I mean- there's probably a song that I could put in the song title. I know! Rihanna!
shut up and drive. bitches.
why all the car talk? (hahaha- Car Talk = great show on NPR). well, the first topic deal ol' Dop. had us cover in Environmental Politics (oh hey class that I clearly couldn't not take) was CAFE standards*- essentially we were/are discussing car efficiency standards in the US. Last Thursday we watched Who Killed the Electric Car, which pissed me off in a way I haven't been pissed off in a long time. like whoa. like who the hell decided (GM! you bastards!) to shut the EV1 production line and then open up the Hummer one right after? This all centered around 1998/2000 which if memory serves me correctly was around the time Americans became obsessed with SUVs, the bigger the better. because Americans like size and wasting stuff? False. Americans are the largest group of consumers in the world - but they will consume what you put out there. put out the EV1 and not the Hummer. there will be no demand for such a ridiculously large vehicle. Even back then I knew something was wrong with the Hummer (I mean, come on, if that's not the most over-compensating vehicle ever then I don't know what is). but how come I had never heard about the EV1 until this movie? I'm aware that it was all based in California etc... but come ON GM. way to f*ck up your own business. the tunnel vision of the US automakers on the short term profits has been its biggest downfall. by far. if you had asked me 10 years ago (yes, at age 10) I could have informed you that the EV1 was a great idea! but I've always been a weird green freak...
"they had an ideal product... and they canned it." - Frankie (a kid in my class whom I have never met before, but who was quite vocal today)
bottom line is: American automakers are currently in the crapper. I can tell you that this "bailout" money had better be put to good use. and by "good use" I mean invested in developing an entire fleet of smaller, more efficient, and greener cars than ever before. cause hey guess what- Japan's already on top of it (2010 Toyota Prius = bigger, which Americans like apparently, more efficient, and even has solar panels on top!). GM was handed a golden opportunity and shot itself in the leg (the foot isn't drastic enough); so now it's limping around begging for money and I can't help but be pretty unsympathetic about it. the only reason I even remotely care is the fact that I now go to school in the Midwest and have seen what the closing down of car factories and the laying off of the auto workers is doing to this section of the nation. it's awful. idea! take that Hummer factory from down the street - which, coincidentally was forced to shut down because of the complete lack of profit the line was making for GM - and retool it into a factory for a new line of cars (think: Chevy Volt, among others). something along those lines. come on, Detroit, get your act together already.
*CAFE = Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards
Who Killed the Electric Car trailer:
also: this guy is awesome (one of the two Vlog Brothers, whom my friend Katie P. just introduced me to)
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
4.02.2008
that's just the way we roll - the Jonas Brothers
I really don't have time to be posting on here- but there's something I just have to write, maybe just to clear it up for myself- to attempt to put it into words.
I am now 20 years old. That sounds rediculous. A twenty-year-old is expected to be... what, exactly? Mature? Well if that's the case... ok. You probably won't be too pleased with me on that front. A little bit reckless? I thought that was for teenagers. Trying new things? Making mistakes? I'm a cautious one- I'll try new things, but making mistakes is not my cup of tea. At all. I feel guilty for things that I shouldn't and that's just the way I am.
So: Some of my friends and I were at Chili's on Saturday for my birthday dinner. It was fun and I love them all to death. Anyways... there were some children sitting at the booth behind us and some of the girls (aka Coll and BC) were making faces at them and whatnot. We start joking with Coll about how she's a cougar because she loves little boys, etc... but then they start making fun of me for liking the Jonas Brothers.
Now, admittedly, their target audience is probably somewhere in the 8-13-year-old range. Ok then. But the boys are 20, 18, and 15. And, ok, I used to think the 15-year-old was most attractive- then I found out he was 15. So much for that. But the other two are completely legal and it's not like I'm courting any of them. I happen to appreciate their music. Everyone likes that one Miley Cyrus song that's on the radio- she's only 15. How come people don't get made fun of for that? They may, but it's not as big of a deal as the Jonas Brothers. I guess the JoBros need a big hit (even though I have heard them on the actual radio) before it becomes acceptable for me to like them.
Why do I like them, though? And Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana? And watching the Disney channel? I'll tell you why.
I'm a serious person a lot of the time. I can get intense and I apologize for this if it's ever bothered anyone, but that's just the way I roll. I'm always reading about and trying to mobilize against things that are just so heartbreaking.; things that make this world barely tolerable. People are not the best beings- let me tell you. Whether it's the intensely cruel meat industry, genocide, other types of war, complete disregard for the people and environment of the Appalachian mountains by the coal industry, or complete disregard for the environment in general (ahem- Bush administration)- I'm constantly thinking about these things or trying to do something about them or inform people of them. And, believe me, this takes a toll on my overall person.
so why do I appreciate the Jonas Brothers (and Disney and such) as much as I do? Maybe it's because I need something that is inherently good. happy. fun. Watching Hannah Montana does not frustrate me. Listening to the Jonas Brothers and watching their rediculous YouTube videos makes me laugh. Maybe I need to laugh once in a while. NPR understands this (see: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me) and you should too.
in conclusion: feel free to mock me, just understand where I'm coming from! and try some Jonas Brothers music out. You just may like it. It IS very catchy. (all three of the boys have pledged to remain virgins till marriage- just throwing it out there. :-) )
enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEtm2TJTP7Y
I am now 20 years old. That sounds rediculous. A twenty-year-old is expected to be... what, exactly? Mature? Well if that's the case... ok. You probably won't be too pleased with me on that front. A little bit reckless? I thought that was for teenagers. Trying new things? Making mistakes? I'm a cautious one- I'll try new things, but making mistakes is not my cup of tea. At all. I feel guilty for things that I shouldn't and that's just the way I am.
So: Some of my friends and I were at Chili's on Saturday for my birthday dinner. It was fun and I love them all to death. Anyways... there were some children sitting at the booth behind us and some of the girls (aka Coll and BC) were making faces at them and whatnot. We start joking with Coll about how she's a cougar because she loves little boys, etc... but then they start making fun of me for liking the Jonas Brothers.
Now, admittedly, their target audience is probably somewhere in the 8-13-year-old range. Ok then. But the boys are 20, 18, and 15. And, ok, I used to think the 15-year-old was most attractive- then I found out he was 15. So much for that. But the other two are completely legal and it's not like I'm courting any of them. I happen to appreciate their music. Everyone likes that one Miley Cyrus song that's on the radio- she's only 15. How come people don't get made fun of for that? They may, but it's not as big of a deal as the Jonas Brothers. I guess the JoBros need a big hit (even though I have heard them on the actual radio) before it becomes acceptable for me to like them.
Why do I like them, though? And Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana? And watching the Disney channel? I'll tell you why.
I'm a serious person a lot of the time. I can get intense and I apologize for this if it's ever bothered anyone, but that's just the way I roll. I'm always reading about and trying to mobilize against things that are just so heartbreaking.; things that make this world barely tolerable. People are not the best beings- let me tell you. Whether it's the intensely cruel meat industry, genocide, other types of war, complete disregard for the people and environment of the Appalachian mountains by the coal industry, or complete disregard for the environment in general (ahem- Bush administration)- I'm constantly thinking about these things or trying to do something about them or inform people of them. And, believe me, this takes a toll on my overall person.
so why do I appreciate the Jonas Brothers (and Disney and such) as much as I do? Maybe it's because I need something that is inherently good. happy. fun. Watching Hannah Montana does not frustrate me. Listening to the Jonas Brothers and watching their rediculous YouTube videos makes me laugh. Maybe I need to laugh once in a while. NPR understands this (see: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me) and you should too.
in conclusion: feel free to mock me, just understand where I'm coming from! and try some Jonas Brothers music out. You just may like it. It IS very catchy. (all three of the boys have pledged to remain virgins till marriage- just throwing it out there. :-) )
enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEtm2TJTP7Y
3.24.2008
I wanna dance with somebody!
it's been a while... I always end up neglecting my blog. it's ok, I guess. I should just accept that that's the way I am.
anywho: obviously I ended up voting in the Democratic Primary due to the fact that Mitt Romney dropped out of the Republican race (wooo!!!). Texas is so funny. Hilary won the primaries, Obama won the caucuses, and it was Obama that ended up with the most delegates from there. We'll see what happens. I've sort of lost interest since Spring Break... lots to say about that, too.
--------------------------
I was getting text messages about how the TX and OH primaries were going because I was on a service trip in Appalachia (Kentucky, to be exact). Appalachia was one of the most amazing experiences. Definitely the best experience this school has given me. I didn't really know what to expect going on the trip; I knew that I really wanted to go home to warmth and my kitty cat, but instead I was in the back of a van full of strangers. Fun stuff though: the vans were really nice rental minivans as opposed to the monster ones schools usually stick you with. The morning we were leaving one girl totally forgot to wake up. Oh... signs of many snafus to come. It was cool because she packed and then we got going.
I was in the back of the van with a girl whom was in a group which I hang out with, but I'd never actually talked one-on-one with her, so we didn't really know each other. In fact, we were both quite worried that we wouldn't have anything to sat to one another. But, oh, how it worked out. Hahahaha. Pretty much we now call each other "bestie!" all the time and speak in abbrevs. It's emberassing because I do it in normal conversation now. So Katie and I were bonding in the backseat and started some super-cool dance crazes (aka no one else really did them, but we did them the whole trip). Other fun stuff: A billboard that said "GUNS" and then a model home in the middle of nothing (Office and Arrested Development references)- go figure that we both love those shows! Being able to quote those really helped. We also did a bit of Harry Potter 1... hahahaha wow. Besties!
We stop at this Kentucky Art place and one of the leaders calls the place that we're going to - to let them know that we're close- and of course we were a day early!!! Another snafu on day 1. It was nice actually, because we got a day to relax and to frolic in the fantastic weather. It was SO NICE. We hit up a couple of dollar stores and ended up purchasing a (Barbie) ball which was used for a number of different games (kickball, basketball, and a fantastic game that a couple of the guys made up where you catch it between your legs).
I'm in a weird mood. Sorry if this post is really disjointed/awkwardly written.
The White Van, the van we rode up in (the other half of the group will henceforth be referred to as the Grey Van), really bonded over the course of the week. It helped that we only had one cd. ONE CD. The Grey Van had an i-trip or something and we had 15 songs. Believe it or not, it was the best cd ever (props to our site leader for creating it) and I still listen to it constantly. Higlights:
- Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"
- Enrique Iglesias' "One Night Stand"
- Matchbox 20's "How Far We've Come"
- Journey's "Don't Stop Believin"
- Sugarcult's "Memory"
- Bon Jovi's "Livin on a Prayer"
and a special shout-out to James Blunt's "1973" which went undiscovered until Wednesday... aka the guy in charge of the music was hiding it from us! Oh, Estefe... We had nicknames. It was interesting.
of course... Katie and I were sort of outcasted from the others. Not majorly or anything. A few others bonded with us more (Smalls, Kim, Estefe) at the beginning and then as the week went on we all sort of bonded more. Actually, after that fateful Wednesday we had bonded quite a bit. Monday and Tuesday we essentially went to the woods and a river and picked up trash. Lots and lots of trash- which was actually quite fun! Wednesday we went on a driving tour of the area. For TWELVE HOURS. We saw a WalMart, a prison (directly behind the WalMart), a Lowes, lots of coal mining, mountain-top removal, a disgusting sludge pool, a creek that was bright ORANGE (people drink this water... the coal industry makes me angry), and then we went for a drive in a national forest. The forest drive was a road winding up a mountain. Those of us in the backseats got especially nausiated (this is when James Blunt was discovered). Oh yes- earlier in the day Smalls was driving and bottomed-out majorly... pretty sure we lost a part of the White Van because after that it was vibrating in the back! :-) After getting out of the windy park, we're driving through a town and, of course, the White Van gets in a fender-bender. Good times! Hahahaha. After that snafu was sorted out, we were supposed to head back- but of course we ended up in Virginia! So we turn around and end up eating dinner at Gatti's (a pizza place which I thought only existed in Texas!). We finally got home way later than planned. Wait- while we were driving around lost in the mountains, good ol' Estefe left the radio on DELILA for a good 40 minutes. Funniest thing ever.
There was a group of students from Loyola o' Chicago there as well. Most of our group didn't like them for some reason. Katie and I definitely liked them- they were so nice! One of the best experiences with all of us was a crazy game of Taboo. Best. Game. Ever! So much better than Apples to Apples and Catchprase (similar, but not quite as good).
anywho: obviously I ended up voting in the Democratic Primary due to the fact that Mitt Romney dropped out of the Republican race (wooo!!!). Texas is so funny. Hilary won the primaries, Obama won the caucuses, and it was Obama that ended up with the most delegates from there. We'll see what happens. I've sort of lost interest since Spring Break... lots to say about that, too.
--------------------------
I was getting text messages about how the TX and OH primaries were going because I was on a service trip in Appalachia (Kentucky, to be exact). Appalachia was one of the most amazing experiences. Definitely the best experience this school has given me. I didn't really know what to expect going on the trip; I knew that I really wanted to go home to warmth and my kitty cat, but instead I was in the back of a van full of strangers. Fun stuff though: the vans were really nice rental minivans as opposed to the monster ones schools usually stick you with. The morning we were leaving one girl totally forgot to wake up. Oh... signs of many snafus to come. It was cool because she packed and then we got going.
I was in the back of the van with a girl whom was in a group which I hang out with, but I'd never actually talked one-on-one with her, so we didn't really know each other. In fact, we were both quite worried that we wouldn't have anything to sat to one another. But, oh, how it worked out. Hahahaha. Pretty much we now call each other "bestie!" all the time and speak in abbrevs. It's emberassing because I do it in normal conversation now. So Katie and I were bonding in the backseat and started some super-cool dance crazes (aka no one else really did them, but we did them the whole trip). Other fun stuff: A billboard that said "GUNS" and then a model home in the middle of nothing (Office and Arrested Development references)- go figure that we both love those shows! Being able to quote those really helped. We also did a bit of Harry Potter 1... hahahaha wow. Besties!
We stop at this Kentucky Art place and one of the leaders calls the place that we're going to - to let them know that we're close- and of course we were a day early!!! Another snafu on day 1. It was nice actually, because we got a day to relax and to frolic in the fantastic weather. It was SO NICE. We hit up a couple of dollar stores and ended up purchasing a (Barbie) ball which was used for a number of different games (kickball, basketball, and a fantastic game that a couple of the guys made up where you catch it between your legs).
I almost forgot to mention the BARN DANCE we went to the first night. Fantastic fun!!!
I'm in a weird mood. Sorry if this post is really disjointed/awkwardly written.
The White Van, the van we rode up in (the other half of the group will henceforth be referred to as the Grey Van), really bonded over the course of the week. It helped that we only had one cd. ONE CD. The Grey Van had an i-trip or something and we had 15 songs. Believe it or not, it was the best cd ever (props to our site leader for creating it) and I still listen to it constantly. Higlights:
- Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"
- Enrique Iglesias' "One Night Stand"
- Matchbox 20's "How Far We've Come"
- Journey's "Don't Stop Believin"
- Sugarcult's "Memory"
- Bon Jovi's "Livin on a Prayer"
and a special shout-out to James Blunt's "1973" which went undiscovered until Wednesday... aka the guy in charge of the music was hiding it from us! Oh, Estefe... We had nicknames. It was interesting.
of course... Katie and I were sort of outcasted from the others. Not majorly or anything. A few others bonded with us more (Smalls, Kim, Estefe) at the beginning and then as the week went on we all sort of bonded more. Actually, after that fateful Wednesday we had bonded quite a bit. Monday and Tuesday we essentially went to the woods and a river and picked up trash. Lots and lots of trash- which was actually quite fun! Wednesday we went on a driving tour of the area. For TWELVE HOURS. We saw a WalMart, a prison (directly behind the WalMart), a Lowes, lots of coal mining, mountain-top removal, a disgusting sludge pool, a creek that was bright ORANGE (people drink this water... the coal industry makes me angry), and then we went for a drive in a national forest. The forest drive was a road winding up a mountain. Those of us in the backseats got especially nausiated (this is when James Blunt was discovered). Oh yes- earlier in the day Smalls was driving and bottomed-out majorly... pretty sure we lost a part of the White Van because after that it was vibrating in the back! :-) After getting out of the windy park, we're driving through a town and, of course, the White Van gets in a fender-bender. Good times! Hahahaha. After that snafu was sorted out, we were supposed to head back- but of course we ended up in Virginia! So we turn around and end up eating dinner at Gatti's (a pizza place which I thought only existed in Texas!). We finally got home way later than planned. Wait- while we were driving around lost in the mountains, good ol' Estefe left the radio on DELILA for a good 40 minutes. Funniest thing ever.
There was a group of students from Loyola o' Chicago there as well. Most of our group didn't like them for some reason. Katie and I definitely liked them- they were so nice! One of the best experiences with all of us was a crazy game of Taboo. Best. Game. Ever! So much better than Apples to Apples and Catchprase (similar, but not quite as good).
I was semi-obsessed with this crazy-looking dog... :-)... and the dog was semi-obsessed with all of the trash we were picking up.
Highlights of the week:
- picking up trash
- beautiful nature!
- White Van bonding
- cleaning then riding in the electric car
- limited hot water (solar powered) = very few showers for the thoughtful ones
- cleaning dishes
- GUNS
- Jared cut-outs at multiple Subways
- the people we worked with and met were the nicest people... the ASPI people were ALWAYS smiling; even when talking about terrible pollution and economic situations- maybe it's because when you're always working with stuff like that you have to have a positive attitude in order to continue with it
- walking on railroad tracks and then hearing a train horn... scary!!!
- caving: supposedly you're supposed to have 3 sources of light PER PERSON... we ended up with 1 flashlight per SIX PEOPLE... it's funny now, but it was terrifying while it was going on
- bats!
- attempting to make a nature trail/bridge in the pouring, freezing rain... good times
- rushing out of Kentucky a day early in attempt to "beat" a blizzard
- spending the night in Cinncinatti at Mike's house... crammed into the basement... really nice family, great food, fantastic bonding experience
- pillow talk!
- shoveling the snow out for the whole neighborhood
yeah... leaving the White Van was painful. We had been through so much - the people and the actual van!- I miss them!!! Katie came over a couple of hours after we got back and didn't leave till 4 in the morn. We're besties now! I can't believe how compatible we ended up being. We joke about how our other friends (esp. Em!) kept us apart from each other.
All of the Appilachia students had class last Tuesday. It was so great seeing everyone! Everytime I see one of them I get so excited. We really need to have a reunion soon.
All of the Appilachia students had class last Tuesday. It was so great seeing everyone! Everytime I see one of them I get so excited. We really need to have a reunion soon.
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