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TheTarzanBlog

Page history last edited by PBworks 15 years, 5 months ago

The Tarzan Blog

04/30/06

Personal Blog

So I live in supplemental housing as most of you know already and we have come to an agreement, we all hate each other. About two weeks before finals week and we have all realize that we all can’t wait to go home and we hate this crappy room that we live in. We don’t really hate each other but we are so ready to go home. I can’t believe that I made it a whole year in this room. There are so many things that I want to do when I go home like, sleep with all the lights off, sleep with no one talking, listen to one set of music and watch what I want on television. It has never really been a big issue but it will be a lot better when I am home and can just cut loose and relax. It has been a rough year and I will be sad to call and end to it but I will also be so happy to go back home.

automotive forum

 

04/30/06

Personal Blog

Well finals week I have exams up until Wednesday but my dad cannot come and pick me up until Saturday because he is a teacher. So for the few days that I will be here without any exams I will enjoy my last few Penn State nights. My roommates and I bought a 3000 piece puzzle and are going to do it from Wednesday until Saturday. It will be a tough task and I don’t see it getting finished but it should be something to do whenever we get board or have to be quite when my roommates are studying. I also plan on going to the hookah lounge and just parting it up until late Saturday night. Well this is one of my last blogs and it will feel weird to not blog every day or so.

04/30/06

Personal Blog

Alright so this is it, finals week has finally arrived. I’m pretty nervous about all of my exams. I have an exam in chemistry, biology and math and I have to do fairly well on all of them in order to get good grades in the classes. I have been studying like a mad man for this and hopefully I should pull through and get the grades that I need. The fact that Kem cut down the bog requirement really helped me out a lot because now I can spend more time studying for my exams and less time doing blogs. I wasn’t too worried about the final project because I really had a passion for it so it was flowing real well when I wrote the paper and the pamphlet was easy because I have a lot of experience with wildlife and nature conservation. I think my paper is deserving of a good grade and that if I were to hand out the pamphlet to others then I think it would have a highly positive effect on the population and may cause some sort of change on deforestation.

04/30/06

Final Paper

TheTarzanBlogFinalPaper

04/23/06

Personal Blog

Yesterday was movin' on all day and I really wanted to go and help set up for the performances. In October I had gone to the movin' on office and filled out a form to be a volunteer, but I never followed through with it. I suppose that next year I will be more dedicated to it and make sure that I get involved and help out with things. Even though I did not go to set up for the concert I still went to see some performances including Talib Kweli. I had never really heard any of his beats but some of my roommates like him so I went with them to go see him. It was a pretty good performance, except for all the wannabes in the crowd that were trying hard to look cool. I thought it was funny when he had everyone take out their cell phones and hold them up instead of lighters. I have only been to rock concerts so I had never used a cell phone before only a lighter, but he claimed that’s how they do it in New York. Oh yeah I’m from New York and I’ve never done that before. Other wise it was still pretty good and his songs had a good sound to them. The only other real downer from the concert is that it had been raining for a better part of the day so the HUB lawn was all muddy and slippery so I was very dirty when we got out of the crowd.

04/23/06

Personal Blog

This weekend was Blue and White weekend and there were a lot of things going on. There was a great football game on where all of the football team got to play. It was a pretty good game, I didn’t go to it because it was raining and it didn’t look like it would be fun sitting in the rain for a game that wasn’t all that intense. After that was Movin’ on, a free concert from noon to about eleven pm. And on Sunday the water polo team was having a fun game of the team now vs. the alumni, which I unfortunate had to miss the game because I had a study date. I really need to study for chemistry because I want to get a good grade on the final so I can make sure I pass the class. Saturday night me and a few of my friends went to the Tall Shiva hookah lounge. I had never smoked a hookah before and I really enjoyed it. It was very relaxing, there couches were very comfortable, the music was chill, and it was nice and dimly lit. Since I have light sensitive eyes I like it when places aren’t too bright. It was a great place and I think I will be going there a few more times.

04/16/06

Personal Blog

This weekend was Easter and I had no plans of going home, and was fairly excited to stay in state college for the weekend. I enjoy the university when there are few people here because it is just a quite place with a relaxing atmosphere. Anyway so I was excited to stay here but then on Thursday I got a message from my dad saying that he was on his way up here, to pick me up. I was a little upset but it was good to go home and relax, but when I called him back he told me why he was coming to get me. My mom’s mother had passed away that night in her sleep. She was the first person that I ever really had die that I knew. Both my grandfathers passed away when I was very young, and two of my uncles and also passed away at an early age. So for all of Easter weekend I went to her wake and then to the funeral. It was a very sad place because all of my family was there and crying and there was nothing to do about it. Well she may be gone but we will all remember her.

04/14/06

Personal Blog

Last night I saw Gangs of New York for the first time, and I thought it was a very good movie. I’m usually not a big fan of Leonardo DiCaprio but Daniel Day Lewis is the man. It was pretty cool that the movie takes place in my homeland New York City, and is about the Irish which I also am. The movie was pretty gory and I always love a good fight seen especially when it glorifies the Irish. The movie was about the gangs that were living in New York at the time of the Civil War. The main gangs were the Irish and the Natives of America. They are trying to figure out who will get to be the head gang of New York, but the main battle takes place during the New York riots about the draft. I don’t know what else to say about the movie other than the Irish gang had a sweet name, the dead rabbits and I highly recommend it. This movie reminds me of another great movie with Daniel Day Lewis, Last of the Mohicans but that’s a whole other story.

04/12/06

Personal Blog

This blog entry is in memory of February 3, 1959, also known as the day the music died. On this day at 1:05 am Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) were in a plane that crashed killing all of them, and the pilot. This day is known as the day music died because these men were three of the most influential singers ever known. Most people just know that this day exists from the popular song, American Pie by Don McLean. I figured that this would be a good place to let the class know about this day and what happened on it. I’m a big Buddy Holly so I’ve known about this day since I first started listening to him and now anyone who reads this will know.

04/06/06

Final Paper Proposal

For my final project I am going to make a pamphlet and write a short proposal paper on deforestation, and preserving the rainforests. It will be geared towards the general masses because if I can get the pubic to understand the problems with deforestation then they will be more conscious about their actions. A rainforest is a dense evergreen forest occupying a tropical region with an annual rainfall of at least 2.5 meters. It is estimated that about several thousand years ago our planet was covered with about 12 % rainforests and as of today that number has dwindled to about 5.3%. These losses are huge and extremely devastating to the environment and the modern world. Rainforests are giant factories that turned toxic carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into safe and usable products. For instance if we got rid of all the rainforests then our atmosphere would be flooded with carbon dioxide, one of the most harmful greenhouse gases, and would cause a drastic increase in the average global temperature. Other natural tasks that rainforests perform are erosion prevention, flood control, fisheries protection, pollination and water treatment. If people keep up the standard rate of deforestation that they have then the whole identity of the biomes and the planet in general will change. Rainforests also account for a lot of the modern world’s goods and renewable resources such as timber, nuts, fruit, game and medicinal plants. Who knows what diseases might be cured from drugs that are derived from plants that only grow in rainforests. These renewable resources won’t be so renewable if we get rid of our world’s rainforests. Many organizations are working around the clock to try and pass legislation that will protect the rainforests and if the public new about these groups and their missions then they might be more interested and willing to pitch in a little. My project should hopefully change many people’s perspectives about rainforest and what is going on with deforestation. Even if I can just get to one person it will be a success because every person can make a difference and hopefully my paper will let them know that all efforts no matter how little are important.

 

Butler, Rhett. "Consequences of Deforestation." Mongabay.Com. 1994. 6 Apr. 2006 <http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0901.htm>.

 

"Deforestation." Wikipedia. 6 Apr. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation>.

 

Innes, Robert. "Effects of Deforestation." 20 Nov. 1996. United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. 6 Apr. 2006 <http://www.earlham.edu/~pols/17Fall96/inneske/effects.HTM>.

 

"Introduction to Forestry." International Institute of Tropical Forestry. 15 June 2002. USDA Forest Service. 6 Apr. 2006 <http://forestry.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sdn=forestry&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fs.fed.us%2Fglobal%2Fiitf%2Fwelcome.html>.

 

Nix, Steve. "The Tropical Rainforest - Questions and Answers." About Forestry. 2006. 6 Apr. 2006 <http://forestry.about.com/cs/rainforest/p/rainforest_fact.htm>.

 

"The Bridge." Tropical Rainforest Coalition. 2004. 6 Apr. 2006 <http://www.rainforest.org/resources/links.html>.

04/02/06

Proposal Paper

TheTarzanBlogProposal

04/03/06

A modest Proposal

I had read “A Modest Proposal” back in eleventh grade of high school and after that we were asked to write our own. When I read it the first time I fell in love with it and even today I still think it is a great piece of work. The way that he uses satire to portray a serious issue is amazing and really highlights the issue at hand and how the world reacts to problems like this. I also think it is hilarious that he suggest we eat babies and on a serious not it could be a good idea at some time in the future of our planet. For my paper in eleventh grade I wrote my paper suggesting that the whole world commits suicide in order to save the planet. Since humans are destroy the planet with pollution and the use of their natural resources I though the only way to actually save the planet would be if everyone killed themselves, I got a good grade on the paper and had a good time writing it as well.

03/21/06

Proposal Proposal

The usage of drugs in today’s society is increasing at an alarming rate. For many people it is not so much the idea of using the drug that is bad but the fact that it is against the law. One of the most widely used drugs in the country is marijuana or cannabis. Marijuana is defined as a stimulant type of drug that causes relaxation, mood lifting, pain relief and philosophical or deep thinking. Marijuana has a lot of positive effects and little negative repercussions. It is my opinion that the problem at hand is that marijuana is illegal in the United States. The solution is to legalize marijuana in the United States, as some other counties have done. If marijuana was legalized or at least enforced very loosely then there would be many positive outcomes. First of all there would be a lot less citizens committing crimes because now possession of marijuana is legal. From this we can save money by having to spend less of it on drug busts. Also we can create hundreds of jobs by nationalizing marijuana because then the government can regulate it and make sure it is not dangerous or laced with anything. Also they can push out criminals who are competing for the market, decreasing the criminal rate in another way. So my proposal is to legalize all forms of marijuana in the United States.

A few comments: First, ask yourself how heavily one can rely on the notion that if the law were changed people who are currently violating it would no longer be criminals! That point could be made with many laws, but that's not much of a reason to change them. Second, the main task will be to establish the need. Americans seem to be found of the "war on drugs." The question is why. Once you start answering that question, you'll begin to get a sense of the difficulties your proposal will need to face. TheKemBlog

 

"Cannabis." Legalise Cannabis Alliance. Mar. 1999. 22 Mar. 2006 <http://www.lca-uk.org/>.

 

"Cannabis." Wikipedia. 22 Mar. 2006. 22 Mar. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marajuana>.

 

"Erowid Cannabis Valut." Erowid. 21 Jan. 1997. 22 Mar. 2006 <http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_law.shtml>.

 

"Legalization of Marijuana or Decriminilization?" Legalization of Marijuana Info. 2002. 22 Mar. 2006 <http://www.growing-marijuana-seeds.com/legalization-of-marijuana.html>.

 

Reuter, Peter, and Robert Maccoun. "Interpreting Dutch Cannabis Policy: Reasoning by Analogy in the Legalization Debate." Science Magazine. 3 Oct. 1997. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 22 Mar. 2006 <http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/278/5335/47>.

 

"Working to Reform Marijuana Laws." The National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws. 2004. 22 Mar. 2006 <http://www.norml.org/>.

03/20/06

Respone to Communist Manifesto

We were asked to read the communist manifesto and as I did I realized that it is nothing special. To me it seems like just another rant from a crazy person. While it does hold some good thoughts at points overall it seems highly impossible and unlikely to work on any level. I had read this once before in high school and I remember thinking how great of a piece of work this is and how ground-breaking it must have been. I can still see how though proving it is but now I can see it for what it really is and that is nothing special. This was a good reading to do because it give the class a good way to get to talk about the economy and the styles of living that people enjoy and think are best.

03/17/06

Causal Paper for Global Warming

TheTarzanBlogCausalPaper

03/02/06

Causal Proposal

Ever since man has been walking on this planet he has been making changes to it. Some of them were for his benefit and others were just consequences of living on this planet. One of the biggest changes that has taken place on Earth is known as global warming. in spite of all the data present about increasing average temperature, there are still disputes about whether or not global warming exists. Putting this aside, if you just look at the facts there has been an increase in average global temperature over the past several year by about 5%. My claim is that global warming is real and it is caused by pollution of greenhouse gases. This is a very important issue for everyone because if temperatures keep increasing at this alarming rate then sooner or later the ice caps will melt flooding all the coasts, many species of flora and fauna will become extinct, and everyday life will be more difficult due to high temperatures. There is a lot of recorded data showing that average temperatures have been increasing over the years, and I intend to connect this data with data that shows increased emission of greenhouse gases in the form of pollution and prove that the latter causes the former.

 

Associated Press. "U.S. eyes protecting polar bears from warming." MSNBC. 8 Feb. 2006. 10 Mar. 2006 <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11233316/>.

 

"Causes of Global Warming." Eco Bridge. 10 Mar. 2006 <http://www.ecobridge.org/content/g_cse.htm>.

 

"Global Warming and Energy." Sierra Club. Sierra Club. 10 Mar. 2006 <http://www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/cleancars/>.

 

"Global Warming Basics." Natural resources defense council. 9 Jan. 06. 10 Mar. 2006 <http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.asp>.

 

"Global Warming." Wikipedia. 10 Mar. 2006. 10 Mar. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming>.

 

Harris, Richard. "Three Views on Global Warming." NPR. 12 May 2004. 10 Mar. 2006 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1893089&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sourceCode=gaw>.

 

02/22/06

Response to My America

So I read Andrew Sullivan’s My America and I found it quite interesting. He talks about the main reasons why he came to America and why he loves it here. He has three main reasons: first that Americans are always thinking about the present and the future. He likes the idea that we can always think about what is going to happen and not what has happened because this gives us the ability to constantly be moving forward. He also loves America because we have the ability to use contradiction. This allows us to see things from many different perspectives and figure out what is the best way to approach a situation. The third reason is that we have a strong love for the primary colors. He states that American paintings are not always at elegant or as brilliant as other paintings but the use of primary colors makes them magnificent. Over all I thought it was a great piece of work and his reasons were well thought-out and have good support.

02/20/06

Evaluation of Braveheart

TheTarzanBlogEvaluation

02/17/06

Evaluation Proposal for Braveheart

“I shall tell you of William Wallace. Historians from England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes.” These are the opening lines to one of the best historical dramas of our time, Braveheart. (Underline or italicize movie titles) Historical drama is a film genre in which stories are based more or less accurately upon historical events and famous persons (wikipedia). Braveheart is the tale of William Wallace, a Scottish farmer whose wife gets murdered by their English adversaries. Enraged by these actions he then leads his fellow countrymen into a war against their English tyrants and ultimately wins Scotland their freedom. The movie is based on historical events but is changed a bit by Hollywood to make it more appealing as a movie. Braveheart combines the styles of action, adventure, romance and historical documentaries to create a powerful film. The movie has obtained some of the highest ratings possible from renowned movie reviewers, magazine editors, and most importantly the fans. It has also received numerous nominations for awards and has claimed five Academy Awards in its name. Braveheart is in a class of movies along with Gladiator, Troy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, (??) and Kingdom of Heaven, but it still stands above them as the greatest historical drama.

 

We talked about this after class, and your proposal reflects the conversation. Good. The genre will give you clear criteria, and a bit of comparision will help you to establish your position. Now it's a matter of execution. TheKemBlog

 

Braveheart. Dir. Mel Gibson. Perf. Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, and Catherine McCormack. Paramount Pictures, 1995.

"Braveheart." International Movie Database. 17 Feb. 2006 <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112573/>.

“Braveheart.” Wikipedia. 16 Feb. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braveheart>

Hill, Philip G. "A theatre for the outdoor historical drama." JSTOR. 1962. John Hopkins. 17 Feb. 2006 <http://www.jstor.org/view/00131989/sp050054/05x1425u/0>.

“Historical Drama." Wikipedia. 16 Feb. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HistoricalDrama>.

Scrubber, Ray E. “Dramatic History or Historical Drama?” Rapid Intellect. 2005. 17 Feb. 2006 <http://www.rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/mo133sep.htm>

02/15/06

Response to the Declaration of independence

I like the introduction because it is very powerful and uses a lot of finesse to prove America’s point. The beginning is very important because it sets the tone for how America is trying to present themselves. They do not want to seem weak or unsure of themselves because then England will see this and take advantage of it. With a strong and well presented essay England will see their mistakes and have to accept the idea that America claims freedom. In reaction to the reading from everything’s an argument they use a surplus of examples to support their claim. They specifically say “To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world” then they present a list of grievances that King George III is responsible for. By stating that these offenses are directly King George III’s faults not just generally stating that they are England’s they tend to make King George look like a bad guy for treating the colonies poorly. By doing this the colonies might gain some support from the citizens in England because they may feel that King George isn’t doing a good job either. Thomas Jefferson does a good job of not only appealing to a large audience and establishing pathos, he uses a lot of evidence in the form of logos to help gain Americas freedom.

02/14/06

Personal Blog

Well it’s Valentine’s Day and I was happy to see I got three valentines in the mail from my friends back home. Other than these valentines there was nothing to make this day stand out from any other. My roommates and I watched some of the Olympics today. It was the women’s curling, USA vs. Japan. The skip for the USA team, Cassie Johnson, was pretty good looking and she wasn’t half bad at curling either. I was hoping maybe she would be my valentine for the day. We ultimately lost the set 5 to 6 against Japan but our team did put up a good fight. Since I am a fan of the Netherlands, I was pleased to see that the Netherlands were in sixth place in the medal race.

 

02/14/06

TheTarzanBlogDefinition

02/07/06

Personal Blog

My roommates were talking about skiing and snowboarding and I was telling them that I have never been snowboarding but I would love to try it. My one roommate Frank said that is a very hard thing because it requires a lot of balance and coordination. I still felt that I would be able to do it because I have been surfing for three years now and I used to ride a unicycle for kids parties. I started to get a little home sick when I was thinking about this because I miss the ocean and surfing. I work at the beach so I spend at least 95 percent of my summer at the beach.

02/08/06

For the peer-evaluation I responded to TheMaurinBlog.

02/07/06

Personal Blog

In one of my previous entries I talk about three of my favorite movies, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and I felt like talking about some of my other favorites. I’m pretty into your typical sword fighting movies like Troy, Gladiator, Braveheart, The Last Samurai, Kingdom of Heaven, Pirates of the Caribbean, and King Arthur. Even though the acting may be bad, Orlando Bloom, I can still enjoy them for their adventure. I also dabble into you comedies spending countless hours watching Zoolander, Old School, The Incredibles, and Robin Men in Tights. Mel Brooks has one of the greatest senses of humor, and thinks in ways I would never have though of to make people laugh. Oh and in case anyone is wondering my favorite Disney movies are 101 Dalmatians and Tarzan, hence the blog name.

It seems like you have a good idea of what you want to achieve with this paper. You have a clear claim, “People use the word freedom too much in many texts and are not even sure what it means.” You also name two warrants in order to argue your claim. The warrants include the significance of the word “freedom” in the Bill of Rights and the fact that many people want freedom. After thoroughly reading your proposal, it is clear that you are not headed towards an evaluation, so you won’t have to worry about that. The only things I found that you had not included in your proposal were counterarguments. It is difficult for a writer to determine counterarguments to his claim, so here are two that I thought were worth examination: “Freedom cannot be defined generally; each person has his own definition of freedom” and “Other meanings of the word ‘freedom’ exist such as ‘ease or facility of movement’, so the word cannot be explicitly defined”. Hopefully you will be able to disprove these arguments as you prove your claim. If you find it difficult to disprove these counterarguments, then you may need to revise your claim. - SudokuLegend

02/06/06

Definition Proposal

Ever since man has been able to think he has wondered about freedom. Whether it was freedom from a ruler, or freedom of speech or freedom to choose whatever one wants, it has always been an important idea on peoples minds. But how does one define freedom and how can one live freely, and obtain freedom? In this paper I plan to take a look at all the different definitions of freedom and free will to try and develop a definition that encompasses all the others and really manifests the idea of freedom.

My claim is that people use the word freedom too much in many texts and are not even sure what it means. My reasons for this are its constant use in conversation and the desire by so many to obtain it. The warrants to connect it are that it needs to be clearly defined because it is such important documents like the Bill of Rights, also since many people claim they want freedom. Support for these definitions and ideas will come from books, articles, speeches, and just general actions of people in the world.

My audience will hopefully be people from all different societies and races. If we obtain a workable definition of freedom then when it is used its presence will make the statement stronger and help people achieve their goal of freedom. There will be some people that it doesn’t help like rulers who are trying to convince their subjects that they have freedom when in fact they may not. If I may quote William Wallace “It’s all for nothing, if you don’t have freedom.”

Beckermann, Ansgar. "Free Will in a Natural Order of the World." The Determinism and Freedom Philosophy Website. 2004. 5 Feb.

2006 <http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~uctytho/dfwBeckermann.html>.

Eastland, Terry. Freedom of expression in the Supreme Court : the defining cases. London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000.

"Freedom." Def. Noun. Oxford English Dictionary. 05 Feb. 2006

<http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50089657?query_type=word&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;queryword=freedom&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;first=1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;max_to_show=10&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sort_type=alpha&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;result_place=1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;search_id=Kfsr-KWCgel-6477&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;hilite=50089657>

"Freedom." Wikipedia. 05 Feb. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom>.

Lehrer, Keith. "Freedom and the power of Preference." The Determinism and Freedom Philosophy Website. 1990. 5 Feb. 2006

<http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~uctytho/dfwCompatLehrer.html>.

Roosevelt, Franklin D. "The Four Freedoms." The White House, Washington D.C. 6 Jan. 1941. 5 Feb. 2006

<http://http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrthefourfreedoms.htm>

02/05/06

Personal Blog

Well it was finally superbowl sunday but I still had about twelve hours to go until the big game. So well im a big Full House fan so I lucked out because there was a marathon on in the morning. But at about two o'clock I remebered that The Animal PLanet Channel was haveing the second annual "puppy bowl". What this is is basically they put about 5-8 puppies in a twenty by twenty area and just let them run around and play with eachother and some toys. This was on for about five hours and my roomate and I watched the whole thing, and were actually getting into it. It was suprisingly intense and entertaining so we had to watch it again when it was on at midnight. Oh yeah the superbowl was pretty good too.

02/04/06

Personal Blog

So I woke up on another lazy Saturday, and it was raining fairly hard. I didn’t want to waste the whole day away like I normally do so some friends and I decided to go ice skating. We walked over to the ice pavilion in the rain at about one o’clock and stayed till free skate ended and the ice hockey team came on to play URI, at about three. It was fun since I haven’t been ice skating since senior year of high school. After that we walked back to the dorm and just hung around and watched a movie, Zoolander. It is probably one of the funniest movies that we have in the room and usually watch it about 3 times a week. Anyone who says that its not good humor has no idea what funny is or is just really uptight. After that was over we ordered some dinner and went to play racquetball at the IM building, which is always fun and good exercise. It felt good to get some stress out from the week and not have to worry about the big game tomorrow. All in all it was a good Saturday that didn’t go to complete waste and I got some good exercise out of it.

02/01/06

Response to "Ivory Bill Report Is Called ‘Faith-Based Ornithology’"

By James Gorman

I was flipping through the New York Times, when I came across an article on the recent finding of the Ivory Bill Woodpecker, a bird that was, or rather is, indigenous to the southeastern forests of North America. For centuries there has been massive logging and destruction of the habitat in which the bird used to live, and for quite some time now it was accepted that the woodpecker was extinct. Despite this acceptance there have been sporadic sightings of this elusive bird for many years but no hard evidence that it was still out there, but in 2004 there was a significant sighting by a birdwatcher in Arkansas. He claims that he has video of the bird but many top ornithologists think that it is just a different species of bird.

The sighting in 2004 was published in lead science journal, Science, and it was a controversial issue. Many scientists felt that the lack of evidence made the article unprofessional and unjustly published. They feel that people are claiming that the bird is back only so they can gain more support to stop logging and destruction of wildlife habitats and gazing land. Despite valiant efforts to locate a tree roost or any sort of mating on behalf of the birds there is no evidence other than the word of a few happy go lucky bird watchers.

In my own opinion I feel that this is a win-win situation, for both sides. If these sightings prove to be true and the Ivory Bill Woodpecker is still in existence then that is great. On the other hand even if the bird is gone for good then at least there may be some improvement on the issues of logging and deforestation in a last ditch attempt to save the bird. My father and I have been bird watchers for many years now and I understand what it is like to see a rare bird or even just an outstanding one, so for these people that claim that they have seen the Ivory Bill Woodpecker, a bird that was thought to be extinct they must have been overcome with joy. As any good birdwatcher knows though it is common to mistake one bird for another and even more common to tell tall tales when it comes to wildlife findings.

01/30/06

Defintion Reaction

Many people may think that it is a good thing that there are so many definitions for terrorism, because it leaves the word open-ended so they can apply to many cases but I believe that it is ultimately a bad thing. With the definition being so open-ended it leaves room for certain acts to actually escape being defined as terrorism because there is no clear definition. When trying to set up an argument you need to clearly define the statement at hand so there is no confusion about what you are arguing about. With terrorism, if there was a more precise definition then the United Nations might accept it and then be more eager to persecute people for committing acts of “terrorism”. I feel that the United Nations doesn’t want to pick up a definition because they believe that with it up in there air they are more able to accuse numerous actions of being terrorist actions. I guess the United Nations would know better than I would about what they should do about there policies and choosing definitions but I still think that they should just mold together all the forms of the definitions that are accepted in major countries and use that.

01/27/06

Reaction to George Bush's Speech

The speech from George Bush is very persuasive an uplifting. When you read this speech you do feel as though everything is going to be alright even after so much bad has happened. In his speech he addresses all types of people who were affected by the terrorist attack on September 11. He addresses victims who died in the building, those who died in the plane, ally countries, terrorist countries, terrorist leaders, and just general citizens of all countries. You read this and just through his precise choice of words he establishes this feeling of safety and that everything is going to be fine. We can’t undo the past but he is going to make sure that the actions that were taken will not go un accounted for. There was one point, towards the end when he says “Some will carry memories of a face and a voice gone forever.” That was just touching and then when he goes on to say that he was going to carry around the police mans shield I felt as though were all just humans and even though everyone thinks America is invincible we still bleed when we are cut, and feel pain when anyone of us is hurt.

01/26/06

Personal Blog

In my mind there are many good movies out there but there are three that stand above the rest, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Last weekend me and some friends devoted a whole day to watching all three movies, extended editions none the less. For those of you who have never experienced these masterpieces, you are missing out. To watch all three of these films it takes about eleven and a half hours. We watched the movies, had some things to drink, pizza, and cookie-dough. It was your typical fat-Saturday.

01/25/06

Reaction to Universal Declaration of Human Rights

When I read this declaration I really go to thinking about how the world has been trying to change for the better over the past few decades. Many countries have been trying to make equal rights for all citizens a legal thing and not just a social acceptance. This makes people feel safe and comforted because they can trust that they will get fair and just treatment in all aspects of their lives no matter what their race, religion, or gender is. Even though not all countries have picked it up and some are still slow to make the transition this is one great step towards a better world where no one is persecuted for anything trivial and meaningless. The declaration uses the means of appealing to peoples emotions and heart to help them want to ratify it. In the preamble they use fear and hope as the main driving forces to sway votes. The writers scare people that if this declaration is not accepted than we will go into a time of war and turmoil like past times and places where equality was not a standard. Hope is also used as a force because people read the preamble and think that it’s not too late to help others and make everyone equal. It inspires people to try and be better and lets them realize how good things could be.

01/23/06

Reaction to FDR Speech

I found that I liked the reading from FDR a lot more than the one from MLK. I feel that I liked this reading more because it was an argument based on character and not one base on heart, like MLK’s. Right from the beginning of the speech he sets up this trust between him and the listeners/readers right away. He does a good job of stating the things he knows and admitting to the flaws that could occur. When he talks about the national policy he clearly states what he knows and what is fact. This shows that he’s not trying to trick us with things that aren’t true or what he wants us to think are true.

His ideas about debt and getting money back for supplies from other countries were very sure footed. He knows that making people surrender to us because they cannot pay for weapons that they need to preserve freedom is not the right way. This will just force them to steal money from their citizens or resort to not having the resources that they need. Also his plans about fixing problems within America are very well thought and realistic. Ideas like jobs for those who can work, ending of special privileges, and preservation of civil liberties and just what the country needed at that time. Overall his speaking abilities give the nation the hope that need to get themselves out of a rut and into a better place where everyone can benefit.

01/20/06

Claims for USA Today Snapshot

Claim 1: Young adults drink more than older adults.

Claim 2: Vodka tastes the best straight, out of all other liquors.

Claim 3: Vodka is best to make mixed drinks with because of its powerful taste.

01/19/06

Personal Blog

So today I went Water polo practice for the first time in a while. It felt real good to relieve some stress and just relax. I felt like doing the whole work out today, we probably swam about 2000 yards. I haven’t done the whole work out, and I was exhausted. Despite the tiredness then we did drill like treading water, passing, and shooting. Normally I would just swim a little warm up then go into the diving tank, which is about 10 degrees hotter than the other pools, and have a catch with the guys team that shows up. Even though the workout is rough if feels good to know I did it…after I’m done with it.

01/18/06

Rewrite of Frank Nedwidek's Personal Narrative

My name is James Scannell and I'm a freshman Biology major here at Penn State. I’m from Baldwin, which is right outside of New York, NY. I attended Baldwin Senior High School, a large school with graduating classes rarely larger than 500 students. I live in 520 Pinchot Hall, a supplemental room that I share with 6 other roommates including Joe Knittel (SudokuLegend) and Frank Nedwidek (TheMaurinBlog). I’ve never been a very good compositional writer but I’m hoping this class will help me.

01/16/06

Response to MLK's "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

Alright so I read MLK’s letter from jail, and overall im going to have to say that it was pretty good. The only main things that I didn’t really like about the letter were that I felt that the length was a bit too long and that he gave so many examples to support his argument. MLK is a very good writer and uses the letter to express his ideas and reasoning very well, and I think he could have done it in a shorter more concise manor. It seems to drag on a bit longer then I think it needed to and all the examples from the other leaders and their ideas were so numerous that I feel like he was just using them as covers and it takes away from his own theory. From his writing he seems very calm and well thought because he seems to have all the arguments well planned and clearly stated. When he talks about how the engagers of nonviolence are not the tension makers but rather just the guides showing it to people it makes sense and really presents the issue clearly. Some other things that I liked that he used were that groups were more immoral than individuals. With all this time in jail to just sit and think he really has an advantage to look at things from all angles and examine things thoroughly. Something that I thought was funny was his steps for forming an argument and how similar they were to the books. MLK writes that the steps to be followed are “collection of the facts determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action” these are very strong and will hold up even in today’s time, as show as examples in our book.

01/15/06

Personal Narrative"

Since I was nine months old I have been going camping. I usually go with my family (dad, mom, and sister) and some of our family friends. We usually change the campground every couple of years to keep things interesting. For me it is a week of relaxation, hiking, fishing, hunting, swimming, and some old fashion fun. For the past two years I have no been able to go because my job keeps me from taking time off, so I had to pass up the opportunity. This year is different though, since school lets out so early I will have about a month and a half before work start so I am going camping with some of my closest friends. I have been planning this trip for about a month now and I am pretty excited because I get to plan the whole thing and I will get to enjoy camping like I once did. This camping vacation is the only thing that is going to get me through this semester, lets hope I can make it that long.

01/13/06

Personal Narrative"

Hey, my name is James Scannell and Im a freshman here at Penn State. I am from Long Island, New York and I spend most of my time at the beach or out in the woods. I work as a lifeguard over the summer and spend my other time surfing. I like to go hiking, camping, and rock climbing. I’m pretty laid back and like to have a good time, and I’m always up for an adventure.

01/11/06

Personal Narrative"

I will use this blog entry to talk about Lynyrd Skynyrd. It is my opinion that Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of the greatest bands ever created. The band was originally called My Backyard, and it was later changed to Lynyrd Skynyrd to immortalize school gym teacher Leonard Skinner who happened to be very against long hair students. They have such great songs such as, Sweet home Alabama, Free Bird, and Swamp music. I usually keep one of their CD’s in the car so I can rock out to it whenever I go anywhere. My favorite song by them is probably Call me the Breeze, its just got the perfect mix of rock and lyrics. So for anyone who want to hear some good music I strongly recommend Lynyrd Skynyrd for all occasions.

01/09/06

Personal Narrative"

So it’s the second semester and we’re back into the swing of things. Break was good and despite the fact that it was three weeks it was still too short. It was so nice to be able to go to the beach any time that I wanted to or see my friends everyday. That’s the hardest part of being at college; none of my friends from back in New York come to school here so I never get to see them. When I do go home though it just makes seeing them all that much better because it has been so long. Other than that break was full of a lot of resting, movies and guitar playing, nothing too exciting. Now I just can not wait until it is spring break so I can rest some more, because hey who doesn’t like to rest.

 

 

Well, I don't have Napster, so I can't listen to your tune. Bummer. TheKemBlog

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