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September 19th, 2007
Quick Tip: Avoid The Impulse
The quickest way to save a few bucks every time you go to the store is to avoid the impulse buy. Sounds easy right? That’s because it is easy, it only requires you to take a few seconds and think.
Obviously we all know that stores place the essential items and most sought after products on the side of the store opposite the entrance in hopes you will pick up a few extras on your journey. However, giving yourself a few seconds to think about those extras can eliminate them altogether. If it wasn’t on your mind when you were heading into the store, it shouldn’t be in your bag on the way out of the store.
For all the Internet shoppers out there, this is both much easier and much more difficult. Shopping online is easy to avoid an impulse because you have endless amounts of time to think about your shopping cart items and you are doing the searching for your items. But, it is also difficult in that the Internet can put the sale items, clearance items, only 1 left, and more enticing offers right in front of you. Just remember, it only takes a few extra seconds to “un-justify” an impulse buy.
April 28th, 2007
CSU grads featured on Animal Planet
Editor’s Note: We apologize to fans & readers for not getting this up sooner. We had some technical difficulties (we lost it) but they have been fixed (we found it). Sorry Everyone!
OK, I think it is understood that
But there have been a few spaces carved into the world of entertainment for our state to be a part of. “E-Vet Interns” is a series on Animal Planet that features six doctors fresh out of vet school, and a seventh doctor participating in a surgical internship, who are working with an experienced veterinary team at Alameda East Animal Hospital for a year (it is located in the general vicinity of Denver).
According to Animal Planet and the 
- Dr. Michelle Nanfelt is graduate of CSU (she is originally from
- Dr. David Gall, a former therapist, returned to school at CSU to earn his veterinary degree in 2002 and pursued his interest in radiology.
Who else thinks this is awesome?
On a more personal note, this totally blew my mind…I was watching an episode the other night (”The Specialist’s Edge”) in which staff surgeon Ranier Ko taught Dr. David Gall an important surgical technique on Benny, a dog who (this is hard to even type let alone think about), after recently being neutered, developed a severe hematoma mass in his — well, you know…nether region. (Good news, they got it taken care of, and now the poor dog can actually sit down again.)
Although disturbing, that’s not the part that blew my mind. The woman who brought in the dog had her niece with her. As soon as this little girl’s face came onto the screen, I immediately recognized her from the children’s art center I used to work at in
Anyway…Benny’s case is exactly the kind of thing you should expect to see in this series. The doctors deal with a wide variety of issues and animals, from dogs, cats and guinea pigs, to snakes and elephants (one lucky doctor learned how to take a fluid sample from an elephant’s trunk at the Denver Zoo; and yes, it was pretty much as gross as it sounds).
While the show actually premiered its first seven episodes in January and February, they are currently playing reruns on Animal Planet.
Check it out Monday nights at 7 and 7:30 p.m. (and again, look out for sporadic reruns).
Hooray for Rams — representing on Animal Planet! Woo hoo!
April 28th, 2007
Genuine reality found in “Deadliest Catch”
PHOTO courtesy of badgerhillpress.com
We are now well into this season of the Discovery Channel’s Emmy-nominated series, “Deadliest Catch”, which returned earlier this month for a third season. I had never seen this series before, partially due to my aversion to reality television, as noted in my
previous entry. I have now watched three episodes of “Deadliest Catch”, and I am proud to announce that I am officially hooked (thanks in part to my crab-pushing pals from class…this is for you,
The Rundown (courtesy of Discovery.com):
- Viewers follow the brave captains and crew of eight crab-fishing vessels as they struggle against the treacherous weather conditions of the
- Returning to “Deadliest Catch” this year are –
- Captain Sig Hansen and his crew of the Northwestern
- Captain Phil Harris and his crew of the Cornelia Marie, including sons Jake and greenhorn Josh
- Captain Johnathan Hillstrand and Captain Andy Hillstrand of the Time Bandit
- Captain Blake Painter and his new hand-picked crew, along with Rick Quashnick with his wife Donna, of the Maverick
- New to “Deadliest Catch” this season are –
- Captain Keith Colburn and the men of the Wizard
- Captain Greg Moncrief, who is joined on board by his wife Ragnhild, of the Farwest Leader
- Captain Allen Oakley and his crew, including greenhorn Bryan Mezich, of the Early Dawn
- Captain Corky Tilley and the crew of the Aleutian Ballad, with son Matthew and daughter Nicole on deck
Watch this show once, and you’ll most likely come to the conclusion that these guys are insane, and you’ll question why anyone would ever choose this as a career. But as Captain Sig said in an interview on “The Daily Show”, “It’s either fish or flip burgers”, adding that fishing is a part of their lives, something most of them have been doing since they were teenagers.
Watching them work is often nerve-racking, and this season opened with a devastating start as one fishing boat (not featured in the series) capsized. Only one man from a crew of four was rescued; the three bodies of the rest of his crew were recovered from the icy waters. Needless to say, it was a somber episode.
The images of the bodies floating in the water (though blurred considerably) were found to be quite jarring by some viewers and led to some questioning of the program’s ethical boundaries.
But it seems that these disturbing images are what make “Deadliest Catch” a reality show in the most authentic sense. The job is not particularly pleasant; they often stay up all day and all night, dealing with the perils of the harsh weather, hazardous equipment, and treacherous waters. One slip up could lead to deadly repercussions – and people really do die.
It would be a disservice to these brave souls to not show the grim reality that encompasses their everyday lives. These guys are remarkably bold and amazingly high-spirited considering that they are engaged in one of the deadliest jobs in the world.
Let’s just say that the next time you have yourself a King Crab dinner at some fancy-schmancy restaurant, you won’t be bitching about the price.
Check out new episodes Tuesday nights at 7 on the Discovery Channel.
See highlights from Season 2 in “Deadliest Catch Special: Best of Season 2″ this Thursday, April 26 from noon to 1:00 p.m., also on the Discovery Channel.
April 25th, 2007
Kobe, Nuggets and Broncos, oh my!
The Lakers lost to the Suns on Tuesday night, putting them down 2-0 in their Western Conference Quarterfinal series. After the game, Kobe Bryant said that his team lost the game because their overall talent level wasn’t as high as their opponents, and for the Lakers to win they would have to play a perfect game.
Kobe’s comments insinuate his belief that he is surrounded by a bunch of chumps who would be totally lost without him. This is simply not true. The Lakers’ problem is not the players surrounding Kobe Bryant, their problem is Kobe Bryant himself.
He is, without question, the most talented player in the NBA. But Kobe has never been able to use his talent for the benefit of his team, making his teammates better just because they play on the same court as him.
By contrast, Steve Nash has made guys with fringe-NBA talent, players like Leandro Barbosa, into All-Star caliber performers. Kobe can take 50 shots and score 81 points in a game, but until he learns to trust the talent around him, his team will never amount to anything more than a first-round knockout.
Speaking of first-round knockouts, the Nuggets are trying to avoid the Lakers fate against the Spurs. This year’s vintage is the best Nuggets team since Carmelo Anthony has arrived, but San Antonio will still be extremely tough to beat.
The Nuggets will have to win Game 2 Wednesday night if they are going to have any chance of winning the series. The longer the series drags on, the better San Antonio will be and catching them by surprise in the first two games is the Nuggets best chance to continue their season.
Shifting gears, the NFL Draft is this weekend. The Broncos have many needs, especially after they officially released Al Wilson on Wednesday. There are two things that I want from the Draft; for the Broncos to draft either Jarvis Moss or Reggie Nelson in the first round and to draft Michael Bush with either of their two third-round picks.
Moss and Nelson both come from the BCS Champion Florida Gators, and they are the two most sure-fire future Pro Bowlers available in the late first-round.
Even though the Broncos signed Travis Henry to a five-year deal, they still need a big, brusing back-up RB. Bush fits this role and the team’s one-cut running style perfectly. If he wasn’t injured last season, Bush would have been a top-20 pick; so drafting him in the third-round would be a great value pick.
Well, that’s it. Go Nuggets and pray for clairvoyance for Mike Shanahan in this weekend’s draft, the Broncos desperately need it.
April 22nd, 2007
“Little People” are big inspiration
PHOTO courtesy of Janeofalltrades.verveblogs.com: 
But this show is different. It’s not boring, nor arbitrary, nor is it intended to present itself as some kind of freak show (as opposed to “The Simple Life” or “I Love
The Rundown (courtesy of TV.com) and TLC.com:
- “Little People, Big World” is a reality series about life in a family of little people (or dwarves).
- Standing only four feet tall, Matt and Amy Roloff are struggling to raise their four children on their 34-acre farm.
- Matt and Amy’s kids are 16-year-old Zach, who is two feet shorter than his twin brother Jeremy, 13-year-old Molly, and 9-year-old Jacob.
- The parents and Zach are the only three family members who are of small stature.
- The family was introduced in an hour-long special in 2005; they recently began their third season with the show.
- According to one source, the show has been doing exceedingly well in the ratings since its third season premiere, and on April 30th will air two “lost” episodes from season one.
What I love:
- After watching for a while, you begin picking up on the personalities of the family members: Matt, the dad, who can be a bit of a control-freak at times; Amy, the typical soccer-mom, other than the fact that she is often shorter than the kids she coaches; Zach, a headstrong teenager who, with his twin Jeremy, just love to slack off on chores to play on the farm instead.
- With an array of different personalities all living under the same roof, hilarity often ensues (though not in a “Real World”-like way; these people have scruples).
- They aren’t perfect; they all bicker, the parents scold, the kids get into trouble, and as the end of last season showed, devastating events can transpire. It is the utter normalcy of these people’s lives that is truly captivating.
- Being four-feet tall can obviously have its difficulties; watching how the smaller members of the Roloff family get around and accomplish certain tasks is astounding at times. As Amy states during the intro of each episode:
“We can do pretty much anything average height people can do. We just do it in a different way.”
I suppose it could be argued that viewing this show is no different from viewing others like it…it’s still just you sitting around watching other peoples’ lives. But as far as quality reality TV, it made a believer out of this skeptic; after watching the show since the middle of season two, I have absolutely fallen in love with this family.
When it’s on:
Reruns air all afternoon before the new episodes, which air at
For information about dwarfism, check out the F.A.Q. at TLC.com.
Visit the Roloff family’s official fansite to meet the family, tour their farm, or check out the message boards.
April 19th, 2007
Why is the NFL given a free pass in steroids questioning?
Last month, the doctor for the Pittsburg Steelers, Dr. Richard Rydze, was linked to a steroids probe, in which he has reportedly bought over $150,000 of human growth hormone, a performance enhancing substance. Rydze was the doctor of the Steelers two years ago during their miraculous playoff run that culminated in winning Super Bowl XL.
This is the second recent incident of a medical personal affiliated with an NFL team to be accused of having a connection to steroids. Last August, it was reported that Dr. James Shortt had provided many Carolina Panthers players with steroids during their run to the Super Bowl in 2004.
It’s remarkable that medical personnel from two teams reportedly have strong links to steroid distribution rings and that the national sports media has turned a blind eye to both events. Why haven’t these recent steroid allegations received the same amount of coverage and disgust as the baseball doping witch hunt? The answer is very simple; the NFL is the best marketed product in
Former commissioner Paul Tagliabue and the NFL front-office have done a miraculous job of keeping the fans interested in the league year-round, and have abolished any questions about how they govern their product. When Tagliabue went in front of the Congressional hearings about steroids, he came into the questioning with an established plan on how his league is dealing with the problem, and seemed willing to work with the politicians to cleanse its sport of doping.
In contrast, MLB commissioner Bud Selig looked nervous and unwilling to accept many of the claims and advice given by the congressmen. These two separate appearances accentuate the differences in how professional baseball and football are portrayed by the media and perceived by the public.
The NFL is not devoid of problems with their players doping, steroids is likely more prevalent in their sport then in baseball. Pro Bowlers Bill Romanowski and Dana Stubblefield were implicated along with Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi in the infamous BALCO scandal, but this seems to be forgotten.
Last season, Shawne Merriman was given a four-game suspension because of a positive test for steroids. He is one of the premier young players in the game, but because of the NFL’s superior ability for damage control, Merriman’s suspension went largely unnoticed.
Could you imagine the public outcry if one of MLB’s young stars like Ryan Howard or Albert Pujols had tested positive? Any shred of baseball’s remaining credibility would be lost forever.
Since the new steroids policy began in 2005, there has only been one MLB All-Star that has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, Rafael Palmeiro. Even though Palmeiro was far past his prime, he became a pariah and was never allowed to fully return to the game after his suspension.
When Merriman returned to the Chargers, he was overly embraced by fans and the media. Many sympathized with him, feeling that the big, bad “No Fun League” on come down unfairly on him. NFL fans don’t care that everything he has accomplished, all of is greatness, is artificially manufactured.
Comparing the perception of how the two largest professional sports leagues in America deal with steroids demonstrates to fans that we need to quit treating NFL players involvement in these scandals with only passive attention and to somewhat alleviate the hunting of MLB’s stars, somewhat.
The dilemma of doping exists in both sports, and therefore fans should regard each sport equally in this respect. The steroid users are always more than a few steps ahead of those trying to catch them, and until this changes, there is no purpose served by singling out one sport, while at the same time giving another a free pass, even if they do a better job window dressing the problem.
April 18th, 2007
Lyrically Speaking
This week, instead of just picking random songs that I like for various reasons and providing background info on each band… I am going to recommend bands and artists that I think are exemplary primarily because of their creative and poetic lyrics. I will probably get a comment or two about how a lot of these bands are “not underground” but I liked them before they became popular and I still do like them so I’m including it. Here are my top 10 picks that I think speak for themselves:
10) Say Anything: Every Man Has a Molly (album: … Is a Real Boy)
“Here I am, laid bare, at the end of my rope. I’ve lost all hope. So Long!
Molly Connolly just broke up with me over the revealing nature of the songs.
You goddamn kids had best be gracious with the merch money you spend
’cause for you I won’t ever have rough sex with Molly Connolly again.
Here I am, laid down, at the end of my rope, wishing I had not been born.
Now I’ve spewed too much. I can never shut it up. I thought you should be warned
And I implied black sky took the needle to my eye and sucked out all its glow,
Woah! Molly Connolly ruined my life. I thought the world should know…”
9) Saves The Day: Rocks Tonic Juice Magic (album: Through Being Cool)
“Let me take this awkward saw, and run it against your thighs
Cut some flesh away, I’ll carry this piece of you with me
Because all I can say tonight, is that I hate you but it would be all right
If we could see each other sometime
If I could somehow make you mine
And if not I’ll take my spoons and dig out your blue eyes
I’ll swallow them down to my colon they’re gonna burn like hell tonight
Cause you’re beautiful, just not on the inside
Light comes from within, your beaming eyes don’t seem so bright
Heart is on the floor
Why don’t you step on it?
When I think of all the things you’ve done
Boardwalks and breaking waves made our Saturdays
I’d buy you lemonade right now, if you were here
Then I’d throw it in your face, and I’d listen to you cry
I’d remember how I miss our nights under ocean skies
You and I are like when fire and the ocean floor collide.”
8.) The Faint: Paranoiattack (album: Wet From Birth)
“The news has got me paranoid
Papers and the news reports
Casualties of every war
Anchor people keeping score
The weapons now are chemicals
In water and in edibles
Circulating envelopes
With powder through the postal route
The threat of a disease is here
We nipped it once without a cure
It took forever ’til it stopped
The mandatory needle shots
They gave us all a little dose
Teach our bodies how to cope
Finally when we had it licked
Some terrorists are back with it
The propaganda’s working now
I’m falling for it hook and reel
I’m stocking up on medicine
Buying tape to seal ourself in
Paranoia!”
7). MC Chris: My Name is… (album: Eatings Not Cheating)
I thought I would throw this in here for any readers like myself that know MC Chris aka “MC Pee Pants” from the cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force. (click this to watch the youtube video)
“Well my name is mc, I’m like no other
A short-sized, high-pitched, white-skinned brother
And when I say white yo I don’t mean pink
Cause my skin’s about as white as White Out ink
When I step into the sun, burst into flames
like the Human Torch, no lives to save
Said I, don’t go to clubs, and I, don’t go to raves
And I, don’t go to pubs, and I don’t go to parades
So where do I go, you might call a hooch parlour
If you don’t know the password don’t bother
It’s where all the ladies leave their lipstick on my collar
But I tell them to be gone cause all they ‘ant is my dollar
Mahler, uses to write symphonies
Name is mc and I claim to be
Star material like astrology
Punk rock, hip-hop, and R&B.”
6) Park: Gasoline Kisses For Everyone (album: It Won’t Snow Where You’re Going)”
“I think I’d be lying if I said I don’t enjoy this.
waking up soaked in sweat wondering who you’re laying with.
the sinking center in me dips to reach that perfect place
where we’ve all been trapped before,caught living in the life you missed…
you missed the reason, had to leave,
held your breath and couldn’t see.
missed the reason, had to leave,
held your breath and couldn’t see.
I hear songs of this cancer coming on.
I love the sound of your voice breaking off,
so I sing along until you’re gone
and out of this canvas we paint this song.
I think I’d be lying
if I said I didn’t miss this.
slipping off the edge of the bed,
I know I could kiss you better than that.
one more try, one more goodnight.
don’t pull away so fast.
10 more seconds is all I ask.
…
I hear songs of this cancer coming on.
I love the sound of your voice breaking off,
so I sing along until your gone
and out of the canvas we paint this song.
One more try, one more goodnight.
so bad, this feeling never catches up
and burnt red are the arms
of a sunburned boy you love.
I know what you’re all about now,
I know where the engine runs out.
so I sing along until your gone,
sing along until your gone.
(I think her away)
You’re busy fucking everyone…”
5) The Academy Is… : The Phrase that Pays (album: Almost Here)
“My eyes can’t believe what they have seen.
In the corner of your room you’ve stockpiled millions of my memories.
Oh Doctor, Doctor, I must have gotten this sick somehow.
I’m going to ask you a series of questions,
And I want them answered on the spot, right now.
Is it serious?
I’m afraid it is.
Am I gonna die?
Well son, death is gonna catch up to all one day,
But yours is coming quicker than ours, than ours.
Some things I may have taken for granted again and again,
well here’s what was said then
Hold your head high heavy heart.
So take a chance and make it big,
Cause it’s the last you’ll ever get.
If we don’t take it, when will we make it?
I make plans to break plans,
And I’ve been planning something big, planning something big, planning.
I’ve never tried to make the best of my time,
When I thought that I had plenty of it.
Is this serious?
I don’t know what to think.
Is it all a lie?
Well one thing is for sure
I’m taken back to the glory days
When we were kids without a brash or bitter thing to say.
Now my life is one big make it, or break it.”
4) The Streets: The Irony of It All (album: Original Pirate Material)
“Hello, Hello. My names Terry and I’m a law abider
There’s nothing I like more than getting fired up on beer
And when the weekends here I to exercise my right to get paralytic and fight
Good bloke fairly
But I get well leery when geezers look at me funny
Bounce ‘em round like bunnies
I’m likely to cause mischief
Good clean grief you must believe and I ain’t no thief.
Law abiding and all, all legal.
And who cares about my liver when it feels good
Wwhat you need is some real manhood.
Rasher Rasher Barney and Kasha putting peoples backs up.
Public disorder, I’ll give you public disorder.
I down eight pints and run all over the place
Spit in the face of an officer
See if that bothers you cause I never broke a law in my life
Someday I’m gonna settle down with a wife
Come on lads lets have another fight
Eh hello. My names Tim and I’m a criminal,
In the eyes of society I need to be in jail
For the choice of herbs I inhale.
This ain’t no wholesale operation
Just a few eighths and some Playstations my’s vocation
I pose a threat to the nation
And down the station the police hold no patience
Let’s talk space and time
I like to get deep sometimes and think about Einstein
And Carl Jung And old Kung Fu movies I like to see
Pass the hydrator please
Yeah I’m floating on thin air.
Going to Amsterdam in the New Year - top gear there
Cause I taker pride in my hobby
Home made bongs using my engineering degree
Dear Leaders, please legalize weed for these reasons…”
3) Fall Out Boy: The Pros and Cons of Breathing (album: Take This To Your Grave)
“Bury me standing under your window with the cinder block in hand
Yeah cause no one will ever feel like this again
And if I could move I’m sure it would only be to crawl back to you
I must have dragged my guts a block… they were gone by the time we {talked}…
Whoa, I want to hate you half as much as I hate myself
{But} you know that I could crush you with my voice
Stood on my roof and tried to see you forgetting about me
Hide the details I don’t want to know a thing
I hate the way you say my name like it’s something secret
My pen is the barrel of the gun.
Remind me which side you should be on
Stood on my roof and tried to see you forgetting about me
Hide the details I don’t want to know a thing
I wish that I was as invisible as you make me feel…”
2) Gym Class Heroes: Taxi Driver (album: The Papercut Chronicles)
“I took cutie for a ride in my deathcab
She tipped me with a kiss I dropped her off at the meth lab
Before she left she made a dashboard confessional
And spilled her guts in cursive but whats worse is
I could still see her bright eyes like sunny day real estate
Oh my and in a funny way the ceiling tastes
So high but no chance
My little chemical romance left a bad taste in my mouth
But I approached her like hey mercedes why the long face
Why you crying? there’s no need
Just put on this coheed and fallout
Boy meets girl jimmy eat world
But Schlep eats pills till hes all out
Not once not twice she was thrice times a lady
Mackin on brand new, but I had to
Bounce over to the postal service to
Pick up these pills that take care of my nervousness
And all the way I saw planes and mistook ‘em for stars
She played games but she took em too far
At the drive in
Watching soft porn and you can tell
By the trail of the dead, that there was something in the popcorn
I hop in my cab destination midtown
Just to get up with some kids that like to get down
I’d made my rounds and that was that
In between the frowns and scraps and heart attacks
And I remember I seen her ass in early November
On a Thursday taking back Sunday for a refund
She shot a wink like no hard feelings
Then she jetted to Brazil man them pills had me spun
This is the story of the year right here
This is hot water music
Put ya ramen into it.”
1). Saosin (with Anthony Green): Seven Years (album: Translating the Name EP)
“Taking on seven years
the holy ghost had left alone
Test my arms, kick like crazy
I’ve been trying way too long
only push the way off to fight you
Now I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m not sure
Getting off my chest
the story ends
I would find a way without…
Tell him his eyes see too clear
I would find a way without you
Tell him his eyes see too clear
That mistake was gold
I know that without you
is something that I could never do
That was why staple the eyes and
seven dates for me to sell machines
and tear on
Seven years you assured me
that I’d be fine if I complied
only push the way off to fight you
(only push the way off to fight you)
Now I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m not sure
Getting off my chest
the story ends
…
Don’t treat me, I’m to blame (sorry, I’m sorry, I’m not sure)
Don’t treat me like I ever accused you…”
April 18th, 2007
Today, We’re All Hokies.
You, faithful reader, are probably sick of hearing about the Virginia Tech shootings.
You’re probably exhausted with the media coverage of the shootings.
But this situation hits a little closer to home than most realize.
The similarities are striking between VT and CSU.
-Both are land grant universities.
-VT was founded two years after CSU.
-
Delve closer with me:
-Myron Guillory, former recruiting coach for the Ram’s men’s basketball team played four years of basketball at Tech, 1994-1998.
-Marquie Cook, who had a short stint with the Ram’s basketball team, was a transfer student from Tech.
-
Though Virginia Tech is miles and miles away, we as college students, as people are all affected by the shootings.
I implore you to never forget what happened at VT. I know I will never be able to shake this from my memory, and I can’t even imagine how the students at the university feel.
Now, because you are all smart, you’re asking me, “Cole, what does this have to do with CSU Sports?”
Well, little to nothing. This does have an affect on the collegiate sports community as a whole. Imagine, God forbid, that something like this happened in laid-back
Imagine, no Green and Gold game this Saturday.
Imagine holding a memorial at Moby for your fallen comrades, students, and faculty.
Imagine having all you’re classes cancelled, when all you want to do is return to normalcy.
These are all things that Tech students are dealing with right now. They cancelled their spring football game, which is a huge deal in
The university held a memorial service for the slain Hokies in their basketball gymnasium.
The university cancelled classes for the rest of the week.
For the normal hindrances in my life, when school gets too tough, or when money is tight, I turn to sports for a quick distraction. Nothing can take me out of my life like sports can. CSU football is one of those sports that alleviate worry from my life. Three hours of collegiate football atmosphere.
September 1st. One hundred thirty-six days from today. One hundred thirty-six days before the Virginia Tech Hokies can escape into collegiate football. One hundred thirty-six days until life can return to relative normalcy for the Hokies, even if it is for three hours.
I never had a particular affinity for Virginia Tech. I’ve never really thought Mike Vick was that good, nor his brother Marcus Vick, I’ve always thought Kevin Jones was overrated. I liked the
I’m a Ram. I’m a Hokie now too, as are all of us here at CSU.
So September first, grab a beer, take a seat in your recliner, and escape with the entire town of Blacksburg, Virginia, a town much like Fort Collins, and just escape.
Go Hokies.
Take care of each other.
April 17th, 2007
Virginia Tech Tragedy
Dear ladies and gentleman, as I write this, I am using all of the data available to me at this time, and I apologize for anything that proves to be misconstrued or just all in all untrue. Today on the Virginia Tech campus…….tragedy struck. The death toll on campus today was 33/32 innocents killed by a single man weilding an automatic weapon. And the gunman himself, who, depending on who you hear your news from, was either shot by the police or committed suicide.
As I write this I notice that most of the stories that were written by people in the area have been taken down or censored in the past few hours, and even more are being removed as I refresh my web browser. From my connections to the campus, I have been told that the gunman started off in aj hall (ambler johnson dormitory) where he killed an RA and a student that he had some sort of dispute with. After which he then crossed campus and attended classes(He was not a student) until opening fire at Norris Hall.
Well now I’ve been told that he really did commit suicide, and the reason identification has taken so long was because of the size of the hole he put in his own head. Good for him, for his sake I hope their is a hell and the devil takes particular interest in this new orifice of his. But it’s late and I ramble. Let me put this into perspective for some of you. Think about somebody shooting an RA and a fellow student in Parmalee hall. This person then walks around campus for a few hours….and then lines people up against the walls in the Yates building, where he then starts shooting at you and your friends. You do what you can, some people jump out windows. Some people hide and crouch under chairs and desks. Many people are gunned down, blood is everywhere, bodies riddle the floor.
I’m at a point right now where i’m mad. I don’t know exactly who or what to be mad at, but i’m furious. A man killed people and then walked around campus for hours before he was stopped. Police did not evactuate campus. Students were not warned. Faculty were not helpful in the situation. Now I can see this sort of lack of action if the first shooting had not been reported, or if the incident occured on a small campus where it was easy to track where he was. But the police were notified of it. The campus is this big. < > Look at it…it even looks like CSU. They even have a fricken oval of their own.
Now While I think Larry Penley is one of the worst things to happen to this campus, I would hope to any diety out there thats listening that if something happens on campus that he would have the decency to let me know about it so i can take care of myself. If Anthrax were released on campus at 5 am and the police knew about it. And they decide not to let me know when i get to campus because they believe it is an “isolated incident”. To hell with that! But honestly, who could have foreseen something like this coming?
I still remember staring in awe at a screen for hours watching the columbine shootings. As well as on september 11th when i watched towers fall on ground i had played on as a kid. Do you know how much time i spent in front of a tv screen today? Maybe ten minutes? How much time did you spend? Hell for some people this morning may be the first time you’re hearing about it. Now maybe it’s because I’ve been desensitized to death by where I grew up and where i went to high school and what happened at columbine all those years ago. And maybe thats what has happened to everybody on campus as of late. No one seemed to care today.
Have we become so wrapped up in our own little agendas and media wars that we can’t see this as a tragedy? For the past couple of years so much has come out of the media condemning Bush and pushing for the Global Warming Fad that I think most of us are just tired of listening. 32 people our age DIED today. And not the everyday normal statistics wise ways of people dying. NO….32 people our age were KILLED today by a lone gunman. Imagine being on the stairs of the Clark building and seeing bullet shells and blood everywhere. Why hasn’t this hit home yet? What the hell is wrong with this world? What the hell is wrong with us?
And really…..what goes through a persons head that causes him….no…allows him, to kill 32 people? Obviously Jack Thompson hasn’t heard about this yet because I haven’t heard anybody blame video games yet. Obviously the democrats haven’t heard about this yet because i haven’t heard them blame this on George Bush or Global warming. And apparently the republicans haven’t heard about this yet because no one has blamed it on Al Qaida or illegal immigrants yet. So what possible reason could it be? Did someone finally just snap after years of a problematic life and decide to pay the world back for how it had treated him? Well don’t ask me……ask one of the aforementioned experts as noted above….they always seem to know the right answers.
And Honestly, who cares what the hell W said concerning the tragedy? Who cares what their president or our president said? I know I don’t give a damn about any of that. What I give a damn about is when a friend of mine tells me shes scared for her life because this sort of shit is allowed to happen on a college campus very identical to hers. To people our age. And I hope to god that that fact alone hits everybody on this campus, in some way or another.
April 16th, 2007
Virginia Tech Shooting
I have been asked to deviate from my usually lighthearted subject of writing about television to a far more somber (and admittedly difficult) topic: the shootings that occurred today at
All day long I had the TV turned on to cable news stations, watching as events unfolded. I began scouring the internet for more information, and soon my thoughts turned to the possibility of a similar scenario unfolding on the CSU campus. Familiar images of college life began to flood my brain. I imagined walking through the crowd across the plaza on a spring day, taking part in a study group in the library, or sitting in my Russian politics class, laughing with my classmates; I am unable to even imagine a situation in which a person would want to come into the familiarity of my life and cause this kind of harm to my fellow students. It wasn’t long before I began to ask myself “why?” It was the same indescribable reaction I had felt after Columbine and 9/11.
This is the point where we are usually given those post-tragedy reminders, to “be kind to one another”, “don’t take life for granted”, and “tell your friends and family that you love them”. But as the nation sits tonight in shock, dismay, and sorrow, I don’t think we need to be reminded.
Some known facts about the incident (from CNN.com ):
- Two people were killed at a dormitory about
- The gunman at Norris Hall, whose death is under scrutiny, was not carrying identification and has not been identified.
- A total of 29 injured people from the shootings, who are being listed as in “stable” or “critical” condition, are being treated in hospitals in
- University police Chief Wendell Flinchum said police were still investigating whether the two incidents are related. Investigators are not ruling out a second shooter, Flinchum said.
- Asked why the campus, which has more than 26,000 students, was not shut down after the first shooting, Flinchum responded that police determined “it was an isolated event to that building and the decision was made not to cancel classes at that time.”
- So far there has been criticism over the school’s handling of the incident, with claims that warnings came too late. (From MSNBC.com)
The incident is now the deadliest mass shooting in
· 1991: In Killen, TX, George Hennard drove a pickup truck into a cafeteria and then fatally shot 23 people, before shooting himself (before Monday, this was the deadliest mass shooting).
· 1966: At the
· 1999: At
Reaction Statements (From MSNBC.com):
· “Today, our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones…We hold the victims in our hearts, we lift them up in our prayers and we ask a loving God to comfort those who are suffering today.” – President Bush
· “The university was struck today with a tragedy of monumental proportions. There were two shootings on campus. In each case, there were fatalities. The university is shocked and horrified that this would befall our campus. I want to extend my deepest, sincerest and most profound sympathies to the families of these victims, which include students.” – V.T. President Charles Steger
· “I am shocked and saddened to hear the news of today’s events. This inconceivable tragedy was a horrific act of cruelty that took the lives of so many innocent young people, cutting their lives short and inflicting tremendous pain on all of those who loved them.” – Sen. John McCain
· “These were future leaders, our most precious resource. To see them struck down at the prime of life like this is a tragedy and I think we have to do some soul searching to find out are there ways we can prevent these things from happening again.” – Sen. Barack Obama
Statements by eyewitnesses and students (from MSNBC.com):
- “I really thought they should have canceled classes sooner. If they had, maybe some of these deaths could have been prevented.” - Sam Leake (junior student, according to the campus newspaper, The Collegiate Times)
- “He didn’t say a single word the whole time. He didn’t say get down, he didn’t say anything. He just came in and started shooting.” – Trey Perkins (sophomore student)
- “I saw bullets hit people’s body. There was blood everywhere. People in the class were passed out, I don’t know maybe from shock from the pain. But I was one of only four that made it out of that classroom. The rest were dead or injured.” – Erin Sheehan (student)
This incident is already bringing up a whole array of issues, from the investigation itself, to questions about gun control in the country, to violence in the media, to whether campuses and schools across the country are prepared for incidents such as these.
It is still too early for speculation about all of the details of this event. Right now the most important thing is to comfort and support those who have been affected by this tragedy, and keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Facebook members:
Check out various groups being formed to support VTech students, get information about a suggested Remembrance Day and other resources.
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