I Miss My Dog

I guess the old adage is true...time flies when you're having fun. The year is quickly coming to a close, and there's nothing I'm looking forward to seeing more than...my dog. I will confess my undying love for my puppy, Aiden, in this post. Throughout my lifetime, I've went through my phases of pets...several fish, a (really cool) cat, an iguana, and last, but definitely not least, a dog. Each pet definitely had its own unique quality - except fish, I think fish are most pointless and stupid pets ever. Ultimately, I really do believe dogs are the best companions, both mentally and physically. In raising a puppy, you have to learn responsibility, they keep you active, and of course, the unconditional love doesn't hurt (and they're much less of an investment than actual children!) Every time I see one of those seeing eye dogs around campus, I get really excited...hopefully in the near future I'll get off-campus and bring Aiden up to Ithaca. She's half German Shepherd, so I think she'd be good for fending off any of the creepers which seem to wandering Ithaca...

RE: Evaluation: Lacrosse

This is in response to Tyler's post evaluating the great sport of lacrosse. After being cut from the basketball team year after year in high school, I decided to try my skills in the game of lacrosse, and went on to play for my school's varsity team for three years (wooo Vikings!!). Unfortunately I was not motivated enough this year to try out for Ithaca's team, however I completely second Tyler's claim that "The game has so much to it such as speed, finesse, strength, power, agility, concentration, hand eye coordination, and much more." Lacrosse is hands down my favorite sport to play, and I really do believe it is one of the most demanding sports (second to maybe hockey) - not only are you constantly on the go, requiring a substantial amount of stamina, but you need precise stick-handling abilities, because having a lacrosse ball thrown at your face from halfway across the field will really, really hurt. I also have noticed lacrosse being a predominantly northeastern sport, but I think its popularity is rising, with higher spectators at each NLL game and more teams in the league. Our boys lacrosse team currently has a 13-2 record - nice job, boys....be sure to stop by the game Friday at 5PM, on the Upper Terrace Field.

Re: Key System

This is in response to Beth's post about the key system on Ithaca campus. Personally I have a terrible habit of forgetting important things, like my keys, and I can totally relate to the experiences of Beth's friend. Last semester I received enough lockouts to obtain a judicial referral. I recognize the fact that it's my own fault for locking myself out so many times, but to be penalized with a judicial referral? It seemed a little excessive, to receive such a reprimand in addition the penalty charges, however there was nothing I could really do about it. I completely agree with Beth's statement that the current system is pretty inefficient - there are certain limited hours for each local residence office, and in those off-hours you are doomed to lurk around the buildings and find an RA to let you into one of the offices. I guess as lavish and unnecessary of an expenditure as it is, this is one way the new ID card entry system may be beneficial to IC students.

Yankees Throw First Pitch From Space

Tomorrow night and Wednesday night, the New York Yankees face their archrivals, the Boston Red Sox yet again. Currently, the Red Sox stand at 9-6 and the Yankees 8-7... word on the street is that the ceremonial first pitch of the game is to be filmed from the international space station, which is currently in outerspace somewhere orbiting 220 miles away, studying the coarsening of particles suspended in tin/lead alloy (what??). I can't even begin to fathom how much money is generated by the Yankees, but it certainly must be a lot if they're pulling this. US Astronaut Garrett Reisman, long-time Yankee fan hailing from Parsippany, New Jersey, has thrown a fastball which reportedly clocked in at better than 5 miles a second. I don't really know how this would work in space, but that sounds pretty cool. And it's a pretty sweet opportunity for Reisman, who embarked on his first flight on March 11th, 2008, and has been orbiting around ever since as a flight engineer. It would be pretty awesome if he could get live HDTV up there, unfortunately he only gets news feeds from headquarters after the game. However, I will definitely be watching the game (live at 7PM), representin New York, who suffered a two-night loss to the Red Sox over the weekend...

Re: Public Safety Comment

This is in response to Chris' post about public safety and SASP on our campus. Although they are a necessarily evil of campus administration, I can't say I've had one positive experience with them throughout this entire year. I can relate to Chris' comment on public safety and SASP riding kids unnecessarily hard. Last semester, it seemed someone would knock on my door to complain about noise every other night. I think most students have gathered enough common sense by now to know how to be respectful living in a dormitory - but it's true, we're still kids and we still want to be able to have fun in our pseudo-homes. I can also attest to the notion that SASP works with the worst intentions - not necessarily just to regulate a respectful environment oncampus, but moreso to screw kids over and get them in trouble. The SASParilla (it sounds like a disease) needs to lighten up!

South Park vs. Family Guy

While fighting over the remote one lazy Sunday evening in the quads, my friend and I got into a heated debate over which show was better - South Park or Family Guy. Having been a devoted fan of Kyle, Stan, Kenny and Cartman for years now, I picked South Park hands down. While I can attest to that fact that both shows provide quality entertainment, I believe South Park's humor/storylines are better crafted than Family Guy's. In each episode, South Park typically presents a humorous take on certain societal issues or trends (Britney Spears, hippies, hybrid cars). While these may be racist or offensive at times, at least it builds up to a good story. South Park took direct aim at Family Guy's plotline (or lack thereof) in its "Cartoon Wars" episodes, which aired during Season 10. Basically, the boys ended up on a mission to the Family Guy headquarters, only to discover that Family Guy's (lame) plotline was dictated by manatees. Every time an episode needed to be written, the whales randomly combined three "idea balls" in their tank - the name of a person, a verb, or a pop culture reference. This parody really could not have captured the essence of Family Guy any better - random run-on jokes. South Park will ultimately always be one of my favorite shows, although Stewie is a pretty amusing character.

Spring

In response to Seth's post...I must agree that it was pretty nice waking up Sunday morning to this amazing weather. The campus itself seems to be rejuvenated with a livelier spirit...which further supports my belief that weather plays an important role in social attitudes. I can vouch for this personally, getting myself out of bed on a rainy Monday morning seems almost impossible sometimes. My friend and I were actually talking about how funny it was that all the Ithaca brochures published pictures of Ithaca during the spring/summer, with the sun shining and the flowers blooming...when ironically the majority of your schoolyear will not look like this. Anyways, after four or five months of cooooold cold winter, I think it's important for people to take some time out and enjoy weather like this, especially in a town like Ithaca which boasts a lot of beautiful natural scenery. I could never imagine what it would be like to live in...Moscow. We can only cross our fingers and hope this beautiful weather stays.

A Visit to the Doctor

I wanted to take some time to reflect upon the article we read in class the other day about evolving attitudes within the doctor's office. I agree with the article's message completely, having experienced the seemingly brief in-and-out examinations myself. Notably, a couple years ago during my junior year of high school, during a game of lacrosse I managed to break a couple of bones in my right hand. It wasn't the worst injury possible, but I can assure you the experience was not fun. Following several x-rays and being poked and prodded a bit, my doctor verified the damage and...told me to go home and keep it iced and elevated. Thank you, Captain Obvious. Following such outstanding advice, I could not help but wonder just how much this guy was getting paid on my (or my parental units') behalf. Health insurance is one of the biggest issues in our country today..so I can't help but emphasize this line, "There are a lot of doctors in town. There's no need to settle for one that doesn't treat you well."

A Dismal State of Affairs in Baghdad

I have been surprised by the decline in media coverage of the ongoing operations in Iraq...BBC news published an article the other day speaking briefly upon the state of affairs in Iraq's capital, Baghdad. A curfew has been enforced upon the city, carefully scrutinizing every incoming/outgoing vehicle, in hopes of disbanding insurgent militants. Troubling footage was released by American military, which showed Iraqi-militia men on the move being killed by a missile released from an Apache attack helicopter. Now I know the situation in Iraq is very volatile at the moment, and drastic times call for drastic measures - but is this really moral? Military casualties continues to fluctuate within the hundreds, a disturbing statistic. These harsh restrictions have affected civilian life in Baghdad immensely, making basic food supplies scarcer and harder to obtain as these curfews remain extended. Inflation has caused prices of food to skyrocket as well, making basic supplies like kerosene, bread, and chicken more difficult to obtain. Electric power outages are frequent as well...reading this article made me wonder what our goal was/is in the Middle East. I hope the next presidential candidate will be able to handle these issues more efficiently...

Where is our tuition going?

In a recent conversation with my dad, I was informed that Ithaca's tuition will increase some 3-5% next year. Our tuition today stands at about $28,670, coming to about $995 per credit. (HOLY EXPLETIVE!) This number doesn't take into account the $10,000 some-odd dollars for living on-campus and enjoying the wonderful meals in the dining hall...haha just kidding. There are a number of things I could pick out, but there are a lot more important things that could be improved on - accommodating parking, for example. I'm sure many of us this semester have experienced the dreadful freshman parking lot, which not only destroys your tires with its unpaved-ness, but it is also more and more difficult to find a spot that is not on the entire other side of campus. Wi-Fi has also been a major concern of students, and word on the street is that IC administration is "workin on it..." Okay, you managed to get the business school up and running in about 12-16 months, but you can't implement a wireless network? Unless you professors are making bank on us, I really wonder where all of our tuition is going. Although I hate making comparisons like this, my friend pointed out that Cornell's tuition is actually less than ours. Part of me would not like to believe the rumors that we are building a new athletic center, as well as a "gateway" building representing the office of admissions. Are you kidding me?? I'll probably get a lot of heat for saying this...but I don't understand why we're trying to emphasize athletics so much, when we're a Division III school. I just feel like there are a lot more beneficial ways our money could be utilized.

Re: "When Monogamy Becomes Monotony"

This is in response to Liza's post about the emergence of a website called ashleymadison.com. An astounding 2 million people have signed up with the company in order to engage in "extramarital affairs" - yes, these individuals are married, and seeking 'other' partners on the side. When I was 16 my parents ended up separating after my mother caught my father cheating, and consequently i've been raised with the very firm belief that a true relationship is founded on loyalty and trust, two key principles which seem to grow less and less important in today's society. It would probably be the worst feeling in the world, to hypothetically use your potential spouse's computer one day, and stumble upon his/her ashleymadison profile. My husband would probably need to file a restraining order for the things I would do to him if that ever happened to me. This ties in rather closely with the topic for my argument of definition paper, defining sex in today's society. Exemplified through events like the Spitzer scandal, it worries me to think of where our society's moral integrity is headed.

Shifting Towards a Hybrid Age

This in response to Beth's post about the new fuel-efficient BMW 5-Series. With rising gas prices burning a hole in our pockets, fuel efficiency in our vehicles has become an eminent concern for all Americans. We have seen a series of Hybrid vehicles from household-names like Toyota (the Prius) and Honda (the new Accord/Civic), however luxury companies like BMW and Lexus seem to be taking up the trend as well. While this is definitely a positive change in the right direction, it still seems like a catch-22 situation, being that the MSRP on these Hybrid vehicles can be as much as $10,000 more than a standard car - the non-hybrid 2008 Lexus LS starts at $62,000, whereas the hybrid version starts at jaw-dropping $104,000. In the long-run I'm sure the benefits would outweigh the lofty price difference, however we are all familiar with the astoundingly fast rate at which a car's value depreciates - is it really worth it to invest the extra couple thousand dollars now? The new 5-series BMW gets 42 miles to the gallon because it runs on diesel fuel (as opposed to gasoline), which is more efficient in terms of performance, but also produces a significant amount of harmful soot particles. With all-due respect to tree-hugging liberals, I don't think these hybrid cars do much to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, unless you have an extra $10-20,000 lying around.

I recently read this article originally posted by the Los Angeles Times...it basically explained how the Federal Flood Control has designed simulated floods through the Grand Canyon. When I first saw this headline on CNN, I was pretty startled. There has been plenty of research to back up the fact that these "floods," which at peak volume reaches 41,500 cubic feet per second, will destroy a substantial amount of the natural bottom wildlife and ecology. Park officials have suggested that these floods are timed appropriately with demands for electric power, which would be generated by the hydroelectric turbines. This article really bothered me, because I've noticed recently a grisly clash with the evolution of our society and the natural world, from shopping malls to traffic jams. Even though we've seen an increased recognition of sustainability within the past 2 or 3 years, I don't know if it's enough. With our administration allowing such procedures as this, purely motivated by the desire to cut costs, it really makes me wonder what's in store for us within the next 20 years. Americans are notorious for being the greatest consumers, but how long can this trend hold up?

This is in reference to Amanda's post...I had a lot of misgivings about Ithaca first semester, considering the daunting pricetag. One of the biggest decisions I had to make was choosing between a bigger university, or a close-knit community like Ithaca. While I could definitely see the appeal of going to a big hyped-up school like Penn State or ASU, I have really grown to appreciate Ithaca as home. My sister, who is about to graduate Syracuse University, visited our campus once and didn't find any of the buildings too outstanding...I guess compared to the cathedral-like architecture of Cornell and Syracuse, it's kinda hard to compete. Nevertheless, I have to agree with Sean that the natural beauty of Ithaca overrides all these factors - plus the business school is pretty cool.

Re: Juno

This is in response to Amanda's blog about the movie Juno. After all the hype and plenty of reviews praising the movie's comedic value, I decided to see this movie a while ago. Unfortunately, I failed to see the real appeal of this movie. It was definitely a "cute" movie with some good laughs, however I really didn't find the plot appealing at all. As far as the depth of the plot, I have to agree with Amanda that the film dealt with the concept of teen pregnancy pretty lightly. I see this as just another example of how Hollywood misrepresents social issues, and really wish production companies could actually produce real, meaningful movies.

Are you getting enough sleep?

College students are all too familiar with erratic sleeping habits. As I write this post at 12:30 in the morning, acknowledging the fact that caffeine will be essential for my 10 o'clock class, I wonder if my sleeping habits have any negative side effects on my mental/physical health? Oftentimes I have found myself the morning-after the all-nighter, in a mental state where my brain processes seem to be in limbo - half awake half unaware of the world around me. In a 1998 study of British college students, it was proven that the sleepier an individual is, the more active his/her prefrontal lobe becomes - this part of your brain is associated with more systematic tasks, such as mathematics, organizing, and even short term memory. While the typical side effects of sleep deprivation were noted - speech, typing skills, increased irritability - it is interesting to note how the brain tries to compensate for being overworked.
Not that I encourage a warped sleeping schedule - apparently students who study all week and stay up on the weekends can lose up to 30% of the information they absorbed. As if I didn't have a problem retaining information already...the recommended amount of sleep for the average adult is 8 hours - so i'm going to call it a night and get my time in. GOODNIGHT :)

Re: Why I Don't Hate Britney Spears

This post is in response to sara's post concerning the controversy surrounding britney spears' influence on the female youth. i completely support sara's post, especially when it comes to the belief that it is the responsibility of the parents to provide a good understanding of sexual relations to their children. you can blame celebrities and hollywood all you want, but it will do nothing to dissuade the marketing trend "sex sells." unless you plan on raising your kids in a bubble, they will inevitably be exposed to such things as sex and violence - however a good upbringing will allow the young individual to evaluate between wrong and right. as much as the media is intertwined with our daily lives, it is wise to take everything you see "with a grain of salt" - if hollywood is intended to be a role model for society, we have a very bleak future.

Changing the Drinking Age

This is in response to Seth's post questioning why the drinking age in the US remains 21. The question lingered in my mind, so to quench my thirst I encountered an article from msnbc.com which spoke about the debate. An important aspect the article brought up was that there is no "legal federal drinking age" - it is the drinking laws concerning possession and consumption which hinder our attempts at drunken debauchery. In the state of New York, you must be 21 to purchase alcohol (although you can transport unopened containers at 18?), and consumption under the age of 21 is permitted in a "private setting." Ahh, how devious Uncle Sam is. Unfortunately, by cutting off the underage direct purchase, you have cut the underage (or in particular, the awkward 18-20 phase) out of the equation. John M. McCardell, former president of Middlebury College, stated that the true problem lies in the fact that teenagers are poorly educated on how to consume alcohol appropriately. "Education works,” McCardell says, but “it’s never been tried. Now it’s mandatory only after you’ve been convicted of DUI. That is not an act of genius.” Couldn't have said it better myself. Before coming to Ithaca my own sister told me she would sleep better at night knowing I had some sort of alcohol tolerance - alcohol is nothing new, in college especially it's inevitable that one will find themselves in a situation where alcohol is present. Moral of the story, drink responsibily.

Facebook

I must concur with abuzzweekly in his post about Facebook. I find myself succumbing to the evils of facebook - spending odd amounts of time playing Jetman, poking people, or drawing graffiti on my friend's wall. As it is a very useful networking tool in helping you keep in touch with old friends, I cannot condone the existence of Facebook, however, I do believe we should all partake in the activities with a grain of salt. Today's technology has allowed the internet to have quite a substantial reach - this is something to consider when tagging pictures from those fuzzy Saturday nights.

Giants Shock the Patriots in a 17-14 Win

Giants fans across the northeast are simply ecstatic right now - a tremendous defeat within the last 35 seconds of the 4th quarter led the New York Giants to a victory against the acclaimed New England Patriots in the 42nd Superbowl. Building upon a prestigious 18-0 record, the Patriots fell prey to a flawless pass between Eli Manning (Superbowl MVP?) to Plaxico Burress, who predicted a 23-17 victory according to abuzzweekly. Following the immaculate reputation of the Patriots, the Giants were easily deemed the underdog in this game, however they managed to succeed with a relentless defensive line. After last year's upset in the World Series, New York really needed this one...

Best & Worst Cities of 2008

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? The question has been proposed to myself several times in the past, and upon encountering two intriguing articles from Forbes.com, “America’s Most Miserable Cities,” and “Best Cities for Jobs in 2008,” I have become strongly inclined to journey out west to reap the benefits of my soon-to-be hard-earned degree (a.k.a. make some cash). The first article evaluated 150 of the United States’ largest cities based on factors of taxation level, commute time, unemployment, crime, and weather. Our very own New York state placed 4^th on the list, winning the longest commute time as well as the highest taxation rate. Having been a New York resident for the past 18 years of my existence, this deliberation comes as no surprise.

In contrast, the Lone Star state scored big with three cities (Ft. Worth, Austin, Houston) sitting among the top ten best cities for jobs in 2008. Cities were evaluated on factors of unemployment level, job growth, income growth, and the cost of living. This may be due largely in part to Texas’ immunity from the recent surge of inflation in real estate markets throughout the United States. Although part of me thinks these rankings are biased and not well-grounded, who knows? Maybe a relocation looms on the distant horizon…

Top 10 Most Miserable Cities 1. Detroit, MI 2. Stockton, CA 3. Flint, MI 4. New York, NY 5. Philadelphia, PA 6. Chicago, IL 7. Los Angeles, CA 8. Modesto, CA 9. Charlotte, NC 10. Providence, RI

Top 10 Best Cities for Jobs 1. Salt Lake City, UT 2. Wichita, KS 3. Austin, TX 4. Atlanta, GA 5. Fort Worth, TX 6. Indianapolis, IN 7. Houston, TX 8. Omaha, NE 9. Raleigh, NC 10. Seattle, WA