What's in a BLOG?

Having been an official blogger for the past few months, I can honestly say that I have enjoyed it. Well… maybe I should say I have enjoyed it more than I would have writing weekly papers. Writing a quick blog post is just less of a hassle than printing out a typical assignment. Having never blogged before I was a bit unsure how this was going to work. Surprisingly, Blogger.com has been very user friendly and easy to navigate. While I am unsure if I will continue to blog after this class is over, I am glad I have a better understanding of web writing.
Blogging for a class struck me as a strange idea at first. Having my classmates read my mediocre work didn’t bother me-- it was just unexpected I guess. The ability to read other blogs turned out to be very helpful. Reading my classmates blogs gave me ideas for my own as well as an occasional chuckle. It was also neat to read everyone’s thoughts on a certain topic. While some blogs were more fun to read than others, I was a little disappointed when we stopped having to comment on one another’s blogs. The comments gave us an incentive to read and really engage in a blogging community.
The blog assignments were always on topics that were easy and at least slightly enjoyable to write about. After a couple of weeks I began to feel more at ease writing my blog and my entries improved. My most recent blog entry was the most enjoyable to write and probably my best. This is most likely due to the fact that I really wanted to see if I could fool anyone into believing my lie. It was also fun to guess the lies in other people posts.
Making my writing sound natural, like speech rather that words on paper, is my biggest weakness. Blogging, and this class in general, has helped me become more comfortable in my writing. I am able to write more like I talk than I used to. This class has also increased the speed at which I write. Writing a lot—well all for me anyway—is giving me the chance to practice writing. And lets face it I am a huge procrastinator. Having to quickly write and proofread a blog 20 minutes to midnight on multiple occasions has defiantly made me a faster writer.
All in all, I am glad we blogged for this class. Some people seemed to “hate on” blogging but I found it to be a creative alterative to the ordinary English class. If my opinion counts for anything you should

Lies I tell you, all lies!

This post will consist of two truths and one lie about the events of my day, which has been an adventure to say the least. See if you can spot the lie hidden among the truths. Leave me a comment telling me which one you think is made up.

#1. This morning, after waking up in the great outdoors, my friends and I decided a quick dip in the ice-cold creek—there was snow right to the waters edge—was a good idea. Once we had finished eating some delicious banana oatmeal and consuming more than enough beer we striped down and plunged into the frigid water. The part of the creek near our campsite was unusually deep causing us to sink chest high into the water. The combination of the sun’s warmth and the alcohol flowing through our veins allowed us to stay in the freezing water for a considerable amount of time. After five or so minutes the girls headed back to the warmth of the fire. Roy and I then decided that the best coarse of action would be to play the polar bear challenge. The game works by each player submerging their body up to their neck, the first person to come up loses. After another few minutes Roy and I were each blue from the cold and decided the we would both come up at the same time to avoid shame in losing.

#2. After dismantling our tent, watering the fire, and picking up the campsite we continued up Lost Horse Canyon in hopes of reaching Twin Lakes. Less than a mile up from our campsite the road became snow packed. After putting my truck in four-wheel drive we continued up the road. We became lodged in a large snow bank about half way to lakes. A few minutes of cussing went by before another truck came up the road. The of the driver--who was wearing wranglers, a big cowboy hat, and an intimidating pistol strapped to his chest—offered to pull us out. While maneuvering his truck into a place Mac, as his name turned out to be, also got very stuck. Mac’s truck slid deep into a ditch and became far more stuck than mine. It didn’t take us long to get my truck out of the drift but Mac’s truck was still stuck blocking the road. Luckily, about this time two guys came walking down the road. They too were stuck. Fortunately one of the men owns a towing business and after about two hours was able to get Mac’s truck out of the ditch and headed down the mountain. Mac gave the two men a ride down the mountain so they could get the right equipment to get themselves out.

#3. Once headed back down the mountain we reached the bolder field— the real reason we spent the weekend in Lost Horse. We unloaded our climbing pads and got work scaling the boulders. After warming up on some easy problems we moved to a more difficult boulder. For next two hours my climbing partner and I battled with the same problem. We tried and tried and tried to pull ourselves over a ledge with almost no foothold. After what seemed like a lifetime Lauren, my partner, finally made it over the ledge but was unable to stay close enough to rock and tumbled on to the pad. Agreeing that was the best we were going to do for the day we found Brittany and Roy and started our journey back to Missoula.

A show about the 70's

Writing about a television show is a difficult topic for me. I don’t have a TV in my house and haven’t had one for a few years. When I lived at home my parents obviously had a television but I rarely watched. Now I use the Internet watch the few shows I do enjoy. They’re even commercial free— thank God. With that said I have chosen to write about That 70’s Show.

That 70’s Show follows the life of a group of teenagers growing up in 70’s suburbia. The story shows the trials and joys of being young and bonding with friends. Most of the show takes place in the Eric Forman’s house. Here his parents oversee the teens’ experimentation with alcohol, marijuana, and relationships. But why was the show good? I enjoyed That 70’s Show because I found it relatable. During high school I made a very close group of friends. We spent countless hours just “chillin” in one another’s basements. We had many adventures that were sometimes very similar to the events on the show. The problems, experiences, and pleasures of being a teenager transcend generations and are often repeated. The show was also filled with a talented cast that included a few now very well known actors. That 70’s Show established careers for Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Topher Grace.

That 70’s Show was one of the few television programs that caught my attention long enough for me to watch it. I enjoyed watching the cast mature on screen and seeing their acting improve throughout the eight seasons. I was sad when the show ended but also was glad that I was no longer obligated to set aside a weekly half an hour for zoning out behind a TV screen—something that can easily happen if you get too into a series.

Again I must apologize for not having my blog up before midnight. For some reason I seem to work best late at night, anyway, that is no excuse for late work. Oh by the way, after more thought and wavering back and forth I have decided to write my op-ed on the Native America Studies building—the ugly thing.

Op-Eds... Quite interesting if I do say so myself.

Health bill a huge victory for young adults

The health care bill provides young adults with the most benefits.

Adults 19 through 29 currently make up a third of America’s uninsured. Because of the health care bill’s expansion of Medicaid, 9 million young Americans will now have access to health care. An additional 2 million young adults will continue to be insured under their parents insurance due to the cut off age being extended two years.

Young adults affected with pre-existing conditions will no longer be denied coverage or have their coverage dropped due to the passage of Sunday’s bill. Tax credits will help millions more young Americans afford coverage for themselves.

The much-underreported Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act was passed has a part of the health care package. The Act provides the more help for students and their families paying for college than ever before. Over the next 10 year $36 million will be invested in the Pell Grant program allowing 500,000 students to continue to receive aid. Billions of dollars will also be invested in community colleges.

This article was published at CNN.com and can be found at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/23/williams.healthcare.young/index.html

Could human life be put on hold?

It may soon be possible to put humans into a state of suspended animation for a period of time and then return them to normal.

Scientist Mark Roth and his colleagues have found way to lower some animals’ metabolism enough to no longer show signs of life. Breath and heartbeat have been stopped with small amounts of hydrogen sulfide in animals such as frogs and zebra fish. Animals have been returned to normal up to 24 hours later. Roth discusses the medical possibilities of suspending humans for small periods of time.

This article was published at CNN.com and can be found at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/23/roth.suspended.animation/index.html

In China, Bing's turn to show some spine

Since Google stopped censoring its search engine in China on Monday, will Microsoft’s Bing also make a strong stance against China’s ethics violations?

On Monday, Google moved its service to Hong Kong, a city that doesn’t require censorship. The same day they stopped censoring material throughout China. Since this time China has begun to block much of Google’s content, thus leaving a large hole in the Chinese search engine industry (say that five times fast).

Before Monday Google controlled about 35 percent of the market. Google’s estimated 140 million users now have a choice between Baidu, China’s largest domestic search engine, and Bing that currently controls only about one percent of the market.

Microsoft has indicated that it intends to continue to operate under Chinese laws. They insist that Microsoft continually tries to promote freedom of speech and Internet privacy wherever they operate. But the question remains-- does a company stand up to China’s questionable human rights policy or does it continue to exploit China’s 400 million Internet users? Google did the right thing in my mind.

This article was published at CNN.com and can be found at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/24/mackinnon.google.china/index.html

Sources!

1. This source deals with the history of environmentalism as a political issue. It also shows how the two main parties have changed their platforms in regard to energy policy and environmentalism. I found this source to be very helpful and will be using it in my paper. (Peer-reviewed)

http://web.ebscohost.com.weblib.lib.umt.edu:8080/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=7&sid=fb3dbfb3-1812-442f-97da-9b3a391a63af%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=34054384

2.This paper is concerned with the voting pattern of congressional members as it relates to environmental issues. The paper hypothesizes that race in a major factor in how members of congress vote on climate change legislation. I’m not sure how much of this source will be used in my paper but there is some information that I found relevant to my topic. (Peer-reviewed)

http://web.ebscohost.com.weblib.lib.umt.edu:8080/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=7&sid=fb3dbfb3-1812-442f-97da-9b3a391a63af%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=6194791

3. Environmental policy is used as a way of determining if the Democratic and Republican parties are drifting apart or coming together in this source. The paper discusses a few social factors that often lead to lead to a person political ideology. (Peer-reviewed)

http://web.ebscohost.com.weblib.lib.umt.edu:8080/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=7&sid=fb3dbfb3-1812-442f-97da-9b3a391a63af%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=5070091

4. This article discusses the United States decision not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and Canada decision to do the opposite. It also talks a little about George W. Bush’s ideas on climate change. Although I found some useful information in this article, I would like to find something that focuses more on Bush’s policies. (Peer-reviewed)

http://web.ebscohost.com.weblib.lib.umt.edu:8080/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=7&sid=fb3dbfb3-1812-442f-97da-9b3a391a63af%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=27759987

5. I have seen An Inconvenient Truth before and think it gives a strong counter argument to the policies enacted by the Bush administration. I will use Gore and Bush to show the extreme differences between the major parties’ view on climate change.

Movie: An Inconvenient Truth

6. This news article talks about Obama’s challenges and strategies for tackling his energy proposal. I well need a few more sources pertaining to President Obama’s positions on climate change, environmentalism, and sustainability

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/05/obama.energy/index.html?iref=allsearch

.

Sustainability: A Political Time Bomb

Hi Molly,

I would like to write my personal essay on how sustainability has become political issue. Sustainability, to me anyway, seems like an issue that would have wide ranging bipartisan support because it benefits everyone: rich or poor, white or black, gay or straight. This is not the case. I would like to research why there is such a divide on Capitol Hill. I love politics and personally identify more with Democrats on social issues like sustainability but I will do my best correctly portray the Republicans stance on this issue. I have previously written a paper similar to this but politics was a side note rather than the main topic. I have a genuine interest in both sustainability and politics (I’m a political junkie, weird I know) and really look forward to researching this topic. By the way, congratulations on your raw food diet! You have WAY more will power than I.

Happy Tuesday,

Blake

KILLER MARSHMALLOWS!!!!!

Writing about food is a bit of a difficult task for me; there are just so many tasty things I could speak about! After some thought (and a snack) I have settled on one of my many childhood favorites, MARSHMALLOWS! No matter how you liked them: lightly browned, charred to blackened crisp, or even straight out of the bag- marshmallows were (and still are) the best fireside treat! Luckily for us, you don’t have to be off in the woods with a campfire to enjoy these delicious confections. Marshmallows seem to be made or mixed into just about anything now days including the classic rice krispie treat, the old but delicious fluffernutter sandwich, and the colorful Easter peeps.

Since the time of the Egyptians marshmallows have been satisfying humanity’s sweet tooth. Roughly four thousand years ago people began making marshmallows from the root of the marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis) plant. This process was done by boiling the root, then straining and cooling the pulp resulting in sweet and fluffy delicacy reserved for royalty. Over the past few millennia we have come a long way in craft of marshmallow making. Today most marshmallows are made with gelatin (which comes from the processed hooves and hides of horses, pigs, and cattle) rather than the hard to find marsh mallow root. In this process corn syrup, gelatin, gum arabic and flavoring are combined, pushed through tubes, and cut to the desired size. Automated marshmallow making has allowed for only a handful of companies to dominate the industry creating little need for homemade marshmallows.

After a bit of research I have found that these yummy morsels have a much more sinister side to them. Marshmallows have caused at least two deaths in the recent past. Both deaths were caused by suffocation while playing Chubby Bunny. Chubby Bunny is played by placing marshmallows into your mouth until you are no longer able to say “Chubby Bunny.” The marshmallows are then counted and the person with the most wins. This all sound like fun and games until a puffy treat clogs your esophagus. Fortunately my days of playing Chubby Bunny have long past and I am content toasting my next marshmallow over the open fire.

Information found at the following sites:

http://www.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/marshmallow

http://inventors.about.com/od/foodrelatedinventions/a/marshmallows_3.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chubby_Bunny

Bullet in the Brain!... OOUCH!

Bullet in the Brain shows us the last few minutes of Anders life in great detail. The author paints Anders as a cynical and almost unreal book critic that somehow feels the urge to rebel against armed robbers. His critical view of others’ speech and life in general is what causes Anders to get a “bullet in the brain.” The author uses the mystery of the brain and death to draw the reader in. By using “brain time” the bullet is slowed to allow author to describe vivid snip-its of Anders life. I like how the author included “what Anders did not remember given what he did remember.” The small forgotten memories show us a different side of Anders. Lighter, more human elements of family, love, and literature remind us of Anders past and just how real he was. What was remembered is a common enough childhood seen of baseball. In this memory Anders is reminded of his passion for words and love of language as he dies. It is fitting that his last memory is of analyzing dialects and speech, something that ultimately gets him killed.

I feel the author’s main intent for the story is to show how being over critical of life can cause trouble. Each of us has our own way of talking, writing, and going about life. I also feel that this may be the author’s way of making fun of editors and critics. A writer’s work is constantly critiqued and changed; this could be Wolff’s way of saying, “Back off, wrote it the way I want it.” This story made me look back over my life searching for small forgotten joys. I hope that my final thoughts will allow me to relive a wonderful time in my life.

Finally 10!!!

Blake Thompson was an average American ten-year-old boy. He lived in a normal town, on a normal street, with his fairly normal mother, stepfather, and baby sister. Blake had just begun the second half of his forth grade year when he turned ten. The big “double digit” birthday celebration was held at the local laser tag park. After an afternoon filled with epic games of capture the flag and king of the mountain the party goers sat down for pie and ice cream. “Yes pie,” Blake explained, “ Cake is too dry and has too much frosting and no fruit so that’s why we aren’t having cake!” Gifts of all kinds were opened and the customary “thank yous” were handed back in return. However, Blake was really only concerned the new set of pogs that his parents had bought and the two packs of Pokemon cards that Cooper, his best friend, gave him. Pogs and Pokemon were Blake’s favorite things to do at recess, well maybe beside foursquare. Soon after the presents were unwrapped the other forth graders’ parents began to pick their children up. When Blake and Cooper were the only kids left Blake’s parents drove them back to their normal neighborhood. The rest of the evening the two boys fished at the lake a few streets from theirs. When dark came the boys returned to their homes to find their parents doing normal adult things. Blake finished his homework that he had left until Sunday night before brushing his teeth for bed. While lying in bed, waiting to fall asleep, Blake smiled to himself, thinking how fun the next ten years would be!

Enthusiast 7

div align="center">

Main Type	Overall Self

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

The results to my Enneagram Test showed me to be a Type Seven. Sevens are considered to be the enthusiast. Enthusiasts tend to be quick thinking extroverts with creative and open minds. Members of this group are in a constant pursuit of adventure and entrainment. They are high energy, multi-taskers who often have a hard time finishing what they start. Sevens are easily distracted due to their fear of boredom. Because of this sevens must exercise patience and keep a flexible schedule. Other than boredom, sevens struggle with fears of limitation, being confined, and missing out. Sevens do not practice self-denial; instead they are concerned with stimulating the senses. The ideal self for a seven is to be and be seen as happy, optimistic, and on the go.

Do I agree with the results?... When the personality test was first assigned I was very skeptical. I have a hard time believing that something as complex and changing as a human’s physiological personality can be classified into one of nine categories. I also struggle with the notion that people always want to group other people. I believe that each of us have had so many unique life experiences that it is impossible to group some 6.7 billion people into just a few boxes. With that said, after taking the test I found my results to be surprisingly accurate. While reading about the enthusiast, type seven, I easily thought of examples in my life that fit this profile. The easiest way to put it is I am a thrill-seeker. I love the high of experiencing new and unknown things. Travel is my greatest passion, I can’t think of a better feeling that being in an unfamiliar place trying to figure things out. I am first in line when it comes to anything involving an adrenaline rush, whether it be skydiving or running from the police. I hate just sitting around, life can’t be wasted! I consider myself spontaneous, often times unsure of my next move. My plans are never concrete, if I have any at all. My friends know that if I bail on plans we have made its not anything against them, its just that I have found something more exciting to do. I have short attention span that causes me too have many unfinished projects lying around my house. And because of my short attention span I’m going to conclude by saying that this personality test has surprised me. I was shocked to see myself in the results but I am still not willing to say that my or anyone else’s personality is able to fit into one of nine segregated groups.

Blake 1st blog!!

I guess I will start with a basic introduction and then jabber about myself from there on. My name is Blake Thompson. I am from Absarokee, MT, a small town near Billings. I enjoy the outdoors, reading, swimming, sleeping and most of all travel! I have been very fortunate to have the chance to backpack thought Europe and Australia. I try to take life as it comes and enjoy every minute of it! Because of these experiences I feel that I am a well-rounded, relaxed person.

After graduating high school in 2008 I moved to Missoula with an open mind. Here I have met a great group of wild and crazy people from all over the country. Over the past two years we have explored Missoula and the surrounding area, finding some really beautiful and inspiring landscapes. The city itself I find very refreshing due to its free sprit in the midis of close-minded Montana. Sense coming to school I have decided on a political science major. I consider myself somewhat of a political junkie. For example last night I put this blog assignment off so that I could sit alone in my room watching the State of the Union address. That wouldn’t be so bad if I hadn’t turned down a six-pack of Blue Moon, my favorite, for a night of solitude behind a computer screen. With those random tidbits about myself out of the way, I hope that my next blog will be a bit more interesting. This being my first blog I know there is plenty of room for improvement and I welcome all advice.