Q1: When To Pull The Trigger

The use of guns for self defense and what makes it justifiable is a argument which I believe rests on the circumstances of individual cases. If someone breaks into your home and begins to take advantage of your wife then by all means the law should allow you to pull the trigger. If you're walking home at night and you get mugged, pull your gun. If he backs away don't shoot, if he continues to attack and you're unable to reasonably defend yourself, pull the trigger.

 

Sometimes the sight of a gun will be all that's needed to protect yourself. In any case the gun is a source of power. It should only be used when you feel overpowered and unable to protect yourself in any other way. The problem with all of this is that allowing people to carry guns and use them when they feel unsafe creates an enormous loop hole for criminals. The last thing I want to see is this nation become an unsafe, murder-happy, merciless society. Although, I do strongly believe in self-defense. This topic's just one of those things which depend on specific cases and circumstances.

 

 If you do own a gun for protection, please use it with extreme caution and for only the most severe circumstances. Sometimes the intimidation of the weapon is enough to stop a criminal. What's worse than being mugged is killing an innocent man who was maybe just trying to tell you that you dropped your phone. It sounds ridiculous but events like this have in fact happened. Question everything.

P1: Television

When I compare myself to the stereotypical modern teen, I really don’t watch too much television. I don’t spend my evenings watching re-runs of Jersey Shore, or spend hours figuring out why the Kardashians are as popular as they are. Currently my favorite shows include, The Office, BBC’s Top Gear, Southland and anything on the Discovery or History channel. I tend to genuinely enjoy shows where to understand the humor and gravity of situations you must have an understanding of the characters and what they’re about.

In my home there are four televisions. There’s a large television in our family room, and then three smaller screens in my sister’s room, my parents’, and my own. We mostly watch shows in the living room but if we’re watching something before bed, or by ourselves then we’ll move to our bedrooms. I think television is great in appropriate amounts. It can be entertaining, educational, emotional, and informative. A piece of technology which enhances television is the DVR. This allows me to record shows while I’m at school, work, or out with friends. This way I never miss a new episode or show I’ve been wanting to watch.

Over the years, television has received a large amount of negative opinion and comments. I have to agree with the people who say too much of it isn’t good. Too much of anything isn’t good. In personal experience I find television to be enjoyable, and educational. The result on the brain and lifestyle all depends on who’s watching what and for how long.

Television is a technological theme-park packed with movies, episodes, broadcasts, and concerts all available to us at any time of the day. It’s another piece of technology which brings humans closer together, but if overused, it can drive us apart.

O2: College: What We're Really Paying For

This article makes absolute sense to me. The reason some folks are against higher education is because they look at the cost only. Skeptics thrown around names such as Mark Zuckerburg, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates to try and make a point that they dropped out of college and became Billionaires. The reason they dropped out is because they felt something in their gut. They knew exactly what they wanted to do, and how they could do it, or they at least knew their heart was in another place. 

The purpose of college isn’t to obtain a degree. The purpose is to refine your-self as a human being. College is a quirky, stressful renaissance of education and growth and to put yourself through it you’re doing yourself the largest favor. College is a time when we come into our own. We start discovering what we want to do and what we don’t. At the same time, we’re becoming more educated and therefore, useful human-beings. As the article states, College graduates normally do find more success in the job market. It’s not just their degree, it’s who they’ve became by getting that degree. 

This fall I’ll be attending Columbia College Chicago. The tuition there happens to be a bit pricey but when compared to other schools of the same nature, the cost isn’t bad at all. In the future I plan on working in the television industry, possibly a little journalism on the side. Entertainment is my passion and I’d be wasting my time entering a different field. I’m following my strengths and dreams. 

In my opinion, the world we live in has become far less about the strength of the group and more about the strength of the individual. The way I see it, a group is only as powerful as its people and how well they collaborate. It is time more than ever where we must focus on ourselves and what our strengths are. Follow your passions, follow your heart and you will find success.

Original Article:

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/print/2012/03/whats-more-expensive-than-college-not-going-to-college/255073/

O1: Space Shuttle Recycling Program

As most of us know, NASA’s manned spaced operations have been cut. Although optimism still remains for the future, the current cost seemed unfeasible to executives. Now you may be thinking what will happen to all the shuttles? I’ve just read an article published in the Chicago Tribune which explains the future homes of a few of the crafts. The article tells how many are currently being flown to various cities in the United States to be rolled into museums for display. This all seems a bit ironic to me. These titans of technology, explorers of the unknown are now being sealed inside of museums. 

The way the shuttles are getting there is actually quite impressive. They’ll be flown there via “piggy backing” on a regular jet-engine airplane. The article talks about a shuttle headed to New York City and how it took a specific route past the Statue of Liberty and over the George Washington Bridge. I wish I was there when it flew over these landmarks. If I was there I’m sure I would have felt a surge of patriotism. Here you stand on a bridge named after one of our founding fathers, looking at the statue of liberty and all it represents and then suddenly a jet flies over with a space shuttle on top. Honestly, it had to be a breath-taking experience to of been there to see it happen. 

More occurrences like this have already been planned and performed. Reading about happenings like this reassures my faith in this country, the people and our economic state. Although NASA has cut manned missions to space they do plan on returning to the future, but this time in more technologically advanced crafts which can carry astronauts to farther distances more safely. Who knows what will be parading around our skies two hundred years from now.  

Original article link:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-shuttle-enterprise-newyorkbre83q0x6-20120427,0,5234797.story 

P4: Tuesdays With Morrie, Change, and Character

I've been reading, "Tuesdays with Morrie." As I've been reading, I've slowly been opening my eyes to how I view other people, as well as how I view myself. I feel I can closely relate to the character and author, Mitch. He's focused on the future, focused on his job, carrying an "every man for himself" mentallity and letting his friends and family slip away.

Lately, I've been extremely focused on moving up at work, getting out of high school, and becoming an independent self-sufficient indivual. One of my long time friends has virtually disapeared, my band's falling apart, and so is my relationship with my family. I'm more stressed-out and short-tempered than I've ever been. I have been letting petty school asignments go to focus on working more and filling out scholarship applications. I've never felt such a surge of arrogance and pride run through my veins. I can't let things go on like this much longer, I'm driving myself insane.

I'm not sure how to ease-up on myself or others. I'm only seventeen so I'm going to attribute these behaviors to stress, change, and just growing up. As always, I maintain the ability to rise above the situation I'm in and analyze it. I don't always have the answers, but I can identify problem. Being away from everyone next year is going to be interesting. I'm excited and opptimistic about the move. I'm going to give it my all and continue trying to become the person I've always wanted to be. Things are coming together and I feel I've been learning, or at least making myself aware to a lot of good lessons lately. I need a good nights sleep, and a day off from everything. I'll leave you with a couple good quotes from the story. Enjoy!


"You closed your eyes. That was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them too-even when you are in the dark. Even when you're falling."

“Accept who you are; and revel in it.”

P2: Senior Accomplishments

This past September, I wrote about my goals and aspirations for the upcoming school year. With less than two months left of my senior year I figured now would be a good time to check back to see where I stand.

When I read this assignment I didn’t think much of it, although when I read the post I realized how much I really have accomplished. An extraordinary amount actually. Reading the post fills me with nostalgia. September didn’t seem that far away until I read what I wrote back then.

At the time I was still considering attending Buffalo State for a few years and then moving out to Chicago where I would finish my education. Since I wrote that, I applied to Buffalo State, and Columbia College Chicago. I was accepted into both, visited both, and then won the Presidential Scholarship at Columbia. Buffalo State may be a good school, but Columbia is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. With twenty-two renovated high-rises located in the South Loop of Chicago, the third largest city in the United States will be my campus this fall.

 

Another topic I discussed was my band. I wrote about how we planned to record a few songs in New York City and at the Goo Goo Doll’s recording facility right here in Buffalo.  Plans turned to action and we accomplished everything we planned. We also had the opportunity to meet and talk for a bit with Robby Takac, Goo Goo Doll Bassist. He’s a very humble and cool guy. The whole process was inspiring. New York city was absolutely amazing. We were there for an entire week. Navigating the city, and living there was a great time full of memories I’ll forever treasure. Another cool thing which happened there was meeting my drummer Jeff’s godfather. I found out that he happened to be an executive at SirusXM Satellite radio. One day he invited Jeff and I to lunch. We felt like rock-stars having an appointment with him on the 36^thfloor of The McGraw Hill building in Times Square. He gave us a tour of the company’s headquarters and then took us out for lunch. What an experience, honestly.

With the last few weeks of my high school career flying by I look forward with excitement. Some students are filling up inside with fear. They’re leaving the place which played home to what they consider the best years of their lives. I sure had some great times and inspirational experiences, but my life’s just about to begin.

Group N: Interview with Tara

I just had the absolute pleasure of interviewing fellow bulldog member, Tara Hammerschmidt. Might I say, she’s quite the young lady. She told me her name is Tara and her mom gave her the right. This response was very dry and I have to say it did make me chuckle quite a bit. She told me her favorite band was anything but Larrabee. After that cruel remark I assumed she must like the differently pronounced and spelled band, Larrabe. On the average Friday night she finds herself going to McDonalds for dinner, going home to talk to herself, doing girl things with her friend Cindy, making popcorn and then watching a girly movie before bed. I asked her for a few keywords about herself, she responded with the following: outgoing, motivated, intelligent and positive. When asked manual or automatic transmission she quickly responded with automatic. This actually surprised me, especially since she earlier told me that her dream car was a Chevrolet Corvette. She couldn’t mean driving an automatic corvette could she? I don’t think so! Anyways, her favorite food is Mexican, presumably Mighty Taco. When asked if she enjoyed this interview, she responded with,  “No cuz I had to talk to you.” She did though mention that she considers herself to be a “mac” and that is very well. The interview in my mind went well. I got her to talk about a few tough issues, many of which she denied to comment on or made me promise not to put it in my article. That’s all she spoke!

N3: Spring

Bone-chilling rain, muddy lawns, and overcast skies. How a person could enjoy the time of year which conditions like this are the norm perplexes me. A reason why I dislike it so much is that it's a period of transition in weather patterns. I think I've already brought this up, my ideal weather pattern. Nine months of summer, three weeks of fall, one of spring and a month of winter. That to me is ideal. I'm actually happy that I've grown up with Buffalo weather. I've found the positives in all weather conditions. People who live here get to experience it all. Throughout the year Buffalonians experience beautiful clear days, adrenaline-jolting thunderstorms and blizzards, cool fall days and blistering hot summer afternoons. Experiencing weather like this for the past seventeen years has had an effect on me. I love a good storm, but I also enjoy a nice summer day. I love the snow in the winter, but I don't like it when winter lasts for five months. Springtime has its positive times and features but for the most part I don't like it. One of the few good things about it is that it gives us hope for the summer season around the corner. Sadly, this is only a tease. Last week we had beautiful weather, sunny days, highs in the seventies lows in the sixties. If the trees had leaves we would of thought it was summer. This week it's back to the forties, overcast, and rain. It's miserable outside. This right here is why I don't enjoy spring. As Buffalonians, we've got to take what we can get.

Group N Blog: Employment

I currently work at Delta Sonic. As far as I've seen and from what I know, it's probably one of the best places to work in Western, NY as a teenager. The company has a great model, it's professional, most of the managers are great, the workers are friendly, and honestly, I have more friends there than I do at school. The companies success begins with it's hiring process. To be considered you need to have a referral from someone in the company. Next you must pass a drug test and an interview. If you pass those steps successfully you'll sit through an eight hour orientation class, and then train for two more days before you can be let off on your own. So not just anyone can get a job there. We also have secret shoppers who come through daily and make sure that we're not getting lazy or rude and that we're following procedures correctly. This keeps the hardworking, logical, friendly employees in and the undesirables out. The services and products we offer are great, and the work environment there is fast paced, friendly and exciting. I love my job. <br>


In the fall of 2012 I will be moving to Chicago, IL to study Television at Columbia College Chicago. Luckily for me, Delta Sonic has nine locations there, one of which I'll be transferring to. I'll see how it is there, if it's not as great as it is here I'll try and get a job at the Apple Store, which is only a few blocks from my apartment there. I'd love to work at the Apple Store just as much as I would at Delta Sonic. At Apple, I'd drive less, possibly make more, and get to stay downtown which sounds better than driving out to the suburbs everyday. I love the business model and culture that Apple has built and I'd be honored to represent their company. <br>


Towards the end of college I'll have a better idea of where I'll want to work. I know that I want to produce television shows. I'd love to work for the Discovery Channel, NBC, or the BBC. They all feature great shows that I'd love to be a part of. I don't know what company I'll end up working for, maybe I'll even end up self employed. In this time of economic uncertainty and job-loss I'll never have to worry. I''m not saying that I'll never lose a job. That can happen to anyone. I'm not worried because I'll always keep my options open and in the right environment, I'll always be a hard working, logical, friendly employee.

Group M Blogs 2 Distracted Driving

I have an excellent proposition for all of you! Instead of cruising around in your mom's Pontiac Grand Am trying to find the next Little Wayne tune on your iPod Shuffle, think about what's ahead of you, what's happening around you. Instead of trying to run over the baloon that has just blown into the street watch for the child who could be chasing after it. Turn the stereo down and listen to your vehicle. Listen to what's going on around you. See what's ahead of you, and what's ahead of that. It's all quite simple. One of the things my father told me while I was learning how to drive is that you always need to read the road and what's happening ahead. If you see vehicles with their taillights on ahead see what is causing them to do so take action. I like to make a playlist of songs before I leave so I can just plug in my phone keep it on shuffle and enjoy without going through lists trying to find the song I want. If you're riding with a passenger have them text for you, have them change the song. Personally I think by doing this it can decrease your accident chances largely. One of the reasons I purchased a manual-shift car is that I enjoy driving. The main reasons people text, read books, put on make up, eat breakfast and do whatever else they want in their cars is because they hate driving. They feel as if it's just another thing sucking time out of their day. They are too busy to read the road, to see what's happening around them. These are the folks who cause accidents which honestly could of had been avoided. I'm talking about them in this very sarcastic and upset  manner because their ignorance is costing lives and opportunities. When you're driving and texting and you feel a sick sensation in your gut it's your conscious letting you know how unsafe and dangerous it is. To the drivers who don't text and drive, who keep there hands on the wheel I apploud you, but let me offer this piece of advise to you; no matter if you're right or wrong on the road be defensive, not offensive. There are a lot of dead people who have had the right-away.

Group L Blog One

This year like others I spent my Super Bowl Sunday with my family. What was different this year was that I had to work until six, but that's not too bad. Like most years we watch the game at my house, sometimes family and friends come over but this year it was just my mother, father, sister and I. Everyone already was tied up doing something else and we felt we'd have just as much fun watching it ourselves. It was a nice evening, just as entertaining as years before as well. We enjoyed the clever and humorous commercials as always. Although the half-time show wasn't as impressive as other recent acts such as The Rolling Stones or even Prince. I enjoyed coming home from work after an eight hour shift to find a bunch of food and drinks which my mom had prepared. It was a nice evening together with the family and I'm looking forward to next years Super Bowl. It doesn't matter who's playing or who you're with, the Super Bowl is one of the largest television events every year in the United States and watching it connects you with the nation.

Group K Blog Four

Something about that house has always had a magical feel. I’m not quite sure what it was but it just did. Spending my child-hood there was a special time. I spent many days exploring the house inside and out. The third floor was my grandmas and I was told to never go up there. I always figured she needed rest and I would just be a bother. One day I pretended to be sick so I could get out of going to church. When everyone left I walked up the third flight of stairs. This had always been off limits and it felt some what liberating to be walking up these stairs. This of course was the only area of the house I had never explored. It actually seemed pretty normal. Grandma keeps a pretty tidy living area I thought to myself. After looking into all the other rooms I came upon a room with the window left open. “I better close this” I thought. As I walked in things felt different in this room. First off all the walls were a horrendous color and the bird design over the paint was strange looking. As I walked up to shut the window a bird matching the color and size of those on the wall flew out before I shut it. What was that saying Grandma always spoke of? “I’ll be with you wherever you go, through the eyes of a fly on the wall”? Hmm, weird I thought. I walked downstairs and went back to bed. I awoke just in time for church.

Group K Blog Three

I had always loved spending my evening watching the sailboats return to harbor. Something about seeing them all lined up reminded me of soldiers returning home from battle. In this case the battle was the lake and the reward was a peaceful harbor to return to. Something about watching the ships return in the evening illuminated by the rising moon was purely magical. Some nights before going to watch I’d stop at a local candy shop by the port and buy a chocolate covered pretzel. I’m not too sure how I became so fond of chocolate covered pretzels but at one point in my life I just did. Every once in awhile I’d get a vanilla milk shake with it. Heading to the harbor I’d sit on top of a pick-nick table and watch. The first in were always the fishermen. You could tell they had the hardest day because they’re ships had already been prepared to dock. They wanted off the ship as soon as possible. Next came the sight-seers and tourists. Their boats were a little less organized. Always coming in last were the partiers. Their boats were the last thing from organized. Wine bottles fell off the side, their laughter and voices could be heard when they crossed under the railroad bridge. One night I remember very well occurred a few weeks ago. As ships passed by one came closer to shore and then just sat there. An hour past and it was still there. I hadn’t seen an anchor drop or even a crew member on deck. A man placed his hand on my shoulder and I nearly fell into the water I was so startled. He dressed like a captain and resembled one in every possible way. He pointed out the ship and then he said it. “I should probably get back to my ship now.” He started walking towards the fence and then disappeared. After a moment the ship began to move. It disappeared into the dark along with the others.

Group K Blog Two

That summer was one of the best ones I ever had. I spent a majority of the time at my grandparents place on Lake Michigan. I woke around 5AM. My grandfather was already up preparing for our fishing trip. We did this most mornings. I would always pack some food and he would pack the gear. We were out in the boat before sunrise. It was the perfect time to go fishing. Watching the sunrise over the lake was also a beautiful sight to see every morning. It was times like these I’ll remember the rest of my life. We’d return to the cottage around nine and grandma would have pancakes ready. After that I’d take a little nap. When I woke up grandma was already working on lunch and most days grandpa was outside. He was always working. He was either mowing the lawn, gardening, or working on the boat. I went outside and helped him for a bit and then played some catch. We’d play all the way up until grandma rang the bell for lunch. After, I’d help grandma clean the kitchen. I swam in the lake and took the boat out a little by myself. Grandpa would never let me get out of sight. I suppose it was a good idea because the lake is so huge I’d be in real trouble if I got lost or if the boat broke down. Sometimes Grandpa would take me water skiing. This was one of my favorite things to do. Most nights we had dinner, others we made a fire in the evening and cooked some food over that. I liked when we had fires. Sitting and listening to Grandpa’s stories from when he was in the war really inspired me. I normally fell asleep on the couch in their cottage after watching some television. The next morning I woke around five and started the process over. It never became boring.

Group K Blog One

 


As I walked up the stairs to my front porch that night I knew something wasn’t right. It couldn’t of been that mustard sandwich I ate for lunch, I thought. No, it had to be something else. Something was up. I could smell the uneasiness in the air when I walked through my front door. The house seemed different. It was not the fact that my wife had moved out, or the fact she had taken the pets with her. It was a new kind of different, the kind that you feel in your stomach. Putting aside my notions I continued into the kitchen where I placed my briefcase on a chair. I walked over to my freezer and swung open the door, searching for dinner. I found my favorite TV Dinner; Mac And Cheese with some broccoli and turkey. Yes, it’s okay to say things have been rough without Sharon in my life. I popped the cold meal I’d become accepting of into the microwave. As I walked upstairs the strange feeling in my stomach began to grow. So much to the point where I felt unsafe. I imagined myself to be in a horror film. Eyes peering at me from holes carved through the ceiling tiles. Being the man I am I shrugged off the feeling in my gut and continued into my room. I woke up ten minutes later. Puzzled, I looked around. What had happened? I remember tripping and falling into a cabinet but what had tripped me? I was sure I didn’t see anything laying on the ground. Stunned, I stood up and flicked the light switch on. That’s when I saw it. It was a mysterious lump in my carpet. I nearly shrieked but I knew that would only frighten what may ever be in the lump. I grabbed the closest object to me, it was my grandfather’s chair which was handed down to my father and now myself. I raised it over my head and took a swing hitting the lump object. I nearly knocked the lamp of the table which the chair used to rest next to. The lump flattened without much force. I broke a leg off the chair which latter I payed to have fixed. What was under that lump will forever haunt me. Or maybe, I would forever haunt it. If it even exists.