Passion...or Obsession?

So I've already written one post about it but in fact I am so passionate about this I feel it deserves a second blog post. That's right...I'm talking about GLEE! It's very difficult for me to find a show that I get genuinely excited about. Sure there are shows I like: Royal Pains, Kendra, and any countdown show ever, but I haven't liked a show to this extent since probably ninth grade when American Dreams was on.

So what is Glee? It's a show about a, you guessed it, high school glee club at fictional William McKinley High School in Ohio. The characters are colorful and very talented.

• Rachel-a slighly neurotic diva who is the best singer at the school and she knows it. Oh and she's in love with star quarterback Finn.
• Quinn-a cheerleader and president of the celibacy club. Did I mention she's pregnant with not her boyfriend Finn's baby, but his best friend's-Bad Boy Puck
• Finn- star quarterback and All-American boy. Also the object of lust for 2 girls and 1 boy
• Puck- the mohawked bad boy and football stud. In one episode he makes "special brownies" for the glee bake sale.
  
• Kurt-the overly flamboyant and fashionable one of the group who happens to also be in love with Finn. Every glee club needs the gay stereotype and he's it.
• Mercedes- a girl who's talent is as big as her attitude. Best line ever: I'm a Beyonce I ain't no Kelly Rowland.
• Artie-the weelchair bound nerd with a deep singing voice that doesn't match his personality at all!
• Tina- the Asian girl who fakes a stutter so she doesn't get called on in class.

There's also Mr. Shue, the devoted instructor, and Sue Sylvester, coach of the Cheerios and an all around B***H!

I'm not the only one gaga for this show. They won many awards this past season and just last weekend sang at the Presidental Easter Egg Roll. And just in case my description (and the video below) get you interested, season 2 starts April 13 at 10:30 :-)

SPRING BREAK RECAP

What is there to say about Spring Break 2K10? For some it was a joyous occasion spent frolicking on the beach. For others it was a time for going out on River Street and getting so schwasted they don't know which way is up. For me...I went up to ATL to spend time with family. Awesome right?

So what did I do in Marietta? The usual really...went shopping, spent time with family, and helped my grandpa get settled in his new apartment. I also did 2 fun things I suppose are worth noting. I went to a Hawks game with my dad (my very first professional basketball game!) where we saw the Hawks beat the Pistons 112-99. I even saw a man propose to his girlfriend on the court which I'd never seen in real life; only on TV.


I also went to my mom's school on St. Patricks Day and got to be the leperchaun. I destroyed their room by flipping over chairs and spraying confetti everywehere. We even found the leperchaun's underwear! The kids ate rainbow cupcakes and sorted lucky charms' marshmallows. Overall a fun day, for them and me!

It's a small world after all...

Disneyland Paris (or Euro Disney as it was originally called) opened in 1992 in a suburb of Paris. The concept is simple: bringing the magic of Disney to Europe. There are many similarities between Euro Disney and its American counterparts: Disneyland in California and Disney World in Orlando. For instance: the parks in Euro Disney are much like the sub-sections of Magic Kingdom in WDW. They have: Main Street USA, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland, and Discoveryland. In contrast, WDW has those and Mickey's Toon Town Adventure, Liberty Square, and Tomorrowland.

They also have "Walt Disney Studio Park" which is comparable to "Disney's Hollywood Studio" in Orlando. At the Euro Disney Park they have 4 lots: Toon Studio, Backlot, Front Lot, and Production Courtyard. Disney's hollywood studio has only one lot, but it has different attractions.

Random facts:

• Both Disneyland Paris and Disneyland in California have Sleeping Beauty's castle whereas Disneyworld in Orlando has Cinderella's Castle.
• Euro Disney has roughly 12,000 employees
• The park usually has around 55,000 visitors per day (compared to 17 million visits in 2007 by WDW)
• Michael Eisner, former CEO of Disney said "As Americans, the word ‘Euro’ is believed to mean glamorous or exciting. For Europeans it turned out to be a term they associated with business, currency, and commerce. Renaming the park ‘Disneyland Paris’ was a way of identifying it with one of the most romantic and exciting cities in the world" about the name change.

Editorial Cartoons

Cartoon number 1 This comic, for me, represents the Average American's lack of knowledge of what's going on in the world as well as our own pre-occupation with ourselves and our lives. More people voted for the American Idol than the President...kind of depressing.
Cartoon number 2 The elephant is against homosexuality because most conservatives vote against gay marriage. The donkey, being liberal, is for homosexuality. Although it may not be stressing those points, it's kind of funny anyways.

Cartoon number 3 With the economy the way it is, even the cost of protesting the economy is going up. The person in the plaid is looking like he wants to make a difference and impact the world, but he feels like he can't because of circumstances. He also doesn't have a mouth which looks like he doesn't have a voice.


Cartoon number 4 I know they are only referencing Obama in this, but I find it interesting to see how one man's actions can make things we wouldn't normally care about, relevant. Normally white people would not understand the fist bump, but because of Obama, they too think that the "fist bump" is cool.

Cartoon number 5 This article isn't funny, rather it's ironic. In 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested simply for sitting in the front of the bus and 53 years later, a black man holds the most respected office in the world and has his own limo. This cartoon, for me, signifys not only how far black people have come in 50 years, but how far America has come. We used to not let them share a bathroom with white people and now, we trust them to make the most important decisions regarding our country's welfare. This comic is beautiful and powerful. Though it is not funny, it does resonate with the reader.

Cutting Budgets Cutting Hopes

The idea of the budget cuts, although necessary, is tragic. Georgia Southern was discussing eliminating all temporary teachers, the ROTC, the nursing program, and many upper division classes. If this occurs, the success and notoriety Georgia Southern has worked for will be gone. "Large Scale, Small Feel" will soon be "Small Scale, Small Feel." If these cuts occur, may Georgia Southern students will be robbed of a quality education and many professors will have to find other jobs.

I read that if these happen, it will take the average GSU student six years to graduate based off the limited professors and the lack of upper division courses. These cuts will hurt everyone in the university system, not just GSU students. Schools all over Georgia will be hurt by the limited funding.

I feel very lucky that I am getting out of school here when I am. I am completing my education in four years and my college memories will be of a Georgia Southern that had money and classes. The GSU I will remember had funding for concerts and dance shows. I was offered a complete, fun educational experience and was able to leave before things went down the tube.

The Nazi Party

Although America fought Japan in World War Two it is impossible to think of that period of our nation's history without thinking of Germany and the Nazi Party. The Nazi Party didn't begin in the 1940s, rather they had been developing their ideas and solidifying their beliefs for a long time before that.

The German Worker's Party, which eventually became the Nazi Party, was founded by Anton Drexler in 1919. 1921 was when Adolf Hitler became leader of the Party and it began to pick up steam as well as supporters. Just nine years later, Hitler had helped the party go from having 14 seats in parliament to 107.

In 1923, however, Hitler attempted to lead the Nazi Party in a coup against the Weimar Republic. This attempt failed and the Nazi Party was temporarily disbanded and Hitler went to prison.

With the onset of the great depression support for the Nazi Party began to wane. This being said, they were still receiving 33% of the vote. In 1931, Hitler ran for presidency against Paul Von Hindenberg and won. On July 14, 1933, his government declared the Nazi Party to be the only political party in Germany.

Nazi Party Beliefs:

No more than Nature desires the mating of weaker with stronger individuals, even less does she desire the blending of a higher with a lower race, since, if she did, her whole work of higher breeding, over perhaps hundreds of thousands of years, night be ruined with one blow. Historical experience offers countless proofs of this. It shows with terrifying clarity that in every mingling of Aryan blood with that of lower peoples the result was the end of the cultured people. North America, whose population consists in by far the largest part of Germanic elements who mixed but little with the lower colored peoples, shows a different humanity and culture from Central and South America, where the predominantly Latin immigrants often mixed with the aborigines on a large scale. By this one example, we can clearly and distinctly recognize the effect of racial mixture. The Germanic inhabitant of the American continent, who has remained racially pure and unmixed, rose to be master of the continent; he will remain the master as long as he does not fall a victim to defilement of the blood. The result of all racial crossing is therefore in brief always the following: Lowering of the level of the higher race; Physical and intellectual regression and hence the beginning of a slowly but surely progressing sickness.

Although the German Nazi Party was banned in 1945, the party still has supporters.

Dear Editor:

While reading your article regarding the 5K to support organ donation I was deeply moved. So often we read articles concerning the things our generation is not doing well enough or not caring about.

Reading Taryn Mason's personal story about how her father donated a kidney to her brother was touching. The added story of the Don Coreleone's employee on dialysis also hit home because it made me realize that we really don't know what everyone is going through.

Being in college, I can say for myself that a lot of times I can be very selfish. I am more concerned with my weekend plans or how I did on my last test than worrying about what I personally can do to help better the lives of those around me. With Taryn's story and what she is doing for the community, I can see that she is selflessly trying to aid others.

Taryn's story has made me rethink what is important in life and made me realize that just one person, even a college student at Georgia Southern, can do something to make a difference.

Sincerely,
Alli Brenner