Unusual Citations

(source: AuthorCulture)


Rest-Stop Restroom Graffiti

When citing rest-stop graffiti:

List the name of the rest area (if it has a name) in italics.
Name the state in which it was located.
Name the highway it abuts (with direction headed).
List the nearest mile marker.
List the date the graffitti was observed.

Example: "This you wouldn't believe! Call 555-3278." [The Ida C. Collins Memorial Rest Area, Wisconsin; Interstate 94 South (Mile Marker 218): May 14, 1997.]

WARNING

I'm going to say this now: we are required to have our rough drafts (I still call 'em "sloppy copies") ready by tomorrow at 1pm.

Introducing 1920!Henry

The following is an excerpt from the beginning of my essay-to-be.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)ｱﾊﾊ八八ﾉヽﾉヽﾉヽﾉ ＼ / ＼/ ＼

(title is the emoticon for evil laugh)

Well, I've been given the go-ahead to write as "I wake up in the 1920's" me.

So, I will occasionally post snippets from 1920!ClariNerd as they come in.

All I'm going to say is...

....that I am at a loss of what to say. LDL wrote tomorrow's reading.

Coming Attractions for the End of the Semester

So, with one Essay left to do in AmCon this semester, I think the time has come for me to talk about the other things I am doing in my classes at stolaf. That will be the subject of future blog posts.

My Ántonia - MY MY MY MY

My Latest Masterpiece for AmCon

    Through the novel My Ántonia, our friendly narrator, Jim Burden, is given a special status by his idol, Ántonia Shimerda. That status is the free and happy land known as the friendzone. He is described by the author as “[writing] on the pinkish face of the portfolio the word, Ántonia. He frowned at this a moment, then prefixed another word, making it My Ántonia. That seemed to satisfy him.”

Two Sentences

Two RIDICULOUS SENTENCES

in AmCon

recently

On V for Vendetta and Anonymous

I think it is time to explain something here: the use of the V masks by Anonymous.

Here's the story:
The movie was perfect for what Anonymous-types wanted to be: a superhero that hid behind a mask with full anonymity that was fighting against an authoritarian figure using cool tricks and moves, and gaining wide public fame and support. Now that the group had a symbol and an ideal of what it wanted to be, it found an other place to raid.

Scientology had been bullying people (arguably) for years and with Tom Cruise's antics on display, Anonymous found an other "bully" it could bully. But, with a symbol (the mask from V) being available, people could actually go out in public as a group and be "anonymous"; so that is what Anonymous-types did: they took their internet into the real world.

If you actually observed Anonymous protests against Scientology, it played out exactly as a microcosm of 4Chan (mostly /b/) with people being "internet-retarded" (many of the things people do on the internet and when they don't think they can be identified are usually retarded when applied to real life).

They were "successful" on paper, with Scientology and their wackiness being broadcast on TV (even though the actual goals discussed on /b/ where more akin to crushing Scientology). Now, Anonymous had a "real" victory... and more newbie-virus returning to 4Chan with them.

The IRL protests attracted a new group of people to 4Chan, just as the raids on Habbo Hotel had done: liberal-minded, computer-savvy, middle-class, high school kids who had the time and parents money to go after larger bullies through the internet.

By then, W.T. Snacks had left, Moot was going to college... sort of... and most of the old had left or where driven to other places, few of us remain.

4Chan was, at one point, mostly college and upper-grade high school kids who came here because of anime. Now, it is mostly high school and younger kids who come here to troll and try to be the alpha-on-the-internet that they can't be IRL.

 Glossary will soon follow:
IRL: in real life
W.T. Snacks: former admin on 4chan
moot: founder of 4chan
alpha: the tough guy

Vaudeville (?)

One of my favorite old time performances was Spike Jones and the City Slickers. Of course, most of the jokes require the ability to play music to understand.

The absurd ones require no special training whatsoever.

Vaudeville

And now, for what is possibly the only part of AmCon that I will actually enjoy. Vaudeville. Marx Brothers. The Three Stooges. Great performances of great comedy and acting.

And here's historical footage.

 This is going to be fun.

On Statue of Liberty

Happy 125th Birthday Statue of Liberty.

Occupy Boston - An Eyewitness Account - Trailer

NOTHING HAPPENED

Seriously, Anonymous won the hype battle. That is all. There was nothing but hype and pepper spray going on in Boston. Oh, and also several thousand people protesting against unequal distribution of wealth, as well as a wider protest movement going on throughout the world.

Full story after I present this afternoon in AmCon.

But first: some pictures:

"Main Street"

Classic

My Sign Last Year at a Tea Party Rally

"This Speedo is Occupied"

Occupy Wall Street

As LDL pointed out in an earlier post, Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Boston are becoming important enough to mention in class. I am anticipating an in class discussion on this, and if there isn't, I will make one happen on Wednesday. I will ascertain this by occupying Boston over Fall Break, and then coming back with an eyewitness report on the proceedings.
Here is a repost from BoingBoing:

Most revolts are snuffed out well before their efforts impact the political scene – not because their ideas and issues aren’t relevant, but because the major institutional players within the system-that-is rapidly attempt to snag the power and energy for their own. In the eyes of the Democratic Party or the national environmental groups, this revolt is merely seen as an opportunity to assimilate newly emerging troops back into those groups’ own flaccid and ineffective organizing. After all, if those institutional groups have actually been effective all of these years, why the need for a revolt at all?

BoingBoing is a fantastic blog, and is my chief source of news as of right now. The reason why I sometimes giggled in class during Ragtime, whenever someone mentioned the author as being "Doctorow", was that the main contributor on BoingBoing is Cory Doctorow. If you want news on Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Boston, don't go to CNN. Don't go to NPR. Go to BoingBoing. They'll sort out the stuff from CNN and NPR for you and provide psycho-socio-economic analysis....as well as posting about the random stuff they find elsewhere. I have to warn you, though, that this is not for those who are easily offended by geeks and nerds.

On Camp - Part 4 - Refuge in Audacity (also Trope of the Week)

I have a story to tell.

On Camp - Introduction

Camp, I believe, is taking refuge in audacity. As I like to put it, there are nine states of mind a person can have, and camp is one of them. The mindsets are exactly like character alignments in tabletop RPGs. There are the morals: good, neutral, and evil. Then there are the ethics: lawful, neutral, and chaotic. Lawful good is a paladin, while chaotic evil are the old kind of villains we so rarely see these days.
Personality-wise, I propose the following sets. Sanity, neutrality, madness. Aware, doubting, unaware. Most people are doubting sanity. Camp people such as Lady Gaga, Oscar Wilde, and myself are Full Aware Madness. We are insane, we are aware of it, and we do not try to hide it. That is what gives rise to camp.
Alternatively, there are mindsets. The most stable mindset is being insane and knowing it, because you'll completely lose it if you are doubting your own sanity.

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Location:The Cage

Coming Attractions - Yet Again

Once again, I have a backlog of posts in various stages of being written. I'm tempted to make this into a weekly rather than a triweekly blog.

•A longish series of my views on the idea of Camp (the style, not the place). Not being posted in order.
•A bit on Don't ask don't tell. CANCELED
•the beginning of a new series, Trope of the Week.

Each week, I will pull out an article from TVTropes.org, each of which will be related to the AmCon topic of the time. This will be every Saturday, timing will be decided. This week will be Refuge in Audacity.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

 

Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

First thing I thought of when I heard Steve Jobs had died was the quote from Blade Runner, "The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long."

His life was far too brief, but he did what most people can only dream about, which was to make it count in such a way as to leave the world a lot tidier than he left it.

Steve, you will be greatly missed. Goodnight, and goodbye.

For Gays Seeking Asylum in U.S., a New Hurdle - NYTimes.com

For Gays Seeking Asylum in U.S., a New Hurdle - NYTimes.com

And I quote: "After years of trying to conceal his sexual orientation back home in Brazil (where Fidela never made an appearance), Mr. Castro had been advised by his immigration lawyer that flaunting it was now his best weapon against deportation."

Ah, the New York Times. You can take a newspaper out of New York, but you cannot take New York out of a newspaper.

For those who aren't from the upper right-hand corner of the United States (namely, most of the people likely to read this), it is considered a common survival tactic to take "Refuge in Audacity".

We do not fly under the radar. We crash through the front doors and out the back doors of the radar installation in an armored car with sunglasses-wearing flaming skull decals on every flat surface and a Hieronymus Bosch reproduction on the door, hood-mounted machine guns blazing, Motörhead blasting on the jury-rigged PA system, the tires leaving tracks painting sex and violence on the floor and walls and one arm hanging out of the window making a rude hand gesture.

On Ragtime - Essay - What I actually handed in

    In E. L. Doctorow’s novel Ragtime, the interactions between two characters speak volumes about social expectations of gender and race in early 20th Century America. The characters are the young African-American woman known as Sarah, and the youngish African-American man named Coalhouse Walker Jr. As the story progresses, so their characters develop, and the audience’s knowledge of the social expectations of the time grows.

On Ragtime - Essay Version - Director's Cut

On Ragtime - Essay Version

    Over the course of the novel Ragtime, by E.L. Doctorow, two characters have minor interactions that speak volumes about social expectations of gender and race in 1900’s America. The characters in question are the young African-American woman known as Sarah, and the youngish African-American man known as Coalhouse Walker Jr. As the story progresses, so does their character, and so does the audience’s perspective on the social expectations of the time.

Placeholder

I apologize for the lack of posts again, but, that is because I am slowly preparing several LARGE posts! Upcoming features include: the essay to conclude the Ragtime portion of the semester, and my ongoing monitoring of #OccupyWallStreet.

Edit: The essay that will be posted to the blog will include the parts that will be cut from the final draft. Consider it the equivalent of the Directors' Cut!

On Ragtime

I feel like adding some Ragtime Music to this post while I work on the essay. Enjoy!

Ragtime Piano by Royalty Free Kings

Testing HTML embed feature in blog posts. With Buzzwords.

Dissatisfaction

It was evident to him [little boy] that the world was composed and recomposed in an endless process of dissatisfaction."

This is true for people. People are always trying to make their lives better.

As my (as I am slowly realizing) very wise late grandfather once said: "The richest man in the world is also the most depressed. It is better to acquire than to have."

Speaking of the middle class...

Did you hear that prices are capable of rising?

I'll let Cory Doctorow (the other Doctorow) do the talking for this one.

Coming Attractions

There is a reason I haven't updated in a while. I'm writing the posts, but they're taking a while.


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Location:St Olaf Ave,Northfield,United States

On Gender

Today, we started our mandatory academic angst phase. In other news, welcome to AmCon.
Questions were asked, mostly along the terms of "Why do people say that something is the natural way to do things?" What is natural? My personal answer after the break.

Social Class

Today we discussed social class. My list of what determines social class:
wealth
appearance
intelligence
being socially adept
interests
philosophy
confidence
REGION
mannerisms
maturity
honesty

On Ragtime and Plagiarism

The novel Ragtime, by E.L. Doctorow, is our current reading material in AmCon. Now, I have done some digging, and found a juicy bit of info. And I quote from Wikipedia:
"The first name of Coalhouse Walker is a literary reference to the German novella Michael Kohlhaas by Heinrich von Kleist. Many events and plot points are drawn from this story. It has been argued that this is an example of plagiarism on Doctorow's part."

9/11

Happy Holidays!

At least, that's what people in the far distant future will be saying about today. In a couple of generations, the true meaning of 9/11 will be lost, just as the true meaning of Christmas has been lost to the greater masses today.

In a few generations, screenings at the airport will be considered to be the most normal thing in the world. I have already embraced it, as a frequent flier from Boston (MA) to Minneapolis (MN) (and sometimes Boston, MA to Owls Head, ME). I have no choice, of course, but at least this time, my limp allowed me to get through security extra quickly. That, and the pain medication. I walked through, using a wooden cane, cynical about everything, somewhat unshaven, and Vicodin-ed up to my eyeballs. Yes, I did a perfect imitation of Dr. Gregory House.

Statue of Liberty (told from her point of view)

Storm

It comes, raging, thundering,

pelting all in its path with rain.

However, I STAND FIRM.

in the calm, before Irene, Hurricane, the

Standing. Waiting. To greet the storm,

head on, facing dark, turbulent skies.

there exists

calm here

but

alas!

Thoughts on the Death of Religion

While reading through Ragtime, I noticed an idea that had been in the news a while back. The exact quote was "Why do you suppose an idea which had currency in every age and civilization of mankind disappears in modern times? Because only in the age of science have these men and their wisdom dropped from view."
A few weeks back, I saw on the BBC News website an article that stated that, within the decade, religion will be extinct in Switzerland.

Now, I'm going to go out on a limb here and state my personal thoughts. (that WAS the original idea here, wasn't it, Prof. Lagerquist?) I've noticed a bit of a trend recently. There are two kings in the world: religion and science. The countries where science is king (Japan, Germany, Switzerland, U.K. etc.) are first-world countries with healthcare, infrastructure, and civil rights. The countries where religion is king (most African and middle eastern countries) tend to be the poorest countries with very high mortality rates and a high tendency to declare war on anything that moves. I can see why religion is dying out.
Thoughts?

p.s. I do believe in a kind of god, one who I have seen with my own eyes. Here is a picture:



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Hi, I'm back!

And what fantastic weather we're having, too! Hurricane Irene is gonna make a direct hit!


It's here!


My canoe is safe.


So is the table.


And the grill.


And the dock.
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Location:Belfast St,Nashua,United States

Sorry, I just need to get this off my chest...

and it is far too long for a facebook update.

This is just something that has been bugging me for a long time, and it is about time that I bring others' attention to it.

Science / technology itself has no inherent ethos, just as a rock has no inherent ethos.

A rock may be used to grind flour to make bread to feed a village, or it may be used to stone a woman accused of adultery. Neither the stone itself, nor the geologic process which produced the rock is to blame; it is merely a tool to be used.

The responsibility lies in the hand that holds the tool, rather than the process that created the tool. Suggesting otherwise is offensive, as it attempts to alleviate the hand wielding the tool of either partial or full responsibility for its actions.

I'm just gonna leave this here, I do hope we get to discuss this, though.

I'm not going to bother writing a post for this, just click on the text right HERE and comment on this post. Have a wonderful summer.

Philosogoodwin Wonders...

Can I keep doing these for my summer Harvard Course?


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Location:Bench near Art Building

On the Economist

Truly the Economist shall go down in history.....as the greatest writers of photo captions of all time. I read that magazine every week when it comes out, and their captions never fail to stir a chuckle. For Amcon, it seems as if we have to read one of those beautifully written Lexington editorials. Luckily, I read the paper version earlier this week, so I enjoyed reading it again with greater interest.

However, I don't get all of my news from the Economist. Occasionally, my father sends me an article from the New York Times, the unofficial supplier of news to the McLane Law Firm in New Hampshire. Earlier this afternoon, I received this gem of an article.

Turns out, having a community organizer in the White House Situation Room was not a bad thing. Perhaps better than a senator who was afraid to offend an ally. And surely better than a governor who couldn’t even finish her one job with actual responsibilities. Among other things, the most critical 40 minutes of the Obama presidency prove a point backed by history: judgment and temperament are far more important than a résumé.

Ten points for each politician you can name who was alluded to in the above quote. Whoever gets the most points gets least annoyed by me in class tomorrow.

Blog

Ugh, do I have to keep posting?

Today, more presentations. I'm not gonna bother posting when there are presentations. However, when I get around to reading more Black Elk Speaks tonight (the title is so confusing, puts me in false optimism every time, since it sounds too similar to this)...I will get around to posting. Happy?

***UPDATE***

To quote moodle,

With some reluctance, we have given up a return to finish Black Elk Speaks and any consideration of the Ghost Dance as a manifestation of apocalypticism.

oh....

Found on the internet - Called Osama Revenge Plan - MEANT AS A JOKE

    import pakistan.Abbottabad;
    import America.Obama;
    import America.armedForces;
    import binladen;
   
    public class Osama extends Alqaeda
    {
        public void start()
        {
            while(flewPlanesIntoTwinTowers())
            {
                Thread.sleepInSeconds(check());
            }
        }
       
        public int check()
        {
            if(binladen.isDead && binLaden.killerCountry.equals("America"))
            {
                initiatePlanA();
                log("Destroying The White House");
                sleep("two weeks");
                if(!WhiteHouse.isBlownUp())
                {
                    initiatePlanB();
                    log("Nuking America");
                    sleep("two weeks");
                    if(America.isNuked())
                        log("America successfully whiped off the face of the earth.");
                }
            }
            return 2678400;
        }
    }

"Eerie links between Harry Potter, bin Laden"

We knew something like this was going to happen, we just didn't realize just how weird it was going to be.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/02/us-potter-idUSTRE74171420110502

and I quote:

It set up the ongoing conflict between Harry, the young, orphaned wizard, who gradually discovers his powers, and the malignant force of evil, Lord Voldemort, who is bent on destroying him. First referred to only as "He Who Must Not Be Named," Voldemort is introduced as something of a formless boogie-man -- not unlike the mysterious Osama -- but then, over the course of the series, takes on more and more of a physical presence until in the last volume he and Harry go head-to-head in a final, cataclysmic battle.

I knew Reuters was getting desperate for attention, I didn't realize by how much.

MANDATORY BLOG POST ABOUT THE NEWS

For the third time now, Osama bin Laden has been reported as dead (the other two were in 2003 and 2007). Over time, I will comment with jokes found on social networking sites, as my social capital contribution.

Obscenity

I will never understand the people who believe that there are absolutely no circumstances in which it is appropriate to use profanity.

What words do you use right about 1:48am at around the fifth time you have to go to your next door neighbors to ask them to be quiet so that you can sleep.
"Good morning gentlemen, would you please calm yourselves? I'm attempting to partake in my sleep cycle. Please don't be naughty."

I think at that moment profanity is definitely justified. I certainly am about to explode....

I cannot wait until next year, when I get to be in the Quiet Floor in Melby.

Pastebin

http://pastebin.com/G4xx5bPP

This is the assignment, I will have the results on another paste. My life just got a million times easier.

WE SUCK

In class today we were discussing whether or not we suck. I had no choice but to think of this.

Speaking of reenactments...

http://www.universalhub.com/2011/putting-patriots-patriots-day

I had forgotten about this part. Today really is the day for history back home...

New England History Lesson # [WAY TOO MANY TO COUNT!]

It is always nice to see a good reenactment done of a revolutionary war battle. I remember the day I went to see the reenactment of Lexington-Concord (which is in Massachusetts, and not New Hampshire (yes, I pay attention to what Michelle Bachmann pretends to know)), for example. What I am reporting on is much nicer, because it's always nice to see the regulars get routed. I mean, the "Bloody-backs", not the Red Sox :-).

Boston Misconception #3: Bostonians are jealous of New Yorkers.

This just simply isn't true. It appears to be a nasty rumor perpetrated by Manhattanites -- probably hatched and texted around while they're stuck in gridlock rush hour traffic.
In reality, the two towns are distinct enough to foster strong preferences for one or the other -- but hardly jealousy of what the other has going on. If you want an academic atmosphere, distributed green space and roads that take thirty-seven years to build and never have their potholes patched, you come to Boston. If you're more interested in metropolitan boom, one big-assed park and getting felt up, propositioned or drooled on in a subway car, then NYC is the place for you. I don't see the controversy, frankly.

From http://www.wherethehellwasi.com/categories/wicked-pissah-bahstan

First Class Subway

Unfortunately, this voluntary association is exactly that, a VOLUNTARY association. It would be great if it became a major part of the way subways worked, though.

Before Prof. Lagerquist comments asking for relevance, here we go: trains, voluntary associations, utopianism, and the American Dream.

Can't get any more relevant than that, I'm afraid.

Because I cannot speak today...

I'll just post this as what my expression was for the entire class time today.

Blast at Belarus metro station kills several people | Reuters

Blast at Belarus metro station kills several people | Reuters

WHAAAAAT????

GLORIOUS

In case anyone hasn't noticed yet, I've decided to become the comics section of the AmCon class. If you want comics (of a vaguely nerdy nature), continue watching my blog.

MIND = BLOWN

because of the awesomeness....

Civil Disobedience

You know, technically we're supposed to read Civil Disobedience for Wednesday, but I've already read it before and incorporated it into my life philosophy. Therefore, I'm not going to read it for Wednesday.

Problem?

This happens to me a lot

At Long Last

Your item arrived at 4:22 pm on April 02, 2011 in NORTHFIELD, MN 55057. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.

(item in question):

Whoops

Sorry about the lack of posts, I just got a new computer (this time, a MacBook Pro), so I've been getting used to it. Also, did you know that the cheapest blogging software for Mac is $39.99? Talk about overpriced, especially when you add Minnesota's barbaric taxes! Anyway, I'm about to go to sleep, so here's the trailer for my next post tomorrow morning: TRAINS. THE POST IS ABOUT TRAINS. I CAN GO ON FOR HOURS ABOUT TRAINS.

Boston Trip OVERALL REPORT

I realize that there have been a flood of posts, later tomorrow when I get back to campus I will collect them, move them to this post, and then delete the miniseries. But more after the break.

Boston Trip

Ok, need to get better at finding wifi...


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Location:U.S. 20,Boston,United States

Boston Trip Part 8

Yes!


The Big Dig


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Location:The Big Dig

Boston Trip Part 7

BOSTON!!!!


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Location:BOSTON!!!!

Boston Trip Part 6

We're at the outer limits of the T.


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Location:Oak Grove

Boston Trip Part 5

Water Source For Boston


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Location:US Route 1

Boston Trip Part 4

Almost there.


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Location:Winchester, MA

Boston Trip Part 3

Try saying Tyngsboro ten times.


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Location:Tyngsboro Park & Ride

Boston Trip Part 2

George and the bus



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Location:Nashua Park and Ride

Boston Trip

Today is off to a great start with paper and nutrition!



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Location:Pemberton Rd,Nashua,United States

Spring Break Day SEVEN

Okay, Boston trip set for tomorrow, will do a series of miniposts with pictures when I can.


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Location:Pemberton Rd,Nashua,United States

Spring Break Day VI

Day 6, so far nothing of interest has happened. Boston Trip set for Friday/Saturday. Going to Dentist tomorrow, AFTER having seen TTGL, I'm slightly worried. This is why. Anyway....

Spring Break Day 4

Gotta love being home.


Slept whole day, will get stuff done stahting tomorrow!
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Location:Pemberton Rd,Nashua,United States

Spring Break Day III

I woke up at 1pm?

Spring Break Day 2

Good Evening, I managed to get back to Nashua in one piece....

SPRING BREAK DAY ONE

Today it starts. After listening to AmCon have a rather misinformed discussion about TEH INTERWEBZ, during which they proved that they only know about Facebook and Twitter, (gaiz, 4 future ref.: http://www.4chan.org/ is the REAL face of TEH INTERWEBZ), we went on a short rant about democracy. But now....SPRING BREAK! 3 tiem is nao!


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Location:Cedar Ave,Northfield,United States

You can count on me to find the "out there" articles.

In Social capital, class gender and race conflict, and population health: an essay review of Bowling Alone’s implications for social epidemiology (2002), Carles Muntaner and John Lynch, to quote their title, evaluate Bowling Alone and its implications for social epidemiology. Specifically, Muntaner and Lynch provide arguments about how Social Capital, as a framework for social epidemiology, is limited by the omission of discussion on class, race and gender relations, and political variables, and Muntaner and Lynch link earlier social science with modern social science (261).

WHY.jpeg

So....today we start off with multidirectional trolling, followed by a discussion of the Putnam reviews. I proceeded to learn that I am not allowed to use a review that was coauthored by Putnam himself, so I went to one from an Epidemiology journal instead. Fun...
After engaging in more such shenanigans, we proceeded to open a shared GDoc for the project.
IRLWork now...

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Location:The Caf

Here we Go

In preparation for the Norseman Tour beginning later today, I would like to apologize for not keeping up with the posts. I've been saving post room for two mega posts coming up: The Voluntary Associations Essay and the Putnam Paper.

Youth vs Elderly

The only thing that I can think of to write about is how the problems in society today are being caused by the fact that there are two generations competing for power right now. It is a bit like those adorable senior citizens living right next to a playground. "Hey, get off my lawn! Damn kids!" In this case, the lovable grouches are our parents' generation, the kids are us, and the lawn is the entire government. If only the older generation could realize that they've all become the old couple in the neighborhood who are always complaining about the kids of the day, they would realize that it is time to let go, hire a couple of teenagers to mow their lawns, and learn the art of doting on the youth.

WHY?

How else am I supposed to flush?


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Location:Band Room

Woooo-hooooo.

So, apparently I managed to completely mess up my reading schedule. After finding that I have the abridged version of the de Tocqueville (Democracy in America), and since I'm too cheap to go out and get the full version, I got the .pdf off of Google Scholar (I now absolutely love Google!). I'm enjoying this so far, and, in between squinting while trying to read the 8pt font that was used to type up the .pdf, I've found that I just really need to read everyone else's blags before class and I'll understand the scrunched up writing much more nicely. Also, less paper cuts is always a plus. We'll have a full post tomorrow, just thought I ought to get that off of my chest now.

Is there anything?

To report on? No. We learned how to use a library.



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Sentence Assignment

Short one today. Still gonna do a break anyway, just because.....it's fun!

AmCon Day 6.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000100001

Whoopie, we get another day of sentence de- and re- construction. More after ZA BREIKO!

Today in AmCon History

Well, not exactly history, to be more accurate. In fact, to be precise, not exactly history either. More after the break.

Explanation

Before anything else, I would like to say that yes, I am aware that the location says "posted from Hoyme Hall Showers". This is entirely accurate. Ladies, I am very sorry, but I am not posting pics, especially on Singles' Awareness Day.
You may ask "why are you posting from the shower?" I respond by reminding you that recent scientific research has proven that men do their clearest thinking while in the shower.
I am writing to give my excuse. My blog post for today is going to be delayed because it happens to be about something that is a major focus of an online community that I am part of. The summary of the summary is: what we talked about in class today is VERY similar in idea to an anime that I am a huge fan of. Neon Genesis Evangelion. In the post, I will talk about Apocalypticism and Evangelion, and will include clips and pictures. The show is famous for what is known among us otaku as "mindrape", so be aware that you're going to be treated to an in-depth analysis of something that might be considered to be slightly disturbing. I can go on for DAYS about Eva.

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Location:Hoyme Hall Showers

Wait a minute.

I am in Minnesota. That should be implicit to most people reading this. However, it's 47 degrees ABOVE zero right now. Could some one please explain this blasphemy in the comments section? Thanks


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Location:St Olaf Ave,Northfield,United States

AmCon 102–Day 2

We started early today. After this was pointed out, we had a deal: start early, leave early. More after the break.

~750 Words Arranged in a Cunning Order - Essay Due Today

In 1871, America was in the midst of post-Civil War reconstruction, and a lone Englishman wrote a long essay about the dangers of Democracy. This prompted Whitman to write a long essay about the dangers of writing long essays about the dangers of Democracy, but in a roundabout manner. Dave Brooks admired this essay because it speaks well of America and Democracy and because it shows a person change his mind halfway through. I wouldn't know if I agree or not, seeing as the essay was sideways when I downloaded it. After nearly shattering the screen of my laptop, I managed to read it, though. Whitman's dream of America was that of a rich and prosperous nation always looking at the bright side of life. However, this changed as he began to think about his home country and look around, and write about it. So far, judging by his mood as the essay goes on, his dream is kinda unfulfilled. Well, nothing's perfect in this world, deal with it. I would say his dream still stands in remote corners of this country, mainly in those who haven't paid attention to the news since the end of the 1950's. I'll get the quote out of the way now. The T-Shirt quote for me would be "Literature has become the only general means of morally influencing the world." as it would probably be the best way of inciting a reaction from those who disagree. I know for a fact someone will disagree at some point because there are enough differing positions on the planet that somewhere there is someone who is the precise opposite of me. Makes for a great conversation starter, am I right? Going back to the thread of the original 750+/- word essay, the dangers to Whitman's aspirations were the problem of that little slap-battle that occurred ten years prior to writing of his essay, as well as those who disagreed with him, details after the break. Anyway, major issues occurred later on as he discovered that his cheerful optimism was kinda baseless. All in all, I found the cheerful reading to be very interesting and will certainly look forward to the in-class discussion one hour from now. Ciao!

AmCon 102B Day 1

Today, we discussed Democracy, but not just in America, but also in Egypt for some strange reason. FYI, Links are GreenText.

Anyway, we all discussed how Democracy does and sometimes doesn't work. Over the course of several people speaking, including myself, we came around to the conclusion that America is a republic trying to make other countries into democracies. Maybe, just maybe, we have a log in our collective eyes. Just a thought.

After going over everything about politics and how that relates to Athenian and American versions of Democracy, I realized that there was a major issue that no one was voicing. I tried to voice it, but we ran out of time, so I'll write it here.

The big problem with Democracy and Republics can be described with two words: Politicians Lie.

I'm willing to bet that the discussion would've gone far differently had someone stated that and opened the floor to discussion and civilized debate.

I will later post my thoughts on our reading homework, in the meantime, check this out!

OK, Here we go.

Semester begins tomorrow, so HERE'S MY PLAN

We're required to post at least three a week. We have class three times a week. Does anyone know what's on my mind yet?

Yeah, I'm going to post right after class each day and enjoy the flames in the comments section. What fun. Please refer to my other blog (just plain old ClariNerd, you know) for everything else, such as the content that has occurred over the past several posts. My other blog will probably turn into a You Laugh You Lose/4chan general news thing....or anything I'm interested in at the time. Good Molasses or Bad Molasses. Also, be sure to refer to my Steam profile if you wanna join me for a round of CSS or CSSbeta......or MOULa. Yeah, I'm so bored I'm plugging for Steam friends on an AmCon blog......I am so dead tomorrow....

IT'S FINALLY OUT!!!

And in what will probably be my final non-AmCon blog posting of all, the famed To Aru Majutsu no Index II OP 2 has finally been released. Judging by the content, Episodes 17-24 won't just be Punishment Game/Accelerator vs Kihara/ZOMG TEH HYOUKA!!!, it will also include Team GROUP's formation as well!

Gandalf would'a had something to say

And so begins the great Nor'easter of our time.


IIIIIITTTTT IIIIIISSSSS HHHHHEEEEEERRRRRREEEEE!!!!!!!!


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Location:Coburn Ave,Nashua,United States

Interim Break - Day 1

Well, at least the plane didn't crash. What a landing. We lost a wheel, and we landed sideways. It didn't help that we were landing at a speed that really shouldn't be used when landing a Boeing 737.

Currently at Friendly's for a REAL New England frappe.


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Location:Main St,Stoneham,United States

Just because I can

Well, now I've hit new levels of nerd for both blogs. I'm posting....from a plane. Here's proof:





Yes, I CAN be that smug.

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Location:30,000 ft.

I'm not sure what this means

Why do I still have this? It makes no sense.


A bit of background info. This was my first iPod, the 2nd generation nano. Naturally, it don't work no more. Target has a deal where you bring in your old iPods and cell phones and exchange them for gift cards. I was supposed to do so with this one over winter break. That was a month ago. Whoops! I'll just head over to Target Nashua this weekend and deal with it then.....something tells me that there will soon be a Target Online PersID associated with me....oh joy.

Best wishes, I bet this will be the final non-AmCon post on this blog for a LONG time, possibly until summer break.

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My Blog Can't Be THIS Nerdy!

Yes it can (^_^).


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Location:Cedar Ave,Northfield,United States

Finally

Okay, it seems as if I've finally made the blog look pretty. The major changes over the past few weeks came from a thought process that went like "Well, I'm stuck doing this, I can't escape, guess I'd better make myself feel at home!" This blog will be a bit of a combination of Henry Goodwin-esque and ClariNerd-esque Internet styles, so be prepared for some final changes before the beginning of second semester. I will have plenty of posts once it gets underway, and I will succeed where I failed this past fall.

Sincerely,

The recently reunited minds of Henry Goodwin and ClariNerd.

Geek Love: The Boston Globe's Perspective vs The ClariNerd

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/relationships/articles/2011/01/16/geek_love_can_a_gaming_and_fantasy_fanatic_find_romance_outside_his_realm/

Of course, it isn't the article that I'm concerned about, it's the comment section that caught my interest. Argh, these guys can REALLY make me mad.

My calm collected response is as follows:

Looking at the comments, I'd say that most of the haters here have never actually met a nerd, and are drawing from the stereotypes they learned by being lied to by Disney. This is also why girls these days are always disappointed in their boyfriends, because they grew up on a diet of Disney's Prince Charming stereotype of the ideal mate.

Prince Charming does technically exist, but he tends to not be AT ALL loyal to anyone, as he is always the type who believed porn. Always asking "Where is my insatiable......hypersexuality patient?" I wouldn't recommend him, I recommend the nerd.

Nerds these days are different than what you guys say we are. We are more adaptable than you think, we just don't show it when we're in public, especially at Comic Con.

The modern nerd is a bit attractive, highly skilled at logic and reasoning, fiercely loyal, hypersensitive to emotion, and eager to please. Furthermore, there is no longer a general "nerd" classification. We have a whole set of subnerds. We have music nerds, anime nerds, otaku, band geeks (I'm a subnerd of band geek, ClariNerd, get it?), orch dork, science guy, etc.... We also have multiple specialties.

Now, about that jock you girls were attracted to in high school.

Could he sing? In tune and correctly, I mean? Could he play a musical instrument? Was he sensitive to your every need? Was he tender? Could he help you with your homework? Could he fix your computer/cellphone/ipod? Probably not.

I'll tell you what he could do, though: Sit in the couch all day, drink beer, know far more info about sports than is considered healthy, always loud and vulgar, and permanently obsessed with control.

Which would you prefer? Someone who cares what you want/need/think, or someone who walks all over you without any thoughts for how you feel about it?

I know which way I'd lean.


When it's something I really care about, I can get some very good writing out there....

Welcome Back

Okay, after first semester's epic failure, I've made the decision to start blogging (yeah, I know, it's already >50%  of the way through interim, deal with it) again to get into the habit. This should stop a repeat of last fall. Toodles for now.