PlanetUSF

I still remember the first game I ever played. It was the original Mario Bros. for Nintendo. It had a very basic controller setup; Directional pad, Start, Select, A and B. A and B were the action buttons and that was it. No combinations or buttons in the back you weren’t able to see. It was that and Pacman I used to play at about eight years old. I’m not sure what drew me to it; maybe the catchy songs or the idea of controlling part of a different world. The games were so simple anyone could learn how to play it; I may have been able to teach my dog how to work it. Back then, I would have considered gaming to be a hobby. Something you do once in awhile to get away from the real world, just like watching TV or reading a book, to an extent. Just something to keep you occupied during those rainy days. If you were to ask me this question now however, I would have to go with the latter. There are a multitude of gaming systems out there now such as the Playstation 2, Nintendo Gamecube, and most recently, the Xbox 360. Gaming is now a billion dollar industry with plenty of competition between gaming companies to introduce the most ‘revolutionary’ product on the market. Of course the minute that product is introduced there is already bigger, or smaller deepening on how you look at it, and better products already in the making. Why do I consider gaming to be a sport? It has become extremely competitive, not only between the manufacturing companies, but also the gamers themselves. There are conventions held everywhere just so gamers can get together and talk about games. E3 is possibly the biggest gaming convention out there. E3 is basically a preview or sneak peek into the future of gaming, where new upcoming game demonstrations and new gaming products are on display for people to see and sometimes test out. I’ve tried the new Madden ‘06 video game for Xbox recently and that is the most complicated game I have ever played. First off, the controller is Nintendo on steroids. Not two simple buttons, but ten buttons (took me a few seconds to remember) not including combinations by pressing multiple buttons at a time. Even though I can’t play too well, I’m still willing to challenge anyone who is interested. The competition level is so high in video games now it’s unbelievable. People will do whatever it takes to win, including cheating. Although people will disagree in gaming being a sport because there’s no physical activity involved, there is however a great competitive level among players, and now (thanks to those complicated controllers) a great amount of mental activity involved.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Chicago Bears last Sunday with a final score of 13-10. I missed the first half of the game, but during the half-time recap on either ESPN or one of several other football playing networks such as Fox, I got the scoop. Our kicker Matt Bryant kicked a 20-some yard field goal for three points while the Bears were in the lead with 10 points, a touchdown in the first quarter and a field goal in the second, not sure who made those, not really important. At this point, the only important thing is for the Bucs to make a comeback much like their last couple games to pull off another win. Sadly however, we all know what the outcome is. The third quarter was pretty dull, I was on and off the T.V. coming back every now and then making sure I don’t miss anything good, or perhaps catch one of the 15+ replays of it. The bears scored another field goal extending their lead to 13-3. My guess was we still had a chance with only 10 points to score for a tie in 15 minutes, perhaps another 2 point conversion from Alstott again to win by a point. Time goes by and finally, the run in by Alstott, hurling himself over as many players as possible into the end zone. 13-10 we still have a chance to hopefully get a Touchdown, and if not, overtime with a field goal. Clock gets down to around three or four minutes left and we’re fairly close to getting a touchdown, within 30 yards. We can’t quite get it there so on fourth down, we settle for a field goal and get ready for overtime. Matt Bryant, the kicker who earlier scored a field goal at just about the same distance with ease now faces a bit more pressure. With only a couple of minutes left and this kick determining the fate of this game, I would sure feel pressured. The ball is snapped, he connects with the ball and it sails too far right and is ruled no good. He takes off his helmet on the sideline. Although viewers aren’t able to hear what Bryant is saying, the camera focusing in on his expression and the way his mouth is moving tells you exactly what he is saying. The Bears basically kill the clock down to under half a minute and the Bucs aren’t able to come back, the game ends with Chris Simms being sacked. I find it understandable why Bryant could have missed that field goal. When your there and it’s your moment to shine, you may feel overwhelmed with millions of people watching and depending on you to pull off what may seem to be the easiest thing to do. Perhaps he thought of what might happen if he did miss that kick, what would everyone say? Chances are if you aren’t able to focus and block out the pressure, you will buckle beneath it all.

If I was to give the minutemen advice. I would tell them to stop carrying weapons. I would tell them to patrol the borders with just bottles of water and a cell phone. The chance of them encountering any armed threat is minute, and since they are always on some type of mechanized transportation they could easily avoid a confrontation. They should just collect information and call in border patrol when there is a problem. If they really wanted to implement a change. This would be a much better way to do it. Running around the borders armed does not help the cause they say they are fighting for.

Lately I have been hearing more and more about immigrants coming into America and working illegally. I have also been hearing alot about the Minutemen, the a group of Armed Citizens who patrol the U.S. border with Mexico. I have a possible solution to situation.

First, we give every immigrant in America the opportunity to work in American legally. This is because our economy depends on their presence. In particular, our agricultural sector could not function without them. Every immigrant in the country illigally would have to buy a work pass. The money from the work passes would be used to help provide basic health care and educational services to the immigrants.

We would need to start fining employers heavily for employing aliens without a work pass. Employers could be used as the easiest way of informing the immigrants they need a work pass and how to get one.

Anyone person with a work pass could apply for citizenship. However, anyone who entered the country illegally would have a mandatory waiting period before thier application would be considered.

The national security would be increased. We would have a record of who is in the country, and if immigrants didn’t have to sneak into the country. They could go through a typicall point on entry and be screened. This would have the potential to effectively shut down the business of smuggling illegal aliens.

Anyone with a work pass would have many of the same priviledges as citizens but not all of the rights. For instance, if an immigrant wanted to get a driver’s license they could so long as they passed the driver’s test in thier state. They could not however vote or hold office unless the applied for citizenship.

On Friday, 25 Nov, I witnessed a very interesting southern tradition. I was a military escort for the Krewe of Venus Debutante Ball. I have never even heard the word “debutante” before this since I am originally from the northwest. I was “volun-told” by my Gunny a few days before hand. It is quite different (unless your happen to belong to a wealthy southern social community). For those who are as clueless as I was … a debutante ball is held to present daughters into society as they come of age. In the past this ball symbolized the time of which the young women were allowed to start dating, but that hasn’t been carried on. The young women range from 18 to 20 years old. The only real requirements I was told were that they have graduated from high school and are no older than 23.

My fellow Midshipman and I provided a sword arch for the debutantes to walk through as they were announced. The ceremony was very formal including everything from the “royal court” of the Krewe to a waltz with the debutantes. After the ceremony they fed us, which is always appreciated. I had a good time talking with people who had much more money than I. Then the floor was opened to dancing and music. The place quickly started to clear when the dancing started. It was much less formal and all the older attendees did not seem interested. Towards the end of the night the only ones left on the dance floor were the Navy ROTC Midshipmen and the debutantes. The cadets from the Air Force Academy, West Point, and the Naval Academy Midshipman just could not compete.

The ball was held at the Venoy Renaissance Resort in St. Pete. It cost about $25, 000 just to rent the hall out for the night. It was a fun time and I got some phone numbers. So I was happy. They invited me to come back and be a military escort again next year. How could I refuse free food, free drinks, and beautiful girls?

For me Thanksgiving was nearly a disaster. As a typical college student I was low on funds and could not travel very far. It did not help that my family is all spread out. My mother lives in Dallas. My brother is in Jacksonville. My sister is in Nashville. My dad and I live here in Tampa. This year we were supposed to converge in Tennessee. The problem is that I did not have the money to drive a truck five hundred something miles. Plans just came down to my father and I hanging out on turkey day and watching football. I was somewhat ok with the plan. About this time is when my father announces he will be flying to Oregon over the Thanksgiving weekend. I got ditched. Luckily I was invited to a friend’s house for Thanksgiving. Her family was great and I got a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Of course ROTC had to have a physical fitness test right after we got back. That was not that fun.

The football games were not that great. I was kind of hoping the Lions would win, but they choked. The Cowboys did ok. I personally do not think it is fair that Detroit and Dallas play every Thanksgiving. Maybe others would like to see their teams play on the one day that is well known for watching football aside from the super bowl. This means that the players for Detroit and Dallas have not been able to spend all of Thanksgiving Day with their families for quite a while. I do not know why anyone would want to play on international turkey genocide day anyhow.

The website in which I prepare to engage in a rhetorical analyzes on is www.cnn.com. I believe this site amongst all the other mass media site conveys accurate and fictional information. Well others embellish or bend the true, one could except CNN to give in to you raw. In deciphering this site, I plan to cover why they so willing depict the images the way that they do.

Everyone know that after Thanksgiving there is the classic “black Friday”, where millions of people across the United States crowd the stores for the unbelievable discounts in preparation for the Christmas holiday season. But exactly what is Christmas all about? We as westerners have turned it into the day of joule old Saint Nick, who at the peak of midnight begins to deliver toys to all the good little boys and girls in the world. But Christmas is not about being naughty or nice nor about the amount of toys under one’s Christmas tree. Christmas is about the birth of the savior Jesus Christ. The story is told of a virgin (Mary) who gives birth to the son of God (Jesus) and the troubles she encountered trying to find shelter. It was in a manger where Jesus was born. To show appreciation and gratitude for his birth, the Three Wise Man traveled to Bethlehem to bare gifts. So in the spirit of the holidays do give gifts but do not lose sight of the greater reason we acknowledge this holiday. It is in the remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Have you ever been trapped between the one you love and the one you like? Or perhaps the one you loved you let get away? Unfortunately for me it is a little bit of the two. I was eighteen years old when this young man came into my life, and showed me the meaning of true love. You probably thinking you are too young to fall in love. Strangely enough I believed the same thing. But after I shared a wonderful one year and eight months with him, I now know differently. To me love has no race, color, and/or age; it is just a feeling. A feeling of being complete, wanted, fulfilled, and last but not least an overwhelming of joy. This young man was the world to me. He knew what I was thinking without me saying it. He knew how I felt before I even begin to feel it. Our relationship was something magical like a Walt Disney Cinderella tale. Before him love was just a four letter word, now it is a memory of all the joyous occasions we shared together. As a child growing up, I use to hear people talking about being in love but always wonder when it would happen to me. Now that it has I understand that when you love someone, you just do not love the good things about them but the bad as well. And it really does not matter what they do, as long as they are with you. So if you someone do not give up, love is worth fighting for.

The website I have chosen to do a rhetorical analysis on will be SpikeTV.com. For those of you who don’t know what SpikeTV is, it is a television show formally known as TNN. The network appeals to men by showing agressive sports, action series, and japanese game show parodies. I chose do conduct my analysis on this website because I wanted to continue doing research in the entertainment industry, but since my blog has been sports based, I didn’t want to analyze an all sports website. So I decided to choose a website that was within the same vicinity, but also contained some new material I could discuss; that and it’s one of my favorite TV networks, so will be fun and interesting to conduct a rhetorical analysis on.

Education

· Student at University of South Florida.

· Attended Florida Atlantic University. 2004-2005

· Attended St. Petersburg College for one year. 2001

· Completed 16 hours of Police Academy. 2000

· Graduated with honors from Countryside High School.

· Will graduate from University of South Florida in 2006.

Skills

· Very familiar with Microsoft Office, Power Point, Word, Excel.

· Knowledgeable in Microsoft Publisher, and Front Page.

· Fast and diligent worker.

· Good at working with people and/or in groups.

· Can type 70 words/min.

Employment/Other

- Assistant Manager at My Mailbox. 2004 - 2005
- A packing and shipping store.

- Duties include customer service, building crates, packing items, updating accounts, filing, updating daily sales records.

- Clearwater Police Department 2001 - 2002

- Participated in ride-alongs. park patrols, drug stings, prostitution reversals, and security at events.

- Americorps Pinellas 2000 - 2001

- Completed over 2300 hours of community service since 2000.

- Participated in neighborhood watch, neighborhood clean-ups, beach clean-ups, “Paint Your Heart Out Clearwater”, parades, Youth volunteer, tutoring programs.

- Volunteer Little League Umpire in 2000.

- A Brother in Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity

- Volunteered with “Shriner’s Kids” at USF Memorial Hospital.

- Volunteer for “The Forum” serving concession.

- Highest fraternity GPA on campus for past 4 years.

- Fraternity of the Year in 2001 – 2005.

**References available upon request

The style book is a great tool for writing grammatically correct. In chapter four it specifically goes into discussing characters. You wouldn’t think that there was much thought into placing characters into sentences, however after reading this chapter it makes one more aware of this process. To many writing with characters is a simple task. Its easy to realize when something is out of place. But for a first time learner this can be quite a challenge. Not saying that everyone should know this by now, I’m sure most due but perhaps not by the correct terminology. There are many elements that surround writing with characters. From verbs, nouns, and deciding whether they are active or passive, chapter four covers it all. Its loaded with prim examples to help you understand and actually see the changes. It also has a multitude of examples so you can test yourself. Next time you get a chance, take a look at the style book and learn something new.

English this year was a lot of fun. I have learned so much from writing these 4 assigned papers. I think the most trouble I had was on my travel writing paper. I think this was hard because not only did you have to include factual information about the place but also personal descriptions of the place. I think It might have taken me three or four times or rewriting this paper to get it right. I do find it helpful though when students look over the papers and give suggestions before the teacher looks at it. I enjoyed how everything was loosely set, so there was never much worry if I wasn’t quite done with a paper. The only suggestion that I would recommend is to maybe have an example paper before the presentation of the project so the class has an idea of what to write. The blog writings were also very helpful because it always kept you in a writing mood and able to express personal feelings about environmental topics, class topics or just anything you might have had on your mind. I think that the least favorite part of the class for me was the plagiarism section. I found the annotated Bibliography very tedious and sort of unclear. I did not realize how big plagiarism was until I actually reached college. I would avoid some of that focus for next semester and put more emphases on grammatical exercises and creative projects. Anyhow the ENC 1101 class was never the less very helpful in learning how to write a proper college essay.

I really want to focus on a particular song. My choices are Common featuring Lauryn Hill called “Retrospective of Life”, Tupac’s “Brenda’s Got a Baby” and Kanye West’s “Diamonds are Forever.” Common and Tupac have a very political and cultural aspect to them. Common’s “Retrospective of Life” illustrates a very popular political issue such as abortion. In his lyrics, he explains the dilemma he has and it makes you think. This particular song has so much material that can be debated upon. In “Brenda’s got a Baby”, the lyrics explain the troubles an adolescent deals with when having a baby at a very young age. In Tupac’s lyrics he explains what a young girl goes through when having a baby at a young age. He also explains how this situation affects all the people around her, both directly and indirectly. Kanye West has also created some controversial and debatable lyrics. The part in completing 1,000 words is writing an essay that is sound and not redundant. In order to be successful at this I believe I have to dig deep in these lyrics and really grasp what I understand the lyrics to be explaining.

This year I have so much to be thankful for that I should have been in the past. For example my family. Going away to school has made me realize what a great support system I have. I always used to say I cant wait to leave them and go to college, but I kind of regret saying that. Im so thankful for all they have done for me through out my life. I’m also thankful for my friends. they say you make your life long friends in college, but I disaggree. I have the best group of friends ever. We never fight and we always are there for each other. Going home and seeing everyone was amazing. Of course so was the food. Eating at the dinning halls isnt always my favortie choice of food. I think i gained about 234 pounds. We had two thanksgivings this year. One was just my immdiate family; my mom, dad, brothers and neices and nephews. The second one was huge.. we didnt finish any of the food because there was so much. I cant wait to gain more weight over christmas when I see my family and friends for three weeks

I cant belive how fast this semester went by. I feel like we just started. Evem though the last two weeks are so stressfull.. trying to get everything in and cramming for finals. Im still looking foward to it. I really cant wait to celebrate the holidays with my family and have a break from school. Ofcourse its going to be freezing when I go back to New York but I must admit I miss the cold weather and the snow.

Being from New York, I am a die hard Yankees fan. They havent been doing that great this year, but still better than most teams. I was shocked yesterday when I found out that Joe Torre might be moving A-Rod or Jeter to the center postion. They’ve been having alot of trouble in that area and thought it was time to fix it. They are both gifted athletes and would strenghten the team’s defense. Compared to A-rod, Jeter is an overall better player. Hes faster and more gracefull. Although the swithc isnt deffinite yet, none thinks that he will give up his postion as short stop. The coaches belive that Jeter has what it takes to take on the challange. He could be the next Mickey Mantle.

When i bought my cay a few months ago, i did not think that it would already be in the shop. i had to take it in 3 weeks ago because the paint was discolored in some spots. Also there were weird noises that came out of it when i pressed that accelerator. needless to say, i took it in on a monday to get the work done on it, the people there were not very friendly, i dont want to give the name of the dealership, it starts with a Bill, and it is a Ford dealership hmmmmm i wonder. the dude there said that it would take about a week to get fixed so i left it there and said ok. my dad was mad, and demanded a rental car from them….we got it. the worst thing about this is that it over 2 WEEKS to get it back, and it is still not fixed all of the way. i am so mad right now…i could Bill Currie……o well it slipped. Peace.
http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/mustang/

As I opened Internet Explorer yesterday, the AOL homepage popped up. The title was “Bush; should he do Fireside Chats?”. My answer; NO! I don’t think that President Bush should do fire side chats because he is not a “peoples president”. The point of a fire side chat is to relate to the common person and to have share conversation is “common language”. Can President Bush do that? I really don’t think so, because he has people write his speeches for him and then while presenting the speech he reads it verbatim from the prompter. If a president wants to do fireside chats it has to be compassionate and personal and it really has to be impromptu. Bush’s best speeches are rehearsed and polished, and the moments when he does have to make quick answers they are known not to be the most intelligent words in the world. As a president I think that they should just stick to stuff that they are good at, and fire side chats I don’t think would be beneficial to his presidential rating. Another reason why I don’t think it is a good idea in his favour is because he has a lot of unfinished business and “iffy” questions to be answered. When he makes speeches he has the option of answering questions, he can just deliver the information and walk away from the microphone. Fireside chats are just too personal and unlike President Bush.

What is this, i go to bed one night, when the day was like 85 degrees, and i wake up in the morning, and it is cold! ahhhh! i dont even think that these weather people know what they are talking about anymore. everytime i look at the weather on the news at night, the next day, it is totally different from what they said. the only thing i can count on them for is to watch the path of teh hurricane, and they are wvwn off on that too. i woke up this morning not thinking it was any different from the night before, and i get ready to walk out to my car, and i am freezing because it is like 50 degrees. then i had to go back in the house to get warmer clothes, and by the time i got finished with that, i had to hurry to class so i didnt miss anything important for the finals coming up, but i was late! i totally made up this story because i had nothing else to write about. Peace.

Now that it is the end of the semester, all of my teachers are giving me way more work than they did during the rest of the year. i think that they are trying to cram everything that they forgot to teach, in at the very last second. i couldnt think of anything better to right, so i decided to right about this. i bet a lot of other people can agree with me on this too, because it probably happens to everyone around this time of year. i know that i sound like i am rambling on and on about this and not making any sense at all, but i have to say something, lol. i just think that if a teacher is not teaching the way that they are sopposed to the majority of the year, than i dont think that is fair to shove it all at us, we didnt even do anything to deserve this, plus we have a lot of other clases to study for besides theres. Peace.

Who can believe that there is only one week of classes left in the semester? I sure can’t!!! I can not wait until I get to sleep in again. Is everybody else as sleep deprived as I am? I am sure ya’ll are. I made it through my first semester with flying colors, but the hard part is knowing how hard it is going to be next semester. Working 35 hours a week, commuting thirty minutes a day, and a full load of classes I have an “A” or a “B” in, I think I did pretty well. All there is left to fret about this year are those terrible exams. Oh well, we’ll get through!!!!

I know I just wrote about this terribly sad subject, but the subject changes completely when someone you know is diagnosed with cancer. The day after Thanksgiving, I found out that my granfather has Prostate Cancer. When you find these like these out, big dark family secrets have a way of surfacing, at least in my family, but it is so hard and becomes a major stessor for everyone who has to deal with it. By the time I found out, he was already on radiation therapy, and the prognosis is good but it is still all I can think about, and is all I am ever focused on. My grandpa is the very first person in my family to get cancer, and I just found out that this isn’t his first bout with it. My family kept it from me. He beat it the first time and he will beat it again. I love my grandpa so much but I don’t get to see him very often. He lives very far away and I miss him very much. When someone you know is diagnosed with cancer it is so shocking because you never think it will happen to you, but it also helps you feel for others who have it worse. People whose parents have it terminally, and all cancer patients and what they must be going through. I guess I just wish everyone could see how hard it hurts and even if it could have been prevented, it wasn’t and they need to feel loved.

I keep hearing about bird flu but I haven’t really paid much attention. Now that I’ve read more about it, I think it’s an issue that should be watched carefully. Affecting 133 people in Asia since 2003, killing 70, the bird flu is a dangerous virus that can’t be stopped.

Bird Flu in China

Two new cases of bird flu have been reported recently in China. One in the northwestern region of Xinjiang and the other in the central Hunan province. There have been 24 cases since October. China is struggling to contain the virus, as they are a top poultry producer. However, in some cases, people cannot be treated due to lack of medical equipment.

Indonesian Woman Dies of Bird Flu

A 25 year old woman in Indonesia, who was being treated at a clinic for bird flu patients, also died. There have been 12 cases in Indonesia, 7 of which were fatal. Hospitals are trying their best to prepare, but face shortages of drugs and equipment.

People worry about the possibility of it spreading from person to person. There’s not enough evidence now to prove it, but it’s a possibility that scientists fear.

I’m actually a bit worried myself. If it spreads and can’t be controlled, the numbers are going to be a lot higher than hundreds. Different countries are trying to find ways to stop it, but there’s not a lot they can do. It’s not something that can be easily spotted, therefore, can’t be easily prevented. If countries are not supplied with the needed materials to help patients, it’s just going to occur more. A lot more people are going to die. Especially if it turns into a pandemic outbreak. Unfortunately, there’s not an easy way out and immediate action needs to happen.

I think people need to stay far away from any type of bird. Who needs poultry anyway?

Johann Ramkissoon, this is the person that I have chosen to write about this time for a blog peer review. As much as I would like to rant and rave about what a immaculate job that this blog relfects and how if I were the grader I would automatically with out a doubt award it an A++……I can’t.

Not that the blog is bad, it has its goods and bads and could use a little constructive criticism.

To begin with, the entries are written rather well. The one written on Ethnography does a good job at conveying to the point what the assignment suggested. This was to better tell about how an Ethnography works. You did just that. I especially enjoyed the comparison to Alcoholics Anonymous. I agree that by emersing yourself in to the community you are better able to witness the interaction and make inferences.

Same goes for the entry you made on the Field Research assignment. You explained how field research works and how it is different than an ethnography because the information is collected and not actually gathered first hand. Nice job on that.

Unfortunately, what is going on? You have only written a total of 5 blogs! The first one that is supposed to introduce yourself and tell a little about who you are is less than 4 words. In the duration of the course, we are supposed to have a MINIMUM of 16 blog posts. I wish you had written more because from what little you have written, you seem like a good writer that would have had very interesting things to say. You did state however, “For the theme I will be following for the remain of the semester….. I am unsure. I used to be an excellent procrastinator in the past and while trying to change, I’ve picked up a bad habit of being very indecisive when it comes to writing or speaking about a topic of my choice. I will post it shortly…”

But you never did. I would rate this blog a 1.5 out of 5.

Johann Ramkissoon