April 2008 Archives

This week my sorority, Pi Beta Phi, is having its second annual Ovarian Cancer Awareness Week. The philanthropy began last year, after a member's mother passed away due to Ovarian Cancer. Members of Pi Beta Phi will be tabling all week on Wescoe beach accepting donations, and selling Mother's Day Cards. Mother's Day cards are $2 and will be mailed by Pi Phi. Please make a donation if you are on campus this week, we are hoping to raise money for research that will help to find a way to prevent this "silent killer".
Ovarian Cancer is difficult to detect early; in fact, 75% of cases are diagnosed in the late stages of the cancer, resulting in a 5 year survival rate. Some symptoms include:
- abdominal pain
- feeling of fullness after a light meal
- loss of appetite
- severe weight gain or loss
- nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and frequent urination

For more information on Ovarian Cancer, please stop by the Pi Phi table on Wescoe Beach to pick up a pamphlet and make a donation!!

A vietnamese girl had her 16 pound tumor removed from her face finally. The surgery took about 12 hours. They said it had been growing and disfiguring her since she was 3 years old. It is amazing of why her parents would let something like that grow for so long and not do anything about it. Money could have been a problem, but still to let your daughter grow up and slowly be disfigured and have the risk of having it grow over her airway.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24385677/

The Miami Heat's head coach and Hall of Famer, Pat Riley, stepped down from his position on April 28 and saying that he is done coaching. He had been coaching for about a quarter of a century, and he thinks that he is done this time. In 2005 he had been talked back into coaching after his first retirement, but now he claims he will not be talked into doing it again. This was his final season. Riley was a great coach, although I am not a Heat fan, they had decent seasons under his wing. For all you sports fanatics, what is your opinion about all this? Do you think that the Heat will have better seasons without Riley?http://www.miamiherald.com/856/story/512860.html

I read an article about a gang dubbed the "Smiley Face Gang," who apparetnly are associated with the killing of 40 young men in the last decade. The murders have been in at least 10 states and each death was marked by a smiley face. That must be their calling card. It is a tad scary for being a young college male, but however, most of the murders have been white males. I found this article at http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212144865.shtml

and there is a video too.http://kstp.com/article/stories/s421846.shtml?v=1

I found an article this morning on the web about how scientists have found out why absinthe is such a mind altering liquid. Apparently Van Gogh and Picasso had used it to help them with their paintings. This I did not know, but I guess it seems logical if you look at their works of art. The results that were given were that absinthe contains about 70 percent alcohol making it 140-proof. Today's vodka, gin, and whiskey doesn't even come close to that. Over the years it has been fought over as to why the green stuff was so potent. What do you think about it? Would you ever try absinthe?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24371992/?GT1=43001

I find television programming today frustrating. Reality TV (whatever that is) has taken local and cable networks by storm. The news and sports have their respective places and I feel like the rest of air time is clogged up with reruns. Don't get me wrong, I can always go for a rerun of Friends, or Home Improvement, but until recently I have lacked a fresh TV show to really call my own.

Enter, The Big Bang Theory.

It's fresh, it's funny, and it's smart (okay, it's nerdy). Producer Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men) has put together a brand new cast of characters. Big Bang's plot revolves around four geniuses (two Cal Tech physicists, an engineer and another scientist that also work for the University) and a pretty, free-spirited girl, Penny, who lives across the hall from the two physicists in their apartment. As you can imagine, the dialog between the geniuses is witty and oh-so-nerdy. Each guy has his quirks that make him unique and funny, and the four continually try to impress the lovely Penny.

If you don't have to to keep up with a show, no worries. Much unlike Lost, you don't have to watch every second of every episode IN ORDER to understand what the heck is going on. The show airs on Monday nights at 8:00pm est. and CBS posts the episodes after their air on their Web site. There are usually the last 4 or 5 episodes on the Web site. Next week will be the 15th episode, so if you'd like to catch up, the last 4 are up right now.

I suggest you guys check it out.
"Math, science, history, unraveling the mystery, it all started with the big bang. BANG!"

"It's more like pissing out of my ass than anything else." -Hank Moody on blogging (Californication)

Does anyone else feel this way? That blogging is nothing more than bitching and moaning (which I am about to do) and calling it journalism (which I don't). I mean this entire class is blogging just as an assignment. Granted it is not as professional as some blogs might be, but it is ultimately the same thing. People are paid to put their Op Ed online, daily, in less formal writing than it would be in a newspaper. I think of blogging as a glorified myspace entry or mass e-mail. Even the word blog contributes to its image as a less-than-serious form of writing. It's not a word! Actually, it is in Webster's, alongside crunk, ginormous, and smackdown (those literally were added to Webster's). Thankfully, all of those words still have a dotted red line underneath them. But back to the point, what else do we do on here besides bitch and moan? Maybe once every ten posts there will be an actual news story, but they are almost always viewed subjectively. The fact that comments are posted in response to articles practically makes the whole process devoid of objectivity. Is that not what we're taught journalists are supposed to strive for? I love the internet, it has revolutionized life as we know it. But ultimately it is just as detrimental to society as it is beneficial. Here is another quote from Californication. The quote is overly dramatic, but it is not without some validity.

"We have all this amazing technology and yet computers have turned into basically four figure wank machines. The internet was supposed to set us free, democratize us, but all it's really given us is Howard Dean's aborted candidacy and 24 hour a day access to kiddie porn. People... they don't write anymore, they blog. Instead of talking, they text, no punctuation, no grammar: LOL this and LMFAO that. You know, it just seems to me it's just a bunch of stupid people pseudo-communicating with a bunch of other stupid people in a proto-language that resembles more what cavemen used to speak than the King's English."

Keeping in mind that I can be associated as a typical guy when it comes to sports, I can't help to pass up a conversation about the NFL draft over the weekend. I specifically remember my girlfriend asking me why I enjoy watching college players get up and hold a jersey in front of them while they just smile. I tried answering her in a couple different ways, but I realized that I really didn't have a good answer. It came down to trying to imagine myself walking up on a stage and signing a multimillion-dollar paycheck. I guess I just find it really interesting that these players who are entering the sports entertainment world are no different from us. They are the same age and they are probably going through the same stressful events in their lives as us. Obviously no one in our class is going through something like they are, but I just thought it was interesting to think how similar we are to these now multimillion dollar college students who have just a few more weeks of school.

In an article from the Washington Post today it was released that scientists believe that taking naps in the middle of the day is no longer seen as helpful for babies, but it is helpful for adults too. These sleep scientists say that our little naps during the day actually give us extra brain food, especially if we have been working 40 hour weeks and or keeping busy with other activities like school. However, these scientists are not telling us to take long naps but we should think about taking naps for about 45 minutes. In some studies they have found that when you take a nap after looking over information, a nap will help you better remember.

As for my personal opinion I can't speak against taking naps since I actually just woke up from one just a little over an hour ago. I think many people look at naps to be a bad thing, but when you know your going to be up late or you have just had a really long day, I think it is okay to take a 45-minute nap just to rejuvenate yourself.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042503118.html?g=1

A few weeks ago, when I was on the verge of a breakdown due to the immense pile of schoolwork and papers and readings, etc. I found myself under, I had a long conversation with my Dad about whether or not a college degree is necessary to get a job. Of course I knew it was, but due to my mental state, I would have argued just about anything to defend my wanting to quit school statement. My thinking was that any job you get will teach you what you need to do to be able to perform your job as they want you to so why do you need to suffer through so much schooling??

My Dad told me that while you might be able to get a job under these premises, you would not really have much room to move in the job world, as most places when hiring will hire the applicant with the college degree. I knew this.

However, I just read an article that claims you can get a job without a degree, the author say that if you just are very specific in your resume and demonstrate past performance and proven results in your work, you will be okay. The author, Joe Turner (a job recruiter) says "You can outweigh the formal education by showing exactly how your specific work has benefited your previous employer. The bottom line is that employers today, more than ever, want to have problem-solvers on board. Though you may have no degree, you can prove yourself a resource that fits into their larger profit and loss picture. If you can demonstrate that, you can get hired."

I just thought all of this was interesting...I think it can work both ways, it just depends on how far you want to go in your career and how prestigious of a job you want.

Many of you may have already known this, and it may be in result of how naive I can be.

The past 2 weeks or so I have been seeing photographers on campus at all times taking pictures of beautiful Mt. Oread. I assume for new campus promotional materials. On many brochures and pamphlets there are images of students gathered and talking, walking, studying...etc. I was recently surprised to find that these images suggesting traditional KU campus life are staged. Certain students were positioned to act "natural" for photographers. It gets me thinking that are we an image conscious school? With these pictures of "model" students are we trying to suggest that only certain types of students attend KU? Or are we trying to create this false image of how campus and student life really are? I'm just confused as to why photographers couldn't capture campus naturally, with no staged photos. I mean go to Wescoe Beach on a nice afternoon and you are sure to find KU students in their natural habitat. Why would we have to falsify our student life for the sake of a promotable picture?

This is the 'Statement of Purpose' from University Relations:
"This collection from University Relation's photo library showcases the best recent images of KU people, places, and events. Our goal is to reflect KU's beautiful, diverse, supportive, and resourceful nature rather than to provide news or historical photographs. We welcome your comments and suggestions."

Just look at the following image from University Relations web-page, natural or staged?

Thanks to Guitar Hero, I can now have meaningful conversations about classic rock and alternative big weights with my eight and nine-year-old brothers. They know classic songs by Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, The Police, Pat Benatar, Heart, and even more contemporary artists like Weezer and Rage Against The Machine. Guitar Hero I, II, AND III has successfully filled gaps between generations of people who enjoy music and who dream of being rock stars, and the game creators are preparing to connect generations once more with Guitar Hero IV.

I LOVE Guitar Hero, and know how addicting the game can become. I am recently fascinated with the game's ability to captivate anyone who enjoys music, children and adults alike. Rock Band has the identical ability to reach to various age groups, which I have seen first hand at home where my parents and young brothers spend hours playing in a band together.

I also witnessed the music-based-video-game phenomena just this last month while working a wedding reception. The bride and groom requested a Guitar Hero area for friends and family to enjoy. I observed as middle aged and old men watched a bunch of 20-somthings rocked out while playing the game, eager to give the guitar their best shot. Paired with an interesting selection of wedding music that included artists like Evenesence, you could say the reception was rather non-traditional.

The game itself is anything but traditional when examining the range of people in which Guitar Hero appeals. Expected to release this fall, Guitar Hero IV will saddle up to compete with Rock Band by incorporating more instruments.

If you haven't played Guitar Hero or Rock Band, you may want to get on that.

I was disgusted today while reading about an Austrian man who locked his daughter in his basement for 24 years, repeatedly raped her, and fathered seven children with her. My question does not involve why someone would do such a sick and inhumane thing, but rather how no one knew about the activities going on for all that time. According to the story on www.msnbc.com the father made up a story about how she joined a cult and disappeared many years ago. It sickens me to think how horrible it must have been to be imprisoned and abused like that. I cannot believe know one realized what was going on before now, and I hope nothing like this will ever go on again.

Here is a link to the story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24337573/

Only not at all.

Yet I realized the other night, after a brief discourse with a colleague concerning the two antitheses, that while the two are known and considered two extreme eating disorders (bulimia nervosa as well) only one of them is joked about. With a group of friends, you (ubiquitously, I should add) might see an overweight man or woman at a restaurant with an empty plate of food, slowly finishing another. One of your friends comments, with a laugh, "What a fatass!" or something equally derogatory. The table rejoices in laughter and you carry on with your meal.

Across the restaurant, however, you spot an incredibly thin woman--so thin it pains you to see--pecking at what little food is on her plate. And you think to yourself, "Oh, that's so sad." A friend notices and agrees: "Poor girl has an eating disorder. . . ." The table's livelihood fades, temporarily, until the check arrives, is paid and everyone leaves.

Two eating disorders affecting both young and old, yet one is considered a joke, the other earning the sympathy of those that recognize it as a disorder. It's a shame that we, as a society (generalizing, I know), acknowledge one as a serious problem while the other is simply laughable.

What's black and white and "read" all over? We all know the answer to this obnoxious joke is a newspaper but will our children be so quick to understand? With technology changing by the second it's worth thinking about.

Recently, I was talking to a copy editor for "The Kansas City Star," Paula Southerland. In the fast-paced world of news, Southerland loves constantly being "in the know." She also says there is nothing like seeing people at the gym reading articles that she edited. The fact that her job produces such a tangible thing is really rewarding and makes all pressure worth it in the end.

The worst part of the job is the lack of resources, which in due in large part to technology. When Southerland attended the University of Kansas there were no computers. Talk about unimaginable to my generation. The biggest revolution she has experienced, however, is the explosion of the Internet. It not only changed Southerland's world but the world of journalism as well.

Our society has become so obsessed with going online that it's causing printed newspapers to become a thing of the past. People at her work at getting laid off left and right because when papers aren't selling there is no need for as many workers anymore. She guarantees that by the time my generation gets older they won't even be printing newspapers anymore. She has really had to shift her way of thinking to deliver the news differently. Southerland says that it is change that will appeal to the younger generation.

Time will soon tell if a newspaper will be a collector's item on Ebay.

For more information check out the following video clip...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWfV5EK-JCw

I just recently read an article about how Miley Cyrus did a photo shoot with Vanity Fair, and one of the photos she chose is actually quite scandalous (it is a picture of her satin bed sheet, looking over her shoulder with her back exposed.). Miley claims that she didn't realize how the picture would turn out and regrets taking it and choosing it for the spread. Her "people" say that she was manipulated into taking these photos by photographer Annie Leibovitz.
Leibovitz says "I'm sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted. Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful."
I think that Miley probably should have been more careful when doing this photo shoot, because if the pictures are in fact more adult that things she has previously done, it will probably cause an uprising among the parents of the young children who watch her show. Miley is a huge role model for many young girls, and I can really see this blowing up in her face. She probably should have waited until she was a little older and the Hannah Montana phase is over with to do something like this.

As we've been discussing youth and music in class, I wanted to revisit the horrendous music that blares in stores such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Forever 21 and H&M. If profit is the goal of these retail stores, then why do they play music that makes me want to run out the door?

In fact, the raging vibrations of techno music not only make my head spin, but make me avoid even stepping foot in the premises. It's no wonder that my heart starts racing and beads of sweat start forming when I enter Forever 21 or any other store that bares a startling resemblance to a club. I mean, really, are we supposed to be shopping or raving? Sometimes, it's hard for me to tell the difference.

For the upcoming project, my chosen outlet is Intermix, a New York-based women's apparel chain. With more upscale merchandise, this boutique attracts a different customer base than does Abercrombie & Fitch, etc. Though I wont create a playlist that will put shoppers to sleep, it certainly wont cause them anxiety.

While perusing facebook, I came across an advertisement for quite an interesting product.
The product is called Frutels. It is an acne treatment in candy form. I thought "WOW" being a teenager is actually getting better by the second.
It claims to clear your skin from the inside out by infusing your body with nutrients that prevent acne. This technology is different to its competitors as it treats your whole body with natural ingredients, instead of just one's face using lab made drugs.
I think its worth some attention.
Here is the link if you are interested:http://www.frutels.com/testimonials.html

Today in the Kansas City Star, I read an article about how text shortcuts "OMG", "R U busy?" "Wuz up" "lol" "jk"…you get the point…are showing up more and more in students' schoolwork. Duh. This would obviously happen due to the fact that we are a generation based on shortcuts and getting things faster and quicker. What surprised me about this article was that the teacher interviewed for it stated that he and his school and the parents are not worried about the fact that these shortcuts are showing up in schoolwork. I would have thought that this would be a much bigger deal, but apparently it's not. They say that the students say they still place the same value on writing and know how important it is to write correctly. I found this interesting because I thought that this would have been more of a concern.

An 18-year old student in South Carolina was charged last week with an attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Ryan Schallenberger planned to put together at least five bombs and place them around his high school in a suicide attack. The plot to attack his high school was found in his journal after he was arrested. This journal consists of more than 50 pages about his plot, as well as praise for the shooting at Columbine High. He also wrote about how he knew what he was doing was wrong. Schallenberger was arrested after his parents called the police because they got a delivery notice for the 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate, the same fertilizer used in the Oklahoma City Bombing, he had ordered. He is being charged on 3 federal counts as well at on the state level.

It seems like every month now you are reading about students planning an attack on their school. At least in this case the parents were able to stop it before something tragic happened.

The world's largest baby could very well be residing in India. The little Boy, Karan is ten months old is 3 feet 2 inches tall, and weights about 45 pounds!! His mother, not surprised by her child's largeness, is the one of the tallest woman in Asia at 7 feet 2 inches. To keep up with Karan's growth, his mother feeds him 20 times a day.

In recent tabloids there has been a swarm of stories about Simpson's secretive pregnancy. How her father views it because of their religion and Ashlee's relationship with her fiancé, Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy. Simpson went on Ellen DeGeneres show to talk about her upcoming album. Oh no, that another one! Through out the whole interview, Ellen was trying to get Ashlee to tell the world she is pregnant. Ms. Simpson didn't like that and in her defense, she was like look at my body I'm not eating everything in site. Which indicates look I'm skinny so I'm not pregnant. More and more in the celebrity world, they are trying to covering up their pregnancies to keep it private. Unfortunately, the tabloids eat it up along with the public, when they hear their favorite star is expecting.
When in this world did we come to a point where we need to know everything about everyone? People need privacy and sometimes certain information people don't want to leak out about them. No one likes the gossip that goes through the grapevine.
I think the best thing Ashlee Simpson can do is just say yes if she is pregnant or not. Eventually is she is expecting, she will soon be showing and the rumor will be true.

Recently I found an article on CNN.com that stated what a pregnant woman eats can influence the gender of her baby.
Research conducted among 740 woman during their first time pregnancies at British Universities, revealed that there are certain links between diet and gender.
The studies found that higher caloric intake prior to conception increases chances of conceiving a boy while those who stick to restricted diets increase chances of conceiving a girl.
They found a strong relation between eating bananas and conceiving males, but believe it has to do with potassium levels.
The research also disproved that drinking an abundance of milk can increase chances of having a girl.
Right now I don't plan on having a baby for a while, but in the future I may take this research into consideration.

Earlier today, junior Mario Chalmers announced his decision to join teammates Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur in the NBA Draft. He does not plan to sign with an agent, which makes it possible for him to come back to KU for his senior season. I believe Mario is a great player, and his shot that sent the team into overtime during the National Championship game was obviously amazing. Did that shot alone, however, influence his decision to enter into the NBA draft this year? I think it has a huge impact on his decision because of all the hype surrounding him the past few weeks. Do I think he is at the level he needs to be to enter the draft right now? No, I don't. Waiting another year would definitely be beneficial to his skill development. I wish him the best, but hope if he gets drafted he doesn't regret it. I would hate to see the hype around him go away, and have that result in him being a bench warmer for a team in the NBA instead of a superstar for the Jayhawks.

Here is the link to the article and his press conference announcement on video from KUsports.com: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2008/apr/23/chalmers_hold_2_pm_press_conference/

In the 1990s, California led the way for all 50 states to create anti-stalking laws, but with the growth of the Internet, people are not only being stalked physically, but are also being cyber-stalked. Computer harassment, or "cyber-stalking," has become a rampant problem in the late 20th and the early 21st centuries, and therefore, 44 states have created some form of cyber-stalking laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Several news articles cite that there have been problems with unattended children who communicate with others online and navigate through unmonitored Web pages. The Internet is a global network at which legislatures are taking a deep look because the abundance of content available on the Internet is not highly monitored right now. These news articles include stories of children who are physically bullied at school but then arrive home to their computer, only to be cyber-bullied again.

Many issues come to light from cyber-bullying cases, including the daunting question, how far is too far? How far can a cyber-stalking law go before it infringes one's First Amendment rights? We all have the right to browse Internet sites and chat without harassment, and hopefully cyber-stalking laws will continue to be amended to not infringe people's rights but to also protect people from being harassed.

I recently read about this new children's book that it supposed to help mother's talk to their children about plastic surgery. The mommy in the book receives a tummy tuck, nose job and breast augmentation.

I am not quite sure about this. I do understand that many women opt to get tummy tucks after gaining a lot of weight during pregnancy. Even if they have lost all the weight gained during pregnancy, the skin definitely does not look the same. Mostly what I'm unsure about is the fact that these moms can't just talk to their child honestly and tell him/her what is going to happen and why. I don't really think a child needs cartoon pictures of a mom getting her "barbie-like" body back.

What kind of message is this sending to children at such a young age - particularly young girls? In a society when girls get bombarded with the cult of skinny so young anyway, why would a mother purposely bring that into her home? I'm not sure what has happened to just embracing life and age, but plastic surgery is a woman's perogative. I also find it interesting that the mommy in the book does not explain the breast augmentation to her child at all, but the post-surgery mommy has definitely higher and larger breasts.

Regardless of seeing cartoon pictures or not, a child between the ages of four and seven (the books target audience) will still not understanding what is going on. I give kids a lot of credit for being far more observant and smarter than we think, so come on mommies of the world. Buck up and just be honest!

In class on Monday I mentioned how a baby was born in India with two faces. The baby's name is Lali, and she has a rare condition known as craniofacial disease. Except for her ears, all of Lali's facial features are duplicated; and she can drink out of both mouths and open and close all four eyes at the same time. Many residents in India believe that Lali is a reincarnated version of the Hindu Goddess Valor known as Durga. Her parents claim Lali does not have breathing difficulties and is leading a normal life. They feel that there is no need for a CT scan at this time. The following link is to the video that was posted on CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/08/baby.heads.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch

Recently, there has been quite a bit of concern that a chemical in the polycarbonate (hard-plastic) used in Nalgene bottles (among other things) poses a serious health threat. Exposure in the womb of the chemical Bisphenol A is purportedly found to raise the risk of certain cancers, hamper fertility and could contribute to childhood behavioral problems such as hyperactivity. This is extremely troubling to those who own, and frequently use, a polycarbonate water bottle. The term Nalgene is used in the same way Kleenex is, just to describe the item, not the brand. This means that regardless of whether you have an off brand polycarbonate water bottle, the risk remains. There is supposedly a number in the recyclable symbol on the bottom of these bottles, but my water bottle has no such number. Also, the water bottles they were passing out for Earth Day in front of Stauffer Flint, have no number either. I believe the numbers that indicate Bisphenol A are 6 and 7, but I might be wrong about that. However, is Bisphenol A as big of a threat as it seems? In 2004, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that ninety-five percent of Americans had Bisphenol A in their urine. This is not shocking to the plastic industry, as they openly admit that Bisphenol A seeps into the water and food (it is also commonly found in canned and bottled foods). They say that to incur health risks, 1,300 pounds of the food/water found in these bottles would have to be ingested daily. Not weekly, not monthly, not over a lifetime... daily. Think these numbers might be biased? They aren't set forth by the plastics industry, they're set forth by the EPA. So for everyone who just put their Nalgene away after hearing the risks, don't throw that bottle away just yet. Unless you're drinking 650 bottles a day.

Tomorrow the semi-finals of European Cup start. Four of the best teams in European football play each other twice over the next couple weeks. Tuesday at 1:45 p.m. on ESPN2 five-time European champions Liverpool take on Chelsea. These two clubs met last year in the final four last year with Liverpool going on to the final. The teams have met twice in the league thus far both ending in draws. (1-1 and 0-0, with Fernando Torres' first goal for Liverpool in their first meeting. These clubs also met at this same stage three years ago with Liverpool going through after a controversial that is still debated today. In short the teams are both stacked with talent as well as a mountainous disdain for each other. The games will be good and I invite you to watch.

In the other match-up, Wednesday at 1:45 p.m., two-time European champions Manchester United play Barcelona. Barcelona won the European Cup more recently (in 2006), but since then they've added the likes of French superstar, Thierry Henry to their squad. Manchester United won the title back in 1999 led by David Beckham, but they haven't got to the final game since. They went out at this same stage last year to the eventual champions, AC Milan. United has arguably the best player in Europe in Cristiano Ronaldo. Some of the best players in the world are in this game Ronaldo and Englishman Wayne Rooney for United. Barcelona have Henry, Ronaldinho (Brazilian), Leo Messi (Argentinian), and Spanish wonder-kid Bojan Krkic. Both match-ups are loaded with top-class players on historically great clubs, so the games will be great and heated. I do dare all who read this to watch the games, and see if you take something positive from it.

I heard on The View this morning that new research has shown that the happiest Americans are the oldest. I found this to be interesting as these studies invalidate the ancient stereotype of the lonely senior citizen.

Reportedly, older adults are more socially active than we think. The more social connections one has the happier they will be in life. The study suggests that the odds of being happy increase 5 percent with every 10 years.

This type of information can be helpful to the many Americans out there who fear growing old. If every year brings us more joy, than I say bring on the aging process.

However, this kind of happiness also relates to the idea of being content in life. Older adults tend to be more satisfied with what they have than do younger people, which doesn't surprise me. Perhaps to reach this kind of happiness, we must endure the inevitable ups and downs that ultimately will bring us joy. For instance, starting a family and building a career may cause a lot of stress, but in the end, we reap the benefits of our loved ones and success.

In any event, the idea that old-age will bring us doom may need to be reconstructed. Being a senior citizen doesn't need to mean nursing homes and adult diapers, but rather being a grandparent and retiring after a long, fulfilling career. Hopefully, all of us can be that fortunate.

As we all know Oprah has her own multi-million dollar empire. I was watching an episode a while back about the treatment and abuse of dogs in dog-breading kennels. The way Oprah heard about the story was when she was driving to work she saw a billboard with a sign that said something like, "Oprah do an episode on dog kennels! They need your help." Oprah did the show, got Lisa Ling to do some reporting on it, and now the whole world is aware of mistreatment in dog kennels. My thought is, the best way to advertise anything, is to get to Oprah. Oprah has the ability to draw attention from millions on products or issues. So was this guy just being smart in knowing Oprah was the way to go?

I currently came across a book that I feel is the most straight-forward about what you eat. The book, obviously aimed at women but with tips for all, strategically reports about the type of food you put in your body without holding anything back. Skinny written by a former agent for Ford Models, Rory Freedman and former model Kim Barnouin, they tell you all the things that you don't really want to know about the food you eat with an in-your-face approach. I have skimmed through articles about eating healthy and a good balanced diet, but this is the first book that has honestly made me want to reevaluate what I choose to eat. The authors of this book have taken an extremist position on many issues, especially when it comes to foods that are derived from animals. I myself am a meat eater and couldn't even imagine giving it up, however the book really does make me stop and think about whether or not I want to eat that next bite of steak, no matter how good it is. I would recommend this book to anyone, not just if they are considering changing their diets, or need so inspiration, just anyone. If you are at all interested in taking a look at the book go to their web site http://www.skinnybitch.net/.

It's usually difficult to predict a tragedy like Columbine before it happens. Luckily when 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate was delivered to the Schallenberger's home in Chesterfield, South Carolina the parents took it as a red flag. Soon after the delivery, they discovered their 18-year-old son's "hate diary" which included one years worth of diagrams, maps, and details on how to bomb his high school. Ammonium nitrate, the doorstep delivery, was what was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and was the last ingredient to Ryan Schallenberger's master plan. They even found a tape Ryan wanted played after the sucide bombing. He went from one the top students at Chesterfield High to a prisoner in Chesterfield County jail on April 20th, 2008.

For the full story check it out http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iP1RA_f-7NiyXmAZJHLAXpdHL83AD905UOV80

The University of Kansas has some of the best professors in the country (i.e. K. Benson). I am proud to attend a school that has such great educators, but in some cases the teacher is still a graduate student. It seems that now it is more and more common to find grad students teaching classes to students close to the same age as themselves. This means that because people of this age group enjoying going out and being in the presence of others it is common to run into a grad student professor on a weekend endeavor. When you look at the bar scene it is typical to find a student and their teacher partaking in the same activities. Some may find this odd that they are "partying" amongst instructors, but it seems only natural. Everyone is here to receive their education, grad student professor or student, and in their off time it's only customary that they would be out enjoying the same activities. Before you know it students and teachers will be Facebook friends and going to movies together.

Just recently, I watched a video on YouTube called "The Church of Oprah Exposed". This video showed how Oprah believes that there is more than one way to heaven. The video shows how she came to this conclusion, and shows that she is kind of redefining Christianity and making it into kind of her own religion.
I think this is interesting because many, many people like live by Oprah, they trust her and believe just about anything she says or does. Because of this, I am wondering if people will allow their thoughts on what they believe in (Christian people that is) be altered just because of something Oprah believes in. I think it is interesting that Oprah is doing this- redefining Christianity. I hope that people don't follow what she says just because it is Oprah saying it, that they don't just conform to HER thoughts and beliefs.

Although I know many violent crimes occur in large cities, I was still shocked and disappointed after learning of this story. 31 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, ranging from ages 12 to 65, and 6 people have now died from the incidents. A representative for the Chicago police department shared crime statistics from two previous years on this exact weekend, and he revealed that the homicide numbers for each of these weekends was very similar. Most of these homicides were gang-related and involved gun violence. Officials said that the majority of violent acts related to gangs happened in the summer, though. It seems obvious to me that higher crime rates during the summer are connected to young people not being supervised or taken care of. Responsibility, however, cannot be placed only the the parents of these children, but also on the media's portrayal of violence as a necessary component for young (and also old) people alike. Young people involved in these gangs obviously learn this behavior from somewhere other than their guardians during the crime-filled summer months, and in my opinion the media is part of the problem.

Here is the link to the story:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6091849

I have felt very bothered by the recent events surrounding the polygamist ranch in Texas. I was never aware polygamy was still relevant on such a large scale. As of Friday, the 416 children that were taken into custody by the state of Texas are still in custody and blood tests have been ordered for every child to determine their biological parents. This whole case has drawn attention to more than the possibility of sexual abuse of young children within the church. The lives of young people growing up in communities like the Texas ranch are entirely controlled.

I was watching The Today Show Friday morning and Meredith Vieira was interviewing two boys and a couple who took them in after they had been shunned by their communities. "The lost boys," or young men I should say, talked about how they were not allowed to watch TV, listen to music, or have any contact with the outside world. When they did, they were kicked out of their communities, rejected by their families, and like many in their situation, turned to substance abuse. The Today Show later discussed that many boys are shunned from their communities because there are simply not enough women to go around. When each man has an average of three wives, the circle of available females shrinks. To see the interview from The Today Show,click here.

The whole story is a complete nightmare. American is one of few countries that truly embraces religious freedom, but this is one of those instances that definitely pushes the envelope. I imagine that I am not the only one who feels poorly educated about anything having to do with Mormonism and particular sects of the church. I read somewhere that polygamy is practiced because it is a way to reach a higher level of heaven. I know there must be more to the justification of polygamy, but I will admit that I am completely vulnerable to anything the media reports about ranch, ready to believe whatever I read and watch.

Does anyone have thoughts about the coverage?

There is a group on Facebook called Chase+1 that was created by Chase credit cards. Every day there is different multiple choice question for group members to answer in 15 seconds or less.

If you know, or guess, the correct answer you are awarded a "Karma Point." Basically, a karma point is equal to one dollar. As you play, you accumulate these karma points and once you have enough, about 8 or 9, you can start using them in the Chase Store. You can purchase (basically for free) CDs, DVDs, camera memory disks, video games, wine glasses, bottle openers, and a whole lot more. It's a neat concept.

Not to mention, you do not need a Chase credit card to play along. If you do have one, you can register your credit card and I believe you get more rewards and bonuses.

You guys should check it out, it's pretty neat.

And the answer to todays question is Armadillos.

On a cold bluster day in Michigan, a toddler was blown into the frigid Lake Michigan strapped into his stroller. His grandfather jumped into the water to save him. Rescue workers pulled out the child from the water and rushed him over to the hospital. Winds were approximately 20 to 30 mph that day. The toddler and his grandfather are in critical condition. The question that still puzzles me is how did the toddler get tossed into the lake, while still in the stroller?
These strollers a very safe and are an easy transportaion choice for a young child. I know it has to do something with the weight for it to be blown away, but strollers are heavy. How could it happen?
Here is the link to the story: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/19/boy.in.lake.ap/index.html

Alfred Williams, of St. Joseph, Missouri is not like most 1st graders. At the age of 70, Alfred had never learned to read so he decided to enter 1st grade and proves you are never too old to go back to school. His teacher, Mrs. Hamilton said that he knew how to write only three words when he first entered her class. Before he asked Mrs. Hamilton to teach him how to read Williams would listen to her class from the door when he dropped his grandchildren off at school. It only took Williams a couple weeks to learn the basic rules of reading and writing. Common tasks that come easily to most people used to be very difficult for Williams. For example, something as simple as grocery shopping was a struggle because he could not read any of the labels. I think it is very courageous for Williams to put himself into a classroom filled with 6 and 7 year olds. He is trying to better himself and has become a role model for his fellow classmates.

The people of Cuba, ALL the people of Cuba, can officially have cell phones thanks to Raul Castro. This week, huge lines of people waited to get their first cell phone. Cuba had reserved the use of cell phones as a luxury for Cubans working for foreign firms or for the government.

Sadly, many Cubans will quickly discover that they can probably not afford to have a cell phone. I'm sure this story comes as quite a shock to many of you who rely so heavily on your cell phone. Stories like this always make me think about the many things so many of take for granted everyday. I'm not sure having a cell phone is all it's cracked up to be anyway, but c'est la vie.

It is good to know that hopefully Raul Castro, the newly appointed president, is trying to change some things in his communist-run state. I know it seems a small thing to us, but it probably means a lot more to the Cubans.

A bill in France has been approved by the lower house of Parliament, but still has to face a Senate vote. The law's purpose is to control web sites that promote eating disorders, such as those that promote "ana" and mia" nicknames for anorexia and bulimia. The bill is aimed at mass communication including magazines and websites. The punishment for promoting "thinspiration" ideas would be up to three years in prison and more than $70,000 in fines. The link to the article explains who is behind this bill and why it will and will not be successful.
I think this bill should pass and would be very helpful in leading to new ideas of annorexia education and prevention. The "ana" sights as we have seen in the documentary we watched in class are very influential to young girls. France is known for their extra-thin supermodels, and monitoring these websites' content could help change the "thin" trend.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/world/europe/16france.html?ref=health