Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Better Late Than Never Part 1
I realized that I forgot to post my assessment of the blog-tracking process...more to come tonight.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Hardcore Parkour
Speaking for myself, if I see a student standing on a high rooftop with eyes set on the ground, I would assume that the pressure has finally gotten to them and they are looking for the easy way out. However, after learning about the parkour phenomenon sweeping the campus, I would have to think twice. Parkour is the art of using the world around you as a natural obstacle course. A tree is no longer just a tree to parkour participants. It is just another obstacle in the world of parkour.
Unfamiliar with parkour? Courtney Souza weighs in with a history of this up-and-coming sport.
The parkour group at UMass has yet to achieve RSO status, however they are gaining momentum. Joe Meloni was able to sit down with the Parkour President Jackie Hai for an interview.
Much like any other alternative sport, it doesn't take long for commercialism to set in. We've seen companies use skateboarding, BMX and other alternative sports to appeal to younger audiences. Here is a Toyotal Scion commercial that shows parkour. Seems a bit misleading to me...what the hell does running and jumping have to do with driving a car?
Also, Jon Pelland gives us a god-like podcast detailing what parkour means to its participants.
Convergence Vs. Convergence.
There was a great video review in the New York Times today. A.O. Scott does a video review of the film Waitress, starring Keri Russell and directed by the late Adrienne Shelley. I read Scott pretty regularly, and typically agree with most of his reviews. However, seeing a video of his review provides a better insight into his thought process. Although it was scripted, watching him as he gave his review seemed to make the review more conversational and less static. This is Scott's print review of the filmIf there is one thing that I hate in life, it is people taking photos/videos of themselves. A very close friend of mine has an entire photoalbum on facebook with nothing but pictures of himself. The idea of talking into a video camera (actually just my digital camera that happens to be equipped with video) made me feel a bit wiggy. Unfortunately my camera had a limited amount of space and so I got cut off a minute or so before I was done speaking.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Andrew Sullivan
It might be too little too late in this semster, however I will try to more consistently (or in this case, at all) track Andrew Sullivan's blog as assigned in class. Today he made a few very interesting points regarding drug laws. Read it here.
The fact of the matter is that we have legalized drugs that are far more dangerous than marijuana. As a college student, I've seen a great deal of my friends suffer alcohol poison, but none that have suffered from too much marijuana consumption. I think the biggest reason that marijuana is still outlawed is that some view it as immoral. As if there is some cosmic difference between someone polishing off a fifth of scotch and someone sparking up a joint. If there is a difference, I invite you to tell me what it is.
The fact of the matter is that we have legalized drugs that are far more dangerous than marijuana. As a college student, I've seen a great deal of my friends suffer alcohol poison, but none that have suffered from too much marijuana consumption. I think the biggest reason that marijuana is still outlawed is that some view it as immoral. As if there is some cosmic difference between someone polishing off a fifth of scotch and someone sparking up a joint. If there is a difference, I invite you to tell me what it is.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
The Wise Mr. Burns
Harry Shearer, best known for his voice acting on The Simpsons (Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, etc) has some very insightful thoughts regarding the MSM (NBC in particular) coverage of the Tech Tragedy.
I share his outrage with the MSM for airing the "multi-media manifesto" of the inhuman cocksucker that was responsible for the carnage. We don't need to see him pointing guns at the camera to understand that he was a crazed individual. And I don't think it's particularly helpful for families that are still grieving over the loss of their loved ones to look into the blackened, soulless eyes of that sociopathic lunatic.
I share his outrage with the MSM for airing the "multi-media manifesto" of the inhuman cocksucker that was responsible for the carnage. We don't need to see him pointing guns at the camera to understand that he was a crazed individual. And I don't think it's particularly helpful for families that are still grieving over the loss of their loved ones to look into the blackened, soulless eyes of that sociopathic lunatic.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
A Conversation with Larissa Mihalisko
Virginia Tech is a very large school that boasts a student population of over 26,000. Since Monday's tragedy, they have come together as a community in mourning, and as a singular strength that will overcome the loss of precious lives.
Ever since news broke about the shooting at Virginia Tech on Monday, the media has had a major presence on campus. From detailing student reactions to publishing photos of the man responsible for the shootings, the media has almost become a part of the story. I was able to speak with Larissa Mihalisko, a junior at Virginia Tech, and personal friend of mine. She is highly critical of the role that the media has played in the wake of the horrific events of April 16th, 2007.
"I was very annoyed with the media at the vigil," Mihalisko said. "I understand that journalists have a job to do and they were trying to tell our story, but the cameramen and the photographers were right up in everyone's face. People were listening to taps and were very upset and we didn't get one moment of peace.
"[Blacksburg] is a very close-knit community - you know how Hokies are, we are very proud. It was disheartening to have so many people in your face that aren't from around here and didn't have friends or family that died. I actually stepped out during the moment of silence and asked the reporters to give us a couple of minutes. I saw President Steger and he had this look of absolute despair on his face. I felt like I could just see beyond the surface. I know that sounds cheesy but I could see that he was dying on the inside.
"I just called out to [the reports] and asked if we could have just a couple minutes of peace without anybody in our face so that people can collect their thoughts. They left for about a minute or two then came back and started snapping [pictures]. A lot of them were very respectful and would ask, you know, if they could take pictures of someone lighting a candle.
"Every part of our campus is full of satellite dishes and cameramen. We're used to cameramen because of football games, but this is beyond anything [we've seen]. I had the Ukranian service from the BBC call me; and reporters have been signing on Facebook and sending me messages like, 'here's my number if you would like to talk', and things like that. Most of them have been very respectful, but it seems strange for them to sue Facebook to reach students. It made everything seem so much more surreal.
"Another thing that I was really disappointed with was the publishing of images and videos of this disturbed kid. You look at Fox News or BBC and you see a picture of this kid with two guns to his head or a gun pointed to the camera. It's only been two days and I might be more sensitive, but I knew five people that died, two of which were very close friends of mine and I wasn't ready to see him with guns pointed at the camera. Even the police expressed disappointment with NBC and a few other stations for releasing the images so quickly. It's all just coming too fast for me.
"If [the shooter] was looking for attention then he got it. I only briefly read a couple of those letters. He compared himself to Jesus Christ and wrote messages about materialism. I don't think that anyone got his message. I think they just look at this kid and think, 'wow, what a nutjob'.
"I'm afraid, and this is happening, that by putting up this kid's pictures and messages the media could possibly create copycats. There have been scares all over the country from copycats. Again, I don't know exactly what [the shooter's] aim was but posting these pictures might be instigating other disturbed kids."
Ever since news broke about the shooting at Virginia Tech on Monday, the media has had a major presence on campus. From detailing student reactions to publishing photos of the man responsible for the shootings, the media has almost become a part of the story. I was able to speak with Larissa Mihalisko, a junior at Virginia Tech, and personal friend of mine. She is highly critical of the role that the media has played in the wake of the horrific events of April 16th, 2007.
"I was very annoyed with the media at the vigil," Mihalisko said. "I understand that journalists have a job to do and they were trying to tell our story, but the cameramen and the photographers were right up in everyone's face. People were listening to taps and were very upset and we didn't get one moment of peace.
"[Blacksburg] is a very close-knit community - you know how Hokies are, we are very proud. It was disheartening to have so many people in your face that aren't from around here and didn't have friends or family that died. I actually stepped out during the moment of silence and asked the reporters to give us a couple of minutes. I saw President Steger and he had this look of absolute despair on his face. I felt like I could just see beyond the surface. I know that sounds cheesy but I could see that he was dying on the inside.
"I just called out to [the reports] and asked if we could have just a couple minutes of peace without anybody in our face so that people can collect their thoughts. They left for about a minute or two then came back and started snapping [pictures]. A lot of them were very respectful and would ask, you know, if they could take pictures of someone lighting a candle.
"Every part of our campus is full of satellite dishes and cameramen. We're used to cameramen because of football games, but this is beyond anything [we've seen]. I had the Ukranian service from the BBC call me; and reporters have been signing on Facebook and sending me messages like, 'here's my number if you would like to talk', and things like that. Most of them have been very respectful, but it seems strange for them to sue Facebook to reach students. It made everything seem so much more surreal.
"Another thing that I was really disappointed with was the publishing of images and videos of this disturbed kid. You look at Fox News or BBC and you see a picture of this kid with two guns to his head or a gun pointed to the camera. It's only been two days and I might be more sensitive, but I knew five people that died, two of which were very close friends of mine and I wasn't ready to see him with guns pointed at the camera. Even the police expressed disappointment with NBC and a few other stations for releasing the images so quickly. It's all just coming too fast for me.
"If [the shooter] was looking for attention then he got it. I only briefly read a couple of those letters. He compared himself to Jesus Christ and wrote messages about materialism. I don't think that anyone got his message. I think they just look at this kid and think, 'wow, what a nutjob'.
"I'm afraid, and this is happening, that by putting up this kid's pictures and messages the media could possibly create copycats. There have been scares all over the country from copycats. Again, I don't know exactly what [the shooter's] aim was but posting these pictures might be instigating other disturbed kids."
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