Reflection #3 - College Orientation

This past Sunday through Tuesday was my college orientation. Driving down, I was a little nervous because I had no idea what to expect. They did not print a schedule, so I didn't even know what I would be doing for the next two and a half days. I checked in around 8:30 Sunday night, and some of the student leaders invited me to come back down and socialize. I wasn't feeling great after the seven hour car ride, but I decided I should make an effort to meet people. We all watched a movie and headed to bed. The next day the real orientation schedule started. We had a little tour of the campus. Then we met with advisors to work out our schedules. The whole first day was pretty fun, and I even made some friends. That night, around 8:00, we were given some free time, so we decided to play some ultimate frisbee. It was really fun. Then, I was jumping up to catch a pass in the end zone, when a guy behind me jumped up to try and block it and ended up colliding with me. We both fell down, and I hurt my knee. I was on crutches all the next day, and I have to go to physical therapy for at least the next month. All in all, it was a good trip. I just hope that isn't an average day at Appalachian State University.

Current Event #3 - The Colbert Report

I think it is awesome that Colbert is doing this for the troops. I hope that it goes over well, and they think it is funny. The last thing I want is for him to accidently insult or offend the troops. I think it is good that he picked a relevant topic to focus his show around, but that means he has to be careful what he makes fun of. It is always hard to make comedy out of serious issues. The article, “Colbert to broadcast four Shows from Baghdad,” caught my attention because I am a fan of his show, The Colbert Report. It turns out Stephen Colbert will actually be traveling to the former Al Faw Palace at Camp Victory to record some of his shows. The shows are each going to be taped in front of about four hundred and fifty troops. The shows are even being marketed under the name, “Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando.” Colbert is a strong supporter of the troops in real life, so he translates a lot of that into his character on the show. The trip was actually brought up by a guest on the show, former Assistant Secretary of Defense Bing West. After he was done talking about the presidential campaigns he decided to follow up on the invitation to Iraq. Now, Stephen Colbert, and thirty staff, is going to where to troops are to give them a taste of life back home. He spent a little while going through very basic training, and is bringing several care packages for the troops with him. The show is going to focus on the declining attention paid to the United States troops oversees and the war in Iraq1 He doesn’t really know what to expect when he gets there. He said he isn’t nervous about the danger issue, but is nervous about giving a good show for the troops.

Reflection #2 - Pops Concert

I have been meaning to go to a chorus concert for years, but other than Cabaret I haven't been able to. Last night I realized what I have been missing. It was awesome. The first number was good, but sort of hard to understand. I think it was because there were so many people. I had no idea chorus was that big. The following songs were awesome, including some amazing solos performed by seniors. After the intermissoin, Mr. Vanslyke performed a solo. It turns out he is a professoinal singer in New York, so, naturally, it was good. I did feel bad for him though when he messed up on the panio. He hit a couple of wrong notes, but he recovered well. The concert was longer than I had expected, but was well worth the time. The last song was so sad, and I know I saw several of the seniors crying. All I have to say is, Great Job Chorus!

Current Event #2 - Terminator Salvation

Last week I wrote about Hugh Jackman and his movie, Wolverine. Well, Christian Bale is just as hot, so I figured I would write about his new action flick as well. The article begins with when Bale first received the script for the new movie. He initially said “no.” However, director McG wouldn’t take no for an answer. He flew to London, even though he is scared of flying, to convince Bale to take the job. Bale still said no, so McG fell back on his last option, he begged Bale to take a chance on him. So, even though he was advised against it, Bale said he would do the movie.
Now, after production, Bale has to deal with the press. Unfortunately not all the questions will focus on the movie. Instead there will be questions regarding the actor’s temper and an incident of forceful language. On set, Bale yelled at a crew member who crossed through his sightline during an intense scene of the movie. He later apologized for the profanity saying, “It was unacceptable. I went too far. And I learned from it.'' The question now is; what kind of effect will this blowup have on the star’s popularity? Personally, I think it will take a lot more than a four minute rant to damage Christian Bale’s reputation.

Reflection #1 - College Orientation Registration

So I was registering for orientation a couple weeks ago and I had to write an essay after picking my choices for the Honors Courses. It was just a little annoying because I already wrote essays to get into the honors program. The prompt was stupid too, "What are you intellectually curious about...?" I don't really know if I responded the way they wanted me to, (I wrote about global warming and the environment) but I guess I don't really care. It was my mother that pushed me to do the whole honors thing anyway. Plus, I was already accepted. Also there was the section that made me chose classes, and that freaked me out a little. I couldn't even find course descriptions online, so I just picked what sounded interesting. When I called the orientation office, they said it wasn't a big deal and we would finalize our schedule when we got to orientation, so I'm not too worried about it. I am a little disappointed because I don't think I will get in the housing that I want. I applied for this special interest housing for people that like the outdoors, but when I called, they said they had over fifty applicants for around twenty spots. Oh well, I guess I can always apply next year.

Current Event #1 - Wolverine

‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’: Summer Movie Preview

I found an article in Entertainment Weekly (shown left haha) that focused on Hugh Jackman, who I love, so naturally I decided to use it as my current event. The article is an inside look at the movie, and it focuses on Hugh Jackman’s role as wolverine. Even before filming, Jackman had to spend months getting in shape for the role of wolverine. It is important for him that the movie, and his role in it, to be a hit, so he can solidify his fan base. The movie is a spin-off of the X-Men trilogy, and it tells the origin story of wolverine from childhood. The film encountered some problems during shooting in Sydney. One problem happened in March, when an unfinished copy of the movie was leaked online. A source estimated that Fox would lose “tens of millions of dollars.” The film was missing some footage and most of the special effects, but it still cut into the viewing base. Fox is working with the FBI to find the person responsible for leaking the film, but they have not been successful. Even so, Jackman has remained in good spirits and is doing what he can to keep the film on track to be a blockbuster hit. It is important for the film to do well because it has a reported budget of over $165 million, higher than any of the previous X-Men movies.
When I first saw the movie, I had no idea the movie had been leaked before its release, so I learned something new about the movie through that. The article provides a good description of the film, which is character driven, but with a lot of action. I enjoyed the movie, but there were definitely some parts that were flawed. I am not a comic book reader, but I would be interested to find out how true to the marvel comic version of wolverine’s origins the film is. The basic story of him as a child especially might have been different. I think they could have done a lot more about his history, but they wanted to get into the action part of the movie. Also, he stops aging around forty, and that is never explained. There are many problems with the plot of the movie caused by some holes and unexplained circumstances, but it is a fun movie to enjoy for the action.

Editorial #5

The article I chose this week is entitled, Separation Anxiety, and it focuses on gay rights. The editorial focuses specifically on gay Americans whose partners are not citizens of the country. As it stands now, “foreign partners of American citizens are unable to use the family immigration system, which accounts for a majority of the green cards and immigrant visas granted annually by the United States.” The Uniting American Families Act, which was introduced to both the House and Senate last month, would change the immigration system to include gay partners. In the new system, “permanent partner” and “permanent partnership” would be added after the words “spouse” and “marriage.” This would allow gay Americans the opportunity to stay with their partner. The article concludes by discussing more in detail the problems with the system the way it is now. It says that many gay couples are forced to choose between their country and their partner. Others take a third option, staying in the country illegally. This is wrong, and the Uniting American Families Act, if passed, will change this.
I agree with everything in this article. The fact that gay couples are not allowed to get married in many states is wrong, but this bill is at least a step in the right direction. What many people do not think about is how much marriage can affect a couple. It isn’t just getting to call the other person your husband or wife, there are many legal factors as well. The Uniting American Families Act rights one of the wrongs done to gay couples, but there are still many others waiting to be fixed. Wrongs such as not being able to make medical decisions, death benefits, and adoption are all unfair processes when it comes to gay rights. Those that fight against gay marriage should take time to consider what they are forcing those people to give up.