October 3, 2005
Ok. First I would like to say that I am in complete shock that it is October. The month of October is my favorite month. However, just four short months ago on June 3, 2005 was my senior prom. I feel like such a kid. My friend Kristen from home was running around downtown Philadelphia, and she called me and said she passed the place where we had our prom. It was kinda sad. Time flys and everything is different. Well my life practically changed this weekend. I moved into East Halls with a new freshman roommate. I am happy there. It's nice in East. I am super overwhelmed with work. I got my first French tests back. A 68% and a 66.5%. Great I know. However, I am talking to the professor on Wednesday. I also got an 87% on my Economics test. I plan to get a 3.5+ GPA this semester, but I doubt it will happen now. I need to calm down. I practically bonded with this girl Esther today. It was so nice you know. We were talking about college. Well I am on the Daily Colegian Staff and I couldn't be more excited. The kids there seem really personable and stuff. I am so pooped and to think I have mroe work to actually do. My Internet doesn't work because I just moved so I am in the Commons Computer Lab. I went to my first PSU football game this weekend. It was quite the experience. We butchered Minnesota, which jsut excites everyone for the OSU vs PSU white-out game. I have the OAR concert this weekend which should be nice. I should really start talking to the people I'm going with though :D.
October 4, 2005
Random Fact of the day- To the squirrel who attacked my leg, revenge is on its way!
October 5, 2005
I was reading this article a while back that created an analogy between ipods and VHS players. They basically described how ipods are revolutionizing music, just like VHS players revolutionlized videos. The strongest similarities that bonded this analogy would be their convienences, simplicity, and new technological advances. It was used as a tool to create a better understanding of ipods for it's audience. Possible counter attacks could be their differences in video versus music, and their debuting in different time periods?
October 6, 2005
Last night I had my first Daily Collegian meeting. It was nice they inducted us and such. I met a girl named Kara and she was from Pittsburgh, like the rest of this campus. And it turns out she went to Govenors School here with my best friend from home. WEIRD! Also, last night at like 2:30am I was at the Stadium and there were about 50 tents camping out.....How funny!? I would have never thought I would see the site. I'm on the fence about transfering from here. I would like to, but I dont want to put myself through the stress of applying to colleges again. I don't even think I would be able to get into the schools I desire. I am beginning to like it here kinda. I don't know. I wish there was more to do. I hope I'm not lying to myself. I went to my French teacher about my D and he kinda helped me. I hope people do not get completly smashed for this OSU game. I have a french composition. Therefore I better hop on that....
October 7, 2005
The weather today is like a gnat that will not go away. The rain is annoying which makes this analogy relavent. I used to love the rain. Something was so calming about it. Now, when it rains it's a pest. Because I was soaked I had to change my pants, shoes, and socks. The best part is that I had an umbrella. I'm going to have to take my gigantic umbrella now to English in about 10 minutes. I have no idea what is going on in math. I have a math mid-term next week. I am going to go to a review session on Sunday for it. I am also going study for it starting tommorrow morning. It gets the back of your jeans soaked, and you have to be cautious of buses that can splash water onto you. I am very excited for the OAR concert this evening. I had a french composition this morning. I hope I got at least a B because I am not doing to good in that class. 6 days until I am back in Philadelphia!
October 9, 2005
The Cambodian GenocideThe Cambodian genocide is analogous to the Holocaust. Millions of innocent people were killed. Communistic views as well as a dictatorship could contribute to these horrific events. Articles like this can bring a sense of reality to the world and are thought provoking. The similarities between the two disasters include, the amount of people killed, the type of regime in power, and there also were museums dedicated to the events. The people are different, the times are different, but the feelings behind it are the same. Last year in AP English I read a book called Heart of Darkness, which implicitly talked about a massive genocide in Africa. These events are common.
October 10, 2005
Teenage pregnancy is a scary thought for most teens. There are stagering facts in the article of the percentage of girls and boys having sex before the ages of 15 and 19. The main factors in this article which contribute to such percentages include, lack of contraception availability, lack of knowledge, and the media's influence on teens today. The abortion rate conicides with the pregnancy rate. Another cause, which I believe holds the most water, is that adolesents mautre sexually before emotionally. That cause sparks sexual curiosity and exploration. Without the proper guidance and this contributed factor a teenagers hormones may run rampant. Teens are unable to distinguish their feelings and properly think out their actions.
October 11, 2005
Stress is inevitable. There are many causes listed in the web-site. Lack of sleep can effect your work preformance, and it can also alter your mood. Other causes of stress include governmental actions and the ecomonmy. Technically the morale of the country is in the hands of important officals. Job security and academic demands are also stressful. However, I believe that the leading cause of stress is pressure. Just think, a bridge can only carry a certain amount before it breaks. Similarly, I believe the band Queen said it best, "Pressure, it brings a building down, splits a family in two, puts people on the streets." In this lyric Queen is analyzing various forms of pressure, which all eventual cascade into stress.
October 12, 2005
CLAIM: 
The argument states skateboarding has caused a ban on it.
REASONS: Skateboarding can cause injuries. Tricks on campus can be dangerous to others and the skateboarder.
COUNTER ARGUMENTS: Bikes, skates, scooters, and cars can be just as dangerous. There aren't any nearby areas to skateboard. Maybe one should be built?
October 13, 2005
CLAIM: The argument states that because of the effect of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, gas prices have soared.
REASON: The oil suppliers businesses were destroyed. There is less of a supply of oil. The Gulf of Mexico is a major supplier of oil for the country. The demand for oil is high.
COUNTER ARGUMENTS: The war in Iraq may have caused oil prices to already be high. Another counter arugment could be the country's inflation rate.
October 17, 2005
In a call for paper for this special edition Eric Bonabeau, Santa Fe Institute described stigmergy:
Were you ever mesmorized by the buzzing direct activity of bees, or the determined ant farm getting their work completed. The concept of stigmergy was introduced by Pierre-Paul Grasse in the 1950's to describe the secret language among animals and beings. Stigmergy was originally defined by Grasse in his studies on the reconstruction of termite nests. Grasse showed that theplans of the insects didn't depend on any one insect alone, but from the nest as a whole. Their acts stimultaneously triggers other insects to do their task. This cascades from insect to insect in the colony until all the tasks are completed within the nest. Although Grasse's concept of stigmergy was attractive and stimulating, it has been overlooked by students of social insects because it left open the important operational issue of how stimuli must be organized in time and space to allow perfect coordination. This important view is considered radical because it demands it's audience to think outside the box of how human think and plan tasks for completion. Not only is stigmergy of potential importance for our understanding of the evolution and maintenance of sociality in animals, from communally breeding species to highly eusocial insects, it may also turn out to be a crucial concept in other fields, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, or the social, political and economic sciences, to which its relevance is intuitively obvious.
October 18, 2005
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN AND EVAULATIVE ARGUMENTS
I'm sure you saw it yesterday near Willard. A family was handing out religious brochures. Their banners were obvious. Their claim is that Penn State is setting up their students for depression and disappointment. Their reasons include that the PSU slogan, "It's Your Time" leads students to a life of "disillusionment", and notes that PSU's is a breeding ground for peer pressure. The preachers, Michael Woroniecki and his family support their claim by saying that these obstacles prevent students here at University Park from seeing Jesus in his true light. The family supports self-discovery, but said it is not found on college campuses. Counter-arguments could include that it is entirely up to the student whether or not they desire religious enlightenments. Their are many debateable thoughts rooted in this discussion. Another counter-argument could rise when a student is actually studying religion or religious history. They are obviously interested and enlightened on the religious topics. Are these students attacked or motivated by the PSU slogan, "It's Your Time"? To me college allows a student to be come more academically and socially advanced. This allows students to be aware and able to make informed decisions about their daily actions; including which religion identifies their needs and wants. The author of the article continues to discuss the family's involvment with a murder, and how their beliefs my have prompted a killing. This only discredits their claims.
October 19, 2005
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN AND EVAULATIVE ARGUMENTS
The article I found was in The Daily Collegian today. It was the opinion side written by an upperclass student. Her claim wished that local business owners respect students more. Her reasons for her claim were that students are achieving alot and are pushing themselves academically. She says that students here in University Park are gaining internships, respect, managing extra-curricular activites, and their heavy corse loads. She states that students are working to pay for their small apartments. They are working too hard for the results they are getting from members of the community. Her problem begins when students need to pay for this education. When they do try to get jobs they are only paid minimum wage. Also, she reasons her claim by being frustrated with the reponses from land lords. She states that this becomes our home, therefore business owners should treat students like members of the community, and treat others like they would like to be treated. Counter-arguements could include that she is just frustrated from her own personal experiences. There are 40,000 students on campus therefore it's impossible for everyone to be content with their working conditions.
October 20, 2005
Philadelphia News
I was searching around my hometown news broadcasting website and came across an article that claims assults in the State of PA has risen, but rape and burglary are falling. All they really do in the online article is state the statistics and who has provided the information. This is not a very convincing elvaulative arguement because it lacks reasons. I am left questioning the motives behind the researchers. I'm sure it's correct, but in order to execute the article I believe it should have been more detailed.
October 21, 2005
What is plagiarism?
To me plagiarism is a fine line these days. To plagiraize to to intentionally copy one's ideas to credit them as your own. Plagiarism isn't stating someone's claim to support your own, if you give them credit. I used the word intentionally because some people may forget that they were supposed to cite or credit the author. However, if you think about it, every thought cannot be orignal or one of a kind. So, where is the line drawn. The line is drawn when someone intentionally chooses to steal the works of others. If one is doing reasearch for the sake of knowledge, then a citation is crucial. Plagiarism is common among theories and research and can stem from one's laziness to do their own work.
October 24, 2005
Today is my brother's birthday. He is 31. I feel kind of bad that I wasn't there to be with him suring the family dinner we have. Also, I realized that my birthday falls on a Monday this year. Two holidays which I love are my birthday and Halloween. For some reason, I get really excited during those times. Halloween should be fun. My friends from home are coming up this Halloween weekend and for homecoming. It should be fun. My friend Rona is also coming to look at PSU because this is her first choice so I can give her an inside tour. :D I have to begin thinking about a final project topic. Any ideas?
October 25, 2005
So I am noticing that my parents really do miss me alot. I am going home the weekend end of November 4th for a friends memorial service and I have never seen them so excited before. It's so nice the relationship we have now.I can truly begin to see it mature. I think I should probably call my brothers and sister more often. The always have a much more feasible way of doing things than my parents do. This blog is a pain in the butt sometimes to keep up with. If you don't constantly remind yourself than you'll end up becoming backlogged like crazy. so keep up your blogs people
October 26, 2005
Ideas for final project
The effects of the media and its relation to teenage pregnancy
Why there are sterotypes amoung races in the world of academia
Milgram and the Obediance theory
The effects of tropical storms
October 27, 2005
I am so very excited for this weekend. With the football game, homecoming weekend, and of course to top it all off, my friends from home are coming up! I am so excited to see them, and its perfect timing. My roommate is going home for the weekend, so my friend Sam and Rona are going to stay in the room with me. I will be able to take them out and show them around PSU. Rona is still a senior in high school, and she really wants to go here, and now will be the perfect weekend for her to come. Even without going to the football game, she will be able to experience the true spirit of PSU with homecoming weekend. I am very excited.
October 28, 2005
hmmm..what to be for halloween. I went to the halloween store, and there were a lot of good costumes, but I think I'm going to stick with the basic. Something nice, cheap, and simple. I bought a hat with a twirler on top, some funky glasses and wear short pants and high socks...I was going to be a dork. The line ended up being too long, so i was never able to get the costume, but it was a good thing I didnt. I know it wasn't very creative, but so many people had the same idea, that it would have been very cliche. I ended up not going out on Halloween, but now I have a year to think of the perfect costume for next year
October 31, 2005
I love Halloween. It seriously depresses me that I am not doing anything fun for it. I'm still debating whether Penn State is my match school. Halloween is like MY TIME. I know it's dorky, but I just feel that it's like a special day for me. I love the movie Halloween too! I lvoe the month of October. Homecoming was fun. I wish i saw more of the parade. The game was fun too. I got a hot dog and sat with my friend Mel. I wish i made more friends here. I finally met my RA. I moved in here not to long ago. My friends from home had a blast I hope. It was so nice for them to spend the night. I just wish certain people weren't cheap. I seriously need to buckle down and study this week. Lots to do before I go home for my friend. It's their sister's one month anniversary for her death. I do not want any obligations to do on that day. My friend is driving. My roommate is also having people over so i have to make sure I take my sheets off the bed, and lock my personal drawer.
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