November 6, 2009

Really, America?

First of all- PROPS to William for posting "UBL" on my friend Amanda's Facebook. FINALLY! Someone gets the guy's friggin name right. This is one of my pet peeves. (Of which I have several.) The man is Usama bin Laden. You may know him as Osama bin Laden. You would be wrong. The FBI and the State Department have ALWAYS called him Usama, or UBL. For no apparent reason after September 11th, 2001, the American Media changed his name. Maybe it's because they (I mean "They") didn't want a terrorist who took more American lives than anyone ever before to have a name that begins with USAma, or maybe some intern at a news office messed it up by accident and they just ran with it. Who knows? Either way, its Usama bin Laden. End of story. Don't believe me? Just ask the FBI. Go to the FBI website, and on the middle right-hand side there's a link that says "Most Wanted Terrorists" click it, He's numero uno. Look, I'll even provide you with a link. THE FBI
 
MOVING ON.
Something I would like to say: you can't let the world get you down and I'll tell you why. Did Bartlet let conflict between India and Pakistan get him down? No. he immediately got the ambassadors in the white house and tried to dissipate the situation. One man. and the guy has MS. 
What did Josh and Toby do when they met Matt Kelly at that little bar? Did they despair at the poor conditions of the economy? Or did they do something about it? No one thought that they could, not even the President of the United States, but they had an idea and they ran with it. That, my friend, is going to be you (or us?!) some years from now.
 
Just remember from 20 Hours in America, part 2:
JOSH: Campaigns aren't about the candidates.
TOBY: No?
JOSH: They're about the voters. How-how are we going to create jobs? how-how are we going to get healthcare? How are we going to make the lights go on? How are we going to protect ourselves?
 
The point is that it's not about the state of affairs, it's not about what has, could, or will happen, it's about YOU. It's about the future of politics. It's what we are going to do to fix the world. And you can't lose hope for change, because Faith that you can change it is the only thing that will ever change the world. And a little bit of cynicism can be good. It's what allows us to not simply accept the status quo, but to effect change. To demand change. The key is to stay just critical enough to force a change, but not too much that you lose the faith that you can.
 
JOSH: Learn things. Be good to each other. Read the newspapers, go the movies, go to a party. Read a book. In the meantime, remember pluralism. You want to get these people? I mean, you really want to reach in and kill them where they live? Keep accepting more than one idea. Makes 'em absolutely crazy.
 
Josh then, of course, reminds the students to refrain from stealing anything before they leave :) I leave you with that my dear. That and the promise to send you a special present!! 

November 2, 2009

Coffee, papers, class, library, sleep, repeat

It has come to my attention that there are only five more weeks until finals. How did that happen? It seems that I just finished all of my midterm papers last week. Weekends and evenings are now entirely devoted to the library and papers.

I have at least one full book a week for Satire- lets say about 300 pages. Pearls, Politics and Power for Women in Politics, at the same time as the The Handmaid's Tale- 224 and 324 pages, respectively. Not to mention the papers and questions related to the books. Also articles read and reviewed for Comparative Politics, and that isn't even touching upon the senior thesis for the Capstone. And I'm only taking four classes!

I hardly have time to breathe, let alone sleep or hang out with friends.

And then- there's the Swine Flu. This virus has been around campus with a fury as of yet unseen by our generation. More friends than I can count are “out with the oink” as they say. So now we have to deal with epidemic influenza, regular seasonal influenza, colds, weather (we do live in the Wind Tunnel of Shippensburg), family obligations, relationships, working (gotta pay the rent), and more papers than I have time to write let alone do the readings for. It's all a little overwhelming.

Why do professors think that the only things we have to do in a week concern their class?

I just keep telling myself: Just finish the semester, that's all you have to do. Just pass these four classes, then it's all over. It will be so much better once you finish this semester. But then I think of the classes for next semester, and what I am going to do after graduation, and how am I going to find the time for all of this- and now I don't know what to do.

I need more coffee. Sigh.