Another Clinton Visit

I've heard from several different sources that former president Bill Clinton will be making a trip to Bloomington this Wednesday. I am determined not to miss out on this opportunity to here him speak about his wife's campaign. I already was forced to miss out on Chelsea's talk last Monday due to biology lab, but I am determined not to miss a second opportunity to here an important politician speak at IU. I may have to miss out on a few classes (darn), but I think my reason is well warranted. I hope to have a really interesting blog post about President Clinton's talk on Wednesday evening. Until then I need to start working on my overflowing pile of homework...

Questioning the Questioner

I know I've already written about the media hype following the question posed to Chelsea Clinton by a Butler college student last Monday, but I am drawn back again to this topic after watching an interview with Evan Strange, the questioner, on CNN's website. The segment featured a short talk with Strange about the meaning behind the question and then featured three analyists who commented on the two sides of the issue. Was the "Lewinski" question posed to Chelsea crossing the line?

The first guest fired back at Strange saying that the question was beyond inappopriate and that Strange should get a failing grade in his Communications class and be kicked off of Butler's campus. I think my mouth literally dropped open with this comment was made. It was more than harsh; it was scathing. The guest went on to say that the question was an attack against Chelsea Clinton and was completely unwarrented. The third guest, on the other hand, thought that Strange should be commended for his probing question. Now that Chelsea is in the limelight, physically campaigning for her mother, she should no longer be spared from the media's tough questions.

I still am indecisive on this subject. Yes, I think the question was inappropriate (I would never ask it.), but Chelsea's response was as well. This whole situation, however, is being blown way out of proportion. It could drastically effect the coming weeks of Clinton's campaign.

A Busy Weekend...

I am incredibly stressed right now; I have so much planned for such a short weekend, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to finish everything that I need to. Last night I went to the 11:00 showing of There Will be Blood at the Union. I don't know if it was because I was tired and uninterested to begin with or the movie was just bad, but I really didn't like it. I know that Daniel Day-Lewis is a pretty awesome actor (especially given that he method acts), but regardless, I found the film incredibly slow, boring, and confusing. The other people in the theater were kinda annoying me, too. They would laugh at parts that were CLEARLY not intended to be funny, and it ruined the mood of several intense scenes. I suppose the premise of the movie was interesting, but I was just not in a "serious drama" movie mode when I watched it last night.

Today I need to get some serious homework done. I have a crap-ton in like all of my classes. I'm counting down the days until summer vacation. I still need to find a job, though... This afternoon I'm walking in Relay for Life with Alpha Chi Sigma, the chemistry fraternity I'm pledging. I'm really excited, especially now that I learned that I don't have to stay there until 8:00 in the morning. What a relief. Tomorrow I have to study hard for my AXE final; I have to get at least an 80% on it in order to be initiated into the fraternity. I'm pretty nervous because there is soooo much information to learn between now and then. I don't memorize things well on such short notice, so I should probably start studying today.

A Probing Question for Chelsea

Ever since Chelsea Clinton visited Indiana earlier this week, there has been a large hubbub over a question posed to her by a student at Butler University. The student asked Chelsea whether she thought that the Monica Lewinski scandal had in any way tarnished her mother's reputation and could show weakness in her candidacy. Hillary responded in quite a short, brusk manner stating that in the sixty some college campuses that she had visited, noone had ever asked her that question. She then followed by telling the student that it was none of his business. This small snipet of interview has been circulating on most major news stations as well as in many newspapers around the country. Who was wrong in this situation, the student with the probing (yet slightly inappropriate question) or Chelsea with her somewhat harsh response?

I can see both sides of the fence. I really do agree that that question was completely out of place and unwarrented in that situation. It had nothing to do with the issues at hand and so should have been left alone. The Lewinski scandal continues to resurface over and over again. This is not a mark of weakness in Hillary's persona but rather in her husband's. On the other hand, I really don't think that Chelsea's response to the question was warrented either. She could at least have been a little less defensive and snippy, brushing off the question in a more professional manner. At least now that this question has surfaced in front of Chelsea and the media has heard her response, this incident can be put to rest once and for all.

21 at the Union

I've written several posts over the past few months about the movies I've seen at the Union. The Union Board does a great job at picking good shows and bringing them to the students for free. Tonight was an advanced showing of 21, a show about a college genious who decides to count cards in Vegas in order to earn enough money to pay for medical school. The premise of the show was intriguing; the only problem I foresaw was the two hour and ten minute length of the film. Honestly I was surprised that the director could drag out such a basic concept for such a long period of time. Many parts could have been shortened or (better yet) omitted in order to condense the overly long movie. I was completely jealous of the main character, Ben. He was a genius with amazing MCAT scores and 4.0 GPA. It was a too perfect combination... He had his eyes set on Harvard Medical School but was short about $300,000 for tuition. $300,000??? That is ridiculous. This astounding figure is still looming in my head as I see myself attending medical school one day. How will I be able to afford this? Perhaps counting cards is not such a bad idea after all.

Go Big Red!

The pole's open up online today for IU's students to vote for next year's IUSA officers. I've gone to the websites of all three campaigns and looked over each of their campaign platforms. Each one has at least one aspect that I believe will greatly benefit IU.

Kirkwood wants to try and convert IU to a "green" campus. This would be an awesome undertaking and would have great implications for the environment if it becomes a success. They also want to make dead week "dead;" last semester it really stressed me out when all of my professors assigned due dates for their papers on the week before finals. This made it increasingly difficult to get everything done while studying for four or five final exams.

INdiana wants to put grip strips on all of the campus bridges. I've nearly fallen on them more times than I can count; this solution will prevent further accidents. INdiana always wants to give money back to IU's students. Any discount on such an expensive education is awesome...

Big Red wants to insert a fall break into our hectic fall semester. I am completely for this undertaking. We essentially had to go through 3/4 of the semester without a single day off; a fall break would break up the monotony of a busy schedule. Perhaps the most substantial change they want to make is petitioning RPS to allow 100% meal point rollover. This would save me soooo much money because I won't have to buy a new meal plan each year. I had an extremely large amount of points left over from last semester, and I don't want them to disappear if I'm unable to use them before May.

I was originally planning on voting for Kirkwood in the election, but upon hearing news about a campaign member stealing Big Red emails, I decided I didn't want an ethically questionable campaign to win. Therefore, I chose to vote BIG RED!

Would you elect a sex offender?

I just read a story of CNN's website claiming that a registered sex offender is running for mayor of the small town of Wilmer, Texas. Approximately four years ago, he tried to solicit sex with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl online. Despite this "minor lapse of judgement," Brian Sliter is deciding to make a difference in the world by running for public office. He hopes that the citizens of Wilmer will forgive him for his indiscretion and move on.

Yeah, right.

How could anyone with good conscience elect a sex offender as mayor? Just thinking of someone with such awful morals in office makes me feel nervous about how this lack of morals will rub off on the community. I understand that it is possible for people to change; just because someone does something horrible in the past doesn't mean that this person's character remains constant forever. While this may be the case, if this sex offender wants to make a difference in the world, perhaps he should do so in a different way. Picking up trash or working in a humane society would be more fitting. I would just feel extremely uncomfortable with him or her in such a position of power and authority. I hope others feel the same way.

Chelsea Clinton at IU

I read an article in Lafayette's Journal and Courier newspaper this morning talking about the Bill and Chelsea Clinton's visit to Indiana tomorrow in order to campain for Hillary. I was excited to see that Hillary will be visiting IU tomorrow evening, but then my excitement was promptly halted. Stupid biology lab, why do you have to be on Monday? I'm doing an important experiment this week, so I won't be able to go over to the Auditorium to see her speak. Apparently, Sean Astin, star of Rudy and The Lord of the Rings, is traveling with her to help promote the campaign. What a monumental occasion. Indiana's voice never really counts, so the candidate's rarely make stops here. On the one day they do, however, I am learning about something as stupid as yeast mutation. AHHHH!! Bill Clinton is going to be speaking at West Lafayette High School, about 20 minutes from my house. This is a historical moment for our city; I only wish I could witness the event. I'm sure security will be incredibly intense. Perhaps when Obama comes to visit (if he comes to IU...) I will be able to attend his campaign rally. Until then, I will just read CNN's website for further updates on the presidential race.

March Madness!

Ah, it's that time of year again. Birds are coming out of hiding and chirping at the crack of dawn; the buds of newborn flowers are slowing beginning to peak out from beneath the soil; my mom is dashing around the house with her vacuum cleaner and dusting cloth, cleaning frantically from room to room; and most substantially, the NCAA tournament is kicking into full gear. My dad has been practically glued to the television set watching back to back games from noon to midnight. Numerous guys on my floor have filled out their tournament brackets, predicting which teams will win and which will lose. It seems to be that North Carolina and Duke are favorites on my floor to win it all.

I'm definitely a basketball fan, but sometimes watching game after game after game gets a little tiring. The majority of this weekend at home, however, was spent doing just that. I actually didn't stay up to watch the Indiana game on Friday night but was not quite that surprised by the result. Indiana, sadly to say, is going home after a first round loss to Arkansas. If they had won, though, it was very unlikely that they could've stood their ground against a team like UNC, especially if they continued playing like that had been. Lucky for us, Purdue was also knocked out of the tourney this weekend after a second round loss to Xavier. This game was pretty competitive and entertaining to watch; both teams fought until the end. I was thoroughly elated when Duke lost to West Virginia; they were probably my least favorite team playing. I'm glad they are out of it. Right now, I'm kind of out of a team to root for. I was hoping a team from Indiana would take it all. I guess Butler is our last hope. Let's just hope they can withstand Tennessee tomorrow...

I Need More Cowbell and Will Ferrell

One of my all time favorite comedians has to be Will Ferrell. His movies always put me in a good mood, along with his old, classic SNL episodes. Tonight I saw a different side to Will when he took on a dramatic role in Stranger Than Fiction. I was actually really impressed. I wasn't sure that he would be able to pull off such a serious part, but he did it surprisingly well. I don't know if this was my favorite Ferrell flick, but it was decent enough.

A friend of mine recently told me about one of his clips on Funnyordie.com. The Landlord has to be one of the best things I've ever seen. I feel bad for the little girl, though, because she obviously has no idea of what she's saying. She'll look back at this experience one day and be shocked that those words came out of a two-year-old's mouth. Nevertheless, the clip is priceless...

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/74

Can't Believe that She's Gone

This post is a tribute to my favorite biker chick ever on American Idol who was sadly (and mistakenly) voted out tonight, Amanda Overmeyer. I was not a fan solely based on the fact that she was from my home town, although that did add to my support; Amanda truly brought a new angle to the show and so should have lasted longer. I partially blame myself for this tradegy. If I had only picked up my cell and texted the word "Vote" to 5701, maybe she would have beaten Kristy Lee Cook out of the tenth seat on the sofa. Why is Kristy still in the competition anyway? She is genuinely terrible! Wait, hold that thought; she can see "Amazing Grace" well, and that's about it. She has been in the bottom two every week since week one and has resisted elimination by the skin of her teeth. Oh, Amanda, I hate to see you go after you gave a shoutout to Lafayette on the show yesterday. I think that's the closest I'll ever come to being mentioned on the show. For now, I'll continue watching, but it definetly will no longer be the same.

got lactose intolerance?

I just read a really interesting article for bioanthropology about the negative impact of milk on the overwhelming number of lactase impersistent people all over the world. The U.S. government has pushed milk on the people for such a long time, siting the need for strong bones and teeth. What about the people who suffer lactose intolerance due to the inability to break down the lactose in the milk? These people are frowned upon because they are unable to drink such a "healthy elixir." What shocked me the most after reading the article is the fact that the there are a vastly larger amount of lactase impersistent people around the world than there are lactase persistent. Dietitians and government workers still insist on dubbing the inability to process milk "a disease." This is incredibly close minded and egocentric, but it remains unchanged and unchallenged. My anthropology teacher showed the class this photo that represented the majority of the world's population.

Making a Statement on Afghan Idol

The one woman in Afghanistan's version of "American Idol" was voted off the show this past week, coming in third place. This is an amazing feat for a woman in a country where they are forced to be conservative and subservient to men. Lima Sahar was just glad that she brought some music to a nation dominated by war and grief. Her appearance on the show made great strides for women's rights there; the fact that she was given so much support and attention is a great sign.

I checked on YouTube, but I couldn't find any clips of Lima's singing. Perhaps, if I wait a little longer someone will post it online. For now I will just stick to watching American Idol.

Watch Out for Falling Cranes

I heard a story on the news earlier this evening about a crane falling on an apartment complex in New York, killing and injuring several people who were trapped in the rubble. This is such a random catastrophe; it's just something you normally don't worry about. You could ask one thousand people about their biggest fears, and most likely, none would respond "falling cranes." I feel awful for all of the construction workers and innocent bystanders who were involved in this terrible accident. I can't really imagine what it would be like if something of that size fell on top of my residence. Worse than being killed on impact would be becoming trapped beneath feet of debris, unable to call out for help. There are still several people missing in the wreckage; I'm hoping that they are found soon. I'm gonna try and find some blogs with information on this event with some possible first hand recollections. This would be interesting to read.

Her Name is Carla

My friends and I sometimes go to a video rental store and try to find the most random videos possible to watch together. Yesterday, while at Hollywood Video, we spent thirty minutes to an hour (a relatively short time for us) perusing the shelves in attempts to find something good. We decided that we wanted to watch a horror film. However, we didn't want to watch a genuinely scary (or gorey) picture, but something so over the top that it is funny.

Last summer we watched Snakes on a Plane together. I have to say that if I had seen it by myself, I would have found it dumb and pointless; when we watched it together, though, it turned out to be a pretty hilarious experience. With my friend Annelise screaming at every other scene and my other friend Mike making fun of the random places where people were bitten, it turned out to be much better than I had previously suspected.

Anyway, yesterday we selected the film Her Name is Carla. It sounded creepy, yet ridiculous, also. After watching the short 90 minute film, I have to say that it was one of the worst things I have ever seen in my live. I was incredibly confused why it was placed in the horror section. Nothing about it was the least bit scary. We decided that it was intended to be shelved with the "whore" movies because of the random nudity and awkward scenes. Perhaps the fact that it contained no quotes praising it on the box would have been a sign that it was not worth watching. While this may be the case, I still enjoying scoping out random movies with my good friends.

I Love American Idol

I am officially addicted to American Idol. This week the top twelve contestants took on the earlier half of the Lennon/McCartney songbook. I really love music by the Beatles; their lyrics are really catchy, and their melodies are great, too. I was extremely exciting to tune in this week to see how the singers handled such classic songs. My favorites of the night were as follows:

Carly: Singing "Come Together," she finally made the right song choice! Her voice is pure and beautiful. My only problem with her is her stereotypical pop sound. I am ready for something different.

Brooke: Her music is raw and touching. This rendition of "Let it Be" left me speechless. Although she's mastered the slow, folky ballads, I'm unsure if she can handle an uptempo song with a big band.

Amanda: I know lots of people despise this girl, but she is truly one of my favorites. (Not just because she is from my hometown.) Sometimes I find her a bit spastic and hard to understand, but really this makes her unique.

David Archulata: It's weird to think that even though he forgot the lyrics of "We Can Work it Out" within the first couple minutes, he was still better than the majority of the contestants. His extreme modesty really annoys me, however.

My Mom Hates Technology

I've really noticed over the past couple days how much my mom hates technology of almost every form. She is constantly complaining about the number of email she gets at work. "If these people have enough time to sit down and write me a five page email, why can't they just give me a call." She believes that the Internet is cutting into valuable face to face communication that she sees as important in our society. She recently overheard a professor saying that she replies to emails at around one or two in the morning when she sits down to read they. She thought this was ridiculous. "Who in their right mind would be checking email at that hour?" This comes from someone who usually goes to sleep between nine and ten at night...

My mom also detests cell phone usage. She got our monthly Cingular bill yesterday and about had a heart attack to find that my younger brother (a junior in high school) used three times as much minutes as he was allowed for the month. She threatened to take away his phone and grumbled about him for the rest of the day. She also never fails to complain about text messaging. I convinced her last year to upgrade to a better cell phone plan that included some texting, and she reluctantly agreed. While this may be the case, she always asks how much I've been texting. I usually refrain from answering. She just doesn't understand...

Oh, Mom. I think that you need to liven up a little bit and maybe try to embrace a technologically advanced life. If not, she will be left in the dark.

Watching for the Commercials

Ahhh.... Finally Spring Break is here! I may not be blogging too much over the next week because I really need to break from school. I am planning on just relaxing (napping a lot) and having some fun with my family and high school friends.

However, before I take my hiatus, I came across an interesting blog topic today after getting home. My little sister had a project that she had to complete where she was supposed to watch an hour of television. What an awesome assignment. The catch was that she needed to count all of the commercials between segments and classify them based upon what they were trying to sell. She originally started watching a movie on the Disney Channel, but I soon made her change the channel because of the lack of commercials with substance. I suggested watching ABC or CBS where she was sure to find a more diverse selection. She was dismayed to see that on both of these channels there was a basketball game. (She dislikes watching sports.) She decided to read while waiting for the commercials to aire, but when they appeared, she began counting.

There were lots of car ads, no surprise there, and many more advertising insurance. The same brands were seen throughout each commercial break. These were, obviously, the ones that were sponsoring the sporting event. I don't think her results turned up anything surprising or enlightening, but I believe the overall assignment was a good way for middle school students to begin paying attention to the media they dismiss everyday.

Let's Joke About School Shootings

I read an article in the IDS today about a mock school shooting occuring at Saint Elizabeth State University in North Carolina following the shooting in Illinois last month. This was supposed to be a drill, preparing the local police department for a worst case scenario. The only problem was... the professor and students had NO idea that the shooter was really a police officer and that his gun was plastic. He lined them up against the wall and threatened to kill the student with the lowest GPA. Even when the police arrived and detained the "shooter," the class was still left in the dark about this being a drill. Students in nearby classes blockaded their doors with desks and texted the horrifying news to their parents at home. Some considered escaping through the windows...

What an awful idea!! I mean, I understand that performing preventative measures against horrible castastrophes is understandable, but doing this without letting the people involved know is more harmful than helpful. I am really surprised that noone has decided to sue the university yet. It's only a matter of time. Apparently, they are offering counseling now for the students who were affected by the traumatic event. Please, lets avoid this sort of thing at IU...

My Vote May Actually Count!

I am pretty excited that the race for the Democratic presidential candidate is back to being a highly contested fight. After Hillary's Tuesday night victories in Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island, she has propelled herself back into the race with Obama. Now maybe the Indiana primaries will be more interesting, with much more media coverage than usual. The fact that I'm glad Hillary gains some more delegates in no way reflects my feelings toward her; I am an Obama supporter. I'm just glad that my vote in May's primary election will actually make a difference. The race will not be decided before I even vote...

I was trying to assess what Hillary did over the last couple of weeks that swayed so many votes in her direction. Was it the phone commercial playing in Texas? It was a very well put together piece (even though it essentially copied one put out by Walter Mondale in 84). Maybe it was her appearance on SNL where she actually showed some personality and a sense of humor while ridiculing herself. The clip was pretty hilarious. Whatever it was, however, it seemed to have worked. Now I am excited to get out and vote!!

SNL Clip:
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/#mea=224732

So how much do I win for ruining my marriage?

So, I wrote about the new FOX television show, The Moment of True, earlier in January and February. I thought that it was a disgusting show that just paid people to embarrass themselves and end their relationships. I was right.

I missed last weeks episode but came across an excerpt of it while perusing clips on YouTube. The contestant, a beautiful blonde woman, was on her $100,000 question. Her husband and family members were seated on a bench in front of her listening to all of her truthful answers. For this question, the host beckoned a young man from back stage to read it to her. She groaned in disgust and covered her face. It was her ex-boyfriend. The question was asked: Do you think I'm the man you were supposed to marry, instead of your husband? Her husband looked intently in her direction. After a surprising brief pause, she answered, "Yes." The audience gasped in utter disgust and surprise. Her husband covered his face to disguise the hurt in his eyes. It was pretty sad, I have to say. She decided now that she had revealed that fact, that she would continue to play. The next question was: Have you had sex with a man other than your husband since you have been married? Again, the answer was yes. Alright folks, it's official. This marriage is over. Unphased, the woman proceeded to the next question: Do you think you are a good person? Yes, she replied (followed by groans from the audience). There was a long pause before the computer spoke. "That answer was false."

What a great way to spend a weekend, losing the money, your reputation, and your marriage. Thanks FOX, for making such an uplifting program...

Meetup With.... Vampires

After reading The Revolution Will Not be Televised: Democracy, the Internet, and the Overthrow of Everything, I decided to check out Meetup.com to see one of the central forces in the Howard Dean, Dean for America, Internet campaign. I typed in his name in the search menu to see if there were any supporters still using the site. While I couldn't find any actual Dean supporters, I found an overwhelming amount of people in the Democracy for America group. This was essentially the goal of the Dean for America campaign, giving the people the power to organize a new democracy for America. The groups entry photo was of Howard Dean amidst a group of other people. There were hundreds of meetups scheduled around the nation... 2,500 gathering in Manhatten, 1,500 in Boston, 900 in San Diego... This is a real sign that Dean's presidential run had a profound impact on our nation.

I decided to look at the other types of people congregating on the site. I was expecting to see groups of old ladies gathering to crochet together, or neighbor groups of bowlers or cat lovers. What I saw was really surprising... Along with these people, I found groups of vampires, witches, and werewolves. How weird would it be to get together with other so-called "vampires" to discuss stories of the undead. A little creepy for my taste...

My Mind is Blank...

There are so many forms of media surrounding me, and yet, I'm having the hardest time ever coming up with a topic for my Citizen Media Campaign Proposal due tomorrow. I honestly don't know what aspect of campus life I am most interested in changing...

I looked over the existing campaigns that Thom emailed us and was really entranced by the "Get Caught Reading" campaign. If only there was a way that I could modify this idea a bit to bring in college students. Perhaps, I can do something involving trading in the electronics for books, or possibly, putting away electronics in order to meet other people. I'll have to think about this some more before I make a final decision.

Rockin' the Suburbs With Ben Folds

Last night's concert at Purdue was pretty much AMAZING. Ben Folds is an awesome live performer; he has mad piano and vocal skills and really knows how to bring the audience into the performance. This was actually the first concert I've ever been to, and I have to say that it surpassed my expectations. My only regret was not buying a T-shirt after the performance. The opening act was pretty awful, however. He sounded like he was whailing/shrieking/calling-a-mate through most of his songs. He also did kinda wierd, jumping dance moves that made the performance even worse. When he left the stage, though, and Ben Folds began his set, everthing changed. I particularly enjoyed Annie Waits and Zak and Sara. He also played some of the tracks off of his new album, which he just finished recording.

After paying $30 for a ticket in an auditorium that seated over 6000 people, I had to think about how much money this group was making with this 2 hour performance. Add on $20 for a shirt, and the amount is staggering. No wonder music groups are so wealthy...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Dg71YU_lVRs