An Intervention for The GOP

With the caucuses almost upon us I have become very scared for what is going to happen in this upcoming election. How did the Newt even come to the front of this race? For so long the race has been who is the most righteous and scientifically backwards. Now it seems the republicans want to get back to the glory days of multiple divorces and shady back-room deals with wall street. Obama will basically win by default if the Newt wins the primary. He is a dirty old man that is more full of himself than Dennis Rodman. I just don't think that America is ready to blindly elect another president. After Bush and Obama I think that Americans are going to think long and hard about the repercussions of their actions. Stewart's "intervention" is hilarious, but it is also correct. How is Newt coming out on top even with all this hate coming from the conservatives? This was the year of the conservative for sure and now it seems that they have all but died out. I blame Michele Bachmann. She had to get all crazy on us and she scared the people away. What the GOP should have hit us with first was the subdued crazy of Newt and worked their way up the ladder until they got to Rick Perry. He also wouldn't be a good president, but it seemed like the right wing liked him the most.

Article: Jon Stewart holds intervention for GOP

A Rant About Tim Tebow

I really just hate this guy. Not because he is a bigger televangelist than Joel Osteen, not because he has more bandwagon fans than the bruins, and not because he's making way more money than me (well maybe that). I hate Tim Tebow because he isn't a normal human being. He is a real life Buddy the Elf. He's always happy, always being friendly, and never blaming anybody. At least Buddy got upset when his dad said he hated him. Tebow just puts it in the back of his mind and works hard. Normally I would respect that, but the way Tebow goes about it is pathetic. Hey Tim, did you ever think that maybe the reason you have all those haters isn't because they are jealous or dumb it's because you are a miserable quarterback. Tebow throws like a pop warner football player it's pathetic, and on his endless crusade to get the most bandwagon fans in America there has been an excellent defense to hold his opponents to under twenty points which seems to be his score limit. According to Allen Barra, "In only one game during the Broncos’ much publicized six-game winning streak have they scored more than 25 points, and in four of them they’ve scored 17 or less." I'm glad the pats shut him down. He's a joke without a running game. Once he gets too old to scramble the way he does, his career is over. I hope he went home and cried like LeBron after losing the NBA finals. I wish Jesus would have his second coming just to tell this guy that god doesn't decide who wins football games (even though it seems like a miracle when one of his passes hits the correct teammate). That's not to say that Tebow doesn't work damn hard, but he really wouldn't have to work so damn hard in the pocket if he didn't throw like a fourth grader. This guys a bum I just hope that a Tebow jersey doesn't show up under anyones Christmas tree because if I see one in school my head will explode.


Article:  Don’t fall for Tebow

Bless Me, Ultima Chapters 8-12

            I have reached chapter twelve in Bless Me, Ultima and I have to say I have lost interest. The action has picked up, but I have dropped out. The whole book seems to be about how Antonio will someday decide what he wants to be when he grows up, and I am not a huge fan of the classic coming of age tale no matter how mystical it is. I still believe that Antonio will grow up to be a male version of Ultima. That would explain why Ultima takes Antonio to cure Maria's little brother she knows he will come to question his faith and not just go with the flow. I'm not saying that it's right to make someone question their faith, but Ultima just wants to make sure Toni is his own person. Another reason why my prediction will come true is the part about the golden carp. Only a select few people can see the golden carp. This is just like in The Giver where only Jonas can see colors, making him the next in line to be the giver. I'm having a hard time picturing the setting as well. Even though it is World War II era Antonio's family doesn't have the basic technology of the time. For now I will be picturing the town and surrounding area as a wild west type setting. I fear that now that because I am not interested in this book I won't be looking for the writing techniques as much because I will just want to get through, but march on I shall. Walter Elliott once said, "Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another." And like Elliott said I need to look at the book as a bunch of little chapters and not one long section to read.

Bless Me, Ultima Chapters 1-7

After reading seven chapters of Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima I am content. I'm not quite hooked yet, but I am content. This book reminds me of The Giver by Lois Lowry. The protagonist Antonio seems to be the closest to the mystical matriarch Ultima. When Antonio was born his fate was witheld by Ultima. I think that is because he will grow up to be neither a farmer or a cowboy.   My prediction for the conclusion of the book is that Toni will take over the position of grand wizard or whatever Ultima is once Ultima dies. I also think that the family will move to California in search of jobs and open spaces. Unlike my fellow students I do not hate the Spanish used throughout the book. It's not hard to understand the little phrases when your context clues are used. It was harder to read A Clockwork Orange than this (It was also hard to watch, but that's another story). The Spanish actually makes the book better. It seems like the the language will drop off after Antonio starts learning more English in school and the family moves to California. I also like the magical parts in the story it makes anything possible for Antonio and his family! I can't wait to read what happens next in the story.

Can College Football be Saved

With college football looking more and more like the SECFL (Southeastern Conference Football League for all you non fans), will it possible for an underdog to win again? The answer may still be no, but Baylor University's Robert Griffin III would like to challenge that. RG3 took home the Heisman with projected winner Andrew Luck coming in second. I'll be honest I'm not the biggest fan of college football or football in general, but I was pumped to see Griffin take home the hardware and shove all the TV/Radio hype back into Andrew Luck's face. Now before all you sport haters chime in with your, "he's dumb blah blah blah." RG3 finished up on the dean's list with a degree in political science, so don't hate just because he's great.

Mark Viera's article gives it to the people straight. He tosses out facts on the voting turnout, number of votes to each player, and where each player won their votes. It is possible that Viera has a little fascination with Andrew Luck because even though the article is about RG3's win Luck's stats and the fact that he is a great football player keeps getting brought up. I would rate this article a 9 out of 9 basing my rating off of insight, evidence, and fluency.

Article: Baylor’s Griffin Wins Heisman

An Angel on Earth Leaves Us

It isn't right that people have to face hardships like this in the world. Charlotte was just a baby and her life was taken from her much too soon, but she was also a fighter. Only five years old and already living two and a half years with brain cancer seems unbearable to the common person. The Kelly's were not common people though. They faced it with determination and an unshakable faith. I took part in the road race for Charlotte in April and let me tell you about the kindness of this family. Not one cent of the proceeds raised from the race went to Charlotte. Every dollar went to fund research for neuroblastoma research because of the lack of funding to pediatric cancer. If there was one thing I took from my experience at a Jesuit school it's that being a man for others is truly the best thing to be in life. The Kelly's were a family for others in the truest sense of the phrase. They raised money for research to help everyone that as also effected by neuroblastoma, and all they asked for in return was our prayers. I was introduced to Charlotte's story by my mother who was a friend of Patrice. All it took was one look at the smiling face of that little girl and I was hooked. I, along with my mother, wanted nothing more than to see a care page update with words of joy and relief, but those were far and few in between. It was heartbreaking to see Charlotte's life slip away with each new care page update. On more than one occasion I have been brought to tears by the words of her mother Patrice. Charlotte Rose Kelly passed away on December 7th and she was the strongest person I have ever known.

I knew something had to be said about Charlottes story as soon as I heard the news. Beverley Beckham's article was the perfect way to show my classmates as well as the world. Beckham's article however can not begin to tell of all the strength, anger, heartbreak, joy, and tears that were brought about by this beautiful little girl, so I linked a few more sites that might help bring light to this tragic story.

Beckham's Article
Charlotte's Obituary
A picture of Charlotte along with a beautiful blog

The Rise and Fall of the Boogeyman

I had never heard the story of Derek Boogard until I read the article on the NY Times website. Twenty four minutes later I am heartbroken. It seems like this is the way it goes for too many tough guys. I have the utmost respect for the enforcer in any sport considering how big of a nancy-boy I am, but you have to know when to stop. I never understood how one could go through life holding everything inside of them like Boogard did. The guys in the video are right when they say enforcers aren't just fighters. They get them team into it because if someone is going to work that hard you sure as hell better nut up to work at his level. It's an absolute tragedy to see someone like Derek Boogard, a man who work from being a complete underdog to being the favorite player on his team, go like he did.

For starters everyone has to watch the three part video on his life (The link will be below). Its powerful stuff. There isn't an article to comment on, but the narrators voice could have been chosen better. The gravely voice of Jeff Bridges would have fit nicely with this not a dainty female voice. I like how candid the other NHL tough guys are in their interviews. You can see that everyone just had tons of respect for this guy. It's always terrible to see somebody go down the wrong path and not come out alive. My heart goes out to the Boogards.

Video Article: Derek Boogard

A Sad Look Towards the Future

With the Republican race heating up I think it's time we stopped joking around. The candidates that are running are simply not acceptable, but with everyone complaining about Obama it seems like we might have a Republican president come next November. The Newt however stands above all in his pale glory. Some of these political stances made me laugh, but as I went on I remembered something. Newt Gingrich is the front runner for the Republican nomination which is, to be frank, frightening. How is it possible that someone with as many outrageous views as the newt has is able to even be in congress? Then I thought to myself again. I said, "self are there any other candidates that make outlandish statements like Mr. Gingrich does?" The answer is yes for all of you watching at home. Even in these early stages of the race we have seen the rise and falls of such superstars like Herman Cain and Rick Perry with the unearthing of the sexual harassment case and the whole being crazy thing respectively. Perhaps Newt is just a flash in the pan like so many others. Hopefully America can smarten up and choose a candidate that is right for the country and not just some jingo nutcase that caters to special interest groups. Until then I'll be in the corner with my Ron Paul 2012 button.


Justin Elliott writes a humorous yet insightful article by unearthing some of Newt Gingrich's "most outlandish positions". His bias is quite obvious considering what he is writing about, but Elliott delivers just the facts and lets the reader come up with their own thoughts. Which I'm sure went along with his because let's face it, if you're reading something like this, you obviously aren't the biggest fan of the right. I would give Elliott's article a 4 out of 5 star rating. Only because there is no conclusion.


Article: A look back: Newt’s most outlandish positions