The End...

My last blog entry...
Its a bitter sweet moment.
In high school, English was my least favorite class, hands down.
Therefore, the thought of taking English as a freshman in college didn't excite me at all.
Boy, did I get it wrong.
I must admit...
English 108 was my most enjoyable class this semester, and
probably the best English class I have ever taken.
English was an opportunity to get away from all the frustration that accompanied all those engineering courses I was taking. It was nice to be able to go to a class where I could relax, enjoy the company of excellent peers, and engauge in intellectual discussion. I may not have been the most talkative student, but I listened to every word.
Overall, I believe my eyes have been opened to many things I overwise would not have seen
My vocabulary and writing ability has greatly improved throughout the duration of the class.
Also, I have made some great friends, which will hopefully stay with me much longer than my time in 108. I think I was very lucky to have the oppportunity to be enrolled in this class, taught by such a student friendly instructor. All of my other professors were so impersonal, coming off as having no personality whatsoever. This was definately not the case with Jamie Hickner. She was part of the reason why class was so enjoyable, he sarcasm never ceased to crack me up during class. In the midst of all of my continued engineering courses next semester I know I will look back on 108 with fond memories
((Alan))

$$$

"Reese Witherspoon is a moneymaker.
The 31-year-old Academy Award winner commands $15 million to $20 million a movie, placing her at the top of The Hollywood Reporter's annual list of the highest-paid actresses.
Angelina Jolie came in second with similar salary demands, though the animated "Beowulf" earned the 32-year-old actress far less -- just $8 million"
(from artcle on CNN.com)

15-20 million dollars per film…
Wow, that’s all I can say
Is she really worth 15-20 MILLION DOLLARS?
There is no way she is that good
No one, and I mean no one, is worth 15-20 million dollars
I understand she has a great talent
Acting is not something just anyone can do, let alone do well
But still…15 million dollars is outrageous
What does that say about us?
The American movie go’er
In a sense, we are the ones paying her salary
Our tickets sales are going into her pocket

I would love have 15 million dollars just to know what it feels like
I doubt I could even spend it all
15 million dollars and your set for life
For Reese on the other hand,
15 million dollars is just another check in the bank
Unbelievable
Think about it, say she makes 2 to 4 films a year (at 15 million a piece)
That’s an annual paycheck of 30-60 million bones
Wow, that’s all I can say, again

Also notice the line from the article above about Angelina Jolie,
Who finished 2nd,
Aren’t u so sad for her?
She makes just 8 million per film
Boo hoo…
((Alan))

Alcohol

In Bich Nguyen's memoir, food is used to "make visible" the "invisible" cultural practices that define us as "American." Reflecting back on your own childhood, think of an example when a particular food (or foods) served to include or exclude you from a group of which you wanted to be a part. Describe the food, the situation, and how it made you feel. Minimum length: 200 words.

Alcohol
To drink, or not to drink?
That was the question…
For me, it was a fairly easy decision…
I’ll pass, thanks.

I would say the divisions started sometime during my freshman year in high school.
Fortunately, from the beginning, these divisions seemed to not affect me
I had always been the athletic type, and so were most of my friends.
A typical day in our lives was:
Sports all day long
Grab some dinner together
Just relax and probably watch sports on TV
Drinking didn’t even tempt us.
We were able to have a good time without alcohol.

Then, things started to changed…
We became juniors and seniors.
A bunch of my friends decided to give it a try
Heck, I even gave it a shot
Nothing crazy, but none the less
I guess I drifted away from some friends because of their new drinking habits
But, for the most part, not of my close friends got overly involved
I’m not condemning alcohol by any means, just saying it wasn’t for me, and still isn’t
Does that mean I’ll never drink a drop in my life, probably not
But for right now, during my time of study, I’ll take a Gatorade over a bottle of beer every time.
Try walking around a party when you’re the only sober one their…its interesting…haha
((Alan))

Bobby Knight

Bobby Knight
Former legendary college basketball coach (from that university south of here)
Since this is the great state of Indiana…
If you know college basketball, you know Bobby Knight

And now, without further adieu, the next installment of the Bobby Knight saga…

Bobby was out with his buddy, Bob “Bubba” Curtis, in southern Texas hunting doves.
A local resident approached Knight and his hunting partner at their parked pick-up truck to complain about the stray bird shot hitting the roof of his home. Immediately, Knight took the defensive and denied any responsibility…
“Wasn’t us”
“I didn’t shoot once in that direction”
The homeowner didn’t buy it and asked Knight to at the very least move down away from his home. To which, Knight aggressively responded…
“I shouldn’t have to move down, in fact, I ain’t moving down until you ask us politely”
Time out…
Bobby Knight lecturing someone on manners?
Unbelievable…
Time in…
What ensued was a classic Texas shoot em’ up, only this clash was fought with words.
Knight and the homeowner went back and forth shouting insults until the conflict eventually dissolved…
I chose to discuss this incident for mainly 2 reasons.
1.) I thought it was hilarious- Bobby being Bobby
2.) At the same time, it wasn’t so hilarious. My immediate reaction was, what can Texas Tech (Knight’s current employee) think about this? After all, he is the man who is in charge of all those young men on the basketball court. Some role model…
Talk about an embarrassment to the university. Can u imagine the press conference when Texas Tech administration will have to answer questions?
In the end, whether right or wrong, nothing probably will be done about it.
After all, like I said, it was just Bobby being Bobby…
((Alan))

Born Into Brothels

In Zana Briski's documentary film, Born Into Brothels, she documents the lives of children growing up in Calcutta’s red light district. Her film reveals the most intimate details of their lives. Briski uses those details as evidence in an argument about the effects that living in the red light district has on these children. Write a blog in which you explore this. Is it fair that the children’s lives are “on display” for all the world to see? What about their privacy? Can a child “give consent” to be portrayed in this way? Do the “ends” justify the “means”? Is her documentary ultimately “successful”? How do you measure its success? Minimum length: 200 words

After viewing the film, and doing some brief research on Zana Briski, I feel the documentary was very successful. For me personally, I was ignorant, having no idea of the lives which were led by these young children. The film made me realize just how fortunate I am.
The lifestyle of the red light district in calcutta is not a healthy environment for children to grow up. They are born, essentially, with no chance of getting out.
This is were Briski comes in.
The question of whether it was "right" or "wrong" of her display the lives of these children for the world to see is no simple one to answer. In my opinion, by doing so, Briski gave these children a chance, a glimmer of hope.
Avijit, the boy who exhibited exceptional talent, is now out of the brothel, and studying in Europe. Without Briski and her photography class, he could never even dream of this opportunity. You don't have to look very hard to find the positive effects of the documentary. Briski was able to place a handful of children in boarding school across India, removing them from the brothel. Yes, some did choose to go back, or were forced, but at least they were given a chance. Briski could only do so much...
Furthermore, as an after effect of the film, Briski has created a non-profit organization, Kids with Cameras, dedicated to giving that glimmer of hope to underprivaledged children around the world.
((Alan))

My relationship with...Food

Over the past weeks, you have learned about recent trends in corporate farming, genetically modified foods, organic farming, the "slow foods movement," the centrality of corn in the American diet, and various other food- and diet-related topics. Has what you have learned changed the way that you eat? Write a blog in which you explain if/how your relationship to food may change as a result of what you've learned, and why you have/haven't been influenced by our studies. Minimum length: 200 words

Unfortunately, the vast wealth of knowledge I have gained over the past few weeks will most likely not change the way I eat.

1) Convenience- I would say about 85 percent of my daily food intake comes from the dining halls here on campus. Even though University dining does provide a variety of foods in each hall, the aspect of choice is still somewhat limited. Whatever they have on the menu is usually what I eat for dinner. Never have I walked in, seen what was being served, disliked the selection, and turned around and walked out. I don’t even think about eating out during the school week. I guess my thinking is, I paid for this meal plan, so I might as well use it. (Even if I’m not in the mood for tacos on those Mexican food days) Frankly, I just don’t have the time to go out and buy my own food.

2) I feel my current diet is satisfactory- In my defense, I believe my eating habits (before I gained all this new knowledge) weren’t all that bad. I have to give myself some credit.

If anything, these past few weeks of class have opened my eyes to a subject I had previously heard nothing about. While this new knowledge may in fact make me think twice about where the food I eat is coming from, it probably won’t stop me from putting it on my plate.

((Alan))

The Patriot

While watching The Patriot on BTV tonight, I thought of a particular quote by Benjamin Franklin that I always found clever.
Old Ben had just finished signing his name the The Declaration of Independence when he said the following...

"We all must hang together, or, assuredly, we will all hang separately"

Ben had always had a reputation for being a jokster, but his words carried a lot of weight.
I admire the dedication of our forefathers wholeheartedly
When each one of them signed their name to the Declaration,
they were essentially signing away their lives in the event of an American defeat.
They were the ones who stuck their necks out,
so people like you and I,
can live in this country and enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy on a daily basis.
I think it is very important for Americans to remember this.
Too often do American take for granted the freedoms that they possess.

and now back to the Patriot...
What a great movie
Although quite graphic, my favorite part of the movie is in the very beginning,
when Mel Gibson and his 2 young son take out the entire British brigade to save his older son.
Aside from being a great action scene, the movie captures the bond that is formed between father and son.
"Aim small, miss small"
The words Gibson speaks to his sons before the firefight...
I don't know if it is just me, but I think this could be one of the best movie quotes of all time.
It seems to me to be the perfect motto to apply to daily life.
It says to give everything you do, all the effort you have
Now, if only I could apply this to engineering...
((Alan))

The Season Begins

(( (Knocking on the door)...
"Come on guys, its time to get up"
I rolled over and grabbed my cell phone to see what time it was...5:45am.
Opening day of hunting season, you gotta love the early mornings...
I slowly got dressed, making sure to throw on my under armor, chances are the bay froze up over night and we'd have to bust some ice to get out to the blind this morning.
Once I was all geared up (waders, camo pants, camo jacket, face mask, gloves, 2 duck calls, and 1 goose horn) I walked into the kitchen and sat down for a quick cup of hot chocolate.
We still had about an hour until legal shooting time, so us boys (me, my brother, my dad, and my cousin) sat around the kitchen table and bs'd about the mornings hunt.
At about 6 o'clock, we all got up and headed out to the boathouse.
Turned out I was right, the bay was completely froze over with about a quarter inch of skim ice, but that was nothing the Merc couldn't take care of.
My brother and I hopped in the 14 foot Lund and backed slowly of of the bay.
We broke through into the open water and headed up the crick
Our blind was about half a mile from the main lake, and since it was so late in the season, we'd probably be the only ones on the water this morning.
We winded our way up the crick until we came to the spot where we ditched the boat and jumped onto our land trial which led to the blind.
The ground was froze over,
so that made walking through the cat-tails much easier than in the fall.
As we made our way into the blind, the sky above us just began to break open,
and the morning sun seemed to welcome us as it rose above the distant horizon. ))

The above narrative describes a typical day out at my brother's house (or the ranch, as I like to call it) in northeastern Indiana during hunting season.
This weekend was the season opener, and I missed it...
Why did I miss it?
The 10-12 page research paper I have assigned in English...
Talk about commitment...
((Alan))

AdBusters

1) Choose one of the Adbusters spoof ads in the "food" category and write an analysis of the ad. First, describe the ad visually. Next, explain what the ad is referencing and how it is spoofing the referenced work. Finally, provide your own response: how successful is the spoof? Why does/doesn't it work? Write a minimum of 200 words.



Visual Description

The setting of the ad appears to be a hospital emergency room. Three doctors/surgeons are huddled around an operating table and appear to be working intently on a patient. A clip board rests on the lower portion of the operating table and other medical equipment can be faintly seen in the background. The medical professionals are wearing blue operating gowns with white facial masks. The patient is covered by a white sheet, and only the underside of his feet visible.

In the foreground of the ad, an EKG machine takes up half of the visual space int he ad. On the screen, the lines form the shape of the McDonald's arch, which eventually flat lines. The text "Big Mac Attack" appears on the bottom portion of the EKG .



Reference and Spoofing

The ad references the damaging health effects of consuming fast food, specifically McDonalds's. It is basically saying that all fast food eaters are at an increased risk of heart attack. It hints at the fact that Americans are becoming lazy, thus relying on fast food, which leads to health problems. The ad is particularly effective because it makes use of a advertising symbol that most Americans are very familiar with, the Micky's D's arch. The spoof of McDonald's is cleverly played, because it places a very familiar image in a very unfamiliar place. Americans would not normally think of seeing the arch in an operating room.

Overall, I find the ad to be very successful. Heart attacks have become very common in the United States. I would bet it would be very hard to find someone who has not been directly affected by, or at least known someone who has suffered a heart attack. The ad is successful because it presents a very real possibility to those people who do not adopt a healthy lifestyle. It allows the viewer to picture themselves as the one on the operating table. Also, I feel it does a good job by targeting McDonalds specifically. They are the fast food king, and by targeting them, they are, in a sense, sending the message that all fast food places are unhealthy.

(I tryed to upload a picture of the ad, but my lack of computer skills prevented this, I apologize)

((Alan))