4-30-06

 

Right now, I'm very dissapointed in my economics class. First of all, I have received all A's on my exams and homework assignments, and I currently have an A average in the class. However, I received an 81 on the gen-ed project, which counts for 20% of our grade. Now, there is no way for me to get an A in the class, and I'll have to settle for an A-. What gets me upset about this is that I worked very hard on this 6 page project, and there are no comments written on the paper that show why my grade was so low. Secondly, this project was not graded by my professor, but some 20 year old teaching assistant. I had a meeting with him and he told me that he felt the grading in the class was too easy, so he needed to take it into his own hands to lower the grade. I feel that the professor deserves to know about this, since the TA's method is practically undermining his grading system.

 

 

4-30-06

 

I can't wait to go home! With only a week of school, I guess you can say I'm getting sick of living in the same small room day in and day out with three other dudes. I just want to get my 4 finals over with, finish up this paper for English, and head on home. I miss all of my friends back in Jersey, and I really miss my family. I can't wait to be able to drive around in my car again, and not have to worry about studying endlessly for exams.

 

4-14-06

 

Final Project Proposal

 

For my final project, I will write a proposal about the current issues on Wall Street and how the economy puts to much pressure on a firm to perform well. Since I am a finance major and a member in the Penn State Investment Association, I have a lot of interest in the stock market and the performance of Wall Street companies. Meeting earnings estimates is something that businesses strive to acheive, being pressured so much by the analyst hounds on the Street. This causes firms, such as Enron and Worldcom, to falsify their accounting procedures, an illegal act that makes the stock look good in the short run, but become destroyed in the long run. In this paper I hope to bring this issue into the light and perhaps address it to the SEC.

 

4-3-06

 

JerseyanProposalPaper

JerseyanProposalWorksCited

 

3-30-06

 

I'm trying to think of ideas for this project. I'm going to try and make a video, because I enjoy editing films and making my own videos. Basketball is one of my favorite hobbies and something I do everyday, so I'm going to try and incorporate that somehow. I don't have any ideas of how I can do that yet. If any of you have any brilliant ideas, feel free to let me know :). Stephehn Colbert is hilarious by the way...you can check out his tv show on Comedy Central, and you can also watch his videos at his website

 

 

3-23-06

 

In light of the dramatic NCAA basketball games tonight, I spent some time browsing the ESPN forums. I came upon so many articles criticizing Duke's JJ Redick, because he cried after their loss in the Elite 8. This infuriated me, even though I am a UNC fan. I responded to the post in the forum: I love how in this sport, everyone is out to get this kid. What has he done? Redick is the most hated athlete in probably all college sports, yet he does nothing to merit this hostility. He receives defamatory chants from obnoxious UMD fans about his sister, and god forbid he tries to stand up for himself. He gets "all the calls?" Yeah, granted, he gets some ******** calls, but thats part of the subjective nature of the reffing; it's not his fault. So why do you hate him? Because he's Duke's all-time leading scorer? Because he's the ACC's leading scorer? Leading 3-point shooter? What's the deal? He writes ****** poetry? Who the hell cares? Because he's a modest kid from a small town playing for a prestigious university? He's a good kid, and when he puts his heart on his sleeve because of a close loss like this, you all talk down on him. Just grow the **** up.

 

3-20-06

 

TheJerseyanCausalPaper

 

TheJerseyanCausalBibliography

 

3-19-06

 

My NCAA bracket is going to crap. I made so many legitimate picks and the teams have failed me. Some of the games I have lost have come down to the other team making the basket in the final second. I'm doing so bad in all of my pools because of this, even though I did research to back up all of my choices. Whatever. At least I know that next year, I'll guess all of my choices and will probably do better than I did this year.

 

3-18-06

 

I'm falling behind on all my work - I really need to catch up. I haven't been reading for any of my classes and I don't do a lot of outside work. I've been so busy with basketball and Penn State Investment Association that I haven't been able to catch up. I know basketball isn't a real excuse to skip out on work, but I can't stop playing and I'm so addicted to it.

 

3-17-06

 

Today, I slept through EVERY one of my classes, including English. Last night, I fell asleep at like 10 o'clock and felt really really sick. I woke up this morning at around 1 PM, and I had no idea why I was so tired. I feel bad that I skipped out on English, especially since we were supposed to get our research papers back.

 

3-13-06

 

Today's episode of 24 SUCKED. ROYALLY. I've never been so disappointed with a 24 episode in my entire life. I've seen every single show since the first season (it is now the 5th), and none have ever let me down until now. They killed off two of the most important characters in the show, one who i really enjoyed watching. I just feel that the show won't be as great as it was before his death. Why did they have to do that? I'm so mad!

 

3-13-06

 

So today I went to ALL of my classes. I'm really happy with that since I never seem to do it that often. I have three back to back classes starting at 10 o'clock, and I never have the energy to sit through all of them. My first class, Econ 004, is taught by one of the most boring, uninspiring professor on campus. The next class, Math 110, is taught by some Asian dude who can BARELY speak a word of English. My third class is English, but I honestly don't mind it too much.

 

3-11-06

 

Casual Proposal...

 

The increasing divorce rate over the past decade is due to the increased amount of women in the workforce. Since having both spouses involved in making money for the family increases stress levels, marriages can be at risk of failure. Earlier in this century, the divorce rate was virtually non-existant because usually only one spouse worked for a living. The other spouse would spend time at home. Therefore, the couple would still have some time to spend with each other when the one spouse wasn't working. In the present day, couples are having a tougher time spending time with each other due to both spouses working. This leads to higher stress levels at home, therefore deteriorating the marriage itself.

 

3-11-06

 

I hate the fact that Boston College beat UNC today. I was really looking forward to seeing my favorite NCAA basketball team (UNC) play against their archrival Duke in the ACC championship game. However, UNC played a miserable game and let Boston College march right into Carolina and eliminate them from the conference tournament. I just hope that UNC doesn't continue these sub-par games into the NCAA tournament.

 

3-1-06

 

I remembered seeing these during the last election....in the aftermath of today I just thought this was kinda funny....

 

 

 

 

3-1-06

 

Okay...so today in English our class was rated "very liberal." If I'm not mistaken, we were right around the political views of Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. A) That makes me pretty sick to my stomach. B) Considering I know some of the kids in there that are very conservative, this means that some people in here are RIDICULOUSLY liberal. And I don't mean "Liberal for the U.S." I mean "French-style" liberal. Everyone has a right to their own political views, but I guess I'm still bitter about this whole thing.

 

3-1-06

 

My shot is back! I went to the IM building today and after all these years of not picking up a basketball, my shot is coming back to me. I was draining three's and foul shots, and it felt really good. I just need to pick up a pair of basketball shoes because my ankles are KILLING me from playing in my running shoes. Spring break is around the corner, so I guess I'll just pick them up when I get home.

 

2-27-06

 

TheJerseyanEvaluationPaper

 

TheJerseyanWorksCited

 

2-27-06

 

The Genocide in Rwanda is one of the most atrocious acts of rage since the Holocaust. During Clinton's administration, no actions were taken to prevent this outrage and no international force was instilled (besides the UN, but what do they matter anyway?) I feel that there should have been decisive action taken to stop the killing that was taking place. Instead, the entire world sat around and watched as innocent lives were taken. Hopefully this action, however horrifying it truly is, can shed light on the world to prevent something like this from happening again.

 

2-27-06

 

Today I got a chance to get out and play a few games of basketball. My shot is coming back to me and I was sinking them left and right. It's such a great workout and I'm really tired already. My roommate was snoring so loud last night that he woke me up at least once every hour. Since he sleeps in the bunk above me, it sounds so loud. I ended up having to take my blanket and sleep on the floor on the other side of the room. I slept thru all of my classes, including english, because of this.

 

2-26-06

 

I played so many games of basketball today. It's such a good workout and is a lot of fun. I haven't picked up a basketball in a long time, so going out today and making a bunch of shots felt good. There's nothing like the feeling of hearing that ball swish through that net. Hopefully I'm able to get to the court tomorrow and play. I'm glad I'm getting back into the sport since I was pretty good at it when I was younger.

 

2-26-06

 

This past week has been really depressing. Last semester, my GPA was a 3.84. However, I've done a lot worse so far this semester and have earned three C's and an A on my exams. I need to keep above a 3.3 to get into the finance major, so I know that I need to crack down and study a lot harder for my remaining exams. One of my biggest downfalls is not going to class. I think that if I go to my remaining classes for the rest of the semester, I'll be able to keep up and do a lot better on the remaining exams.

 

2-18-06

 

For my evaluation paper, I will write about the importance of the olympic events and how they effect our world. I will emphasize the fact that although nations are competing against each other for medals, it is still a way to unite nations for one common goal. I will use evidence of past olympics to set up my argument and how companies such as NBC spend so much money to broadcast the games. I believe the olympic games are a way for countries to come together and put all of their differences aside - hopefully while keeping politics out of the picture.

 

2-14-06

 

The Declaration of Independence is probably one of the most important documents in our nation's history. This document declared our seperation from the tyrannical British rule and got the American people to revolt. If it weren't for this document and the actions that followed, our nation might still be a British colony. Some believe that the declaration is a form of "propaganda," but nevertheless it was an important tool in inspiring the public to take action against the British government.

2-13-06

 

TheJerseyanDefinition

 

 

2-11-06

 

I came to the realization that wine is the gift of the gods. Last night at an apartment, we had some cheap boxed wine that everybody was chugging. It tastes so good AND it messes you up. Don't get my wrong, I'm a beer guy through and through, but i think i changed my preference last night. The kind of drunk you feel is different. It's more of like a "happy" drunk then a "rowdy" drunk. Needless to say, I don't remember much of last night but I know I had a good time.

 

2-9-06

 

Commented on proposal by Flames

 

2-7-06

 

Comment on proposal by PonderingsOfLukePerry

 

Hey there Mr. Jersey. I think you have stumbled across quite an interesting contradiction. Your claim is clearly stated and you have found two definitions of life where one oversteps the boundaries of the first. I am sure that there is no shortage of information about this topic. You did well keeping your personal opinion out of the proposal, especially because this is such a polarizing issue. Just make sure you keep it up when you write the rest of your paper.

- Love Luke

 

2-5-06

 

The term “life,” as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction.” This definition expresses the belief that in order for something to have “life”, it must exhibit the physical attributes of any normal organism; the ability to mature, adapt, and reproduce. However, this statement clearly conveys the notion that there is no spiritual quality towards one’s existence; “life” is merely defined by the physical qualities of an organism. If this fact is true, then there is no significance of human existence – nothing to separate us from any other creature on this earth. This is the basis of the argument that abortion is a moral and ethical action. Abortion advocates suggest that the pre-birth stage should not be considered “living,” and that it is not unethical and unprincipled to deprive this pre-organismic object of an existence in the world.

The same dictionary defines abortion as “the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus.” The most important words of this definition can be found at the conclusion of this sentence – the “death of the embryo or fetus.” Since death is defined as “the end of life” by the same source, then the definition of abortion argues that the embryo or fetus is a living creature before its life is taken away. If this is in fact the case, then abortion is the action of taking away the life of a living creature – what is generally accepted in society as the term “murder.”

 

2-5-06

 

 

John F McManus. The New American. Appleton: Jan 23, 006. Vol. 22,

Iss. 2; pg. 44, 1 pgs

 

Facts about Abortion. Online. 04 Feb 06.

 

Jessica, Arons. “The Right Way to Reduce Abortion”. 20 Jan 06. Online. 04 Feb 06.

<http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;b=1363989>

 

National Right to Life. Online. 5 Feb 06.

<http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/wdlb/wdlb.html>.

 

Crystal, Plati. “The New World: Hope In the Fight for Choice”. 20 Jan 06. 4 Feb 06.

<http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;b=1363961>.

 

Katha, Pollitt. “Prochoice Puritans”. 26 Jan 06. 5 Feb 06.

<http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060213/pollitt>.

 

Kirsten, Moore. “Some Decisions Are Just Too Tough for Politicians”. 04 Feb 06.

<http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;b=212741>.

 

 

 

2-3-06

 

Bush's state of the union was highly focused on international issues, such as terrorism and the worldwide economy. I feel that it is important for a second term president to hit on these issues of foreign policy if he wants to make an impact on this country. I feel comfortable with Bush as a president, because I know that he is a good man and wants the citizens of this country to be safe from harm. His state of the union strengthened this belief and I feel that his administration is continuing to do a good job overseas.

 

 

1-31-06

 

The definition of terrorism is a very interesting topic. I believe that terrorism is the action of a person/group of persons to establish fear in the heart of another group through the use of violence and psychological actions. Such instances of terrorism can be seen obviously during the attacks on 9/11, but also on a more subtle scale. For example, Osama Bin Laden's use of video tapes to ATTEMPT to bring about fear and intimidation in the heart of Americans is also considered terrorism. Because he tries to instill the fear of another attack, he is committing the act of terrorism.

 

1-26-06

 

I've never really been one to voice my political views. I don't like to be classified as a conservative, because quite a few of my political opinions are located on the "left" side of the spectrum. However, I was, am, and always will be a supporter of the George W. Bush presidency, mainly because of my feelings toward his moral and ethical standards. To me, there is no right or wrong opinion when debating on issues such as abortion, medicare, conflicts between nations, the budget, and other vital interests of our nation. I feel that everyone has their own opinion in the matter, and no matter which side of the political spectrum you fall under, no one should ever argue one side just because their political position agrees with it. There is only one thing that gets me aggrivated, and that is the group of people who feel that they can openly exploit their freedom of speech. Now so you understand, that is completely fine by me if you are a full-fledged liberal supporter. It is completely fine by me if you, on your own time, voice your political opinions in the appropriate environment. However, I feel almost disgusted when I hear people speak their mind about a sensitive subject (such as the presidency) in an environment that does not solicit this type of discussion. I mean honestly, when speaking about emotions in an English classroom, one does not expect another to take an open shot against a political stance. It is both uncalled for and hostile, creating a unnecessary destructive atmosphere inside the classroom. This is an english class, not a political science class. Keep a lock on it.

 

1-24-06

 

While reading the UDHR, there were some things that seemed pretty intersting to me. First of all, although it isn't a legally binding document, it was the basis for two legally-binding UN documents. Interestingly enough, the UDHR is known as the most translated document in the entire world (the Bible is not considered document). I think that the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is very important and that it should set a standard for the ways that world leaders operate and run their countries.

 

1-23-06

 

In response to that FDR speech, a lot of things went through my head while listening to that man speak. He was a natural leader and had a dream about this country that he sought to achieve. A freedom of speech and a freedom for every person to worship their own religion, as outlined in our constitution, were of great importance. However, FDR touched on some things that went beyond the constitution and into the problems that were faced during his reign in the office. In the wake of the greatest depression in American history, FDR wanted to be sure that every person had economic security to ensure the future of out nation. Also, dealing with the turmoil across the globe, FDR outlined his view on our freedom from fear. He believed in a global disarmement to prevent wars of hostility and aggression. He felt that if nations were disarmed, there would be no need for aggressive attacks. FDR was truly an inspiring speaker, and listening to his dreams and ideas about the future makes me proud to be a citizen of this nation.

 

1-19-06

 

So technically it isn't really the nineteenth, but I got in late tonight. Its about 1:30 and I am wiped. Today I had my trading competition in the trade room in the business building. I thought it was really fun, and I honestly learned a lot from it. Actually, I think I performed really well considering I didn't know what I was getting into. Anyway, I think I'm going to play some guitar, relax, and hit the hay.

 

1-17-06

 

I have to vent. The Philadelphia Eagles (who did NOT make it into the playoffs) finished their pitiful 2005-2006 season with a dismal record of 6 and 10. All of my life, I've hated the Eagles. Why, you ask? Growing up, EVERYONE around me was an Eagles fan. I am a Miami Dolphins fan at heart, and even though I admit they have consistently had the most depressing seasons on record, I cheer for them every Sunday. In the beginning of last semester, I used to hate riding the buses late at night on weekends to get downtown to the frats. No, not because of the drunk students vomiting all over the place, nor the fact that you can NEVER get a seat; I used to hate the bus rides because of the Eagles fans. Yes, those obnoxious fans who couldn't get enough of that one chant where they decide to prove to the world that they can spell the word E-A-G-L-E-S. I thought that I was going to be sick every time that I heard it. Around came the playoffs, and the bruised and battered Eagles went home. They started the season well, and ended it horribly. Now where is this going, you ask? This weekend, while on my way to go have some fun at a fraternity, I made a big mistake of jumping on the White Loop. Now keep in mind the first full sentence I wrote in this blog today; 6 and 10, no hopes for the playoffs. Still, echoing through the bus like the pounding of a thousand drums was "the chant." I had to cover my ears. Listening to it, I thought I was going to be sick. Or that could have just been the Budweiser. But still, I found myself wondering; even though this team finished the season a tad bit less than perfect, their fans still supported them. That is the beauty of the NFL, and that is why we watch the game. If it was all about winning and getting to the playoffs and getting one of those SuperBowl rings, trust me, I wouldn't be a Dolphins fan.

 

1-10-06

 

Ummm what's there to say? I'm really bored, just got back from my Econ 315 class. I felt really crappy all day even though its sixty degrees and sunny outside. I think I'm going to play some football with my floor today on the IM fields. First I have to play some guitar with one of my friends and relax for a little bit. It’s been a long week already.