progress Journal

12/2/09

one hour

Patrick is designing the website. Evan and I meet and the library and discussed the brochures we are going to design. Looked on google and found facts and pictures for our brochures. We are going to meet again this weekend to get more work done and finish the final stages

progress Journal

11/29/09

1 hour and 10 minutes

Spent time exploring different features on the website creator. Started organizing facts into statements for the website and began putting pictures on the website. Found videos of people being executed in the electric chair for the webpage. Website creator is easier than I thought it would be but it is still a pain in the ass.

progress Journal

purpose: why the death penalty should be done away with

Audience: college students (18-25)

Media: website/brochure

11/19/09

Spent 30 minutes looking at various websites and how they communicate their point. Looked for the methods that were most effective and spent time trying to figure out how to incorporate them into our project. Spent 15 minutes experimenting with creating a website.

Progress Journal

11/18/09

purpose: why the death penalty should be done away with

Audience: college students (18-25)

Media: website/brochure

This morning my group meet in the library from 10-10:30. We decided on the media we are going to use in our project. We came up with our proposal that is due on thursday. None of us are really technologically gifted but we decided we would all try and create a website. If this works out we will go with it, if not we will try something else.

Progress Journal

11/12/09

purpose: raise awareness on the death penalty

Audience: college students (18-25)

Media: no idea at this current time

Worked on for 30 minutes in class

Talked about what media we should use. Patrick was not here today so we did not get a direction to go. On tuesday 11/10/09 as a group we decided to go with Patrick's topic on why the death penalty is wrong and how we need to change the way we think about it.

The movie "Easy Rider" is one of my favorite movies of all times. It really captures the spirit of the times in the 60's. It stars Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, and Dennis Hopper. Two hippie bikers are making their way to Mardi Gras in New Orleans after selling some dope to finance their trip. the encounter people who disapprove of their lifestyle and people who are practicing extreme non-conformity by living in a hippie commune. Whether you like the 60's or just want a good movie to watch this one is worth seeing.

Is anyone else sick of Indiana? I just feel like I need a road trip, even one with no destination. Road trips where you just jump in the car and go usually are the most fun because there is no schedule, it is on your own time, and no matter what you do it's always fun. I am excited for Christmas break because i will hopefully be driving out to Decatur, Ill to visit one of my friends. Road trip, no classes to worry about, a different state (even if it is just one away), good friends- all of the making for a great time.

live Phishing

Over the summer I saw one of my favorite bands, Phish perform. For those of you who haven't been to a Phish show you should go to one for the experience even if you don't like the music.(check out some videos on youtube of the legendary hour and a half set break on 6/19/09) There is nothing like it on earth it is a totally different world form the glow-stick rain to shakedown strip. I am looking forward to hopefully catching them the 20th and 21st of this month in Cincinnati, Ohio. if not there is always the tour ender in Virginia which will be out of this world.

Does anybody else seem to notice that holidays like Halloween become more and more fun as you get older and holidays like Christmas become less and less fun. The good thing about holidays as you get older is they are an excuse to party. Halloween is my favorite holiday and has been for a long time because it is usually a nice time of year and the atmosphere is fun. Christmas as I have gotten older just seems to be a celebration of capitalism. It has lost its true meaning regardless of what you believe religiously.

The U.S. military has know about drug use among the ranks since the Vietnam war, were up to 15% of the enlisted men either tried or became addicted to opiates. Today the soldiers are in a "producer country" ; Afghanistan which produces 97% of the worlds heroin. To soldiers bored or traumatized cheap strong heroin is a powerful lure. Reports going back to 2006 show that heroin can be easily and cheaply obtained not far off of military bases. In Afghanistan a soldier can get hundreds of dollars worth of heroin for around 30$. In 2007 the military denied there was a heroin problem among soldiers and would only release information that showed which soldiers failed random drug screens not telling which drugs. (seems to me like they are trying to hide something).

works cited

SOTT news. U.S: Is the military ignoring the heroin problem in its ranks. 10/22/09. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/195434-US-Is-the-Military-Ignoring-Its-Heroin-Problem-in-the-Ranks-

On Oct 23 international security forces in Afghanistan detained several suspected militants in Kandahar Province. They stopped several vehicles in pursuit of the Taliban commander of the Maywand district. The vehicles were stopped after intelligence revealed militant activity. There was a gun fight. After the skirmish the vehicles were searched and 2,600 pounds of black tar heroin was seized in addition to a number of small arms weapons.

Works cited

War on terror news, Success in Afghanistan-2,600 pound of black tar heroin seized, militants killed. 10/25/09. http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2009/10/success-in-afg-2600-pounds-black-tar-heroin-seized-militants-killed.html

Than Afghanistan opium harvest has declined for the second consecutive year. The smaller harvest largely attributed to market forces and heightened interdiction efforts. A United nations report recently stated that there is growing evidence that some insurgent forces are becoming "narco cartels". Those similar to anti-government guerrilla groups in Columbia. They are more concerned with drug profits than ideology. The multi billion dollar illicit drug industry fund much of the country's insurgency and this is why the Afghan government is one of the most corrupt governments in the world. It is reported that there is two years worth of opium stock piled, enough for a two year supply. This is about a billion dollars worth of opium and that money can be used to fund many corrupt government transactions.

Works Cited

Oppel, Richard A. The New York Times. U.N. Sees Afghan Drug Cartels Emerging. September 1, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/02/world/asia/02afghan.html

Russia's top drug official Viktor Ivanov is pressuring the the United States into destroying to opium fields in Afghanistan. It is estimated that 30,000 Russians die every year from drug use, 90 of the heroin used is Afghan heroin. Heroin flows easily through the Russian borders. This request comes just at a time of policy change in the United States. The Obama Administration is moving away the methods of Bush and his administration. Many favor this tactic, but other oppose it because it would have devastating social and economic effects. Some fear it would turn the people toward the Taliban this argument has made the Obama Administration to seek other methods of trying to put a stop to the Taliban.

Works Cited

Barry, Ellen. The New York Times. Russia, plagued by heroin use, to press U.S. to destroy Afghan poppy crops. September 22, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/world/europe/23russia.html

The Taliban raises 70-400 million dollars a year through illicit drug trade. This helps finances their terrorism. The United States has tired to stop their financing but has made little impact. The Talibans ability to raise money complicates the Obama Administration's decision to deploy 10,000 more troops to Helmand Province. This is the hear of opium production. Even if the United States did stop the flow of money there would be more fighters trained for the Taliban because it can be done very inexpensively.

Works Cited

Schmitt, Eric. The New York Times. "Many Sources Feed Taliban War Chest". October 18, 2009.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/world/asia/19taliban.html

Works Cited

Zabriskie, Phil "THE WORLD'S TOUGHEST JOB?." Fortune 160.7 (2009): 120-126. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2009.

This article is about Afghanistan's anti-drug czar beginning a campaign against heroin traffickers. Especially those who fund the Taliban through drug money. He wants to abolish poppy fields in a country that produces 93% of the worlds heroin. He however is almost powerless amid th e government corruption and the drug traffickers,

Habib, Nasir"Pakistani military jets strike Taliban targets".

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/10/13/pakistan.taliban.airstrike/index.html

Pakistani military jets bombed Taliban militant hideouts in the countries lawless tribal region on Tuesday. They struck in north along the Afghan border. the in the south Waziristan were bombed in early August by U.S Military killing the Taliban leader Batiullah Mehsud. They are now led by Hakimullah Mehsud.

Deane, Daniela. "Egyptian women protest ban on austere veil"

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/10/13/niqab/index.html

The leading Egyptian cleric made a recent declaration that that women would not be able to wear niqabs' in university areas frequented by only women. A niqab is an all covering face veil. this is a common practice in Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Pakistan. Devoted Muslim women still continue to wear their niqab's. There is opposition to this ban by the Muslim-brotherhood.

Here is the farmers almanac predictions for winter 2009 to fall 2010.

Annual Weather Summary: November 2009 to October 2010

Winter will be about a degree colder than normal, on average, despite a number of mild periods. The coldest periods will occur in the second week of December, early to mid-January, mid- to late January, and mid-February. Precipitation and snowfall will be below normal in the east and above normal in the west. Watch for a snowstorm around Thanksgiving, with other snowy periods in early and late December, late January, mid-February, and mid-March.

April and May will be warmer and drier than normal, with an early-season hot spell in mid-May.

Summer will be cooler than normal, with slightly below normal rainfall. The hottest periods will be in mid- to late June and mid- and late July.

September and October will be warmer than normal, with below-normal rainfall in the east and above-normal rainfall in the west.

This almanacs may not be 100% accurate all of the time but they are usually right. One source says they are accurate as high as 80% of the time. I personally believe them because the old timers and the farmers know the land and weather pattern better than most of the meteorologists.

I think the most important question to asked on the peer review is, is the writing balanced. A balanced writing is not dry in some places and exciting in others. It needs to have good consistent flow. Another important question is, are the elements of music examined. The music needs to be examined from every angle and understood in text and context to write and effective analysis.

So i hear that outlawed or banned flavored tobacco. I have not heard this on the news only from people in the smoking sections. How can they say you can only have plain tobacco? Thats like saying there can only be one flavor of kool-aid. This to me is just dumb and will not stop people from starting smoking or help them quit.

Since music is one of my favorite things in life here is what happened today in rock n roll history.

Today in the History of Rock....... 

1942 
Dewey Martin was born. 

1942 
Frankie Lymon was born. 

1957 
The Cordettes hit #8 "Just Between You and Me." 

1961 
Lee Dorsey hits #1 on the R&B chart and #7 on the pop chart with "Ya Ya". 

1967 
"Incense and Peppermints" by the Strawberry Alarm Clock makes its debut on the charts. 

1970 
Phil Collins joins Genesis. 

1970 
Traffic's 'John Barleycorn Must Die' hits #11 in the UK and #5 in the US. 

1972 
David Cassidy, the breakthrough heartthrob of the Partridge Family, hits #1 in the UK with "How Can I Be Sure" where it will stay there for two weeks. 

1973 
Half-Breed (Cher) was a hit. 

1978 
Aerosmith hits #23 with "Come Together". 

1979 
Sad Eyes (Robert John) was a hit. 

1988 
MTV Europe launches in Brussels, Belgium to 105,000 households.

All very interesting facts. I had no idea there was an MTV Europe. (1988 was when they actually still played music ha)

Has anyone else notice all of these gnats flying around? After the rain yesterday it seems like they are everywhere. Some places are worse than others. They stick to you when you are walking or riding a bike and fly into your eyes. They are just a pain in the ass. 

The music analysis is one of the more interesting assignments we are doing. I enjoy it because music is one of my favorite and most enjoyed things in life. For my analysis I am thinking about using the song "Daylight" by Aesop Rock ( Ian Matthias Bavitz).  Aesop Rock writes some of the most meaningful songs I have heard because they all have a deep meaning. 

It seems easier to me to study and do homework when there is music on.  Music stimulates my mind and helps the thought process flow out. It is hard to study with no music because the silence of a room can be boring and make it hard to focus. Studying outside in the woods or by a river is a help too because being outside in nature clears my mind.

Ishmael spoke about when he was telling his uncle about the technologies in America such as moving stairs and running water. His uncle couldn't believe what he was hearing. His uncle thought to have hot water come out of a faucet there was someone on the other side of the wall boiling it over a fire. It is amazing what we take for-granted here in America. We often don't think of running water as a luxury or convenience. We just consider it a normal part of everyday life.  

It's getting  that time of year again, autumn. This to me is the best season because it is not hot out for the most part, the leaves are changing, and halloween. The nice fall days are a good way to relax and relieve stress. To me fall brings about a good atmosphere and is some of the best time to spend outdoors because the mosquitos are starting to die off for the year.

memoir

I don't know what anyone else thought but I thought the memoir assignment was one of the easier papers I have written.  It seems like it is easier to write when you know exactly what you are going to write about,  a memory or significant event. The only challenge was keeping the language descriptive without boring the reader with useless information.

College is a major change in lifestyle. It is hard to adjust to all of the changes that come with it. Just keeping up can be a challenge. The homework may not be hard but it is tedious and time consuming. It can be hard to balance time properly. But with all new things they take time to adjust to and will become normal shortly.

The search for the spot.

Over the summer my friend Eric and I decided to go searching for a spot to watch the sunset, talk about the fragility of life and to appreciate the simple things in life we often don't take time to be thankful for. The place we were looking for only existed in our minds, but we were still determined to find it. 

The idea to find this spot was conceived by both of us. The idea dawned on us while we where sitting on my porch looking into the woods and talking about nature. 

  "I'm sick of the same day-to-day routine we need a change", said Eric.  I responded by saying;

  " we need somewhere new  but where it seems like we have been everywhere around and seen it all". I replied.

Everything in life is energy. We as humans are drawn to energy. An example of humans being drawn to energy is a fireplace. Heat is good energy and people want to be warm and comfortable so humans are drawn to good energy. The evidence that everything is energy is shown in chemistry. For example:when water is heated up the molecules move around more. When water is cold the molecules slow down. The molecules moving is energy. 

Why are people so willingly ignorant? It seems as though someone can put the truth right in front of their faces and they refuse to accept it because they do not want to admit they are wrong. Humans in nature are proud and want be right all the time and on top. Mistakes are okay to make. Our mistakes make us who we are by giving us experience. Experience is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom is defined as the quality of having experience knowledge and good judgement.   When people close their minds and refuse to admit they are wrong they do not gain the experience of being wrong and therefore do not gain wisdom.