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))

Food Log

Breakfast
bowl of Miniwheats cereal (with milk)
banana

Lunch
ham, cheese, lettuce, pickle, and tomato sandwich
bowl of Canadian cheese soup
vanilla yogurt with banana
glass of power-ade

Snacks throughout the day
cookie
2 sticks of gum
granola bar
can of Minute Made cherry-limeade

Dinner
turkey casserole
kernel corn
bowl of tortellini soup
salad
grape flavored water

For one day, keep a log of the food (and beverages) you consume (and be completely honest!). At the end of the day, analyze your day's diet. Did you eat foods that are likely to be "genetically modified" (e.g., corn, soybeans)? Did you eat organic fruits or vegetables? What was the farthest distance a food had to travel to get to you (e.g., pineapples from Hawaii, Fuji apples from New Zealand)? Did you eat fast food? Did you eat "slow food"?

College dining courts...A buffet at every meal...
Like most college students, I have a student meal plan (15 meals per week, to be exact)
With such a busy schedule, you can't beat the dining courts. Think about it...
you walk in
fill your plate with food (no waiting involved)
eat
fill your plate again (if needed, and once again, no waiting)
eat
put your tray in the machine (for someone else to clean)
walk out
and o ya, grab an ice cream cone on the way out...
It couldn't be more convenient.
Because of this, college students have little to absolutely no knowledge of where the food they eat came from, or how it got there.
I would venture to say that I am just like every other dining hall patron. We have no idea whether the food served is GE food or not, and frankly, I don't think we care. Based on the knowledge I have gained in the last week of the U.S. food industry, I would guess that our dining halls are not GMO free.
Back to my diet log...
Since coming to college, I feel that my eating habits have actually, slightly improved. I like having the option of choice at every meal. At home, my mom cooked dinner, and I ate whatever she made. They wasn't much choice involved. (Luckily, she was a great cook)
As far as fruits and vegetables are concerned, I have always loved both.
One of the best parts of my diet, I believe, is that when I'm hungry, I usually grab an apple or a banana, before a cookie or piece of candy.
For about the last year and a half, I have eliminated fast food almost completely from my diet. I rarely eat at McDonald's or Burger King, and if I do, it is not by my choice.
Perhaps the largest flaw in my diet is pace. I am often guilty of shoveling it in. I remember being a kid and my mom telling me, "Alan, slow down, its not going anywhere". However, I recently have tried to correct this problem. When I go to eat, I take my time, and am usually the last one done out of the group of people I eat with. So..... I am making progress.
((Alan))

America's Mayor

"Giuliani Gets Exposed As Fraud by Firefighters"
Here is an incredible video clip everyone should watch...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaCYEEO-58I
Some main point and quotes from this powerful clip...
Background-
Stories not delivered by an arm or extension of any political party
Stories of firefighters, active and retired, and the families of our FDNY memebers who served and sacrificed that horrible day
Paint a picture of Rudy that is remarkable different than the one he has painted of himself
It is time to tell the story...

-Rudy Giuliani has used a horrible event, September 11th, 2001, to create a carefully crafted persona, but the fact is what Rudy portrays is not a full picture of the decisions made that lead, in our view, to the deaths of our NYFD members, and the attempt to stop the dignified recovery of those lost.
-The urban legend of America's mayor needs to be balanced by the truth

"This guy had politics and his image as much more important than the needs of firefighters and their families"
"Its about learning who the person who is running for president is, don't go by the images you have seen on television"

Rudy's urban legend begins with 1st bombing of WTC
93' Attack
radio problem, didn't allow all calls to be rang in
Rudy and his hand-picked fire comissioner took 7 long years to replaced the deffective radios
Rudy ordered bogus radio's (cheap, and untested)
MayDay call
Firefighters weren't able to recieved the call to get out
Police officers heard it, they got out
Not a single cop lost in that building (north tower)
121 firefighters never made it out
***Thats what firefighters should remember about Rudy Giuliani, he gave us nothing when we needed a life saving radio***
Rather than taking responsibility, he tryed to blamed the victims...
telling the 9/11 commission that the firefighters heard the their evacution orders, but disobeyed them

The Recovery Process...
Firefighters began the difficult task of respectfully recovering the remains of fallen brothers
Gold belonging to the bank of Nova Scotia was found
200 million dollars
Within hours of recovering the gold, Rudy pulled NYFD members off the pile, claiming he was worried about their safety
Rudy's "scoop and dump" operation
When it started...
Only 101 NYFD members had been recovered
Hundreds stayed buried, or were removed like garbage
Apalling lack of respect
Public outrage
Rudy reopened the cite to recovery
Today, remains are still being found...

I don't think much needs to be said in response...
This video reveals many secrets to me, secrets of events that I had no idea had ever occurred
It really has made me think twice...

((Alan))

College Football

Saturday...
What a great day...

During the summer, Saturday normally serves as a catch-up day.
Being out with friends usually pushes my normal bedtime back by, ooh....about 3 or 4 hours, so...
Saturday is the perfect day to not set the alarm clock
However, in the fall...
Saturday takes on a whole new meaning,
College football

Even though I my head didn't hit the pillow until about 1 o'clock last night, I had no trouble getting up when my alarm clock buzzed at 9:30 this morning. It was game day.

Game 1
Purdue vs. Northwestern
Maybe I'm biased, but... you can't beat the Big Ten
Up until the last couple minutes, Northwestern was giving us all a run for our money...
They even had the lead at half!
I must admit, I was a tad bit frustrated, we're better than that...
(At least our play calling could be a little bit better...)
Anyway, we finally decided to turn it on in the 4th quarter (thanks for the insiparation Neil...)and play like we know how, sealing up the victory at 35-17. It was good quality win, and should give us some momentum going into the last 3 games of the season.
Another note from the game...
I was impressed by Northwestern's second TD...wow
Perfect execution of the hook and ladder...
As a football fan, I had to applaud

Game 2
Florida vs. Georgia
Incredible game
This is why I love college football
The emotion
A bunch of kids playing football for the love of the game...
Not for money,
Not to inflate their ego,
Not to gain celebrity status,
But just because they love the game, and love to compete
College football...
Football in its purest form.

((Alan))

Footprints

CATEGORY ACRES
FOOD 6.9
MOBILITY 0.2
SHELTER 5.2
GOODS/SERVICES 4.9
TOTAL 17
IN COMPARISON, THE AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN YOUR COUNTRY IS 24 ACRES PER PERSON.
WORLDWIDE, THERE EXIST 4.5 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE ACRES PER PERSON.
IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 3.9 PLANETS.

First of all…
How do u define share? And who defines what a share is? In order to talk of things in terms of “shares”, we are assuming everyone involved is equal. However, this is not the case…
The United States is a MAJOR producer, I don’t know the numbers, but I would venture to say that we are among the world leaders in production of goods (if not, THE world leader). With that said, well, then when you ask me, “Is it fair for the U.S. to take more than their ‘share’”, my answer is absolutely…without a doubt.
I feel the explanation for this is obvious…

Yes, I agree, the often described “exuberant” American lifestyle does have its negative effects (global warming, contamination, pollution, etc) BUT, I feel that these failures are a small byproduct of the enormous success we have had. By arguing that the United States should not consume more natural resources than some less developed country is ridiculous. (i.e. only using our share) If you do, you are arguing against progress.
Honestly, why should we slow down to let others catch up?
However, there is a catch.
America is a world leader, (whether that is right or wrong… is another question)
With that title, comes responsibility.
In order to enjoy the fruits of the “American lifestyle”, we must be prepared to be held accountable for our actions.
((Alan))

Ris-kee Business

Friday marked the end of an era...
The era of Joe Torre as manager of the NY Yankees
A baseball legend, throw out like the trash...

12 years, 4 world series titles
12 straight playoff appearences
Is that not enough?

I don't understand, who will replaced him? who can possibly do better?
After Steinbrunner issued his ultimatum "If we don't win this series, I don't think I'll bring back Joe next season" (mind you, this was announced hours before the Yankees faced elimination last week) I should have known it was going to turn out bad...
I just didn't imagine it ending like it did.
I sat in my room Friday and watched the entire press conference, all 2 hours of it...
yes, 2 hours...
Torre answered every single question the Ny media had for him.
His answers were true and from the heart.
It was a shame he had to go like this...

When it comes down to it, there is only one explaination
Baseball is becoming too much of a business...
Torre's dismissal was the result of non-baseball people (business men) making baseball decisions...
All Hank and Hal Steinbrunner care about are statistics,
How many fans fill the park?
How much money did we make?
At least their arrogant father cared about baseball, and winnning, thats all

Its sad to say, but baseball is losing its integrity
What happened to the days of DiMaggio, Aaron, and Ruth?
What happened to the "good ol' days"?
((Alan))

The words of Teddy

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." -- Theodore Roosevelt

In lieu of the upcoming election, I found this quote to be appropriate, and very interesting...
1.) Roosevelt does not merely state that criticism of the American government is merely allowed by the U.S. Constitution, but asserts that it is absolutely essential.
Theodore Roosevelt, the, Ruff Rider, founding father, former president, etc, etc (the list goes on and on...) is, I feel, exactly correct in his quotation.
It is the duty of the American people to be skeptical, and to question the decisions made by their leaders. We, the American people, must play an active role in our government. It is my belief that many people feel their job is done once they leave the polls. However, voting is not enough...
The words of the Preamble shout out to us...."We the people of the United States..."
The United States was founded "for the people, by the people" and we must keep it this way...
Just think back into the past...
2 cases that I can think of...
The Pilgrims.
i
They chose to flee the reach of their native government, in search of a new life.
Religious persecution...we've all heard the story.
To make a long story short, without the bold action of revolt (the criticism Roosevelt's quote mentions) the United States would not be here as it is today.
ii Nazi Germany
Here is a case of what can happen if we DON'T criticize our government. The level of brainwashing and strengh of national unity that Hitler was able to create was incredible. I don't think I need to explain what can go wrong when an entire country conforms to one belief. The people of Germany believed every word Hitler said to them.. no one questioned, no one criticized. We all know the result...

The quote which I discussed is courtesy of the immortal J. A. Miller...my extraordinary high school history teacher.
((Alan))

October Break

Sunday Night Football
Bears v. Packers

For the past 2 or 3 years, me and a group of my friends have had a weekly tradition. We all get together every Sunday over at my buddy Ryan's house to watch the Bears game. Living in a south suburb of Chi-town, its a pretty big deal...
Anyways, because most of us are all away at school, we haven't yet been able to get together this year. However, October break came at the perfect time. A couple of "the boys" were all home and the Bears were playing primetime. It couldn't have worked out any better.
Making all these new friends in college is great, but there is nothing like old friends.
I love being around those guys, mostly because we all get along so well.
We were the athletes in high school, all of our lives pretty much revolving around sports.
Many summer days were spent outside playing ball.
Back to my story, so we all got to house around 6.
(So we had plently of time to watch pregame, which is very important..haha)
And just like always, Ryan's dad had a magnificent spread of food set up for us.
Ribs, Chicken, Potatoes, French Bread, Chips, Dip
It was outstanding.
Overall, it was just a great night. Theres nothing like a night out with the guys.
We all were able to relax, not having to worry about school for a couple hours.
It was nice to be able to sit down and talk with someone from home, someone familiar.
I can't wait till Thanksgiving...
There was only one thing that went wrong that night...
My Packers lost a heartbreaker 27-20
((Alan))

Friday...

So here I am...Friday night...in my dorm room....doing nothing............
That pretty much sums it up, but I'll elaborate.
I can't help it, but I already have a bad attitute about this weekend.
Nothing is going on; I have zero plans for the next 2 days,
except for homework, but that definately does not count.
I've been sitting on my bed since about 6 o'clock, when I got back from dinner.
In the last 3 hours or so, I haven't moved.
Its been me and my laptop, with me forcing myself to get my blog entries done from the week.
*Special note* I noticed there is no post for our required entry this week...
Does this mean we don't need to do one!?
I doubt it.
Who knows, it could show up magically online, say, Sunday night.
(this is for my engineering readers, referencing a certain Chip assignment we had to do)
Anyways, I still have to put the finishing touches on my narrative for Monday.
Boy, did that turn out to be a lot of work...
I guess it has been a fair trade off though,
I have enjoyed not going to class this week thoroughly.
Today was especially nice, I was done with class on a friday by 1:30 for the first time all year.
Well, I think that is all for now, the Boston-Cleveland game is calling...
Go Bo Sox!
((Alan))

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

Ali is known to many as the greatest boxer of all time (rightfully so),
however, few are aware that he may also have been the greatest rapper of his era

Here are some examples...just for fun

"I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was."

"If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize. "

"It's hard to be humble, when you're as great as I am. "

This next one is probably my favorite...
"Last night I had a dream,
When I got to Africa, I had one hell of a rumble.
I had to beat Tarzan’s behind first,
For claiming to be King of the Jungle.
For this fight, I’ve wrestled with alligators,
I’ve tustled with a whale.
I done handcuffed lightning
And put thunder in jail.
You know I’m bad.
I have murdered a rock,
I’ve injured a stone,
and hospitalized a brick.
I’m so bad, I make medicine sick.
I’m so fast, man,
I can run through a hurricane and don't get wet.
When George Foreman meets me,
He’ll pay his debt.
I can drown the drink of water,
and kill a dead tree.
Wait till you see Muhammad Ali. "

"It's gonna be a a killa, a chilla, and a thrilla when I get that gorilla (Joe Frazier) in Manila"

Ali talking about himself before a bout with Sonny Liston...

"Then someone with color,
someone with dash,
brought fight fans a runnin with cash"

"This kid fights great,
he's got speed and endurance,
but if you decied to fight him,
increase your insurance!"

"This kid's got a left,
this kid's got a right,
If he hits you once,
your asleep for the night,
and as you lie of the floor,
as the ref counts ten,
you'll pray you never have to fight him again"

"Here I predict Mr. Liston's dismemberment,
I'll hit him so hard,
he'll wonder where October and November went"

And finally, an elderly, more humble Muhammad Ali, suffering form Parkinson's disease...

"God gave me this illness to remind me that I'm not number One; He is."

Hope you all enjoyed that...

((Alan))

"Handicapped by History: The Process of Hero Making"

By idolizing those whom we honor, we do a disservice both to them and to ourselves....We fail to recognize that we could go and do likewise. --Charles V. Willie

To start, I think it is important to note the word usage of Charles Willie in is epigraph.
Idolizing…honor…disservice…fail…likewise…
“By idolizing those whom we honor”
Idolize, from the root word idol, has a very negative connotation. When I first read Willie’s quote, I thought about the Bible and the early practice of idol worshipping. I was brought back to Sunday school, where we learned about the Lord’s response to idol worshippers.
Destruction…chaos…anger…
Willie is telling us that we have gone too far in our adoration of those we honor. We have put them up on a pedestal, much like an idol.
“We do a disservice to both them and ourselves”
When we reach this state of idolization, we detached ourselves from those we adore. They no longer seem human to us. Willie argues, and does so effectively, that this action can have damaging effects on both sides. Let us put this is terms of the modern era.
Celebrities…Paparazzi…need I even say more?
On the flip side, if we hold our heroes up so high with so much esteem, what are we saying about ourselves?
“We fail to recognize that we could do likewise”
In other words, we are selling ourselves short. We place or heroes and those we honor on levels much higher than our own. By thinking, “wow…I wish I could be like them…” we have failed, failed to believe in ourselves. If we no longer believe in ourselves, then what hope do we have?
((Alan))

I Flipping Hate ENGR126

Liars!
Dirty liars!
As if the bonus lab, postlab, and project wasn't enough...
Here I am, relaxing, about to call it a night...
I log onto blackboard to get an idea of what the postlab looks like, so I can try and tackle it on the way home tomorrow...
What do I find?
CHIP hmwk!
The T.A. at our last lecture specifically told us... no CHIP homework
and there it is...posted either today or Sunday...
As if the class hasn't broke me down enough...
I can hear their excuse now...."we're preparing you for the real world"
b.s.
Now I have one more thing to worry about when I get back...
I almost feel bad about ranting...bc I can't stand it when people complain...
but seriously...why can't you just assign it like always, so we have all week to do it...
What about those of us with lives who don't check blackbaord every waking second of our lives!
Please... someone tell me I'm not the only one a little ticked off about this...
((Alan))