New Media Journalism @ Seton Hill University

You've heard it before, and you'd be lying if you said you hadn't.

Catie: Oh my God, I have so much work!
Ryan: No kidding! I have, like, three papers due next Tuesday and a presentation on Thursday...
Catie: Yeah, I have a presentation on Friday. But I seriously have four twelve-page papers due on Monday. I haven't eaten all day, and I'm so tired... It's going to take me forever to do all this!
Ryan: Oh, I guess I haven't slept much either... but all my papers have to be sixteen pages long, with citations. And finals week I have four exams total. Two on Tuesday, one Wednesday, and my last one isn't till Friday. The nerve to have an exam on Friday that I have to stick around till then!!
Catie: Seriously! Gosh, I have too much to do. I'll never get it done.
Ryan: These papers are killing me. I don't think I'll ever see daylight in the next two weeks.

And the defeatest conversation continues from there... on and on, and no one gets anything done except reinforcing three points:
1) There is "so" much to do.
2) We (or whomever) will "never" get it all done.
3) Sacrificing food, sleep, and relaxation does not help the situation.

This is the time that everyone lists the things "to do" and prays to get them done with an ounce of sanity remaining. Listening to friends list their tasks to conquer, there's an unsaid comparison taking place. Who has more to do? Whose work load will take longer? is harder? will push them over the edge? Who should be pitied for the number of finals thay have to take?

[I'm recycling this post from Spring Semester 2005 since I thought the advice could apply to everyone this year, too. To be fair gender-wise, I changed the original "Jill" to "Ryan." All of us go through this... - Karissa]

Continue reading "We're All Working Hard... Comparatively..." »

Posted by Karissa at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You've heard it before, and you'd be lying if you said you hadn't.

Catie: Oh my God, I have so much work!
Jill: No kidding! I have, like, three papers due next Tuesday and a presentation on Thursday...
Catie: Yeah, I have a presentation on Friday. But I seriously have four twelve-page papers due on Monday. I haven't eaten all day, and I'm so tired... It's going to take me forever to do all this!
Jill: Oh, I guess I haven't slept much either... but all my papers have to be sixteen pages long, with citations. And finals week I have four exams total. Two on Tuesday, one Wednesday, and my last one isn't till Friday. The nerve to have an exam on Friday that I have to stick around till then!!
Catie: Seriously! Gosh, I have too much to do. I'll never get it done.
Jill: These papers are killing me. I don't think I'll ever see daylight in the next two weeks.

And the defeatest conversation continues from there... on and on, and no one gets anything done except reinforcing three points:
1) There is "so" much to do.
2) We (or whomever) will "never" get it all done.
3) Sacrificing food, sleep, and relaxation does not help the situation.

This is the time that everyone lists the things "to do" and prays to get them done with an ounce of sanity remaining. Listening to friends list their tasks to conquer, there's an unsaid comparison taking place. Who has more to do? Whose work load will take longer? is harder? will push them over the edge? Who should be pitied for the number of finals thay have to take?

The lists get longer and more ridiculous, each person pushing their agenda as the difficult one, looking for sympathy? Empathy?

All I've got is apathy. For this situation, anyway...

We probably don't even notice when we're doing this. But, recently, I've been taking note of it and really trying not to let myself get sucked into this "I'm-worse-off-than-you-are" game that doesn't end with a winner and a loser, but with two people that think they have more work to do...

Put it in perspective--by listing the seemingly endless tasks, we're really throwing our own piece of mind at bay. Telling ourselves we have "so much" to do and that it is "so hard" and that we'll "never get done" is conterproductive. Instead of talking about these things we should just haul off and do them!

And don't let friends that don't get this concept to drag you down with them. Let them list their tribulations, if they must, but tell them you're sure they'll get it done and that they'll be fine. Because they will. And so will you; but you are much better off not trying to play "anything-you-have-I-have-it-worse" game. That isn't getting anyone anywhere.

Make your list of things "to do" and put is someplace you'll see it--but don't dwell on it. Schedule time in your day for working on the papers and projects and presentations, but don't forget to schedule mealtimes and relaxation time, too.

Relaxation shouldn't be partying, but maybe just watching a movie with a friend, listening to music while sharing a pot of tea and talking, or just sitting outside listening to the wind and the birds.

Don't forget to schedule sleep, too, if you're the kind that will forgo your Zs to get it all done. Giving up precious sleep might seem like a solution, but in the long-run, it's actually more of a strike against you.

So good luck, friends. Take those papers to the pound. Grind out those last few readings. Study your stuff till you've got it in a snap. These last few weeks are a trial, but we can do it. I know we can.

But don't complain about it. And don't forget to live...
We're all working hard, comparatively.

Posted by Karissa at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Today I was fined $25.00 for hiding my Resident Advisior's laundry basket. I was fined under the contention that this was an act of "theft," after I appologized and returned the basket, (dirty socks, uderwear and T-shirts), all in tact. So...not only was I fined $25.00 for "stealing" a laudry basket, full of treasures I'm sure, but they didn't even let me keep some of the sweet, sweet pay dirt. Clearly my goal was to fashion the pungent undergarments into a noose so I could have some excitement while I gratified myself, right? That's not my America. A land free of religious persecution, a land of opportunities for the upstart hard-worker, and a land where a resident can eat a reuben sandwhich made with chipped beef, rye bread, and his R.A.'s dirty tighty-whities?-- wasn't this what the Cuban Missle Crisis was all about?

Posted by at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I've started to chew tobacco here at good old Seton Hill. It's great, I never have to buy a can of my own smokeless tobacco, since it's all over the shower floor! It takes a goal-oriented young adult to take out his dip and leave it in the shower basin. I just take a box cutter, put a few slits between the toes and I’m anxiously walking down the hall to the shower. I know what you’re thinking, "Can nicotine really enter your bloodstream through cuts in your feet?" The answer is yes, and there's nothing like that buzz I get shampooing my hair while I’m holding back puke. The best thing about getting your nicotine fix from old chew in the shower is clumps of chew look a lot like the clumps of feces I’ve become accustomed to. Had a little mix up last week though, when I went to lay my bleeding feet on what I though was a saliva covered, day-old, dip turned out to be a day-old turd. Now I have a staff infection.
GO GRIFFINS!

Posted by at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I can't sleep, so I thought I'd put my insomina to good use. I just sent this message to the SHU faculty and staff.

The print edition of The Setonian went to press Tuesday, the day before George W. Bush's campaign stop in Latrobe.

News Editor and Online Editor Amanda Cochran (a sophomore) attended the event on a press pass for The Setonian, then worked like a dog to publish the article -- with four pictures -- on the Setonian's website. It was up by Friday -- a tremendous turnaround.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/Setonian/004731.html

Editor-in-Chief Anne Stadler (a sophomore) and her crew have done a fantastic job putting out their first issue of the year.

The issue also includes coverage of the James McBride visit, Farrell Hall (the new dorm), sports teams sharing the practice fields, a look at SHU during the 1980s, and more. If you haven't already picked up a copy, I hope you will! This term we've also started posting new content, exclusively for The Setonian Online, once a week.

Dennis G. Jerz
Adviser, The Setonian
http://setonian.setonhill.edu

Posted by jerz at 1:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Since I'm on a kick about the internet, I just wanted to throw out a list of comments, complaints, and suggestions to Seton Hill University about the internet service they provide on campus. Why am I doing this? Because the internet on campus is absolutely terrible.

Continue reading "Laundry List for SHU's Internet" »

Posted by Mike Rubino at 1:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yeah, you've all seen the shitty commercials and signs. I'll watch out for motorcyclists when they stop doing 110 mph down the highway while swerving between vehicles. "Look behind you, there could be a motorcycle!" Next time I look behind me and see a motorcycle I'm going to swing my door open so that when he tries to pass me he gets his ass knocked off his shitty bike. Seriously, why should the public watch out for them when they're too stupid to watch out for themselves? The other day I saw a motorcyclist driving about 95 mph between vehicles when he apparently decided that it would be "fun, exciting and daring" to do a wheelie in between two semi-trucks. How stupid can you get?

Another thing, just because you drive a motorcycle doesn't mean you should wear an orange county choppers T-shirt/hat/helmet/thong/whatever other crappy merchandise they've come up with from that show. No one should wear anything that says "Orange County Choppers." Ever. In fact, the next cyclist that pulls up behind me wearing OCC merchandise is going to get my bumper in his face when I suddenly stop to avoid hitting that damned pesky squirrel in the road.

Motorcyclists are like little kids, apparently they need babysitters to wipe their asses and make sure they don't do stupid shit like run into parked cars. "Watch out, it's car/truck/SUV season!" It's about damn time cyclists began watching my back for a change.

Posted by at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Hi everyone!!!!! I'm typing to you from the hotel lobby in Dubrovnik....check out my blog for more, but I'm having an amazing time.....

Miss Everyone!!!!

Tiff

Posted by at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today I saw a bumper sticker on somebody's car which said something to the effect of "Bush is not MY President." Oh? Suddenly you're not an American? If your kid screws up in school and gets in trouble, is he suddenly not your kid?

And if Bush isn't your president, who is? Perhaps you don't like the idea of a presidency at all? Or just the thought of the fact that other Americans have the right to disagree with you. It's called a democracy, dipshit...live with it or get out.

The worst part is that about half the people who have these stickers probably either didn't vote at all, or voted for Bush. If you want to change your political opinion, fine. If you want to deck out your car with anti-Bush stickers, fine. But anti-president stickers? That deserves a swift kick to the left nut.

Seriously, if you meet someone with one of these stickers, do me (and yourselves) a favor...go up to them, shake their hand, and thank them in advance for bagging your groceries.

Posted by at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Ok...So we all have this Blog Portfolio to do! I do not post much here- I;m not really the person that got all into it, but anyways, I do have a lot of strong opinions on situations. This sunject I found very intersting and I want to use it as one of my blogs with the comments attached. I think that everyone can have a good discussion on this topic and I PROMISE I will comment on everyon's blog that commented on mine : ) Thanks....

Lately I have not had much to say on this weblog because it seems very few things get me emotional enough to express my feelings to everyone who wants to know. What got me to write this time is a story from the Philadelphia Daily News about a little girl, Destiny Wright, that was strangled, raped, and killed by a twenty year old man.

Continue reading "Not Everyone Deserves a Trial" »

Posted by Gina at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

You want to know what Lord of The Rings needs? Conan the Barbarian. That's right, every single character in this movie, with the possible exception of Gimli, is a pussy. The only character who was well cast was Legolas, because he is undoubtedly the king of the fairies...er...elves. What this movie needed was some good old fashioned ass kicking.

Continue reading "Conan, Lord of the Rings" »

Posted by at 1:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Days go by, weeks even. You think you're safe. Until one day, when the weather finally gets nice, and campus police comes out in force. I imagine their conversation went something like this:
"Uh...whatcha wanna do?"
"Beats me man, we could drive around the parking lot a coupla more times or something."
"Yeah...uh... hey, you wanna give that guy a ticket?"
"Sure man, sounds like a good time. We haven't given any tickets in a while."
"Been to cold to get outta the damn car."
"Yeah."

The night just went downhill from there. I was parked in the upper parking lot for three weeks, when it was dead cold outside, and never recieved so much as a warning. Then BAM, warm weather comes around and tickets start spreading around like malaria in the congo. No warnings, nothing. If I'm parked there for that long with no consequences, I might just get the idea that i was allowed to park there. Gee, why would I get that impression? Because theres no other parking anywhere? Hmm.
Unfortunately campus security had other ideas. They apparently hibernated throughout the winter to give students a false sense of security before giving them a hard bitch slap to the left temple.
Campus security needed a way to vent their frustration.... They found "lot A." Again. Reminds me of a librarian I used to have, you know, one of those people who liked to abuse the power that they didn't actually have. Yelling things like "Stop yelling!!" across the library, or riding students because their book was two days overdue. Hmm...
On the plus side, at least i finally found a use for all those recycling bins that the school puts in every single room.

Posted by at 1:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)

Many people are taught at a young age that is it only normal to be attracted to a person of the opposite sex and because of this, that is what society automatically comes to assume. Many people, especially Americans are taught that one of the freedoms of life is being able to marry who you want and love. But, when it comes to same sex marriages in America all of a sudden the whole concept of companionship is shunned...

Continue reading "If America Is The Land For Life Love And The Pursuit of Happiness Then What Is Wrong With Same Sex Marriage" »

Posted by at 8:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Some of you out there in the blogging community told me today that I was sad for commenting on people's blogs as much as I do and I think that you are all just sad for not commenting. I love the feeling of recieving a comment from someone. It makes me feel as if I have made a difference and people actually enjoy coming to hear what I have to say. I like to return the feeling. By commenting on other people's blogs I have in a sense given them some feedback on what I have read of theirs.

Commenting is also the only way for people to know the views of others who may not have time or want a face to face conversation about a topic in today's culture. So you know what, I don't care if you have a problem with me commenting all the time in blogs. It's just what I do, as well as, a way for me to pass time in a lonely computer lab during work. If you have a problem with me commenting on people's blogs, fine, but that isn't going to stop me from leaving comments and it is certainly not going to make me lower the number of comments I make on people's blogs. Hey! Maybe I'll just comment more. How bout them apples?

Tiffany

Posted by at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Ok. So for those of you who know me this will not come as a shock that I am writing this entry. I was looking at the Lord of the Rings site this morning only to discover that the Oscar nominations had come out and that my favorite book/movie has recieved 11 nominations!!!!! The best part about it is that it was finally nominated for Best Picture. Hopefully this will be the year for the cast and crew to finally get the recognition they deserve. Just a side note: I was flipping threw the channels on TV last night and I heard one critic say that if LOTR doesn't win for Best Picture the LA Riots are going to look like preschool compared to the riots over this, and I have to say that I agree!

Another note. Recently the movie recieved four Golden Globe awards, including Best Motion Picture-Drama. Hopefully the Oscar people will follow the lead.

Other nominations for the Oscars were:

Master and Comander: The Far Side of the World - 9 nominations
Cold Mountain - 7 nominations
Mystic River and Seabiscuit - 6 nominations
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - 5 nominations

For more information go to Oscars.com

Tiffany

Posted by at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Since my recent post concerning color changes in our blogs has obviously caused a bit of a of trouble, I am posting this apology in response.

I originally replied to a request by a friend to help her with color changes on her blog since she had seen that I was able to perform such changes on my own site. I never intended to have it go further than that, but I thought it over and decided to just copy and paste the reply into a post on my own blog. After having posted the information on my personal site, I received a request from Dr. Jerz to please post the information on the NMJ site to share with other bloggers. Once again, I merely copied and posted the information into a post (all this means is that the original format and wording never changed). I reworded the first few lines of the post for NMJ, since my post no longer concerned the friend I had helped in the first place.

I never intended for this to be claimed as my own, and I regret that I did not use the name of the person that helped me to do the color changes in the first place--Anne Stadler. Anne helped me not more than three weeks ago to understand what it is that needs to be manipulated in order to have a brilliant, attractive looking blog instead of the drab, boring one we're provided with in the template.

Although I never intended to hurt, offend, anger, or forget anyone in this whole ordeal, it comes to my attention that this is what has happened, and I apologize. I hope that, having explained where I've come from, we can forget this and extend thanks towards those responsible for the delightfully colored blogs that are sure to spring up due to the hard work of Anne (and the original perseverence from Amy Slade, who taught her).

I am sorry, Anne. I hope that you can forgive me.

Posted by Karissa at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

It's time for another round of "Where's My Blog."

Has anyone seen my blog lately? I made some highly fascinating posts in the past few days about the pageant, and my near-death experience on Monday night, so I was just concerned that perhaps cyberspace decided to loose another cybermonster to munch on my blog some more... Like everyone else, my blog became MIA around the 23^rd and I was a happy kid to have it back. But now, woe! It is gone, again.

Is anyone else having this problem? If not, why does my blog taste better to the cybermonster? It ate my blog last week, and now I can't even visit my blog. Does the cybermonster want a ransom? I can give it my journalism homework...

Posted by Karissa at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Go ahead, stab someone right now and I bet you wont get any reprecussions for your actions. America is suppose to be a country in which people are justified for thier actions, especially when those actions are deadly.
In Galveston Texas on Tuesday a 60 old millionaire was found not guilty in the murder of his 71 year old neighbor. Although the alleged suspect convinced jurors that he shot his neighbor in self defense, he also managed to brainwash then into believing that he chopped the corpse into small peices and dumped his body into the Galveston Bay because he was "Scared". Bullshit! Ok seriously, in a state of panic would you add more salt to your wound by further mulalating the body and then throwing it in the ocean.
Ok. Ok. fine, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. He was scared. I'll buy that. But, this testimony came from a man who is a suspect in 2 other cases prior to this one. He is a suspect in being apart of the disappearance of his wife some years ago as well as an incident that invovled a severe accident with his wife's best friend. On top of all of that he was arrested six weeks after he posted bond for stealing a sandwich in Pennsylvania, although he had hundreds of dollars in his pocket. This man is a nutcase! He doesnt need to be freed. He needs some proffessional help. He needs to put his millions of dollars to good usage on himself.
Oh, and to further support my claims of him being a nutcase, this psycho has the nerve to admit to want to be the man that he killed. He claimed that he wanted to be Morris Black (the victim) to escape the eye of some people who were curious about the his invovlment with the disappearance of his first wife. He also admitted to walking along the Galveston smoking marijuana while being dressed as a woman! This fool is ill!
If I was on the jury. I would have let him go on terms of insanity but I would have still found a way to send his demented behind to the nut house.
So you see, its perfectly fine to kill in America! Or a least that is the message that is being protrayed here. This doesnt make me feel safe at all and Im sure many others feel that way. And if I was ever to see Robert Durst walking down the street...................

Posted by at 8:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Wired News | High School QB Says Record Pass Tainted

A high school quarterback has asked officials to erase his record-setting pass because his coach had made a deal with the opposing team to let him complete it.

Posted by jerz at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I need help with my Journalism... ahhh is defintely right Steph ;)

Continue reading "Is there any help out there?" »

Posted by at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here is the site for my censorship blog Tammy Moon

Posted by at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I finally got censorship blog done! It's pretty long but really interesting! Enjoy, make your voice heard! http://blogs.setonhill.edu/TammyMoon/

Posted by at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is ridiculus. I was reading through some posts today and i happened to notice Tammy Moon's post on censorship. I read through it, thought it was a decent oppinion piece, and just for fun, took a look at the comments.

"Tammy, the Seton Hill University Blog Review Board has asked me to delete this post out of sensitivty to students whose family are involved in the textbook censoring business..."

From his tone in the post, Dr. Jerz isn't too happy about this either.

Continue reading "Get your heads out of your asses" »

Posted by at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Robot to help lonely old people in Japan

The robot, which speaks with the voice of either a boy or a girl, can be set to remind forgetful people when it is time to take medicine, eat and sleep. Wakamaru is the first household robot able to hold simple conversations, based on a vocabulary of around 10,000 words. It can not only speak but can understand answers and react accordingly.

Continue reading "Robots and the Elderly" »

Posted by jerz at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

You know what I hate? Bullshit phrases like "things do not change, only we do." I'd be ashamed of being quoted as saying something so utterly moronic. And yet, there isn't a day that goes by during which i don't hear something just as ridiculus. What, is it supposed to have some hidden meaning? To be comforting to the soul perhaps? Comforting my ass. How is it comforting to think that everything around you stays the same while you move steadily onward towards old age, ulcers, and alzheimers? heres a clue: IT'S NOT. retards. Not only is it stupid, it's also blatantly false. I mean nature obviously doesnt change anything around us. Erosion, drought, floods, eruptions, earthquakes leveling entire cities.....the only thing that really changes is inside us, of course. Human nature can take a flying leap. Wow i hate people.

Posted by at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Seton Hill looking like a great contender in their first season!

Continue reading "Griffins off to Good Start!" »

Posted by at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Volcano was horrible. In fact, it was one of the worst movies ever made. Wait, maybe it was just the worst. Mindless violence and death make for damn good movies. Structured violence with a happy ending? Crap. A 50 year old man senselessly runs into the path of burning ash and a falling 40+ story building to save his idealistic daughter. (Who of course, ran into the same path attempting to save some kid she didn’t even know.) That’s not the worst part though. The stupid tramp grabbed the kid and just stood there under the falling building. Of course, the huge office building falls on them all, and of course they all (including the kid whom no one seems to know) come out completely unscathed. What’s the moral of this movie supposed to be anyway? Strong family ties overcome all bounds? Bullshit. But hey, I mean it happens all the time right? Millions of tons of molten lava, Falling office buildings…. they never hurt anyone who loves their family. Oh wait. What about all the other nameless families that were separated and killed by tons of boiling lava? Anyway, hang on…. I just remembered, the nameless kid does have a line in the movie. When everyone is covered with ash (which by now would make it near impossible to breathe), the kid wonderingly says, “they all look the same.” I suppose he was trying to give this story another moral. “In times of crisis, it doesn’t matter what color your skin is.” What an uplifting storyline...too bad it had nothing to do with the rest of the movie. Even so, the line might have been bearable if it hadn’t started to rain immediately afterward and washed all the ash off everones face. What's the moral now? Everyone’s equal till the crisis is over and then racism is ok? Who wrote this movie anyway? Stalin? . Here's an idea…. take your retarded movie script, sit in a ditch, and burn it. No one who enjoyed this movie should be allowed to have children.

Posted by at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

On my personal weblog, the originally titled, Sarah's Weblog, I posted a reflection from the course EL227, The Practice of Journalism. In my reflection I posted a quote from Webblog-ED, an educational weblog that among other topics, mentions the importance of technology such as this in classrooms. I highly recommend this website. Even if you are not an education major, you can really learn a lot about blogging from this site.

Posted by at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Is it just me or does President Bush have way too much in common with Chevy Chase? Think about it. Chase has never made a good movie, and remarkably, neither has Bush. Bush has become wildy unpopular as of late, and coincidentaly, Chevy has always been wildy unpopular. They are both horribly inept, and yet make large sums of money regardless of their obvious lack of talent. Neither job requires an IQ above room temperature, and they even look somewhat similar. Face it people, Bush and Chase are one and the same. When he's not making preemptive strikes against third world countries, he's busy making horrible B class movies used to torture Iraqi P.O.W.'s. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment. Anyone who doesn't see this connection should be hung by their fingernails and beaten repeatedly.

Another stunning American conspiracy exposed by yours truly.

Posted by at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Jess Prokop has chosen "TV Hurts" as the subject for her blog, and she's goin' to town:

Having taken a five-year hiatus from television, I now find myself thinking about TV an awful lot. Some of those thoughts are of the celebratory variety, some aren't, but this will be my platform to unleash all of them regardless of their nature. I'm curious as to what others have to say about them.

Posted by jerz at 1:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)