NOTE TO THOSE I HOLD DEAR:

If you're reading this, you've decided to show an interest in my summer abroad.

THANK YOU!

It means a lot to me.

Please feel free to leave as many comments as you like, about whatever you like. I'd love to hear what you're doing with your sunshine, or what you think I should do to occupy my two months in Europe.

Here's a schedule of my summer as of yet...

June 29 ~ depart!

June 30-July 1 ~ spend time with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins

July 2-21 ~ study at Oxford University, Oxford, England ...address will be posted

July 22 ~ one more day with family

July 23-August 6 ~ International Journalism Conference with the Intercultural Summer School in Berlin, Germany

August 7-26 ~ reunite with Sophia Pape in Petershagen, Germany and galavant around Europe together.

August 27 ~ return!

NOTE: this blog was previously used for a media class, where we had to blog on news stories and post video projects. Please do NOT view the pathetic, carelessly-made video projects, but feel free to peruse the news stories...there's some interesting stuff.

Once again, THANK YOU and ENJOY!

Jackrabbit Guarantee

I thought this came together pretty well...

ahh!!

You know what that is?
I'll give you three guesses:
1) the world's largest hot dog collection
2) a garden of flowers to celebrate cinco de mayo
3) 18,000 naked mexicans

I hope you picked c, because that'd be a huge waste of hot dogs.

But seriously. Apparently a photographer who made himself famous by taking nudie photos en masse broke his own previous record of 7000 people.
He had them all raise their arms, lie on their backs, and make the shape of an arrow.
Some Mexicans were supportive, saying it was breaking down prudish barriers. Others were offended that so many chose to "lose their dignity" so close to a cathedral.

I can't find it in myself to be offended... i just have two questions:
1) what was the ratio of men to women
2) how much tequila was involved?!?

OH MY GOODNESS this is cool.

If you're going to read and investigate any of my postings, this is THE ONE.
Hark!

No but Seriously, my postings have been exceptionally interesting tonight, I think. And this one takes the cake. and the next. and the next.

So. Here's the story:
"Like a plot from “The Da Vinci Code,” a team of code breakers claims to have found music hidden for 500 years in intricate carvings at the church where author Dan Brown set the climax of the best-selling book."

The article goes on to talk about how there are 213 cubes at Rosslyn Chapel, and how the scientists believe the patterns on the cubes are Chladni patterns, created by vibrations of musical pitches.

And the coolest part---the music has been recorded!! This site gives a preview and talks about the presentation which will take place in May. LISTEN to it and watch the short preview. It's beautiful.

I can't wait to go to Europe...

there she is, folks. read on...

Alycia Lane, fully clothed.

way to go, woman.

Man. Suzy Shuster deserves an award. Or at least a new husband.

"Alycia Lane, a 34-year-old anchor for CBS affiliate KYW-TV, e-mailed vacation pictures of herself in a bikini to NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen. But the shots were intercepted by his wife, former Fox and ABC sports reporter Suzy Shuster, who was anything but amused."

Granted, I have a tendency to over-react at things like this, but I have to commend Shuster on how she handled this:

Shuster got the e-mails in an account she shares with Eisen, and responded with a snarky letter to Lane.
“Boy, do you look amazing in a bikini ... congrats! Whatever you’re doing, (Pilates? yoga?) keep doing it — it’s working for you. Anyway, sorry but those seven e-mails you sent to my husband, Rich, well, oops, they came to the e-mail address we both use from time to time, but no worries, I’ll forward the beach shots as well as the ones of you dancing with your friends on to his main address. Do you have it?”

I love her. I don't know her, but I love her. I hope she found a way to get completely honest answers from her husband...maybe a lie detector test?

And screw all the women out there who feel the need to attract MARRIED men. sluts. no, worse. hmmm...is there a word? I hereby promise to boycott any works by Alycia Lane. Ugh.

we had him---even if only for a second!

The Syrian Ambassador came to SDSU last semester, and fortunately, I found time to go and listen. I am extremely glad I did. He talked a lot about how Syria tried to warn the US against giving weapons to Afghanis several years ago, telling us that the Afghanis would eventually use them on us. Syria was right. Dr. Moustapha also talked about how Syria offered much assistance and knowledge with regards to our actions in Iraq, since they're neighbors and consequently know each other quite well. Apparently we were extremely rude and refused to take a moment. I mean, c'mon, how useful could insight from neighbors be? It's not like they're the first people the FBI interviews for background checks of new recruits or anything...haha. wow. I amuse myself.

Anyway, this article made me quite pleased. Apparently, we're starting to listen to Dr. Moustapha.
During part of the article/interview, Moustapha was asked exactly how Syria could aid the US right now, after so much damage has been done. His reply was:
"We don't have a magic wand. But we are neighbors and we have excellent relations with all the groups across the spectrum. At least we can help revive the national dialogue among Iraqis. Some of them do listen to us. Some of them do heed our advice…. Our policy is different from the United States. We talk to all the parties."

ok I think Newsweek deserves an award for this one.

What an ingenious idea for a news story....I know this has been done before, and even glamorized in the Hannibal Lector Trilogy, but interviewing a criminal with similar characteristics to the one who's currently in the papers is incredible.

Newsweek decided to interview Wayne Lo, a former student at Simon's Rock College of Bard in Great Barrington, Mass., on the shooter at Virginia Tech. Lo was one of the US's first school shooters, killing six classmates.

Not only did Newsweek have a nice lengthy article with him, but they decided to make the bulk of the article an interview. His interview was fascinating. I strongly encourage you to read it--click here.

He was calm and intelligent and admitted that he doesn't think he was mentally disturbed at all. He and the Virginia Tech shooter had so much in common.

I loved a point he made about guns and gun control...it makes a lot of sense:
"The people who do these things are people who don’t want contact. They wouldn’t be capable of going out there and stabbing people to death. But there’s such a disconnect when you’re using a gun. You don’t even feel like you’re killing anybody. The fact that I was able to buy a rifle in 15 minutes, that’s absurd. I was 18. I couldn’t have rented a car to drive home from school, yet I could purchase a rifle. That night was the first time I fired a gun. Why should a person who has never touched a gun be able to buy one and the first time he fires it, be able to kill people? You wouldn’t be able to drive a car without a license."

go figure...

So...I know everyone (including myself) is intrigued by the latest craze we all call Facebook, but the very mention of it is honestly starting to make me groan. I'm starting to wonder whether or not it does more harm than good.

This story that KELO's doing right now enforces my gut. A high school kid from Beresford (tell me again why facebook allows high schoolers to get accounts???) apparently created a hit list of classmates and teachers that he wanted to kill...knowing full well that every one of his contacts would see it.
First of all, facebook gave him an outlet to scare the hell out of people with.
Secondly, how come only ONE student reported him? He has to have more than one friend, and with the handy creation of mini-feeds, the heading "so-and-so wrote a new note called People I Want To Kill" showed up on every single one of his contact's home pages....c'mon kids...have some sense.

Everything I hear that pertains to facebook or is somehow related to facebook is negative. it causes relationship problems, friendship problems, misunderstandings, and it's very nature encourages everyone to release their inner stalker-demons...

hmmm, all this talk about facebook reminded me that I haven't checked mine in 2 hours...I think I'll just check it real quick....
kidding, just kidding, I'm really not an addict...or a creeper...