Seven, an amazing movie

Over the weekend I watched the movie Seven with some friends, none of us had seen it but we had heard good things. The movie exceeded my every expectation, it is one of the most amazing thriller movies ever made.

The movie stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, it is a story of a serial killer who has been killing people for their sins, the killings are based on the 7 deadly sins and are extremely grotesque. Pitt and Freeman play detectives trying to hunt down the killer. The story is well crafted and interesting all the way to the amazing finale.

The movie is pure intensity and it rarely gives you a moment to breathe. Every aspect was amazing and I would highly recommend it, just keep in mind there are disturbing images.

End of Semester Stress

The work just seems to pile on at the end of semester, everyone knows that. We have essays, exams and so many things to do. It is extremely overwhelming for students. Of course there isn't really anything we can do except try our best to cope with the situation.

Sometimes it seems like teachers believe they are the only class you have and they pile on work when you already have so much for your other classes.

Luckily, there isn't too long until Winter break and that has kept me going.

Where is Osama bin Laden?

The White House lacks solid information on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, 8 years after the tragedy of 9/11. With the billions of dollars spent on the U.S. military you would think one person could be found.

The situation is frustrating to say the least, the man hugely responsible for the attacks of 9/11 has not been brought to justice and the U.S. has become involved in a war without answers. We went to the middle east because of 9/11, we started the War on Terror but our goals have changed since then. The whole situation is overwhelming

Apparently bin Laden has been slipping back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan, but nobody can say for sure, otherwise we would have him.

Tiger Woods as a role model

A few days ago I posted about Tiger Woods' car crash and how the media was making such a huge deal about it. Since then it has come out that Tiger Woods cheated on his wife Elin Nordegren with a cocktail waitress. Many pro golfers have spoken out against Woods, condemning his actions.

My question is, what moral standard should we hold for athletes? The media portrayal of athletes as role models is questionable. The Tiger Woods incident is obviously not the first time something like this has happened, everyone remembers Kobe Bryant a few years ago.

Athletes are painted as team players, people who are responsible, they are considered the best in the world at what they do. Kids look up to them, they become idols. Nobody is perfect though and by painting a perfect picture it just makes things more disappointing when they don't live up to the expectations. Athletes should be admired for their athletic ability and the emphasis should not be on their character as much. Unless that athlete does something which is especially great off the field.

Extreme Makeover: Debt Edition

The popular reality television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is known for changing the lives of people by remodeling their homes and giving them lavish new items. Unfortunately after all tears and happy moments have been filmed some of these families have ended up in serious financial trouble.

I saw an article today on Yahoo! talking about how these families get the house but they do not get the mortgage. This show was intended to reward people who had not had the best times in their lives but in some cases it ends up punishing them again.

The show is already superficial, the idea that we can make up for human suffering with expensive home remodels is kind of ridiculous but now it seems that many families can't even have that.

Link to the article:
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/another-extreme-makeover-home-edition-family-facing-foreclosure--834

Tiger Woods Car Crash

The media's obsession with celebrities is clear. Every aspect of their lives are examined down to the most meticulous detail.

The last few days I have heard constantly about Tiger Woods being involved in a non alcohol related and non lethal car accident. Woods backed up into a fire hydrant and suffered some minor cuts and bruises. This caused a media storm, recently Woods has commented. Stating that he was embarrassed and just wanted to keep the matter private. Now Woods is saying that he will not meet with investigators, this has caused more media speculation.

The amount of attention being paid to this is amazing, things like this happen to people everyday but celebrity status elevates the importance of every event.

Semester Changes in College

One of the bigger changes from high school to college has to be that after the first half of the year I will have an entirely different set of classes. The concept of being done with a whole class in half the time it would have taken in high school is still strange to me.

A new semester means a new schedule, in high school the only thing that could change was the order of classes and the teachers. Now there are going to be classes at different times than my current schedule and the material will be brand new. Over the last few months I have grown accustom to waking up at a certain time and going to classes at certain times. It will be a difficult change at first.

Even though I will have to get used to a new schedule I am looking forward to a new set of classes, in high school I would be stuck with the same ones and have less variety.

Response to David Oliver Relin

David Oliver Relin's speech at UMBC was interesting, he discussed how we as privledged people are obligated to help those who cannot be helped, such as those stuck in an endless cycle of poverty. He showed a sideshow containing many pictures of his times in other countries. He spoke well of the people he encountered and criticized the media's interpretations of foreign countries and their dangers. Some parts were more interesting than others, his point had been well established early on and it seemed like he was just going on at some points. I enjoyed some of his stories and pictures but overall it seemed too long.

Family Guy and Freud Response

The article "Family Guy and Freud" discusses the popular TV show Family Guy and some of the controversy surrounding it. This article was appealing to me because it defended Family Guy and proved that many of the jokes are intelligent and well thought out.

The article offered an interesting perspective, the author was at first against Family Guy but then realized that the show is not meant to be taken seriously and if people can accept what is funny in the show and what is unfunny in real life, the show can be enjoyable for anyone with an open mind.

Metallica Concert

On 10/17/09 I went to see Metallica in Charlotesville, Virginia with my brother and some friends. I got the tickets back in May, so I was quite excited when the day finally came that I could see them. It was loud, intense and easily the best concert I have been to. The band played songs from their new album and their classics as well, I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Some people may have seen this in the news, this concert was the last known whereabouts of the missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Dana Harrington. Police are urging concert attendees to call with any tips but so far there have been no developments, Morgan's parents are now offering a $100,000 reward for information which leads to her return.

I came to realize that this day, which was one of the best and most fun times of my life was also the worst day for someone else and their family.

Original Link:
http://metallica.com/index.asp?item=602638

YouTube Video of "Fuel" by Metallica from the concert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSIgOJMIIlY

Most TV Will Not Make You Smarter

Both articles "Watching TV Makes You Smarter" and "Thinking Outside the Idiot Box" raise fair points about television viewing and how we think about the shows that air, but both articles have some problems. "Watching TV Makes You Smarter" is unnecessarily long, the point of having more complex plot lines leading to more intelligent thinking is established early on, the amount of examples seems unnecessary. "Thinking Outside the Idiot Box" is shorter but to me, seemed somewhat unclear in it's message.

In my opinion selective television viewing can make you smarter. Shows with intricate plot lines like Law and Order are a great example of intelligent television, unfortunately for every Law and Order there is a dumbed down show like CSI: Miami. Law and Order presents a plot line and does not insult the viewer by explaining each thing. CSI: Miami will explain every single thing going on even when it is obvious. That isn't to say that CSI: Miami isn't entertaining, but it certainly won't work your brain.

TV as a whole will not make you smarter, it is fair to say that a large percent of the media aired on TV is commercials and reality shows. The amount of shows aimed at the lowest common denominator is huge.

Redskins Lose to the Lions

I would like to say first off that I am not a big Redskins fan, while I enjoy watching football the outcomes of the games usually don't mean that much to me. Last Sunday the Redskins lost to the Lions and this ended an embarrassing 19 game losing streak for the Lions. This huge upset has been annoying for many Redskins fans and made them the target of many jokes. The thing that is frustrating to me is the people abandoning the team and saying they are going to become a Ravens fan or something else, these people were not fans in the first place if they decide to side with another team over a loss. As embarrassing as the loss was, a true fan would stick by the team and not bandwagon jump to another team.