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.