Music (?) Quiz..

A friend posted this as a note on their Facebook, and I remember I used to do stuff like this all the time, kinda using my CD player as a fortune teller, so I thought it would be fun to take...and for anyone else to take if they choose too.

Put your iPod/mp3 player into shuffle. In every question, play a song; a corresponding song in each of the questions which will be the answer. Try and enjoy!

1) How does the world see me?

Naive, by The Kooks-- Coincidentally, I've been called this a lot lately.

2) Will I have a happy life?

Wisdom From Vanity, by Starrfadu-- This is my view on life...idk if it defines happiness more than understanding, however.

3) What do my friends think of me?

I Think We're Alone Now, by Tiffany-- Well, I do prefer a small group of friends to a large group.

4) Do people secretly lust after me?

All I Want is You, by Barry Louis-Polisar-- So, apparently, unbeknownst to me, but yes

5) How can I make myself happy?

Help!, by The Beatles-- Oh yeah, that's not an obvious solution haha

6) What should I do with my life?

Act Naturally, originally by Buck Owen, but performed by The Beatles-- Good advice.

7) Will I ever have children?

Yellow, by Coldplay-- Nice song, don't know what it means in this case. Read my horoscope maybe?

8) What is some good advice for me?

The Wanderer, by Dion & the Belmonts-- Well, journalism is fast paced..

9) How will I be remembered?

Foundations, by Kate Nash-- Really, not sure.

10) What’s my signature dancing song?

Let Me Borrow That Top, by Kelly-- Great.

11) What's my current theme song?

A Well Respected Man, by The Kinks-- Good to hear.

12) What do others think is my current theme song?

She Will Be Loved, by Maroon 5-- That's awesome...

13) What shall they play at my funeral?

Anyone Else But You, by The Moldy Peaches-- Lol. Funny.

14) What type of men do I like?

Fidelity, by Regina Spektor-- True.

15) How's my love life?

Wannabe, by the Spice Girls-- Also true.

No Tim like the Present

Timothy John Russert, Jr. was born on May 7, 1950, to his truck driving, sanitation engineer of a father, “Big Russ” and his stay-at-home mother, Elizabeth. Growing up with a modest background in Buffalo, New York, Tim could only hope to make something good of himself. His father worked two jobs all of his life to be able to afford to send his children to Catholic school in hopes that they would receive a better education. Russert has said that these schools "taught [him] to read and write, but also how to tell right from wrong,” and he credits them with a lot of his success and personality structure.
He attended Canisius High School in South Buffalo and walked four miles in the snow with his sisters to get to school, four miles back home for lunch, and then back to school again. With all of his struggles, Tim “thought [he] would come up in buffalo and if [he] got real lucky [he’d] have a chance to go to college and maybe even law school and then be a good lawyer..or a good teacher…and that would be the extent of fulfilling [his] dream.” He never expected what he would accomplish or what was to come.
Tim Russert not only became the first person in his family to attend college, he graduated from John Carroll University in 1972 and went on to Cleveland State University’s law school, with the love of but lacking in the financial support his family could not provide him with. Upon joining NBC news in 1984, Russert went on to become the Bureau Chief for the network by the end of the 1980s, and soon enough, the vice president for NBC News. When he took over as moderator of “Meet the Press” the show gained fame and popularity and Tim’s career took off. With a couple of his own shows, high end positions in a major network, and a spot hosting election coverage, this man’s face became well-known around the world.
His highly thought out questions, his well-prepared interviews, and the use of his dry erase board during the year 2000 presidential elections are what Tim Russert is most famous and most known for. With all the new technology, new innovations, and impressive ways of figuring out outcomes, the method of using something all of us can probably afford, and find, proved to be the most effective, and most popular. Tim Russert’s simplicity, truth, and honesty appealed to the public at a time when these things were seemingly uncalled for. He did not become famous for his looks, his scandals, or the “people he knew”. He became famous for knowing what he was doing and doing it the best way he knew how; by being himself.
His autobiography about his father, Big Russ and Me, was a major hit in 2004 and revealed a more personal side to the person we saw on our small, flashing screens when we turned on the TV. It showed his soft side and inspired people into accepting that anyone could accomplish anything, as long as they set their minds to it. He later stated that the older he got, the wiser his father seemed to appear to him. His family was a big deal to him, and a big part of his life. This familiarity in him made him more acceptable and, somewhat loveable, to the people around him and those to whom his shows were broadcast. His death on June 13, 2008 due to heart failure was a shock and a loss for many.
Journalism nowadays, though still avid and clean, is heading toward politicized, glamorized viewpoints and headlines, and many of those presenting the information out there cannot match up with the greats by any means. People often do what they need to get ahead, even if it means not portraying the information they are giving out in the best possible way. From his dry erase board that is now in the Smithsonian, to the tears of Tom Brokaw at his memorial, reaching to the emotion-driving speech that President-elect Barack Obama gave during a charity event during the 2008 elections, Tim Russert will definitely be impossible to replace, and his loss will undoubtedly impact journalistic media as we know it immensely.

Works Cited

Catholic News Service." TV newsman thanks Catholic school teachers who 'changed my life'."
Nancy Frazier O'Brien. 26 April 2000.
< http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0002542.htm>

The Clevland State University." CSU Mourns Loss of Tim Russert, Distinguished CSU Alumnus."
Brian Johnston –Contact Provost.13 June 2008.
< http://www.csuohio.edu/news/releases/2008/06/russert.html>

Meet the Press. “Tim Russert Memorial Episode”
Tim Russert. 15 June 2008.
Copy available on Youtube by searching, “Meet the Press Tim Russert Part 6”

The St. Louis Beacon. “In Memoriam: Tim Russert."
Henry I. Schevy. 16 June 2008.
< http://www.stlbeacon.org/voices/in_the_news/in_memoriam_tim_russert>




Podcast Script for No Tim like the Present
Done by one commentator

Music Opening Song: Thunder Road by Bruce Springstein

Tim Russert is remembered by different people as different things. Many younger people do not know who he is, but have probably heard of him, and many of the older people consider him one of their own. Either way, he’s a man that’s remembered by someone, somewhere, and always will be. A lot of people didn’t realize how great this person was until he died, like most of the greats; Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe…
But Tim really was an awesome guy. When you think of him it’s usually as that big guy with the round face that’s on the news show Sunday mornings. Or he’s the dude with the dry erase board during election season screaming “Florida!” when everyone else is using high tech computers and guessing things wrong. He never really strikes you suddenly as brilliant until you really look at it. Here is a guy, who grew up poor, in a lower class family, walked 4 miles in snow to get to school, and ended up making tons of money off of his hard work in the end. It’s truly amazing. No one would’ve expected this guy from South Buffalo who struggled to pay for school, and had a dad who didn’t even make it through high school, to make it that far, but Russert did it. He was the first person to interview Pope John Paul II, made it through law school, got through all of these really great things, became the VP of NBC, and still managed to make you feel like you were buddies who were hanging out and knew each other from back in the day.

Song: How to Save a Life by the Fray
Tim Russert planned for his interviews, researched, thought out stuff. Even if he did wing anything, he still managed to be ready as best he could and to get stuff done. The dry erase board he used during the 2000 election is in a major museum, remembered by everyone, and he still plays a major role in election coverage, even though he’s dead. This person was good hearted, deep, and just all around good. He never treated anyone like he was better than they were, though granted he probably was. And his role model was his dad. He wrote an autobiography about himself, and he’s this big time newscaster, and the guy he talks most about is his father. That says something about his character all around. He wasn’t just a newscaster, he was a Buffalo Bills fan, and a son, and a father and husband, and everyone’s best friend.

Song: Keep Me in Your Heart for Awhile by Warren Zevon
Tim Russert is probably the only guy I’d let into my living room that early on a Sunday and actually listen to for that long. He was really smart, yet down to earth enough where you didn’t completely hate his guts. And he was religious and devoted. Loved his job, died doing it. And always kept his class by not picking sides during elections. He simply did what he did and left it at that. When he collapsed at the NBC offices, and Wikipedia was first to break the news, and tradition, the release of the info was so huge that everyone was up in arms over his loss. Tons of on-air specials with people who usually keep it together crying aired. Bruce Springsteen dedicated a song to him, and Barack Obama made sure he was remembered months later during elections. This guy’s death was a really big deal, especially for the time it happened. No one expected it since he’d just had a stress test, and was doing fine before. He died right before Father’s Day in an election year, doing what he loved to do, but left us with a huge gap. He’s irreplaceable, and well remembered. May he Rest In Peace.

Song to Fade out to: Thunder Road, Con’t

1) a. What was the most difficult ism to find an image for? Why?

Surprisingly enough, humanitarianism was the hardest ism to find an image for. Probably because it’s such a difficult concept to accurately portray. How do you show people caring for others? A mother taking care of her child is not necessarily humanitarianism, but an image of hurricane relief isn’t as forward as one would assume, because the volunteers are hardly ever in decent pictures with those they are helping. I hope I found a decent picture, as the one I used was of a logo, which symbolizes the word.

b. Which three images most effectively represent the definition? Why?

The images that most accurately represent their words are probably anthromorphism, gnosticism, and siderism. For anthromorphism, I chose a picture of a centaur, since it has a human torso and does some slightly human things, though it is definitely not human. Gnosticism has a picture of Frederick Douglas because of a quote from his autobiography, “If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell”. I think he is a true and literal symbol of how knowledge can lead to freedom. For siderism, I used a picture of the zodiac signs’ symbols, because the whole horoscope thing is based on the belief that certain star signs we are born into influence the way we behave on certain days.


c. What factors came into play as you decided on specific images?

Images that were unique, creative, and clear were mainly what I looked for. I wanted things that were close to me, but that others could possibly relate to; stuff that wouldn’t be boldly understood but could be if you looked for the deeper meaning. The reasons I chose the images I have not yet discussed are listed below.

Atomism- I chose a picture of the earth and pixilzed it to make all the little squares vivid. This made it seem like the world was made up of little particles.

Deism- I chose the album cover to John Lennon’s Imagine because of the lyric in the song that states “imagine…no religion”. It basically implies that without religion, there would be less war and fighting.

Existentialism- Robert Pirsig and his son Chris went on a motorcycle trip in the 1970s, and the best written and most loved philosophy book of our time came out of it. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance speaks a lot of existentialism, and the metaphysics of quality. Very great, yet difficult read. A picture of Thoreau may have better gotten the point across, but this was closer to heart for me.

Optimism- Orphan Annie, simple enough, “The sun will come out tomorrow”. Most respectable optimistic phrase I’ve ever heard.

Totemism- Never have I seen animals represent people more than in politics, or Aesop’s Fables, or maybe Disney movies. I was just sick of the hatred going on between the two major parties, and as I’m an independent, I chose a picture of their two symbols dancing.

Tutiorism- A picture of Blaise Pascal, whose theory is basically that if you do or don’t believe in God, and he doesn’t exist, you lose nothing, and if he does, and you believed, you gain everything, but if you don’t believe, and he does exist, you lose everything.

In Dedication to my Best Friend...

...I'm singin' uh-oh on a Friday night...



To people who are not her, and feel left out of this pathetic inside joke, and are not familiar with British indie rock, perhaps this shall clarify some things...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW6EP3-Q-DA&feature=related

This...is...Jeopardy!!!!!!

My Jeopardy categories...on a whim...would be..hmm....

1. Polynesian Dance Moves
2. Music Scales
3. Food
4. Random Facts
5. Annoying Things About Arabs
6. Gender Roles
7. Makeup Tips and Tricks you Will Never Use

Television, Food, and Other Randoms...

Ah...life. The joys of it. I'm a bit behind on typing out my personal blog...that was due like two weeks ago...but God knows I've rewritten it a few times by now, with a different topic for each one. The one I got furthest on in researching was on Joe the Plumber, but show's over, Obama won, McCain lost, old news, and no one really cares anymore. Well, maybe someone out there does...it's just not me and therefore won't be on my list of things to take time out for and write 500 words about.
I'm sure you're probably thinking that, "Well, not many things are". Eh, jokes on you, you'd be surprised. There are many things that I'd LOVE to take time out for and write about. Will I? No. There's probably something good on TV in which my time can be spent watching other people's productions rather than creating my own. It will never get me recognition, but I'll never have to think or put in effort either, and as long as it comes with cookies, cake, ice cream, or even a really good steak or something, then it's a win-win situation. Immediate happiness at no cost. Except maybe that of cable, unless you watch local television, which is free until February 2009 when you will need a digital converter box. To which I recommend to you, the things are costing up to $80 dollars in some cases, but the government is giving $40 dollar coupons to every household. And you get two of them. But you have to apply. So you probably should. Here is the website.

https://www.dtv2009.gov/

Save money. Use it to buy something else, like dinner, or a sweater, or a new TV. Though I don't suggest buying the latter, as then you will need a converter box for that as well. Actually, the new TVs come with them built in. Well, some do. I don't know. My biggest aspiration is still praying hard enough for the Brady Bunch to come back to TVLand, or of course, Daria to come back to MTV or the N. Not that I leave my bedroom to watch either. But hey, maybe if something besides "Paris Hilton's New Best Friend" would be aired, my vampiristic self would go out into the world every so often. Or the living room, at least.

So now it's a week later since I begun typing the first part, and I'm sitting in the UC with Tiffany staring at a handsome XY-chromosomed specimen. I am intrigued by his hair. It's shiny. Apparently, the bookstore is having a sale until the thirtieth of this month. Buy any one item and get the second 50% off. It's a "Stock Up Sale". Though I recommend print the "U of M" symbol off the internet and taping it on to your folders, and buying said folders from Target or something. Because, people, if we're saving money on our digital conversion, we might as well save some on folders, which are probably significantly cheaper at Walmart and Target. Use the money on food, once again. Because what else do we have in life to spend money on besides feeding ourselves, or donating money to feed or help others? Hm...TV. Once again.

And now I am fidgeting. And thinking about how we have so many so-called "friends" who we don't even like, but just put up with. Why? I don't know...it's a good question. If someone drives you half crazy, what makes it so difficult to just walk away from that person? Now I feel like I'm starting to sound like Carrie Bradshaw, whose character is based on a real person by the way, and I'm going to shut up before I start blogging about relationships or something mushy. Yeah. So...that's my blog.

Sorry for Not Handing it in on Time; I’ll Post it to Your Wall: A Look Into How Facebook Affects Student-Teacher Relations

It’s Wednesday night. Being the procrastinator that I am and liking the idea of thinking all possibilities out for as long as possible, I have just decided to start my English paper. I sit down, open and turn on the computer to start typing (because of course pen and paper are seemingly becoming obsolete nowadays), and wait for it to load. Then, I double click the little Microsoft Word Icon; you know the one that has become synonymous with the words “write an essay (or paper)”? Being the good modern-day student that I am, I stare at the white and blue screen, place my fingers on the keyboard, and…move my hands to the mouse. I need to go online and find resources (because going to the library to find books or do research, according to “Checking Out Facebook.com: The Impact of a Digital Trend on Academic Libraries” by Laurie Charnigo and Paula Barnett-Ellis). Firefox loads quickly, but not fast enough, compared to how fast instant messages, or in online slang lingo, “IMs”, are sent, anyway. The page pops up, and the phrase “Yahoo.com” manages to creep its way into the thin white box at the top of the screen. I could always use this search engine to do my research, but that’s what Google is for…I’ll just check my email since, “It’ll only take a second”. The preview screen says I have 23 new emails, and one of them may be important. As always, 17 of them happen to be alerting me to something along the lines of “Ayah Omar shared a link on your wall”. Then I’m plagued with the guilty feeling of, “I ignored my paper for this?” It’s not enough of a guilty feeling, however, to stop me from checking just what that link was. So I check it, along with all of my messages and comments and pokes etc, and proceed to “IM” some kid I don’t even like all that much simply to avoid doing what I should be…
Facebook, a rapidly growing and popular social network, is seemingly pulling a Pinky-and-the Brain and trying to take over the world. That is, if it hasn’t already. This phenomenon is changing everything from the way we interact with our friends, to the atmosphere of libraries, to politics and presidential elections. One of the things it is changing most is something that most people probably don’t even notice: student-teacher relationships. While not the most common of scenarios, a high number of professors and teachers are becoming members of social sites Facebook and MySpace. Many of them do it to keep in touch with their own friends and family, and a few do it to get to know their students. Whether in a direct or direct way, role model authority figures acting funny or displaying their lives on the internet affects how students view them. On the other hand, teachers seeing what their students are doing after hours is often disturbing enough in itself as well. The image of the teacher living in the classroom closet after all the students go home for the day is slowly diminishing. Even though we are grown enough to know that our teachers are real people and have lives, seeing their profiles online forces us to actually think about their lives, which could be very good or very bad. Seeing your professor at a barbeque with his or her family may be a strange image to grasp, but one that lets you see what an all around good person he or she truly is. Seeing your teacher cuddle a bottle of Jose Cuervo in bed, like long-term substitute for Prince William County Schools Erin Webster’s students would if they ever added her, is not so much strange as it would be disturbing. Parents seeing their special education child’s teacher adding bumper stickers that have the words “MILF” and “retard” on them probably wouldn’t be too proud to send their children to school either.
Teachers often add their students to get a new perspective, enjoying the opportunity to see their pupils in a new light, and to better understand them. Sociologist David Grazian enjoys reading his students’ likes and about me sections, as he finds the information useful for his research. People like Patrick Shrout and Mark Witte, on the other hand, simply add students to help them to better match names with faces. Often times, to many people’s surprise, it is the students who add their professors, not the other way around. Many professors and teachers find it may seem pushy to request students to add them, as they may feel pressured. Being Facebook friends allows students and teachers to feel closer to one another, and to better understand each other on different levels.
Befriending teachers can also help students with information on school and classes. When a group of teachers in Montana realized that their students were not reading morning bulletins or checking their school email, they made a Facebook group to update them on school events. Some teachers and professors even use this for class relations, as a way of giving their students extra help. Allowing students to log on to Facebook and read what they need to know or do seems less formal and less stressful, and makes it easier to stay in touch with them. Since teenagers strive toward social networking sites, teachers following them their and putting notices up seems to help. It makes students like Cooper Livingston, a school President at Hickman in Montana, feel appreciative and as though their teachers really care, as they “adapt” to students.
Seeing the way students behave, however, can lead some teachers to question what education and the world have come to, and can be embarrassing for students. A student who gets “wasted” at a party on a Saturday night and acts crazy, may end up tagged in tons of pictures of Facebook within the next few days. While all of this person’s fellow partygoers may find this to be a great achievement and look to it as a funny memory, his or her professors, former teachers, parents friends, and potential employers may not appreciate it as much. In some counties and states, employers are denying well-qualified people jobs they deserve due to the content found on their Facebook and Myspace pages, mainly, the pictures. Teachers who realize this probably feel at a loss knowing that this novice that they invested all of their time in, lost what they themselves worked so hard to instill and to help them achieve, because of a stupid internet post.
Relationships between students and teachers can also cross a line due to Facebook, and may in some cases become inappropriate. Students getting to know teachers on a more person level can lead to a great admiration for them as role models, but can also lead to a greater admiration for them as more than such. If both parties cross the line, trouble could be at hand and boundaries could be broken. Whether this is acceptable or not depends on school rules, state laws, and simple morale of the two individuals. Being Facebook friends can cause trouble, but it also allows students the opportunity to make older and wiser friends.
I am personally friends with one of my former teachers on Facebook, and we comment each other fairly often. It is nice to see pictures from old family albums that he has, comics that relate to books I remember reading in his class, and to get updates on plays he will be performing in or directing. Most of all, it’s nice to have a wise and older non-relative to look up to. It also lets me witness firsthand how intriguing our superiors are, and lets me get a glimpse into their lives. Without Facebook, as much as I hate to say it, I probably would not be so great at keeping in touch with him. There are a select few other teachers I have been wanting to check up on, but due to the formality of email, I have put it off for months. With this particular teacher, I can right one or two sentences every few weeks, ask a question about his life, and move on with mine. The gratification is instantaneous.
Facebook is a new trend, spreading quickly and making a lasting impression. It has changed the way we interact with one another, and is slowly creeping in and changing the way the school system has so long kept students and teachers separate. This can be a negative in some cases, but the good it brings may not be possible or as effective if approached different ways. It is something to appreciate for the positives it provides.




Works Cited
The Columbia Tribune. “Warnings aside, teachers embrace Facebook."
Janese Heavin of the Tribune’s staff. 6 December 2007.
< http://www.columbiatribune.com/2007/Dec/20071206News003.asp>

The Lansing State Journal."Facebook Etiquette: Careful What You Share."
Lauren Cohen-MCT News Service.14 August2008.


The Washington Post." When Young Teachers Go Wild on the Web
Public Profiles Raise Questions of Propriety and Privacy."
Ian Shapira- Washington Post Staff Writer. 28 April 2008.