Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
white Horse
What is the white horse?
What is the vibrant color of understanding?
Where do i have to ride to
on what to reach the destiny of oneself?
Subtle circumstances lead
my way
my day
my eternal stay.
Iwanttobreak free.
I want to witness the life I strive with no more waiting
behind clocks gate.
White horse take me there.
Over that gate of hate.
Over those sheds of doubt.
Take me there.
Leave me there.
Forget me.
where?
What is the vibrant color of understanding?
Where do i have to ride to
on what to reach the destiny of oneself?
Subtle circumstances lead
my way
my day
my eternal stay.
Iwanttobreak free.
I want to witness the life I strive with no more waiting
behind clocks gate.
White horse take me there.
Over that gate of hate.
Over those sheds of doubt.
Take me there.
Leave me there.
Forget me.
where?
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Olympian Quote #1
So, just like over 3.5 million Americans, I am an avid viewer of the 2010 Winter Olympics... sort of. I am addicted to men's ice hockey. Just last night, I stayed up and watched the entire Russia-Slovakia game until 3 AM, and man, was it worth it. Not very high scoring, but fast action on both sides of the rink, and one thriller of a finish as Slovakia shocked the world by defeating the mighty Russians. It's amazing to me how Malkin can be a superstar in the NHL... to basically a role player in the Olympics, while Crosby is leading Canada. Interesting...
Anyway, the main topic of my post are the ridiculous quotes that I've heard or read thus far in these Olympic Games. They might be superior athletes, but when it comes to coming up with memorable/intelligent quotes... I'm glad they stuck to athletics in grade school.
Here is Olympian Quote #1:
"The best way I can describe it is to go up onto the thirtieth floor of any building, and then get in the car and drive that car off the top roof, and then land safely. That is pretty much what it is."
American Todd Lodwick on real-life comparisons to Ski jumping.
BTW.... to revert back to the whole hockey thing... I can honestly see Team USA taking home the gold.
Anyway, the main topic of my post are the ridiculous quotes that I've heard or read thus far in these Olympic Games. They might be superior athletes, but when it comes to coming up with memorable/intelligent quotes... I'm glad they stuck to athletics in grade school.
Here is Olympian Quote #1:
"The best way I can describe it is to go up onto the thirtieth floor of any building, and then get in the car and drive that car off the top roof, and then land safely. That is pretty much what it is."
American Todd Lodwick on real-life comparisons to Ski jumping.
BTW.... to revert back to the whole hockey thing... I can honestly see Team USA taking home the gold.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Icicle Deaths
Icicles are quite gorgeous pieces of nature during the winter time. They add subtle touches to houses covered in snow, and they inspired the "icicle lights" that we all see during Christmas. But all these nice things being said about these rather sharp, clear forms of ice... they can be rather dangerous.
Driving around with my dad today, I noticed a huge icicle hanging off the side of some guy's gutter. This automatically made me think two questions, "can icicles actually kill someone?" and "how many deaths per year in the U.S. are caused by icicles?" Morbid I know, but rather interesting if you really think about it considering how often we see them and consider them harmless.
To answer the first question... Yes. Icicles can kill people.
I googled the demand "deaths by icicles," and the first article that came up was entitled, "Falling icicles kill six." I guess in February 2008 in Moscow, Russia, six people were killed by icicles. The actual heading is...
"MOSCOW (Reuters) - Six people have been killed in three days by icicles falling from buildings in a central Russian region, ITAR-TASS news agency reported Tuesday."
Driving around with my dad today, I noticed a huge icicle hanging off the side of some guy's gutter. This automatically made me think two questions, "can icicles actually kill someone?" and "how many deaths per year in the U.S. are caused by icicles?" Morbid I know, but rather interesting if you really think about it considering how often we see them and consider them harmless.
To answer the first question... Yes. Icicles can kill people.
I googled the demand "deaths by icicles," and the first article that came up was entitled, "Falling icicles kill six." I guess in February 2008 in Moscow, Russia, six people were killed by icicles. The actual heading is...
"MOSCOW (Reuters) - Six people have been killed in three days by icicles falling from buildings in a central Russian region, ITAR-TASS news agency reported Tuesday."
To answer the second question, I was unable to find any statistics about deaths in the U.S. by icicles. I was, however, able to find a local article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that talks about the icicles in Western PA. The link is provided below. Keep warm.
Not (Solely) Peyton's Fault
Currently listening to: Rage Against the Machine - Guerilla Radio
Before you read this post with a bias based off the title, read this post first. The Saints 31-17 win over the Colts in the Super Bowl was not Peyton Manning's fault. Yes, the guy who threw the game winning interception, #18.
Let's face it... the Saints and Colts were carbon copies of each other whether or not Steve Young or Terry Bradshaw believes it. They both had high flying offenses with defenses that did just enough to win games. During the regular season in passing yardage per game, The Colts and Saints ranked #2 and #4 respectively with only 10 yards separating the two. In the playoffs, both teams accumulated large amounts of tackles, had 3-4 interceptions respectively, and over 3 forced fumbles in only 3 games played. Going into the big game, all the big wigs picked the Colts by a landslide. I, on the other hand, knew that these two teams were destined to meet each other because how similar they truly are.
During the game, it was neck and neck the entire way. It all came down to which team would make the first mistake... and the last possible guy that you thought would do it, Peyton, did. Check out these stats to prove my point of how these two teams were literally the same team.
Time of Possession:
Saints - 30:11
Colts - 29:49
Red Zone:
Saints - 2 for 3
Colts - 2 for 3
First Downs:
Saints - 20
Colts - 23
Avg. Yards per pass:
Saints - 7.4
Colts - 7.4
Leading Receivers:
M. Colston - 7 Rec, 9 Targets, 83 yards, Longest Rec: 27 yards
D. Clark - 7 Rec, 9 Targets, 86 yards, Longest Rec. 27 yards
The Colts actually had 100 yards more total offense than the Saints, and still lost.
Now, you're probably starting to ask yourself... how is it not Manning's fault? He threw the interception that lost the game (put the game out of reach with a little over 2 minutes left in the game). He made that ONE mistake that lost the game, right? Well, as you know, football is a team game, and Peyton throws the balls... it's up for the receivers to catch them.
Check out the comparison between the two receiving cores:
Saints:
Colston 7/9
Henderson 7/7
Thomas 7/7
Bush 4/5
Moore 2/2
Rest of team 6/8
Colts:
Clark 7/9
Collie 6/9
Garcon 5/7
Addai 7/7
Wayne 5/11
Wait... Reggie Wayne only caught 5 balls out of 11 attempts? Oh, and yes, that was him who dropped the sure touchdown pass with a little over a minute remaining in the game to get the Colts within one score to tie. Yes, Manning's pick was very uncharacteristic of him and hurt his team's chances of winning more than any other player on the field.... but if your receiving core runs the wrong routes (which was the case in the interception) and does not make the catches throughout the game, especially your star receiver, your chances of winning are very slim. By the way, don't forget Stover's missed field goal.. that's 3 points and field position that could have changed the momentum of the game.
I am not taking anything away from the Saints, because they made the least mistakes and won the game fair and square. Congratulations to the city of New Orleans and Drew Brees for reaching the next level of quarterbacks in the NFL.
In conclusion, based on the stats and other occurrences in the game... yes, Manning and the Colts lost, but I am finding it impossible to believe that Peyton Manning lost Super Bowl 44... his team as a whole did because of missed and dropped opportunities, pun surely intended.
Lights out. Guerilla Radio.
Before you read this post with a bias based off the title, read this post first. The Saints 31-17 win over the Colts in the Super Bowl was not Peyton Manning's fault. Yes, the guy who threw the game winning interception, #18.
Let's face it... the Saints and Colts were carbon copies of each other whether or not Steve Young or Terry Bradshaw believes it. They both had high flying offenses with defenses that did just enough to win games. During the regular season in passing yardage per game, The Colts and Saints ranked #2 and #4 respectively with only 10 yards separating the two. In the playoffs, both teams accumulated large amounts of tackles, had 3-4 interceptions respectively, and over 3 forced fumbles in only 3 games played. Going into the big game, all the big wigs picked the Colts by a landslide. I, on the other hand, knew that these two teams were destined to meet each other because how similar they truly are.
During the game, it was neck and neck the entire way. It all came down to which team would make the first mistake... and the last possible guy that you thought would do it, Peyton, did. Check out these stats to prove my point of how these two teams were literally the same team.
Time of Possession:
Saints - 30:11
Colts - 29:49
Red Zone:
Saints - 2 for 3
Colts - 2 for 3
First Downs:
Saints - 20
Colts - 23
Avg. Yards per pass:
Saints - 7.4
Colts - 7.4
Leading Receivers:
M. Colston - 7 Rec, 9 Targets, 83 yards, Longest Rec: 27 yards
D. Clark - 7 Rec, 9 Targets, 86 yards, Longest Rec. 27 yards
The Colts actually had 100 yards more total offense than the Saints, and still lost.
Now, you're probably starting to ask yourself... how is it not Manning's fault? He threw the interception that lost the game (put the game out of reach with a little over 2 minutes left in the game). He made that ONE mistake that lost the game, right? Well, as you know, football is a team game, and Peyton throws the balls... it's up for the receivers to catch them.
Check out the comparison between the two receiving cores:
Saints:
Colston 7/9
Henderson 7/7
Thomas 7/7
Bush 4/5
Moore 2/2
Rest of team 6/8
Colts:
Clark 7/9
Collie 6/9
Garcon 5/7
Addai 7/7
Wayne 5/11
Wait... Reggie Wayne only caught 5 balls out of 11 attempts? Oh, and yes, that was him who dropped the sure touchdown pass with a little over a minute remaining in the game to get the Colts within one score to tie. Yes, Manning's pick was very uncharacteristic of him and hurt his team's chances of winning more than any other player on the field.... but if your receiving core runs the wrong routes (which was the case in the interception) and does not make the catches throughout the game, especially your star receiver, your chances of winning are very slim. By the way, don't forget Stover's missed field goal.. that's 3 points and field position that could have changed the momentum of the game.
I am not taking anything away from the Saints, because they made the least mistakes and won the game fair and square. Congratulations to the city of New Orleans and Drew Brees for reaching the next level of quarterbacks in the NFL.
In conclusion, based on the stats and other occurrences in the game... yes, Manning and the Colts lost, but I am finding it impossible to believe that Peyton Manning lost Super Bowl 44... his team as a whole did because of missed and dropped opportunities, pun surely intended.
Lights out. Guerilla Radio.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
State of Emergency?
"A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government, alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans."
A few days ago, Western PA was placed in a "State of Emergency" due to the large amount of snow that hammered the Pittsburgh area. With this being said, nothing changed. People were still out, businesses for whatever reason still remained open, and the communities and their roads were FAR from "implementing emergency preparedness plans."
So, this raises in the question... what's the point of calling a state of emergency? Nothing changes.
Businesses, for example, probably would make more money closed than they would open. Why are people out? The roads are terrible, and if you've driven since the first fall, you might have noticed tons of cars parked or stranded on the side of the road COVERED in snow and blocking parts of roads. I might sound crazy, but the local government should try to enforce how important a "State of Emergency" truly is or completely change the policy behind it.
If cars are prohibited from the roads, salt and plow trucks can get out there and do their jobs without the weaving through cars and trucks stranded in their ways. If businesses close, employees can stay home safely with their families to avoid possible problems and/or major accidents. To me, to declare a "State of Emergency" is as dumb as Bush's "Terror Alert" using colors at random that no one even knows the meaning.
With all these negative comments, I suppose I need to throw out some thank yous and positivity...
Good job weather predictors... you were finally right!
... if only we would listen.
A few days ago, Western PA was placed in a "State of Emergency" due to the large amount of snow that hammered the Pittsburgh area. With this being said, nothing changed. People were still out, businesses for whatever reason still remained open, and the communities and their roads were FAR from "implementing emergency preparedness plans."
So, this raises in the question... what's the point of calling a state of emergency? Nothing changes.
Businesses, for example, probably would make more money closed than they would open. Why are people out? The roads are terrible, and if you've driven since the first fall, you might have noticed tons of cars parked or stranded on the side of the road COVERED in snow and blocking parts of roads. I might sound crazy, but the local government should try to enforce how important a "State of Emergency" truly is or completely change the policy behind it.
If cars are prohibited from the roads, salt and plow trucks can get out there and do their jobs without the weaving through cars and trucks stranded in their ways. If businesses close, employees can stay home safely with their families to avoid possible problems and/or major accidents. To me, to declare a "State of Emergency" is as dumb as Bush's "Terror Alert" using colors at random that no one even knows the meaning.
With all these negative comments, I suppose I need to throw out some thank yous and positivity...
Good job weather predictors... you were finally right!
... if only we would listen.
Go
Go
An original poem written by me
Ready, Set, Go
Said the man at theline
While I stare at the figure
Awaiting to clock my time
I stand up straight
only to squat back down
A split seconddisappears
As I stare aimlessly to the ground
Fire shot one two echo
I quickly jump up into my sprinting strut
My muscles react
as if I’m one of Pavlov’s muts.
No one is around me
As I’m running full speeeeeeeeeeed
I hear nothing except the wind
What else do I need?
The end result approaches near
As I tilt my head down like a prayer
Please finish with dignity, pride
Not in last, to be ridiculed by some nay sayer
As I catch my breath
that got away some seconds ago
I get inline with the others
With a stick in my hand I folllllow
There are 4 legs in front of me
Each contracting like my own
But my mind is racing, no pun intended
What place did I finish, what zone?
I hear first and second
With no ieyesi on me
Until I hit the table where it is written
3.
Third place? Third best?
Does that even make sense?
I worked so hard weeks prior
Maybe because I went in tense?
I wanted first,
not second or even last,
But third? Third?
It all went by so fast.
I packed my bags up
Threw my stick of embarrassment on top
Hopped on the bus in the back
Didn’t move until the final S T O P
iPod blasting in my ears
Hopes and dreams still reflecting in my eyes
Next time I’ll get it after I train until I collapse
Next time I’ll reach for first, reach for the skies
Dedicated to all high school track sprinters who always think about the next race...
An original poem written by me
Ready, Set, Go
Said the man at the
While I stare at the figure
Awaiting to clock my time
I stand up straight
only to squat back down
A split second
As I stare aimlessly to the ground
Fire shot one two echo
I quickly jump up into my sprinting strut
My muscles react
as if I’m one of Pavlov’s muts.
No one is around me
As I’m running full speeeeeeeeeeed
I hear nothing except the wind
What else do I need?
The end result approaches near
As I tilt my head down like a prayer
Please finish with dignity, pride
Not in last, to be ridiculed by some nay sayer
As I catch my breath
that got away some seconds ago
I get in
With a stick in my hand I folllllow
There are 4 legs in front of me
Each contracting like my own
But my mind is racing, no pun intended
What place did I finish, what zone?
I hear first and second
With no ieyesi on me
Until I hit the table where it is written
3.
Third place? Third best?
Does that even make sense?
I worked so hard weeks prior
Maybe because I went in tense?
I wanted first,
not second or even last,
But third? Third?
It all went by so fast.
I packed my bags up
Threw my stick of embarrassment on top
Hopped on the bus in the back
Didn’t move until the final S T O P
iPod blasting in my ears
Hopes and dreams still reflecting in my eyes
Next time I’ll get it after I train until I collapse
Next time I’ll reach for first, reach for the skies
Dedicated to all high school track sprinters who always think about the next race...
Rebirth Review
Yes, I bought the latest Lil Wayne disc entitled, Rebirth. [Delete, Delete]
Yes, I still buy CDs instead of downloading them for free. I did a paper in high school about how much an artist or band receives for record sales... and the number is pathetic. Basically, if you want your artist or band to stay around, you must show that the public wants them. Concert ticket sales and apparel only go so far. Music talent must make the charts to keep the beat alive in the business world's hearts. If there was any positive to downloading, it would be that downloading promotes bands... which leads to future money. The problem with new and upcoming artists is that they are exactly that, new and upcoming which means they need a fan-base to grow, not develop.
Back to Lil Weezy, baby... I bought the latest Lil Wayne disc entitled, Rebirth. The first reviews of the album have been horrid. Many "critics" have been giving the album 2 out of 5 stars, with one critic stating, ""Wayne's big problem is that he seems to like the idea of rock music more than any actual rock music itself." Although this statement seems honest and intelligent, my question to him is, "what is rock music?"
As a music lover, I strongly believe that rock is dead and has been taken over by "pop." The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame is no longer the ROCK N ROLL HOF, as it contains rappers, a few country singers, and folk artists. Rock has successfully morphed itself into popular music. The only "rock" left are the sub genres of "rock" including: Classic Rock, Soft Rock, Hard Rock, Metal, and so on and so forth.
Being a huge fan of Tha Carter III, the Grammy winning disc by Lil Wayne, I had huge hopes going into "Rebirth." Although it does not live up to its predecessor's acclaim and listen-ability, Rebirth is actually pretty decent. Next post I'll give a track by track review.
Until then... check out "Rebirth," after a few listens, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Yes, I still buy CDs instead of downloading them for free. I did a paper in high school about how much an artist or band receives for record sales... and the number is pathetic. Basically, if you want your artist or band to stay around, you must show that the public wants them. Concert ticket sales and apparel only go so far. Music talent must make the charts to keep the beat alive in the business world's hearts. If there was any positive to downloading, it would be that downloading promotes bands... which leads to future money. The problem with new and upcoming artists is that they are exactly that, new and upcoming which means they need a fan-base to grow, not develop.
Back to Lil Weezy, baby... I bought the latest Lil Wayne disc entitled, Rebirth. The first reviews of the album have been horrid. Many "critics" have been giving the album 2 out of 5 stars, with one critic stating, ""Wayne's big problem is that he seems to like the idea of rock music more than any actual rock music itself." Although this statement seems honest and intelligent, my question to him is, "what is rock music?"
As a music lover, I strongly believe that rock is dead and has been taken over by "pop." The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame is no longer the ROCK N ROLL HOF, as it contains rappers, a few country singers, and folk artists. Rock has successfully morphed itself into popular music. The only "rock" left are the sub genres of "rock" including: Classic Rock, Soft Rock, Hard Rock, Metal, and so on and so forth.
Being a huge fan of Tha Carter III, the Grammy winning disc by Lil Wayne, I had huge hopes going into "Rebirth." Although it does not live up to its predecessor's acclaim and listen-ability, Rebirth is actually pretty decent. Next post I'll give a track by track review.
Until then... check out "Rebirth," after a few listens, you might be pleasantly surprised.
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