Tuition increases every year, no matter what, and I can not seem to wrap my head around it. What changes so drastically that we need a 10 % increase very year? I think that’s the going annual increase at my school, about 10 %. I still recognize all of the professors, all of the buildings still lean the same way, and the library still smells funny. What changes so much each year that universities need to suck more money out of everyone for tuition? One would think that endowments in the form of hundreds of millions, sometimes even billions (not hundreds), of dollars would be enough to provide a pretty damn decent college experience. I mean, the yearly tuition hikes at my school haven’t left my family of myself penniless, putting on weekly garage sales to pay for my education, but I would really like to know why. Why?

This brings me to what is happening in the state of California, specifically in the University of California Education system. A 32 % increase in tuition is absolutely ridiculous. I understand that the problem of funding doesn’t stem directly from the Universities, but from the state and national government. I understand that we are in a recession and budgets are being cut nationwide. Still, there is no excuse for what is happening in Our higher education system. Before we all know it, four year universities could be unattainable to the majority of the nation. It won’t even have anything to do with being poor. Instead, it will all be about, can I afford the option of paying the tuition at a four year school. It will be even more of a luxury than it is now. Four year universities will be the equivalent of shopping at Whole Foods, while community colleges will represent the Randall’s and Sam’s crowd (no offense to either store, or community colleges). So, I give my full support to all of the students protesting at the Los Angeles, Berkley, Davis, and other University of California campuses, for whatever it is worth, which in this case, is worthless because my opinion doesn’t really provide any monetary relief to those who will be forced to leave school because of the 32% tuition hike. Still though, I feel you.

California’s economy is in some deep shit, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways around this whole tuition deal. I’ll put it this way: If this happened at my university, then I would want to see every budget and expense report to know exactly what the school is spending its money on. What kind of coffee are they putting in the break rooms? Is it Green Mountain, Starbucks, Millstone? If it was, I’d tell everyone to get ready for either some Maxwells or some Folgers. Kiss the creamer goodbye too. I’d be looking at paper plates. Are they the really flimsy ones or those Dixy brand ones with the reinforced edges and ability to hold up porterhouses and baked potatoes and shit? Who’s supplying the cafeteria? What kind of deal are we getting on bulk orders of napkins, bread, and milk? Are we ordering new editions of text books every year? That’s one that really gets to me. If edition 12 is only a page or two different than edition 11, than what is the reason for ordering it, other than the bureaucratic business bullshit of the explanation? Basically, I think that the Education Board in California needs to start pulling receipts on everything. Who paid for the Dean’s Christmas beak trip? Why does my financial aid adviser drive a new beemer? These are some questions that could use answering, because I guarantee that all business-like entities are wasteful in some ways when it comes to budget expenses. After all, people are most definitely wasteful, and we are what makes up businesses. We all learned what the big wigs on wall street were doing with our money, so who’s to say that the fat cats on Hollywood Blvd. aren’t doing the same? There are always luxuries that can be cut out of the system, still leaving one hell of an educational institution.

I know that it isn’t just as easy as demanding to know where your money is going, even though it is more than reasonable. In fact, these west coast students have been doing quite a bit of demanding already, and instead of answers or satisfaction, handcuffs and badges are the only things coming their way. Still, being arrested for protesting is nothing to be ashamed of, especially if it is for a cause that you deem to be worthy. If anything, I would put it on my resume. Say “Ya. I got cuffed. Little time in the big house. Ain’t no thang. Just keepin’ it real.” Plus, we all know that if our parents have been arrested for anything in the past, it was either pot or taking a righteous stand against the man. If your parents did it, then it’s definitely alright. It may not be logical, but at least it would stand up in an argument with, say, your parents.

There are many students in California and across the US that won’t or would not be affected by a 32% tuition raise, or even a 50% tuition raise. Those are also the kids that most likely wouldn’t be affected if they totaled their car with a blood alcohol of .21. Not everyone has the money to throw at all of their money problems. If that were the case, well, that actually doesn’t even make sense. And, we all know that when tuition is raised, then financial aid is affected. Less money is given to those who need it the most and more students are forced to withdrawal their enrollment. It is something that is happening more and more with the current state of our economy. For instance, at Reed College, “known for its free-spirited students”, located in the progressive state of Oregon, “Too many of the students needed financial aid, and the college did not have enough. So the director of financial aid gave the team another task: drop more than 100 needy students before sending out acceptances, and substitute those who could pay full freight.” If that doesn’t completely suck, if that doesn’t completely, or at least partially squash your dreams, if that doesn’t completely light a fire inside of your soul, then I can’t say what would.

I would like to think that most colleges do their best in trying to provide a one of a kind and positive experience for the students, so they can’t always be the ones to blame. You have to trace the problem to the source, which in this case probably had something to do with lost investments and fraudulent CEO’s. What can you do?

My life may have been permanently altered after plyometrics.

I have never been that sore in my entire life. Remember. It’s not the day after that you have to worry about. It’s the day after the day after that shoud be dreaded, which in my case, was today. But don’t let me skip ahead.

Yesterday was day 3, Shoulders and arms. I’ll admit that I was slightly dissapointed with the intensity of this workout, but the video was probably not to blame. My roomamte and I are doing the budget version of p90x, so we each bought one dumbell. This meant that we constantly had to pause the video so we could both get through the exercise while using two dumbells. Still, I am only slightly sore from this workout. My triceps felt it pretty badly, but my shoulder did okay. You well definitely experience some innovative and tough workouts.

Today was yoga. Let me say, wholeheartedly, that this was the most difficult video I have experienced yet (even though this is only my fourth day). By the way, unlike the other videos,which are one hour, the yoga video is an hour and a half, which slowly drips by at an excruciating pace. I have never done yoga and have never had a clear opinion of it, but I must say now, props to all of the yoga masters. You are all clearly some of the most fit people in the world. The first 45 minutes consisted of sweat breaking, puke inducing poses that tested your mental and physical endurance whic hwill teach you that you are anything but flexible. The second half is slightly more relaxed, focusing on balance, some abs, and relaxation/meditiation. I enjoyed the second half. It really got me into the zone.

So, yoga is supposed to be an exercise that works your mind and your body. Yoga is something that should be peaceful, personal, and soothing, maybe even quiet. I will say that Tony Horton does like to talk, but he does throw in an almost full minute of silence towards the very end of the video, creaking slightly before to let the audience know that he is about to stop being quiet. Still, you gotta love this guy.

Overall, I feel excellent right now. My soreness faded to the back of my mind and I feel an inner energy boost that I can not remember feeling in quite some time. Yoga X is a son of a b, but you will be better off for it.

Remember. Do your best. Forget the rest.

Okay.

So it has been a  while. School got harder at the end of the semester, as it always did, and the prospect of summer made me slightly less ambitious. However, I think I have found my redemption, my savior, and it comes in the form of 12 fairly expensive dvds with various catchphrases and sweaty muscled bodies. P90X. Props to you Mr. Horton.

Now, instead of lounging around the house each day or laying by the pool, I can devote myself to a full 60 minutes of high intensity, muscle confuisng training, sometimes 75 minutes with the Ab Ripper X. Really, it is a big deal to be able to knock some time out of my day. With the exercise, the big meals, and the satisfied state of utter exhaustion, Im able to clear out a good 3 or 4 hours from the naps that come after the workout.

Yesterday was my first day, chest and shoulders. I will admit that it was fairly dificult to keep up with the muscled men and women in the video, but I was able to hold my own some of the time. After all, I have been keeping up with a fairly consistent push-up and ab regimen for many months, many years. By no means am I saying that I set a schedule for myself to workout, but I did sprinkle them throughout my day, whether it was between shots of McCormick or reruns South Park. What I am saying though is that this workout, P90X, is more for people who are already in some sort of decent shape. It is to help the slightly ripped, toned, and lean bodies, become even more ripped, tone, and lean. Still, I would recommend it to anyone who was interested.

After the first workout, chest and shoulders, I felt excellent. I was often able to keep up with the German girl. However, day two, plyometrics, was a different story. Plyometrics, as I now know, is a high intensity, quick heart rate, ass kicking workout. Your legs will feel the burn, maybe. I have neglected my legs and only focused on working out extremities that are above the waistline for the past few years, so I had my ass handed to me today. I may now only climb the stairs in our apartment as an injured gorilla might. But, it felt extremely rewarding to finish the full hour, even if my roommate and I did pause the video frequently to grunt in various fashions and slosh water over the floor as we tried to deperately pour it into our parched mouths. Afterwards, my roommate took his shirt off and hung it over a chair. It is still dripping sweat onto the ground as I type this, a little over an hour later. EXTREME.

So, if all goes to plan, I will try to keep up with my progress, along with my roommates. I even took a day one photo that I will try and post. Also, let it be known that I am not directly following the nutrition guide for this workout series. However, I am laying off of sweets, eating plenty of protein, and consuming probably the most god awful superfood I have yet to come across in this world. I have been taking about 10-12 grams a day of both Spirulina and Chlorella. Each tasty and chalky serving is a fight for nutrition and against the gag reflex that wants me to spew green, micro algae sludge all over the kitchen. I will see how that goes.

Now, I wait for tomorrow, arms and shoulders along with a little slice of ab ripper x at the end. I can taste the sweat and feel the burn just thinking about it.

BRING IT

So, this is what it’s come to.

Obama decides to knock one back at a basketball game and shit hits the fan. Not everyone was appalled, but there were definitely some who were not happy with his choice.

One complaint stated:

People are losing 5, 10, 20 thousand dollars a day in the stock market, and he’s sitting there drinking a beer! It’s insulting… there’s a lot of people suffering.

Well, that is true. There are many people suffering because of the economic crisis. However, that statement can be labeled to just about anyone. Technically, there are, and always have been, millions of starving, persecuted, and abused people in today’s world. Does that mean that nobody should be allowed to bust out a game of boggle or attend a party without getting chopped on? Maybe someone should tell this lady:

People, women and children,  are starving out there, and you’re sitting at home watching ABC’s Thursday night lineup. It’s insulting…go throw in some volunteer hours at the food bank or something.

Now, that is a little harsh, but there are always two sides of the coin. Another caller also voiced their dissatisfaction with Obama’s drink and event choice by saying:

The president is the president 24 hours a day. I don’t think he should drink on the job.

Good point. But, some must realize that even though being president is a 24 hour a day job, then we should also ridicule him or sleeping on the job. In fact, being a mother or a father is also a 24 hour a day job, but you don’t see every sip of wine from a suburban housewife or swig of beer from a regular dad getting scrutinized.

I can understand people’s complaints. After all, this is an extremely hard time for many Americans and all citizens of the world. Many people have lost a lot, more than I could ever imagine dealing with. Perhaps though, there is a different way to look at this small happening. The President showed up at a basketball game, in a standard seat, and enjoyed it with a beer in hand like some many other millions of Americans have before. It’s comforting, to see someone of such authority and power doing the same as so many other ordinary, non presidential people do.

Maybe, count the gray hairs on his head since he came into office. He seems to be a a little stressed about our current economic situation, maybe even..care.

I must say that I am now addicted to this pre workout supplement by VPX sports. I used to take NO Xplode by BSN, and absolutely loved it, but I will explain why I stopped taking it.

NO Xplode was a good product, but the body tended to build up a resistance to it. I would have to take the maximum of 3 scoops with barely noticeable effects only after a few weeks of use. However, their Fruit Punch flavor was absolutely amazing. Trust me. If you know anything about the taste of workout supplements, then you know that they are not sipped on, but chugged with great effort to keep them down.

I consider NO Shotgun to be the older, bigger stronger, faster, more sophisticated brother of NO Xplode. After all, NO Xplode did motivate me to get into the gym and it kept my energy up, but Shotgun has a little something extra. Shotgun has protein, a little creatine, and their famous fat burning Redline formula. It is the perfect combination for someone wanting to get more toned and defined, while also increasing muscle size and strength. It’s like, as your muscles get bigger, all of the elements of the formula work with each other. You get buff from the protein and creatine, but the Redline keeps the unclean weight and fat off . It’s like the perfect workout filter.

Now for the effects.Physically, I am a fiend for this product. I take one scoop and within 5 minutes I am wired. Not wired like from a cup of coffee, but all of my senses are heightened and I have limitless energy. I want to rip out a toilet and flip monster truck tires through a parking lot. Not in the angry, freebased meth sense, but in the sense that I really want to workout. I burn to feel some sort of burn in my muscles. Also, it feels clean. I can lift more weight, do more reps, and stay focused while in the gym. After 3 sets of bench, I do 3 sets of abs, and the only thing I can think about while doing the abs is getting back to the chest. Then, the only thing I can think about while thinking about doing more chest work is maybe throwing in some shoulder work after everything else. The best part is that I’m not tired after the workout. Even after NO Xplode, I couldn’t lift my arms to turn the steering wheel or use my legs to punch the clutch. After NO Shotgun, I forget that I even worked out in the first place and I’m ready for round 2. However, I don’t recommend this unless you have plenty of water. VPX Sports recommends that you drink an extra half an ounce of water for each pound of body weight (this is on top off the recommended 8 glasses a day). In my case, this means about 140 oz. of water a day. If you don’t drink enough fluids, then you probably won’t feel too hot, or you may actually feel too hot. Basically, just watch your heart rate and follow the directions.

Mentally, I crave it. Withing 5 minutes, my mind is alert. I focus in on my workouts and completely tune out the rest of the world. Even if I didn’t workout, this supplement would come in handy. It makes me feel like a robot. Not in the sense of a mindless drone, but that all of my thoughts and movements are precise and crisp. I feel like I can hear the flutter of flies wings and type 4oo words a minute.  In fact, I have typed all of this in a matter of a few minutes. Not really though. I am excited about talking and discussing. I feel confident and ambitious. Why would anyone pay an arm and a leg for an illegal stimulant when you can get a pound and a half of this stuff for $50? It’s like this: heroin is to methadone as cocaine is to NO Shotgun. I don’t mean to suggest that the effects of NO shotgun are anything like an illegal or dangerous drug. I’m just saying that it is so effective and well priced that it is hard to believe all types of people aren’t buying this.

Overall, this is a slam dunk pre-workout supplement. If you want to get huge and buff, then stack it with a weight gaining supplement. If you want to stay trim and lean, then NO Xplode might work for you. But, if you want a happy medium, then you can’t go wrong with NO Shotgun.

Pros

• Only need one scoop
• Awesome formula
  
• Noticeable immediate effects
• Noticeable long term effects
• Multiple flavors

Cons

• A bit pricey (depending on where you buy)
• Follow the instructions and stay hydrated…or else

I bought black cherry for $35 online. The taste isn’t fantastic. It’s not as great as Welch’s Grape, but its a hell of a lot better than Robitussin cough syrup. The taste gets better the more you drink it. Also, I suggest blending it instead of stirring it with a spoon.

Warning! NO Shotgun may cause spontaneous dancing, increased heart rate, boundless energy, sulfur farts,seemingly superhuman abilities, increased confidence, Monk-like focus and discipline, diarrhea, Valley Girl speech patterns, rock hard muscles, statuesque appearance, and a slight but comforting ego.

Two thumbs up.

So I read an article about stray dogs being killed in Baghdad.

The Baghdad dog-culling program comprises two vets, a council official and a police officer armed with a shotgun. The vets distribute bits of meat poisoned with strychnine. If the poison doesn’t kill the dogs, the police officer steps in with the shotgun. (Arwa Damon)

This poses an interesting issue, as do all cases involving the rights and treatment of animals. There are thousands upon thousands of stray dogs running around the streets of Baghdad. They are hungry, injured, and desperate. Everyone knows that this can provoke animal attacks.

Also, there is a lack of resources and medicine to support the area. So, when these dogs bite, disease spreads, and people die. This also implies that there are not enough resources to vaccinate and neuter all the stray dogs. It’s a sad situation to say the least.

Personally, I love animals, to death one could say. I want to be an animal cruelty investigator, rehabilitate the orangutans in Borneo, and help out the pandas in China. I have two dogs and two cats myself. When I think about losing one of them, it is comparable to losing a friend. Of course, if it was up to me, there would be an infinite amount of money, supplies, and kind people willing to adopt all of the stray animals in the world. Still, I can not judge the actions of others when I am not in there situation.

You can spin the story any you would like. You could say, “Countless strays on the streets of Baghdad are being fed poison. They take a bite, their tail twitches, their bodies seize, and their insides are set ablaze until they take their last breath. If that doesn’t work, they are instead fed a healthy portion of shotgun bullets at close range.”

You could also say, “A widespread outbreak of disease and famine has hit the streets of Baghdad. Overwhelming amounts of stray dogs are attacking local citizens in hopes of food. Pairs of teams, consisting of a vet and a police officer, are trying to control the problem. Without enough medical resources to take care of their citizens, their is only one option: put these injured and desperate animals out of their misery.”

It all depends on how you read into it. I can not say that the vets and police officers are doing anything wrong. If anything, they are doing their jobs and trying to preserve and protect human life. I’m sure that it is not an enjoyable job, and if some do enjoy it…well, the world needs all types of people.

If I even accidentally step on my dogs tail, his whimper alone makes me feel like a horrible person, but like I said, I can’t judge other people. Look at it this way. Would you rather give a stray and starving dog a quick and seemingly painless death, or allow them to run around and maybe injure a child. I do think that being poisoned sounds like a horribly painful way to die, but it may be cheaper for those who lack other more humane resources. You see? I just spun that phrase the way I wanted it to sound.

Overall, this seems like one of those “Something’s Gotta Give” type situations. You can’t have one without the other. It is a sad situation, but it sounds like it is being dealt with in the best manner possible. I’m sure that if packs of wild and rabid dogs were running around the streets of Austin eating human flesh, then people would be up in arms to put the dogs down.

I’ll end with this. Last year my professor told me an interesting story. For a few summers, he would go out and do some ranch work with one of his buddies in the Midwest. He said that sometimes a stray dog or two would approach the area they were repairing fence in. His buddy would call the puppy over sweetly, and when it was close enough, fire a shot into the animal. At the time, my professor thought this was a bit crazy and extreme, but his friend explained that there have been plenty of wild dogs running around. Some even traveled in packs, killed livestock, and attacked people. If that doesn’t break your heart, then this might. My granddad grew up in rural Ireland. He found a stray and befriended it. However, other neighbors started reporting accounts of their livestocks showing up dead. Long story short, he was forced to put his pooch in a burlap sack, tie it up, and throw it in the river.

People have different lifestyles and different circumstances. I wouldn’t hold anything against anyone in any of these situations. I’ll admit that the video of the US marine that threw a puppy off a cliff infuriated me, but I don’t know what war is like and how it changes people either. Perhaps, in war, it is better to have a soldier willing to end the life of an adorable puppy fighting on your side, but I won’t get into that.

I support the SPCA in their effort to vaccinate and neuter the stray dogs. If it is a viable option, then I am all for it. I also support the people of Baghdad. I’m sure that if anyone knows what is best, it is them.

I’m sure that by now everyone has heard about the weed scandal with Michael Phelps.

Number one: Stop calling it a scandal. He is twenty three years old. In fact, his age shouldn’t even matter. He is a record setting, gold medal winning, Olympic swimmer who got caught taking a bong hit. Everyone is treating Phelps like he is an idiot, like he made the biggest mistake of his life. If anything, this should show people that even a big star likes to indulge. For isntance, check out this little blurb from  the New York Times:

In this plummeting economy, Kellogg could probably do better than shovel money at a callow swimmer. Maybe Kellogg exercised prudence because the money was not easy-come-easy-go tax money but real money, their money…There was almost no trace of education from the University of Michigan, where Phelps had spent several years training, and his instincts seemed to lean more to house parties than to the classroom.

Here’s the deal. Phelps is a swimmer. Nowhere did it say that he was a genius’s or a perfect human being. And, in all honesty, I doubt that word of Phelps smoking weed will dent Kellogg’s sales. Lets put it this way. If someone snapped a picture of Justin Long rolling a joint, I fully believe that Apple would not be affected. Basically, if a kid likes to eat Frosted Flakes, he is going to eat Frosted Flakes. Taste buds don’t change with the altered states of Phelps’ mind. I agree that Dan Wetzel put it best when asking

Who knew cereal had an image?

This brings me to point number 2. Maybe people need to ease up on their judgments of professional athletes and stars alike. Maybe instead of criticizing and ostracizing these people in the public eye, we need to rethink our beliefs. If we’ve got athletes like Michael Phelps, Barry Bonds, and many others using steroids or other drugs, maybe we need to take a step back and reevaluate. These guys compete to win in their field. It seemed that everyone loved him when he won 8 gold medals in Beijing, but he takes one bong rip and people turn their backs. Let athletes and stars live their lives. People are people.

I’m glad to hear that brands like Speedo and Omega have stood by Phelps. Even  Brazilian futbol star Ronaldo hs backed Phelps on his decision. I get that he is a role model for many around the world, but this incident should not label him as a bad person. If anything, this should teach kids that all people, even the famous ones, experiment. No one is perfect.

It amazes me that journalists and people focus so much on drug use. Their are much worse things than inhaling some THC. I can’t even believe that this incident has received so much coverage. Out of all the genocide, murder, rape, and kidnapping going on in the world, people decide to debate the punishment of an Olympic swimmer’s private life.

I’ll leave you with this thought.  How would you like it if someone snapped a picture of you doing something that your mother wouldn’t approve of and published it in the local paper? Think of Phelps. The whole world now knows about this.

Talk about the perfect sport. Futbol is a 90 minute game. I’m not talking about futbol americano, which, in theory, should only be an hour long with four quarters at fifteen minutes each, but we all know it steals three hours out of our day. This is just one of the many reasons that makes soccer the perfect sport to watch. 90 minutes means 90 minutes, maybe 100 at most depending on the penalties in the game. Also, the refs don’t spend all day deciding on how to call a play.

Specifically, I am going to talk about the Chelsea vs. Liverpool game yesterday. With the pitiful outcome of the Super bowl yesterday, I am at least glad that Liverpool wrecked Chelsea. If not, yesterday would have sucked.

You can kind of parallel the Chelsea Soccer players and the Steelers football players. They pull some unsportsmanlike crap that no one seems to notice. Take Harrison from the Steelers and Bosingwa of Chelsea. During the superbowl yesterday, Harrison holds a Cardinal’s player down and punches him. During the Liverpool match yesterday, Bosingwa kicks Benayoun in the ass to shove him out of bounds. What do these two separate instances have in common? None of the refs called it.

Still, Liverpool got the last word. 2-0 I believe. Fernando Torres made an amazing header in the 88th minute. And, in the final minute of the game, Torres also managed to slam another  one in. It was epic. Fernando Torres is easily one of my favorite players. Not only did he have the win yesterday, but he did score the winning goal that won Spain the last world cup. Just sayin’.

Benayoun and Gerrard also played a hell of a game. I know Liverpool won, but my only complaint is that Benayoun wasn’t put in earlier. He did have some great attempts though. Petr Cech, the keeper for Chelsea, also played some great defense, but the Reds were on their game and hungry for the title yesterday. Manchester United did have a 1-0 win against Everton yesterday, thanks to a penalty by Ronaldo, but Liverpool is closing the gap on Man. United, now only 2 points behind.

Go Reds!