask, when the guy starts drinking the hair tool disinfectant, acts like a king, and wears the frog mask. Most viewers are probably a little confused after seeing these parts. Point 4: The video uses juxtaposition by using five characters sitting next to each other. Each character is a different person and has a different experience when it comes to his turn to get his hair cut. Point 5: One icon that is used is the barber's chair in the left corner in the beginning. Viewers should associate that with a barbershop or some type of hair salon. It makes the scene easier to pick out. Point 6: The symbols used in the video are when every guy got or brought something new to the barber's chair. This showed that they did not want anything done to their real hair. Many bands pride themselves on designer hair cuts while they are happy with what they have going for themselves naturally. Point 7: The video is selective because it tries to focus on the over made up aspect of the music industry. Point 8: Different interpretations can be made about everything, including this video. One may agree that musicians waste too much time on their appearance while others might say that looking good is a part of the musician's career.

Make it Rain...On Venezuela

Most people might associate the saying, "Make it rain," with Rap and Hip Hop lyrics as a term meaning to throw out money. In Venezuela's case, they are using the quite literal meaning of the saying. In most of the world's history, I hope, Mother Nature has provided the Earth's surface with rain, but lately, I guess she has been a little stingy in her precipitation giving in Venezuela, which has led the country into a serious drought. In addition to the shortage of water, the drought is also causing an electricity crisis. Venezuela has become so desperate that they have started a method called cloud seeding, which is just bombing clouds, in order to get a few raindrops. I did not know one could even bomb a cloud. Does this method even work? The idea seems a little crazy, but if you are desperate, you will try anything. According to the article, the bomb is a mixture of silver iodide, dry ice, and salt. It is shot into "vertically growing cumulonimbus clouds to encourage raindrops to join together." Jose Gregorio Sottolano, the president of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology says the method seems to be working even though he cannot calculate if or how much water levels have increased. Venezuela is in serious need of rainfall. Most of their power is generated from dams, which can become inefficient if the country's lakes and rivers have record lows. To top off their frustration, Venezuela is nearing the height of the dry season where clouds are hard to come by. Their hyrdo-grid could collapse by June. Unfortunately, cloud seeding is not guaranteed to work. President Hugo Chavez blames the electricity shortage on the drought while his critics blame the drought a little but also blame his inability to have diverse investments in electricity. They say Venezuela is too focused on hydro-power. Venezuela has learned that it is hard to mess with Mother Nature. The article Venezuela tries to make it rain was taken off Reuters.com though the original article was written by Charlie Devereux from the Global Post.

Nas-Hip Hop is Dead

People often fuse Hip Hop and Rap into one genre of music, while others beg to differ. Many define Hip Hop as real music and Rap as just songs people come up with when they are bored or have nothing to talk about. Hip Hop artists include people like Common, Mos Def, Jay-Z, and Talib Kwali. Rap artist are people like Lil' Wayne, Gucci Mane, and Soulja Boy. There is a clear difference amongst these artists' lyrics. Hip Hop songs relay a message while most Rap songs talk about how to make the most money, have the most swag, or how to get the most women. In his song Hip Hop is Dead, Nas tries to point out how different Hip Hop and Rap really are. Nas believes what people define as Hip Hop today is not Hip Hop. Real Hip Hop is starting to be replaced by Rap. Nas is trying to slow or stop this transition. In the video, Nas uses the eight points that make visual arguments effective that were mentioned in Chapter 10 of Essentials of Argument. Point 1: The beginning of the video pulls the viewer in by making a statement that many would find a little absurd. Point 2: Nas establishes common ground by placing situations in the video that many are familiar with (drug dealers, gangs, etc.) whether or not they have been in those situations themselves or just knowing that these situations do occur. Point 3: Nas evokes an emotional response by showing what seems to be wrong with the "new" mentality of Hip Hop.Point 4: Nas uses the police to represent people against Hip Hop while people who are for it still try to listen to it even though it is illegal. This part of the video proves the importance of Hip Hop to people. Point 5: Microphones have always been an icon of music in general. Nas displays these icons by hanging them from the ceilings in various parts of the video. Point 6: One symbol used in the video are the headphones that the police destroyed. The headphones symbolized Hip Hop, and its destruction once the police had crushed them. Point 7: The video is selective because it focuses on one major point, which is the destruction of Hip Hop. Point 8: People can interpret the video in different ways. Some agree with Nas' opinion of Hip Hop while others disagree with his views.

The Popularity of Self Destruction

Most people can agree on the fact that they like living. Yes, life throws out its obstacles, but most of us make a quick maneuver and go on with our lives. What I have yet to understand is why people who love life like to destroy themselves? I have always been taught that my body is my temple and it should be well taken care of. I might not be the most health cautious person in the world, but I do my best to avoid stuff that may threaten my life further down the line. I try not to cause any intentional harm to my temple, but others do not seem to care as much. There are people in the world who smoke, drink, do drugs, and just act like they have no common sense. All of these actions puts one's life in danger, but their participants act as if they do not see a threat. Why are smoking, drinking, and drugs so popular? People think that is how one shows that they are cool. I think that is the complete opposite. That is how one shows that they are a moron. If someone starts smoking at an early age, they can have health problems before they are even considered old. Smokers say that smoking helps relieve stress. So does laughing, but laughing will not kill you. I want my lungs and other organs to continue to work properly until it is my time to go. I am proud to say that I cannot pave a small street with the tar found in my lungs. I know some people who cannot have fun at a party without drinking. I am always the odd one out at some parties, but I do not need alcohol in my system to have a good time. Get some food and some good music, and I am absolutely fine. If a party ever gets busted, I will not be the one getting arrested. Also, some girls feel that it is necessary to degrade themselves at parties in order to get a guy's attention. I respect myself and if I guy cannot respect me, than he can just keep it moving. I do not know any open drug users, but drugs are bad, too. Personally, I like knowing what is going on around me. Too bad some of the people I know do not feel the same. Self Destruction seems to be such a good thing to some people. They like that feeling that they get when they rebel against the norms of society. I like being an individual but I can do that without putting my health at risk. Self Destruction sounds like a terrible thing to do. Too bad it will never disappear.

First and Last Blast Off to Mars or Asteroids

Recently, I read the article "Let's Build a Stairway to Mars" by Michael Benson from The New York Times. It seems that the Space Shuttle will go on its last exploration next September. After this launch, astronauts will no longer be sent into space. This decision seems odd for the United States, who is the leader of space travel, but without sufficient funds, astronauts just have to keep their feet plastered to their home planet. According to Benson, President Obama needs to find a way to make this a public interest and find some money to revitalize America's space program. Astronauts have not been sent to space in a while. They are no longer considered "explorers." The last astronaut mission was almost 40 years ago when Apollo 17 returned from the moon in December of 1972. Without Astronauts, Benson even finds the International Space Station to be pointless, stating that, "it flies, of course, in circles--with no destination." With all the scientific advances present in the modern world, it seems odd not to send astronauts to space every once in a while, but 40 years is a long time. All the training that astronauts go through seems to be going out the window if America's space program cannot get any funds. Even the public is no longer interested in space travel since no major occurrences have happened since Apollo. For its last travel, the shuttle program is looking for long distance exploration. One of its destination options is Mars. The cost for the program would be around $3 billion. Astronauts would get to step foot on Mars for the first and the last time until a source of funds finds its way to NASA. Another space destination are the near-Earth asteroids, since they may cause danger to the planet as in the case of the dinosaurs. With the exploration of these asteroids, scientists may develop a way to avoid or deflect future asteroids heading towards the Earth's surface. Another positive about the asteroids are that they are filled with valuable metals, like gold, silver, and zinc. An international cooperation would make space travel even more interesting. Benson is looking forward to seeing a U.S. lead space mission with participants from China, Canada, Europe, and Japan. This cooperation would definitely help with funding. Though the asteroids sound like a good idea as well, Benson has his heart set on going to Mars. Let's see if space travel will just become another story to tell the grandkids.

All That

Growing up, I loved to watch All That on Nickelodeon. To this day, I still think it was one of the best Television shows ever made. All That brings back so many good childhood memories. It was sort of like a Saturday Night Live or Madtv for the younger folks. Watching it now, it seems like kiddy humor, but I still find myself laughing more than I do when watching any other comedy related shows on television now. With clips like Good Burger and Repairman, it is hard not to laugh. All That was a part of the good times of Nickelodeon. Now, Nickelodeon is just a jumble of pointless television shows whose viewers know nothing about the good ole shows from the good ole 90s. During its running time, All That pleased its viewers so much. It was a comedy show that was actually funny and one that children could watch without getting in trouble. All That proved that great humor and appropriateness could actually go together. All That was a show kids were proud to watch. My generation still admits they watch an episode from time to time on youtube. Other than being an important show in the lives of its viewers, All That was also important in the lives of its cast members launching many of their careers. Amanda Bynes got The Amanda Show and What I like about you, along with other numerous roles in movies. Keenan Thompson is a regular on Saturday Night Live. Nick Cannon has also received his own show on Nickelodeon (The Nick Cannon Show) and MTV (Wild'n'Out), as well as numerous movies and a brief music career. Lori Beth Denberg went on to The Steve Harvey Show. Kel Mitchell has also been in numerous films and television shows. Without All That, these actors careers may have never got off the ground. All That has and always will be one of my favorite shows. Every time I hear the theme song, I wish I could watch a full episode. As long as it stays alive in its short clips and segments on youtube, I guess I'll be somewhat satisfied.

True Guidoism

When comparing the article written by Troy Patterson and the one in the Washington Post, there is no big difference. The Washington Post basically describes what New Jersey Guidos do while Patterson's article just bashes the Guidos' behavior. Neither article seems to be speaking about these Guidos and Guidettes in a positive way though. Each article goes out of its way to describe the daily routines of the Guidos and Guidettes as a life of stupidity. The articles make it seem like being a Guido is pointless. Unfortunately, the Guidos and Guidettes think otherwise. It does not even seem to bother them that a Guido is seen as a negative stereotype most of the time. Moussa, the guy in the article from the Washington Post, feels like being a Guido is not a stereotype but an actual culture. I am pretty sure a majority of Italian Americans probably do not agree with Moussa's beliefs. It is like Moussa is not representing a stereotype but is representing how all Italian Americans act, and if they do not act like him, they need to. According to Moussa, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a Guido. Too bad the world thinks differently, except maybe the viewers of Jersey Shore. Moussa's website, NJGuido, probably represents everything MTV's Jersey Shore is all about. Moussa would fit perfectly into the cast. He even believes in fist pumping. Moussa also claims that Guidos are suave and sophisticated. Unfortunately, there is nothing suave or sophisticated about the guys running around on Jersey Shore. In fact, most people would say they are the complete opposite. Many Italian Americans have a problem with being called a Guido, but not Moussa. He truly believes that he is a Guido and there is nothing offensive about it. According to Moussa, one does not even have to be Italian. Being a Guido is just "a state of mind." Moussa is trying to break the idea of the Guido stereotype by making people believe that being a Guido is really culture. Let's see how many people follow.

An All White Basketball Team: Racism or a White Opportunity

I recently read an article titled "Commentary: Race has nothing to do with being an athlete or a scholar" by Leonard Pitts Jr. from The Miami Herald. Don Lewis, the commissioner of the All-American Basketball Alliance, wants to compose a basketball team of only American born players whose parents are both Caucasian. Despite this new league, Lewis states he is not racist. He claims that white Americans are tired of seeing African Americans excel in professional basketball. He believes their talent is based on "street-ball athleticism" rather than "fundamental skills." Some people question the basis for the new league. Is it really set up on a rascist block or are white Americans really tired of seeing black Americans taking over basketball? Don Lewis's league seems to be in response to the decline of white athletes in major sports. Some people say that African Americans are just physically superior than their white counterparts, but Lewis thinks race should have nothing to do with athletic ability. Even many of the white players that dominate the National Basketball Association are not even American, such as, Manu Ginobli, Dirk Nowitzki, and Steve Nash. Talent should not be based on race but on how well someone works to succeed. If one works harder than another, than of course they will go farther. An all white basketball team is pushing racial boundaries of this country. The United States is not exactly racism free yet and it probably will never be. The creation of an all white basketball team seems to be moving backwards on the timeline of the human race. I do not think this team will be welcomed with opened arms by everyone. Minorities will be against and so will those that favor any type of diversity in any part of life. It almost seems like racist people or people that strongly agree with Don Lewis will only favor the team. Why is the team all white? There are other groups of people that do not have a major say when it comes to professional basketball, like Hispanics and Asians. A league formed with people from backgrounds that do not really succeed in sports would be better than an all white team. This way, everyone gets a chance and one seems less racist when creating or supporting it.

Advertising Advantage in the Role of Politics

According to the article in the L.A. Times, corporations and unions will now be able to indirectly support their favorite candidates through advertising. They might not be able to contribute their funds directly to the candidate of their choice, but they can basically sponsor their own commercial in favor of that candidate. Some people argue that this new legislation will make a candidate's ads more important than the candidate's views on important issues. Some even say that these new ads may be like scare tactics for future candidates. If the advertising is too harsh, future runners may think twice about getting involved in order to avoid commercial harassment or embarrassment. Others argue that the new legislation will have little to no effect on the political world. People will still vote for who they want despite the battles present in advertising. Advertising before an election is hard to come by anyway, therefore, this legislation may just make the price of ads go up because more people are fighting to get a spot. It is basic supply and demand. Democrats believe Republicans will have more of an advantage when it comes to major corporations showing support for their candidate. In relation to the Florida article on National Public Radio, it seems like the reformed legislation may provide a way for bondsmen to gain more business by trying to demolish the Pretrial process. If a bondsmen company or union comes up with enough money, they can produce their own ads that attack candidates that are for the Pretrial process and encourage those that are against it. An example of a bondsmen ad might say something like this: "This guy wants to give criminals another chance by letting them live somewhat normal lives until trial. Our guy on the hand keeps criminals in the place they need to be, jail." Taxpayers know jail is more expensive than the Pretrial process, therefore, these ads need to be powerful enough to get people to change their minds about who to support. This legislation is a welcomed opportunity for the bondsmen, who were previously losing a lot of business to criminals being released on the Pretrial process. Originally, the Pretrial process was working fine until bondsmen decided to attack it with a lobbyist. I guess they need to make a living, too, and the Pretrial process is preventing that. In the end, it seems like politics is all about who is spending the most money.

Plastic Surgery: Good or Bad

Personally, I believe people can do whatever they want to their bodies. It is their body and they have to live with the consequences if something goes wrong. People get plastic surgery in order to better themselves. Sometimes they look better than before and sometimes they look awful. But some people just do not know when to stop. It is like plastic surgery is some type of addictive drug that they can not get away from. Some people actually need plastic surgery for legitimate reasons, like health problems, while others want it because they just do not like the body they are in. Others just go too far with plastic surgery. They no longer look natural. Even when this happens, they still see themselves as more beautiful than before the plastic surgery while the world thinks that they should have stopped a long time ago. I found a video for plastic surgery and one against it. In the video for plastic surgery, women speak about why it is important. Judging by their appearances and styles in clothing, plastic surgery may have been something new for them. One woman talks about how people spend thousands of dollars on a house on a street but will not spend thousands of dollars to fix up their personal house, meaning their own bodies. An actual house is a better investment because at least you know what you are getting before hand. If something goes wrong with the plastic surgery or one is left with scars or problems they thought they would not have to face, then they are just stuck with them. At least one can repair or sell a home without too much physical damage to themselves. You get what you pay for. Most of the time plastic surgery can not be reversed. One woman states that the success of plastic surgery depends on one's "raw materials." A comment left about the video addresses her quote asking, "Are you building a machine?" In the video against plastic surgery, a man name Lionel discusses when people go too far with plastic surgery. They end up looking fake and sometimes uglier than before. People need to know their limits when it comes to plastic surgery.

Where is Osama?

I read the article "The Conspiracy: Osama Bin Laden, Dead or Alive?" by Mike Rudin from BBC News. According to the Conspiracy Files Documentary, Bin Laden has been sick with kidney disease for a while and is supposedly dead. Some leading news organizations even back the kidney disease claim. According to the French newspaper, Le Figaro, and Radio France International, Bin Laden was given emergency kidney dialysis in the American Hospital in Dubai while CBS states he had the same treatment at the Pakistan Military Hospital in Rawalpindi prior to September 11th. Both hospitals deny these accusations. No one can really be sure where he is because there is never a decent trail to come up with anything related to Bin Laden's whereabouts. A former CIA officer named Bruce Riedel says that the United States has not had eyes on a specific target in eight years. Despite his prominence in the past, not much about Bin Laden has been mentioned in the media. To be the most wanted man in the universe, it seems like the only person that knows where Osama Bin Laden is is Osama Bin Laden. Supposedly, these claims of Bin Laden's death originate in smaller newspapers, such as the Pakistan Observer. This newspaper claimed that Bin Laden had died due to lung complications at the end of 2001 and was buried somewhere in the mountains of Eastern Afghanistan. As soon as that article was released, the world picked it up. Hamid Mir, the last man to interview Bin Laden, says that these conspiracy theories are actually benefiting Bin Laden. Who is to say whether or not this man is dead or alive? Will the world ever locate this man or will he die as a ghost? Personally, I have no idea what to think about Osama Bin Laden. He has a terrible record and all but what can be done about a man that no one can find. No one has even a hint or a guess about where this man can be. I guess if he does not want to be found then he won't be.

This Journey Called Life

What should one expect from life? Can we really accept or change what life throws at us? Are our futures inevitable despite different paths we may take to get there? Should we be happy or scared to see the future? People say that life is what you make of it. What if what we make of it has nothing to do with how or why our lives ended? Unfortunately, there are always unforeseen roadblocks that try to keep you away from your final destination. People often say that we are put on this earth for a reason. Does anybody know what their true reason is? They may think it is to get an education, work for a big company, and then settle down. What if those are just dreams and not one's true calling? I am certain that no one is 100% positive about what their lives mean for or can do for the world. These unknown lifetime achievements can be small as apologizing to a friend or as big as destroying world hunger. No one's outline of how their life should be is completely accurate. The unexpected events and unknowns manage to slip their way into those broad thoughts and aspirations that one hopes to achieve. Some religious people believe that when you die, then you have completed your life's task. Before a person dies, does anything major normally stick out that just says that was what they were suppose to do before their end. Can we ever know why we are on this planet or why fate puts us in situations most of us would love to avoid at all costs? Life is nice to some and extremely cruel to others. Life is a journey with an unmarked destination. You do not know where you are going until you get there. One may think they are there but life has a few more miles to go. It is amazing how we are born innocent just to be corrupted by the world that society helped create and helped destroy. Is it even possible to stay innocent? No matter how nice and holy a person may be they still have a negative thought from time to time. They may get mad at the person who cut them off in traffic. Everyone is guilty of something. All we can do is hope that we truly can accept whatever life throws at us.

Progress of America's Racial Future

I have just finished reading the article I, too, am optimistic about our racial future by Cynthia Tucker in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Cynthia Tucker talks about her daughter coming into a world where racial turmoil is not as heavy as it was in previous generations. Since the United States has elected its first African American president, she hoped that racial generalizations would slowly begin to diminish. Unfortunately, Obama's election has seemed to do nothing for racial relationships in America. Tucker states, "The United States is not yet 'post-racial' and may never be. Because human beings have a primal instinct for fearing and hating 'the other,' even this diverse country may never completely outgrow the invidious distinctions of color and class." I completely agree with her statement. This country will not get anywhere if people constantly rely on generalizations. It seems that individualism has been killed in the United States. Some many people focus on the negatives of a group of people that they have no relation to. Every race has its negatives that people just do not want to own up to. Everyone wants to believe their race or culture is always right and that they can do no wrong. History and other statistics show that everyone has been in wrong at least some point in time. No one can own up to the past or admit they were wrong. Not everyone in a group of people is the same. Racism cannot be destroyed if this country continues to destroy the individual. America still faces racial tension, but there is still hope in the future. The progress of the world relies on the progress of its people. If we all hate each other, then we will get nowhere. Once the world begins to embrace the individual, the global community may have a chance. Stereotypes killed individualism. Now, it is up to the people of the world to revive it. If the world does not want to see the end so soon, then it must learn to accept and embrace its differences.

What If...

Everyone should show some type of sympathy or support for victims of major disasters no matter where they occurred, but when unpreventable disasters happen to one's own country, then their state of caring seems to increase. If the Haitian earthquake had happened in Washington, D.C. instead, I am pretty sure more Americans would be more willing to help. Most people care more about objects, places, and people that they are related to somehow. Someone is more likely to care if a disaster happens in their own backyard rather than if that same devastating disaster occurred in some random country that one has no major connection to. Most Americans take pride in their country despite what the world may think about its methods in global issues. American earthquake victims may have been better off than the Haitian victims. Economically, the United States is much more financially independent than Haiti. Therefore, more of the nation's money could go to aid in the crises and more resources would be available to those in need. The world would lend its usual helping hand as well, but there would definitely be more of a domestic effort in support than Haiti had when it came to tangible items (food, water, shelter, medical supplies, etc.). As a struggling nation, Haiti is not as advanced or readily equipped to deal with major catastrophes as other more powerful nations, such as the United States and other Westernized countries are. The city of Washington, D.C. itself would obviously be destroyed, but there would be a greater amount of resources available in an attempt to rebuild. Despite cultural and financial differences between Haiti and the United States, the people that called which ever country home would provide constant support whether or not they were affected. Everyone would play a role even if it was a minor one. No matter where someone is from, everyone should try to keep good fortunes in mind.

What Makes Me... Me

Talking about yourself is probably one of the easiest things to do. Here are the bits and pieces of my life that shaped who I am to this day. I was born July 11, 1991, in Montclair, New Jersey. At the delicate age of two, I moved to Georgia where the most important parts of my life would occur. Growing up, I was like any other child, extremely curious with too much energy for one little body. To make sure I became a successful youth and adult, my mother took that excess energy and made sure I did something productive with it. Thanks to my mother's efforts, I am pretty confident in knowing that I am a well rounded adult. I grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia. I attended Annistown Elementary, Shiloh Middle, Shiloh High, and Columbia High, once I had to move back to New Jersey. School was never a problem for me. I always had a good head on my shoulders and I was not easily distracted. Unfortunately, good years turned bad when my mother passed away from colon cancer at the beginning of my sophomore year. I was completely uprooted from the state I called home and was relocated to Maplewood, New Jersey. I hated it and could not wait to leave. Now I am back in Atlanta and loving it. Other than my life story, there are other things about me that one may find interesting. I love anything mildly related to entertainment, movies, video games, and especially music. If you looked through my playlist, you would find a little bit of everything ranging from John Legend and Common to Lilly Allen and Santigold. My favorite movies are action flicks and comedies. I like horror movies,too, but I haven't seen any good ones lately. My favorite movies are Bad Boys II, Juno,Transformers and any of the Disney classics. I never really had a favorite book. Growing up, I liked the Artemis Fowl series, but I haven't read any of those in a while either. My major is International Economics. I hope to get a job at a major entertainment label. My outlook on life is basically keeping an open eye out for opportunities because you never what life may throw at you, good or bad.