People that Bug Me

So I am watching a movie as I type this and there is another guy that is watching the same movie with us and he will not stop analyzing the movie. I am not talking about analyzing the movie in a good way but in a seriously annoying way. He will not shut up about certain things in the movie that are happening. He comments on if a gun is not cocked when the screen shot goes to the gun. He also says things cannot happen in real life and says it is stupid they put it in a movie. It is a movie, it is fiction, people watch it just to have fun. Quit analyzing the movie and just watch it. No one cares what you think or how smart you are. You will not impress anyone with what you say.

Peyton Hillis on Madden '12

I cannot believe that Peyton Hillis won the Madden 12 cover vote. It is one of the most coveted awards for a football player to get. Millions and millions of people will buy the game and Hillis will grace the cover of every one of those. He is one of those unknown guys that came to rule the rushing game in his division. It is hard to stop a guy that pulled trucks up a hill for fun in high school. He connects to the blue collar, working class, and everyday human being. The Albino Rhino is a beast and will not be stopped. It was a great honor for him to get on the cover and he will not disappoint.

Ryan Mallett

Well it was sort of a shocker that Ryan Mallet fell to the third round of the NFL draft. He was projected at times to be the best QB in the draft and he by far has the best arm of any QB going into the NFL this year. Lots of teams passed on him and he finally fell to the New England Patriots which was actually the best thing that could have happened to Mallet. Tom Brady only has a few years left at QB and Mallet can learn from the arguably best QB and coach in the league. I guess I have to become a Patriots fan now.

"Scam" Newton

Cam or should we say “Scam” Newton went number one overall in the NFL Draft. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers who I do not believe needed a QB. I feel like he will be the next Jamarcus Russel, extremely athletic but off the field consequences and work determination will ruin his career. He is a much bigger version of Michael Vick but unlike Micahel Vick he does not have the X-Factor. I think he is overhyped. I hope I’m not proving wrong in the future but he will not amount to anything when it comes to the NFL. Just a waste of a number one pick that could have gone to a better player.

Essay on "Sun Also Rises"

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is a book that has many different sides to it. A writer writing an analytical paper on it could choose many different topics in the book to analyze. In this book a writer could choose to write about alcoholism, feminism, psychoalanic, and many other structures that Hemingway might have been writing about in this book. The one structure I see the most in this novel is morality.

            The Sun Also Rises has a very non-moral story setting. Almost all the main characters are alcoholics and the main female character, Lady Brett, is not just an alcoholic but also a lady that likes to sleep around and go out with different men. The three main characters all have something wrong with them. Jake Barnes a war hero, who from the war suffered a wound that caused him to go impotent. Lady Brett Ashley a very promiscuous female that sleeps around with almost all the characters from the older man like Cohn to the very young like Romero the bullfighter.  Robert Cohn is the worn out boxer and he is one of the biggest alcoholics of the bunch always drinking his sorrows away. James Covert who wrote an article on the morality of Hemingway’s stories says that, “Hemingway’s fiction reflects and directs immediately the character of our times, its moral uncertainty. It surveys against this background the whole problem of conduct and value on the level of the individual (374).” For this Hemingway novel Covert is absolutely right. Again, almost all the characters have something wrong with them out of the social norm and that the time period is a reflection on why theses characters have low moral standards. This paper will be broken into three parts and over three different characters. The characters are Robert Cohn, Jake Barnes, and Lady Brett Ashley.

            Robert Cohn is a graduate of Princeton who boxed during college. Even though Hemingway starts off with, “Robert Cohn was once middleweight boxing champion of Princeton,” and devotes almost the entirety of the first chapter about Cohn, Cohn isn’t the main character of The Sun Also Rises (11). Cohn is actually an outsider to the coalition of people that travel around. He once had a fling with Lady Brett Ashley but he is merely tagging along cause of that and his friendship with Jake. Covert talks about Cohn more than any other character in this story, not because of his immoral ways but because how Cohn is so blinded in his meaning to find a way in life. Robert and Jake are very much in love with Lady Brett. Robert on the other hand and this is what Covert points out is that he is only fantasizing about his relationship with Brett. Covert says that “Cohn is incapable of being honest with himself or with others not because he deliberately uses dishonesty, but because he can not see through the illusions into reality. (381)” Covert sis right Cohn can not see that his relationship with Lady Brett will not work out and that the difference between Cohn and Jake is that Jake does realize that things can not work out between him and Lady Brett. Lady Brett is annoyed with Cohn too,  “Was I rude enough to him? My God! I’m so sick of him (Hemingway 185).” Besides drinking, dishonesty is Cohn’s moral downfall. He is not really dishonest with other people but with himself because he cannot tell himself that something won’t happen that he wants to happen. Like all of the other characters Cohn is a raging alcoholic. At one point someone asked, “Where’s Cohn” and Lady Brett replies, “He’s passed out. (Hemingway 161-162)” Another example of immortality of Cohn is in the first chapter of the book it talks about Cohn’s girlfriend Frances, but the whole time he is away he is trying to get with Lady Brett. In other words he is trying to cheat on his girlfriend and that’s a very immoral thing to do. Cohn to me is the least immoral person, he is not as big of a drunk as the others and his only vice is his lust for Lady Brett.

Independent Thinking

As a student I believe if you encourage other students to think independently, those students can ultimately share their ideas with other students. Thinking independently, students are more likely to start conversations with other students, speak up in class, and have more confidence. I have experienced all of these things.

When a student opens his or her mind and thinks independently they can collect their thoughts better. This opens up conversation opportunities with other students. Students can pool all of their ideas together and talk about them. Each student can share his or her ideas while listening to everyone else’s. Listening to everyone else’s idea can ad to your ideas too. Open-minded students won’t disregard their peer’s ideas.           

            When a teacher or professor lectures, he or she is expressing the ideas of the authors from which they get their material. Most professors are independent thinkers too; they think for themselves and have their own ideas about what they are lecturing on. These professors also have listened or paid attention to what other people have told them since they are lecturing other people’s thoughts too. So when a student thinks for himself or herself it is okay. They can have an idea about what they think is going on but they still are going to follow the teacher’s lecture.  The students can start discussions with the professor and the rest of the class can use their thoughts to be involved in the lecture.           

             When students have their own ideas about certain topics and have a place where they can freely say them with out getting criticized build confidence. You can do this in the classroom and hopefully with your best friends. They will argue with you but in a good way because they will have their own ideas. Every time you express your thoughts it builds more and more confidence were you could get to a point that you will just start saying your ideas freely with out being persuaded. Confidence is good because without it you wouldn’t have the nerve to express those ideas you thought about. Confidence helps students be happier and walk with their head held up high.

            Thinking independently is great to do. It isn’t bad to do this and it won’t takeaway from what other people say. It should actually make you want to listen to what other people to say so you can have a friendly argument with them. Thinking independently helps not only your friends but also the classroom because they are getting another viewpoint on something.  If you can express your ideas openly without being made fun of it helps build confidence. Which every teenager and young adult needs.

Witherspoon Room 168

Something I wrote a long time ago about one of the rooms in Witherspoon

As you walk through the big brown door that leads into room 168, you think you’ll walk into a room that looks just as old as the rest of the building. Low and behold the room though actually look like it came out of the twenty-first century. It has computers all along three sides of the room. In the front of the classroom a Smartboard hangs on a wall that has a rough texture to it. In the middle of the classroom a two long rows of computer tables that are connected by another computer table to form a squared off u is what we use as desk. The room has a warm vibe to it even though it is in a building that’s old and somewhat dark.

30 Day Song Challenge Day 5: "Outlaw Man"

Song that Reminds me of someone:

Well "Outlaw Man" reminds me a lot of my dad. I do not know why but it just does. My dad was a guy that was a modern day rebel I would like to think. He grew up in 70's and did not conform to the social norms of people. He was the type of guy that did not take crap from anyone and he traveled around a lot. It is one of my favorite Eagles songs and when ever it comes on I think of my dad. I also like to think of it as my own theme song as well.

Dixie Chicks vs. Clear Channel

 

I believe Clear Channel does not have the right to ban the airplay of Dixie Chicks or any other band that offends that company. When a company like Clear Channel controls as many radio stations as it does it can influence what many people believe. The whole point of radio is to boost album sales and get singles out to the public. Well if company that controls as much as airplay like this company does then it can influence how much that band makes, how their new album does, and if their single becomes big. Clear Channel did not respect the Dixie Chick’s Freedom of Speech rights; the Dixie Chicks had every right to make that comment about President Bush whether it was politically correct or not. It may have not been politically correct to say they were ashamed of Bush to people of a different country in that country but they still had the right to say that. When Americans say what they want it is usually ok but the Dixie Chicks are high profile Americans that when put in their position are easily scrutinized.

By banning the Dixie Chicks, Clear Channel did hurt the Dixie Chicks severely for a few years. Different Clear Channel owned radio stations across the country hosted CD burning and other forms of protest against the Dixie Chicks. This caused the Dixie Chicks to lose lots of fans and many millions of dollars. Without airtime, the Dixie Chicks album sales dropped and they quickly dropped out of the Top 40 list. If a local radio station did this it wouldn’t have the same effect but since a corporation of radio stations banned airtime of the Dixie Chicks this happened.

It took the Dixie Chicks three years to come back out and not have the majority of country music fans hating them because of what they said. They made a new album and won many Grammy awards that same year. This did not help them very well in album sales or concert ticket sales but it got them back on the map. They became respected again. No I don’t believe Clear Channel should have the authority or power to do what they did to the Dixie Chicks. It could have ended their career or any other bands career as well. They control what we listen to as it is and they really decide who has the next hit so do not give them more power than the already have. If it was single radio stations doing this it would be a different ordeal but it was one corporations that controls a huge majority of radio stations in the country.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 4 "1881 Gallo Del Cielo"

Song that makes you sad.

I do not really think this song is that sad but I do not like the ending of it. Gallo Del Cielo is just about how this young Mexican crosses the border with a fighting rooster to help bring glory to his family's name and take back the land that was once his families. Everything is going well, his rooster beats and kills multiple roosters. Well all things good must come to an end and towards the end of the song the rooster dies valiantly fighting another rooster. This brings the boy's dreams to a crashing end. It's sad because now the rooster is dead and the boy's family disowns.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 3 "Coastline Journey" By Mishka

A Song that makes me happy.

A type of music that always seems to bring a smile to my face has to be reggae. I don't know what it is about it but I've always enjoyed a simple reggae song. Whether it is some classics from Bob Marley or my new found favorite reggae artist Mishka I listen to this genre of music a lot. I love nature and this song just brings views of sand and beaches straight to me. I would love to be able to spend all day on the beach whether it is fishing, riding a bike, reading a book, or just having fun with family. It is all about nature and this song is all about that nature. Nature makes me happy and this song definitely makes me happy because of nature.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 2 "Firework" By: Katy Perry

It is Day 2 of the challenge and I'm putting off finishing a paper to write this blog. My least favorite song that comes to me right off the top of my head has to be Katy Perry's "Firework. I do not know what it is about the song that makes me not like it but it just strikes a nerve every time I hear it played. Yes it is catchy and made people "youtube" famous by making viral videos but to me it is not a song I enjoy. It seems to be to over produced, way to pop for my standards, and also it is sung by an artist in all honesty has big boobs and not much talent. Our musical standards in this country are almost completely non-existent, this last five years has produced hardly any groundbreaking songs that will redefine a musical era. Whether Katy Perry wrote this out of love for Russel Brand or not does not make this song good. I hope the music industry changes in a few years but it probably won't.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 1 "Knocking on Heaven's Door" By Bob Dylan

So I saw this on Facebook and I like it a lot more than the 30 day pic challenge so I figure I will do it. I will post the song of the day here and then talk and explain about it. It should be fun so we will see. Below are the rules:
day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
day 08 - a song that you know all the words to
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love
day 15 - a song that describes you
day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry
day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
day 29 - a song from your childhood
day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year


 Day 1-My Favorite Song: Knockin on Heaven's Door  By: Bob Dylan

So Knocking on Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan has to be my favorite song. I guess you could say it is an interesting choice especially for someone my age but I grew up with this type of music my whole life. Bob Dylan wrote this song for the movie  Pat Garret and Billy the Kid.  It is being played as this sheriff is dying after being shot by Billy the Kid. This sheriff was pulled out of retirement when he really didn't want to,  to help find Billy and it cost him his life. The song is just about the last few minutes of this man's life and it is really moving. His life has been centered around this badge and gun that has caused destruction and he asking God and his wife to take it away from him because the weight of his profession is finally leaving him. He is at heaven's door knocking at it to get in. I really want this song to be played at my funeral. Bob Dylan is an amazing songwriter and this is one of his masterpieces. I have 5 versions of this song in my iTunes all by different artists.

Not Returning as an RA

Well I am not returning as an RA next year and I am quite sad. Being an RA has been a part of me for the last two year and it is a job a take very seriously. I never really thought I would become this attached to a job but I have. It has been one of the best experiences that I have had and I am sad not to return next semester. The reason that I’m not returning is because of where I was placed. I was hired for Campus Court a Residence Hall that is about a half a mile or longer away from campus. I was hired there to help build a community and I am honored that they thought I could do that but Campus Court is not the place for me to live. I’m very socially driven and I believe living off campus like that will hamper my college experience. I don’t want to get disconnected from the place I love. Guess that next year will be a different year for me to find other things for me to do.

Summer, Hurry Up

Five weeks of school left. I am so ready for summer it is almost an unbearable wait. This is the first year that I have really wanted to get away from school and friends. Usually I hate when summer starts because I miss all my friends but lately I have been getting really aggravated with life and people in general. I don’t know why, I guess it is mainly because I’m growing older and don’t care for stupidity anymore. Summer cannot come soon enough, fun in the sun and interesting summer jobs are waiting. I want to play lots of disc golf and other fun sports. Do some fishing with friends and get an even better tan line than what I had last summer.

Life in Perspective: Roger Norman from Friend to Musician

Another article I did for a class assignment on a friend of mine.

Walking across campus for Roger Norman is not just the average student’s trip to class. He says “Hello” and stops to talk to multiple people along the way, leaving wherever he is a few minutes early just to make it to class on time. Roger has a charming smile, an all around inviting presence, and caring heart. He is one of those guys that everyone seems to know but do you actually know who Roger Norman is and who aspires to be one day.

            Wherever Roger has been you can bet that he has left his presence in some way; for many people outside of Arkansas Tech, Roger has left them in awe of his musical abilities. Roger acknowledges that a lot of his musical awareness is contributes from genetics; his mother is a choir teacher and his dad writes music and plays guitar as well.  He has gown up in a home where music was all around him. Playing drums since second grade and guitar since the eighth grade Roger started following in his parents’ footsteps from an early age.

Continuing his pursuit of music through high school, Roger is now involved with playing the drums and guitar for many different bands. From leading worship at various churches to the “Arkansas Tech Band of Distinction,” Roger is actively involved in a life centered on music.

Roger focuses on song writing and the artistic expression of music. The music he plays in greatly influenced by world instruments, especially those that are percussion based instruments. Roger says, “To me music is everywhere. In the moments I least expect it, something can come along and set off a spark inside of me which ignites my creativity.” He cites everyday noises as influences; from birds chirping to the beep from a truck backing up, he gets inspirations for anything.

Being a junior level college student, Roger is now starting to look into the future. He wants to continue his development of music on into grad school. Cities like Nashville, Austin, or other musically geared areas are where he is centering his search for a college.  Roger says that he would love to one day end up making music professionally but knows of that does not happen he still has that passion for music that has carried him this far.

Next time you see someone walking across campus remember that they have a story to tell, and there is more to them then what you might know. Look for Roger in the future, musically or professionally; with his desire and passion his career in whatever he chooses will be fruitful.

Whatta-Burger vs CJ's

For the longest time Feltner’s Whatta-Burger used to be the King of burger joints in the River Valley. Politicians, athletic stars, anyone of importance would always stop in Russellville to have one of the famous Whatta-Burgers. Feeding bus loads of kids during peak sports seasons and keeping the Russellville locals fed, Feltner’s has kept Russellville on the burger joint map. A few years ago a local Russellville resident opened CJ’s Butcher Boy. Promoting fresh never frozen beef and hand cut french fries. CJ’s instantly became a local hot spot. It wasn’t till a reporter for Southern Living came searching for a southern burger haven that CJ’s was put on the map. CJ’s burgers are fresh, juicy, and great examples of what a burger should be like. Feltner’s on the other hand has above average fast food hamburgers. They are very good but a different king has entered the burger market in Russellville. I will take a full order of fries at Feltner’s any day of the week though.

The Similarities Between Hitchcock’s Films and North by Northwest

North by Northwest is similar to many of Alfred Hitchcock’s other films. Like most of Hitchcock’s films, North By Northwest is a thriller and has a male protagonist that is seemingly in distress. For example in Read Window Lisa is the one that is put in danger but we do not see her distress, we see how much Jeffries suffers when Lisa is in distress. In North by Northwest Hitchcock uses this with Eve and Roger. Eve is the one that is put in the main part of the danger but she does not seem as worried about it as Roger does. Hitchcock uses this to show male suffering.

            Some minor things that pop up in Hitchcock’s films are cameos, idiotic cops, and meetings on public transportation. Hitchcock always has cameos in his films, most are so slight that if you are not paying attention you will miss him. Idiotic cops relate all the way back to a childhood problem that Hitchcock was involved in. These cops never see the true act of crime when it happens like in Blackmail when Alice is getting attacked and she has to kill the painter. Also the cops always seem to not realize what is going on at all, this is just a way for Hitchcock to show his dislike for cops. Many of the character meet on public transportation, trains and busses. Roger meets Eve on a train just like the characters in Shadow of a Doubt and The 39 Steps.

            The last thing that Hitchcock uses that I see in a lot of his movies is the stress on the ending male and female’s relationship. In the majority of his movies the ending couple relationship is somehow strained or put in a negative light. In North by Northwest at the end, Roger and Eve are more happily together than most of the other characters in his other movies. Eve though points out that marriages are not meant to last and Roger even is a good example since he has two ex-wives. In Blackmail Alice’s relationship ends up being strained with Frank at the end because of her ordeal. They are shown not separating from holding hands. In another movie at the end the two main characters are shown walking off screen holding hands but the male is shown with a pair of handcuffs on. The handcuffs stand for how the male will be tied down in his relationship with the female.

Matthew Robert's 3 Person Scramble

I played a disc golf tournament a few weekends ago and it went really well. It was a three-man scramble team format. I played with a couple friends that I often play disc golf recreationally with. We all played really well, the first round we shot three down which wasn’t terrible at all for the course we were on. Mistakes and lack of putting skills killed us though. If we could have made our putts we would have been seven down, including out bogies. If we did not have those bogies we would have been 12 down after the first round, which would have put us in the lead for our category. For the second round we just played decent and consistent. We shot two down but a lot of other teams did not shoot well either so we jumped a few spots and finished 12 out of 31 teams. Pretty good for only our first tournament.

Mid-Major Madness

It has been a crazy time for college basketball in the month of March. The saying “March Madness” has definitely lived up to its’ meaning. For the first time 68 teams were in the NCAA National Tournament. Instead of having one play-in game this year the tournament added three more play-in games, starting with the “First Four” and ending with the “Final Four.” I have never been more carefree with a NCAA Tournament before; usually I fill out a bracket and have at least one team in there that I route for. This year though I just kind of sat back and watched without much care. The caring part changed fairly quickly though. Early monumental upsets cleared the way for what could be one of the greatest tournament runs for mid-majors. VCU, one of the play-in teams, one of those “First Four” has made all the way to the Final Four. Ranked as an 11 seed VCU beat perennial powerhouses in basketball like Kansas and Georgetown. Butler, the 2010 NCAA Tournament Cinderella is making a sequel to their performance last year, again making it to the Final Four. It’s impressive to see teams like these two make it this far because in all reality they aren’t supposed to be able to compete with the teams that are; larger, have a higher revenue, and have a better recruiting base. Unfortunately Butler and VCU cannot meet in the championship game. They have to play each other in the semifinals. The good news though is that one mid-major for the second straight year will be in the championship game, maybe this year one of them can actually win it all. One of them winning it all could prove that in these modern times the gap between a mid-major and major program is not that far off.

Arkansas Tech Legends: Ed Meador from WonderBoy to NFL Pro Bowler

So the following is an article I wrote for a class of mine. It has the potential to be picked up by the ArkaTech sometime in the near future but that is a long shot. The article is about Russellville's own and former WonderBoy Ed Meador, who went on to play in the NFL. It's not my best work and it is my first attempt at any article written for media, so I'm sure it has some errors. Well here it is!! Pictures I have added for the blog they are not part of my original article.

It was 1955 and Ed Meador had just graduated from Russellville High School. Meador has been called “too small” by legendary coaches like Paul Bear Bryant, who at that time was the coach for the Texas A&M Aggies. Meador after trying to play for Bryant, traveled back to Arkansas and was offered a scholarship to play football at Arkansas Tech University, the college only a few miles from the high school he attended. He decided to accept that scholarship. Becoming a WonderBoy was only the first step in what would become an illustrious football career for Meador.

The four years that Meador played as a WonderBoy, his abilities were not just used for one position. He played not only tailback on offense, but also defensive back, and was a return specialist. Setting numerous records, 19 to be exact in conference and for Tech, Meador who wore number 44, would go on to rush for 3,410 yards while scoring 259 points. All the records that were set by Meador would later be surpassed by future WonderBoys or other conference players but those numbers are still are among the top numbers for Arkansas Tech football. He garnered such awards as being named All-Conference in the AIC three of his four seasons and also being named a Little All-American. Meador’s numerous awards and record caught the eyes of pro scouts, putting him in position to continue his football career after college.

After graduating from Arkansas Tech, Meador went on to be drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round of the 1959 NFL draft. Standing only 5’ 11” and weighing 190 lbs. the small statured Meador was playing with big boys. In a past interview with a local high school Meador was asked what it was like moving up and playing in the NFL, his answer was size, players were just bigger and stronger. Meador’s NFL career became just as award filled as his college career. He was chosen to the Pro Bowl six times, including a span of five straight seasons from 1964-1968. He holds the all-time interception record for the Rams’ organization at 46 career interceptions. Some say this is one of his greatest feats, not because of the number itself but because the number of interceptions he had in an era that was mainly dominated by running backs not passing quarterbacks. Was also named to the All-Time Rams Team and the NFL’s All-decade Team for the 1960’s. Ex-Baltimore Colts running back and Hall of Famer Lenny Moore was quoted as saying; “He’s one of the leagues good ones, Thinking back, I might have been gone a few more times if it hadn’t been for him.” Respected not only for his on the field actions, Meador was also awarded for his off the field actions as a father, receiving the NFL Father of the Year Award in 1967.

Never missing a game in 12 seasons, 163 straight games, Meador’s career in the NFL mirrors some of the all-time greats. Meador became one of the most respected and feared safeties in the league. Intercepting passes from the likes of Bart Starr and Don Meredith to stopping countless wide receivers and running backs, Meador made sure he was noticed on the field. Meador has been inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Tech University Hall of Distinction. Is Canton missing one player that should be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame? Ironically the Father of the Year Award that Meador received in 1967 was given to him by the NFL Hall of Fame Committee, the same committee that has never awarded Meador the most prestigious honor for a NFL football player, inducting him into the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame would be a great ending to an illustrious career that started in small town Russellville, Ark and ended in the big city of Los Angeles, Cal as an NFL great. For more information on who Ed Meador is and how you can help him get into the NFL Hall of Fame, please check out www.edmeador21.com and help a fellow WonderBoy finish a dream.

Gulf South Conference Championship Tournament

This past weekend I went to Southaven, Mississippi with eight other fellow die-hard Arkansas Tech fans to attend the Gulf South Conference Tournament, where both boys and girls teams were playing. In the past couple of weeks we decided to take the student section on the road and support the WonderBoys and Golden Suns whenever possible. Southaven, Miss was awesome. There were so many fans for the Tech games there; it was such a great atmosphere. The girls ended up winning the whole tournament becoming back-to-back champions. The boys made it to the championship game but ended up losing to Harding University, which Tech had already beat two times this year. With the win by the Golden Suns, Arkansas Tech will host the South Region Tournament this upcoming weekend and of course I will be there in the student section cheering them on. I wish I could attend the WonderBoys’ games as well but I have to choose.

The 7 Canons Bonus

On April 28, 1923, the American Society of Newspaper Editors adopted a set of ethical rules called the Canons of Journalism. Journalists all over the world adopt the canons. The are seven different canons; 1) responsibility, 2) freedom of press, 3) independence, 4) sincerity, truthfulness, and accuracy, 5) impartiality 6) fair play, and 7) decency. Each canon has a specific reason on why it was passed. Each canon will be described and explained with examples below in the following paragraphs.

The first canon is responsibility. The definition of responsibility under the code of ethics is “The right of a newspaper to attract and hold readers is restricted by nothing but considerations of public welfare. The use a newspaper makes of the share of public attention it gains serves to determine its sense of responsibility, which it shares with every member of its staff. A journalist who uses his power for any selfish or otherwise unworthy purpose is faithless to a high trust.” This means that the newspaper needs to have responsibility for what it writes and what goes out in its paper. The writers also have to have the ethical standards of writing and take responsibility for being a great journalist, not become a flaky one.

The second canon is freedom of the press. The definition of freedom of the press under the code of ethics is; “Freedom of the press is to be guarded as a vital right of mankind. It is the unquestionable right to discuss whatever is not explicitly forbidden by law, including the wisdom of any restrictive statute. This ethical code is more for the editors of the newspaper or whoever is in charge of the news going out. Those people in charge are ethically bound to provide the truth and let everyone speak. Let every person have their voice heard in articles. They cannot just throw something out because they do not agree with it. They are supposed to let everything that is news get published.

The third canon is independence. The definition of independence under the code of ethics is freedom from all obligations except that of fidelity to the public interest is vital.” Independence is broken down into two parts; the first part is “Promotion of any private interest contrary to the general welfare, for whatever reason, is not compatible with honest journalism. So-called news communications from private sources not be published without public notice of their source or else substantiationn of their claims to value as news, both in from and substance.” The second part is partisanship. “Partisanship in editorial comment which knowingly departs from the truth, does violence to the best spirit of American journalism, in the news column it is subversive of a fundamental principle of the profession.” This is saying that the newspaper or journalist needs to be coming from its own source. It does not need to have someone behind it pulling the strings on what happens. If its independent the more likely no bias news articles get out, making it a better paper for the public.

The fourth canon of journalism is sincerity, truthfulness, and accuracy all rolled into one. The definition according to the code of ethic is,” Good faith with the reader is the foundation of all journalism worthy of the name. 1. By every consideration of good faith a newspaper is constrained to be truthful. It is not to be excused for lack of thoroughness or accuracy within its control, or failure to obtain command of the essential qualities. 2. Headlines should be fully warranted by the contents of the articles which they surmount.” In other words a paper needs to do its best to make sure everything it prints is actually what has happened. Especially if it isn’t true they need to be able to back up their claims and try to prove why they thought it was true. A nightly news anchor got into serious trouble for this because he supposedly ran a story without checking all the facts and the story turned out to be false. He lost people’s trust and it eventually got him fired.

The fifth canon of journalism is impartiality. According to the code of ethics the definition of impartiality is “Sound practice makes clear distinction between news reports and expressions of opinion. News reports should be free from opinion or bias of any kind. This rules does not apply to so called special articles unmistakably devoted to advocacy or characterized by a signature authorizing the writer’s own conclusions and interpretations.”  All this canon is saying is that everything written unless it is an editorial should just be focused on the news and not anything else. It should not focus on a certain side, a certain person, leaving multiple people out. The whole story needs to be written without any parts left out swaying the article in certain ways.

The sixth canon of journalism is fair play. The definition of fair play according to the code of ethics is “ a newspaper should not publish unofficial charges affecting reputation or moral character without opportunity given to the accused to be heard. 1) A newspaper should not invade the private rights or feelings without sure warrant of public right as distinguished from public curiosity. 2) It is the privilege, as it is the duty, of a newspaper to make prompt and complete correction of its own serious mistakes of fact or opinion, whatever their origin.” Again this is like the fourth canon. The news anchor that got in trouble also broke this canon. He may have not meant to but he did not check what he should have.

The seventh and final canon is decency. The definition of decency according to the code of ethics is, “A newspaper cannot escape conviction of insincerity if, while professing high moral purpose, it supplies incentives to base conduct, such as are to be found in details of crime and vice, publication of which is not demonstrably for the general good. Lacking authority to enforce its canons, the journalism here represented can but express the hope that deliberate pandering to vicious instincts will encounter effective public disapproval or yield to the influence of a preponderant professional condemnation.” The paper has to make sure what it writes is decent. It cannot write about bad things that can scare people. This cannon today is not widely followed.

These canons were placed into effect a long time ago. So naturally the interpretations of these ethical standards get revised. There are many newspapers and other media sources that do not follow the seven canons. They pry into people’s lives, they do not supply the full truth in an article, and they try to sway the publics opinion. The canons have evolved and in some instances have become obsolete but other media outlets do still try to follow them. They were placed into effect because they were to regulate how journalist writes. It definitely has helped how journalism itself has evolved. Journalists do all they can to get a good name for themselves because that is how they get promotions or get known by the public in most cases. If I become a journalists I will try to follows the seven canons as close as possible and be a good journalists. 

Reading

I love reading! I have always loved to read. Elementary school I was reading book after book and reading up to a jr high level. In middle school I was already reading at a high school level. I really think that reading has helped everything about who I am. I am a constant thinker, I attribute reading to how smart I am, and I love to dream. Reading has helped all these thing. Ever since I have come to college I really have not had time to just sit down and enjoy books like I used to. There are so many things going on and I am so busy that I do not have the time to enjoy one. I'm ready for a break life is just so hectic right now. I just want to sit down and read a really good book. I have soo many on the list.

LSAT Prep Course

Well I start my LSAT Prep class tomorrow night. Professor Gooch is going to be teaching it and hopefully there will be a few people taking the class. I am extremely worried because it’s going to be tough and now I’m taking some more hours out of my day to take the class. It’s going to cost about 150 bucks and it’s really cheap actually. I want to do good so I’m definitely going to try. We start the first class with a full LSAT practice test it is going to take four hours. It’s extremely time consuming and difficult. Like I said I am extremely nervous.

R.I.P. Dennis Lowe

Mr. Lowe was an elder and deacon at the church I used to attend. Literally as I write this I got word that he passed away not even a half hour ago. Dennis was always good to me, he treated me well and my family well. He treated everyone like they were his family. Sometimes I think he treated me like one of his own grandsons. It is a sad day today. I have not attended church at London in a while just because I started going to different church in town. Dennis owned a Auto Parts store in Russellville and that is the last place I saw him. I went in there to ask him about getting a new radiator for my vehicle and he told me everything I needed. He didn’t look bad then but I knew he was sick, he had been for a while. I love you Mr. Lowe you were a great man. You are with God now and definitely not in pain any longer.

Spring Break

Well Spring Break 2011 is right around the corner, only three weeks away before countless college students and other young adults go towards the slopes of the Mountains or the beaches. Many of my friends will be making the pilgrimage to Panama City Beach and Destin Florida. They will party all week, drink gallons and gallons of alcohol, some of them will probably get a STD or two. Those kind of parties are not my thing. I have never had a real desire to go down there and party like that. It’s a waste of money and in all reality people can get pretty messed up. Things happen down there that really effect people’s lives in the long run.

Bob Dylan

I am listening to some Bob Dylan as I write this right now. I grew up on Bob Dylan and have listened to him my whole life. My dad grew up around the time he started singing and changing all these different things in music. I believe he is one of the greatest muscisians and songwriters ever even though he cannot really sing that well. I would really like to see him in concert but I fear it’s too late to see the true Dylan. His Grammy performance was an example of how is voice has kind of gone to pieces. It’s extremely raspy, a lot more than what it has always been. I encourage all to listen to him, he is a great influential person in history.

Losing

I hate losing. I have never really considered myself one of those people that are big competitors and just get all ticked off if they lose. I never think I am one of those people until I realize after I play that I really am one of those people. I played intramural volleyball tonight and we got steamrolled. I was not really happy about it, more because I played like crap and didn’t give the best I could have. I know I am better than how I actually played. Well we have multiple games and hopefully we can win one of them. I just want to play better.

NASCAR

It is that time of year again, the start of NASCAR season. A lot of people give me crap about being a fan of NASCAR but I do not know why I am fan but I just am. I grew up around it but my parents never really watched it so they did not get me started. I just picked up on it and have watched it since I was little. I have been to three NASCAR races, it helps that my brother lives literally less than five miles from the Daytona International Speedway. My favorite driver is Mark Martin mostly because he is from Arkansas. He is one of the best drivers out there though. He is kind of the Dan Marino or Karl Malone of NASCAR, one of the best never to win a championship. He has started the season off strong, finishing 10^th in the Daytona 500 and 13^th in today’s race in Arizona. Hopefully this year will be his year to win the championship but only time will tell.

Albert Pujols

What were the St. Louis Cardinals thinking when they did not sign Albert Pujols to the contract that he wanted. I understand he wanted a lot of money and some may think that is excessive but he is their franchise. They base their whole organization around their first basemen. He is an annual all-star and is the Cardinals offense, bombing home runs out of countless stadiums. Give him the money and keep him as long as he wants to be there. If things end up at the end of the season and they can’t resign him, fans in Missouri are going to be outraged. Their idol is gone and who knows it could start a new “curse of the bambino.”

Gulf South Conference Championship Tournament

If everything works out, this upcoming weekend I’m road tripping with some friends and we are going to Southaven, Miss to the Gulf South Conference Championship Tournament. The basketball teams have to win, Thursday and Friday before we will be able to get down to see them play. The semifinals are Saturday and the Championships are Sunday. It would be an awesome adventure with friends and other Tech fans. We have become the faces of the Arkansas Tech Basketball Student Section and we want to represent as much as we can. I know the players and coaches appreciate us being there supporting them and I can’t wait to be a part of something great like a championship tournament. If the girls win the tournament then they will most likely host the South Regionals and again the student section will be here cheering them on.

Arkansas Tech Basketball

              Thursday and Saturday night I took part in what could arguably be my most memorable time at Arkansas Tech. Thursday night a group of friends and I went to Harding University in Searcy, Ark to watch Tech play Harding in a classic basketball rivalry. The Tech basketball teams did not disappoint, the Golden Suns easily beat the Harding girl’s team. Our makeshift student section cheered as loud as we could, there were only about ten of us. When the boy’s game started we got out numbered in the student section department. It seemed that whole Harding student body had to appeared to take part in cheering on their boys to a win. Many times we were drowned out by the loud roar of Harding fans. It turned out to be one heck of a classic going into overtime and Arkansas Tech barely pulling off the win. Saturday night the next game the teams had was just as exciting. Tech was playing Ouachita Baptist and again it was just as exciting as the boys game at Harding. The girls ended up winning in double overtime 100-97 and after the game they cut down the net since they had just won the conference. The coach looked up to the student section and motioned for us to go down on the court and celebrate with them. It was an exciting moment. I will never forget those games and those moments.

Disc Golf

            It is almost spring season and the best part about spring, besides the sun and temperature change, it is the start of disc golf tournament season. The first tournament I’m going to participate in is March 12. It’s a three-man scramble tournament in memory of Matthew Roberts, a kid who died playing disc golf. After that tournament I plan to participate in at least one tournament a month maybe even more. I definitely will be competing in the recreation division because I’m not good enough to play in harder divisions. Disc golf is just extremely relaxing for me and I really like to play it all the time. It’s going to be interesting playing in tournaments, who knows I might one day become really good and win a few tournaments.

Lacrosse

In the last week one of my residents bought a lacrosse stick and has started to play with it around the building. Well I got interested and decided to start playing around with the stick. He started teaching me how to handle the stick and throw. Being a big sports fan that I am, I instantly fell in love with the idea of just messing around and playing lacrosse. I plan on buying a cheap lacrosse stick and playing with my resident who has his. I’m probably never going to play in a lacrosse league but I always like to be a part of any type of sport. Lacrosse also helps with hand/eye coordination and is a good workout if a person runs around.

The RA Job

          I have been a Resident Assistant for the past year and half. I have been in Nutt Hall both years and it has been a blast. I would recommend it as job to lots of people. I have met so many people and made such great friends because of the residents and co-workers I have been around. My favorite part of the job is meeting and having a brother hood with the 30 plus residents I have each year. I not only have 30 plus residents directly but the building I work in has 330 residents. I try to make friends with any resident I can because you never know how they can affect your life. The perks of the job are also nice, I get a nice paycheck and also a private room and bathroom. It is quite nice. If there are any questions feel free to ask.

NBA and Defense

          What happened to the good ole days of NBA basketball when Michael Jordan and Larry Byrd were around. During their time defense actually matter it was a great accomplishment to score a 100+ points. Now teams average in the high 90’s and seeing a team score 130 points in a game is just another occurrence that happens every couple weeks. Today there are great athletes and players that play ball in the NBA but can they really be compared to the greats of old if they don’t even play like they did in those days. I am sure the guys today in the NBA can play defense but they don’t play defense. They let players drive around them and dunk the ball or leave a man wide open past the three point line so he can have an easy three. I only watch the NBA when the playoffs come around and especially the championship series. I guess you can call me a homer as well because I really only like to route for Arkansas born players or players that played at the University of Arkansas. Maybe one day defense will become important in the NBA again and then I will watch it again.

The Navy

          Another option I have thought about is graduating college and then going to join the Navy. I would then enter Officer Training School and join the Navy as an officer. I would really like to be in intelligence or cryptology or something a long those lines. I have awful eyesight so I cannot be a pilot or anything along those lines, my eyesight I so bad I am close to not being eligible for the Air Force. Anyways being Intelligence in the Navy would be another option into getting into the F.B.I. or C.I.A. This option is not very high up on this list but it still is an option for me in the future.

F.B.I.

           If I do go to law school I would only go for two reasons, to be a politician or to try to get a job in the F.B.I. Now I know this sounds ridiculous but I do not see myself being that courtroom attorney that people seem to associate a lawyer with. I am more of a behind the scenes type of guy and more of an active type of guy. The F.B.I. seems to be something that I would enjoy very much it is a very intense and active lifestyle. Working on cases and doing certain things like that is something that I would enjoy. I think I would be a really good investigator and a good behavioral analsyst expert but who knows if I would even get a position. I have many big dreams and this is one of them.

Law School

           Ever since my high school graduation the goal of college for me was to get prepared for law school. Many times during college I have wondered if law school was the best decision for me but I stuck with my decision to prepare myself. My grades are not terrible by any standards but also are not what I would have like to have my first two years of college. Good grades and a good LSAT score get people into good law schools. To give myself a little more options in case law school didn’t work out I added Journalism Public Relations this past semester to my English degree. That was my first step to separating myself from the law school route directly out of college. The next step has been the decision of the Peace Corps or teaching English in a different country. I am a very adventurous person that does not like to sit behind a desk and the teaching English in a different country would be an awesome opportunity.  I still have the desire to be a lawyer but right now I think there are other possibilities out there for me. I’m not going to say that I’m not going to go to law school but I am thinking less and less for that as my future.

Peace Corps Decision

Last spring semester I started considering the Peace Corps after I graduate from Arkansas Tech. It seemed at the time something I would really enjoy and be into. After graduation I would give up 27 months of my life and go to some foreign country. I would live like a third world resident in the country I was placed. The time and loneliness is the only reservations I really had about joining the Peace Corps. After a while I decided that I wanted to go to law school after college. I put the Peace Corps at the back of my mind and it never came back up till a couple weeks ago. I went and talked to a Peace Corps recruiter a few days ago and he never really told me anything I already didn’t know. After thinking about it and unless I have a drastic change of heart, I will not be joining the Peace Corps after college.

John Daly, Is he Back?

            Is the man that is the epitome of “Grip it and Rip It” style of golf, back? After two rounds at the Farmers Insurance Open, John Daly is three back from the lead shooting 8 under and tied for third place. The Farmer Insurance Open is ironically at Torrey Pines, the same course that Daly made a surprising playoff win. That win was seven years ago and has been Daly’s last win on the PGA Tour. Since then Daly has dropped out of numerous tournaments, had problems with the law, lost his PGA tour card (he only plays right now on tournament and sponsorship exemptions), and lost over a 100 pounds.

            A good score after two rounds is not usually something to get excited about, but when it comes to the common man’s golfer, people start turning their heads. Fans, media, and tournament directors would love to see Daly make a huge comeback because he can create huge amounts of revenue and is hugely popular with all types of fan bases. Ever since his win at Torrey Pines, Daly has played bad round after bad round but has shown some flashes of brilliance. That last flash of brilliance came at Saint Andrews- The Old Course in The Open Championship last July. Daly shot an opening round of 66, 6 down and high on the leader board. Unfortunately, Daly went on to shoot 4 over the next day and ended up finishing tied for 48^th after all four rounds of golf had been played.

            During the second round of the Farmer’s Insurance Open, Daly was able to shake off what has been in the past the downfall of his game and go on and still finish strong. Daly’s major hiccup was 14 holes into his second round on the front nine’s hole number four. A par four that Daly had birdied the day before gave him his troubles. He shot a double bogey on hole 4 to bring his 9 under down to 7 under. Daly stayed confident and two holes later birdied hole 6 and pared the remaining holes to give him the score he has now. Daly has two rounds left to finish strong with a possible win or give his critics the benefit of the doubt and make his first two rounds at Torrey Pines look like a fluke.

            Nothing would make me happier in the sport of golf to see the local man from Dardanelle, Arkansas finish strong and resurrect a career that many thought was dead. It’s been a rough road for Daly over the past few years and it would make a lot of people happy to see him become the next feel good story in sports, again. Daly has changed his life around at least that is what he has publically told his fans and media and like other sports figures it would be great for him to be rewarded for his decisions.

             I will leave you with the thought that not many golfers can pull off the look Daly has been sporting the last couple of tour seasons. He has a very eccentric dressing style now that is somewhat outlandish but also a tribute to the old school style of clothing that has not regularly been worn in tournaments since the late Payne Stewart. It is fairly hard to play golf and look like a combination of Luigi and green go signal at a stoplight though. He definitely wasn’t hard to find on the course today.

                                                                         All Photo Rights are to the AP.

Teaching English in China

As I said in my last blog, the next blog that I was going to write about would be about something interesting to do with my future. Sorry I have not updated my blog sooner but as a college student I do procrastinate and get occupied at certain random times.
One of the three major decisions that I have been thinking about lately is going to China to teach English after I graduate college in May 2012. Even though that is a little over a year away, I like to plan a head and plan my future a little ways in advance. This is something new I have thought about and I still have a lot of research to go before I ultimately decide on what to do. Some may ask why I want to devote 10 – 12 months of my life to a different country where I will not know the language and pretty much be completely clueless of many things for a while. Well a few reasons I believe I would like to do this are; adventure, a challenge, and most importantly I believe that God has major plans for me in the future if I do something like this. If I go over to China and learn the culture there I can better serve God back in the U.S. by helping foreign exchange students or other Chinese people that come to America. I have a lot of things to go over and pray about before I do make this decision but this really is a major possibility. If you are wondering what the other two major decisions I have been thinking about they will be written about in later posts.

The First Post

Well it is official with this post I have officially become a “blogger.”  For some time now I have wanted to become someone who writes opinion articles that only a select few get to read. The select few are only because they choose to read it not because it is an invite only blog. Professor Reeder’s Intro to Mass Communications class is the reason I started my blogging career, I had preferred to start it on other terms but I feel a blog is like a journal for me; excited about keeping one for the first few days then after a week or so I get tired of it. This blog, which is respectably called “Unnecessary Knowledge,” will consist of topics such as politics (one of the top dreaded topics), sports, my life, pop culture, and reviews on certain products or things I find in my life at that moment. A newer blog post will be posted later tonight most likely on an interesting decision that I am pondering. Stay tuned!