DeLaWho? DeLaWhat? DeLaWhere?

I havent posted in a couple days because I have been preoccupied with my first week of work at Nabisco and the 13 hour day that greeted me on the first day. I also purchased my first car, a deep blue '01 Honda Accord, it is bootyful...or is it beautiful. As a result of these activities, I havent blogged much and I have yet to review Pete Rock's recent album. If you are looking for some trademark family wit, then check out da DarkOne's recent posts, they are "tres ri" or "very laugh" as he once said.

Sperm 'can be kept for thousands of years'
By Rebecca Smith, Evening Standard

The doctor who used a man's 21-year-old frozen sperm to help him become a father said it was possible to store sperm for thousands of years.

Sperm was frozen at -196C at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester and later thawed for use in fertility treatment. Today Mr Horne said it was technically possible to do this with sperm that had been stored for 6,000 years.

The revelation is set to reignite the debate about using sperm years after it was donated.

Mr Horne said although there were rules in place from the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to prevent sperm being stored after the man reaches the age of 55, science is theoretically capable of producing a baby many years after both parents have died.

He said: "There has been research to suggest that sperm could survive for 5,000 or 6,000 years stored in liquid nitrogen. The only thing that would affect it would be background radiation and it would take that long to degrade it. read on

That concludes the mini series on frozen sperm. I just found this story quite interesting. By the way, the review is coming, I need a couple more good listens through Soul Survivor possibly in my not yet owned 'new' car.

leave a comment...dont be shy

Baby born from 21-year-old sperm
The boy was conceived after four attempts at IVF
A couple have given birth to a baby boy who was conceived using 21-year-old sperm, it has emerged.

Doctors at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester, where the baby was born, said the age of the sperm may make it a world record.

The boy's father had his sperm frozen when he was 17 before undergoing treatment for testicular cancer, which made him infertile.

Doctors said the case showed that freezing sperm is safe and worthwhile.

Details of the case were published in the journal Human Reproduction.

The man's sperm was frozen until he got married and wanted to start a family.

It was thawed and then injected into his partner's eggs. The baby was conceived after their fourth attempt at IVF. read on

Including Pete Rock's Soul Survivor II...expect the review by Monday or Tuesday
Album Forecast: Instant Classic...Pete Rock does it again for the umpteenth time...the legend grows and expands.

The cover of this Sunday's NY Times Magazine (shown to the right) provides a clear and simple statement about the prisoner abuse scandal and how the photographs of the abuse reflect on us and our country. Here is an excerpt from the essay by Susan Sontag.

"Considered in this light, the photographs are us. That is, they are representative of the fundamental corruptions of any foreign occupation together with the Bush adminstration's distinctive policies. The Belgians in the Congo, the French in Algeria, practiced torture and sexual humiliation on despised recalcitrant natives. Add to this generic corruption the mystifying, near-total unpreparedness of the American rulers of Iraq to deal with the complex realities of the country after its ''liberation.'' And add to that the overarching, distinctive doctrines of the Bush administration, namely that the United States has embarked on an endless war and that those detained in this war are, if the president so decides, ''unlawful combatants'' -- a policy enunciated by Donald Rumsfeld for Taliban and Qaeda prisoners as early as January 2002 -- and thus, as Rumsfeld said, ''technically'' they ''do not have any rights under the Geneva Convention,'' and you have a perfect recipe for the cruelties and crimes committed against the thousands incarcerated without charges or access to lawyers in American-run prisons that have been set up since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001." read on

War policy undone by real war
After Iraq, the "Bush doctrine" has lost its appeal.
By Dick Polman
Inquirer Staff Writer

Nearly two years have passed since President Bush unveiled his foreign policy revolution, decreeing at West Point on June 1, 2002, that America would reserve the right to launch preventive wars against potentially hostile regimes. The Cold War containment policy was out; the "Bush doctrine" was in.

Iraq was supposed to demonstrate this new muscularity. But now it appears that the Bush doctrine could wind up buried in the rubble of war, perhaps affirming John Quincy Adams' 1821 admonition that America shouldn't roam the world "in search of monsters to destroy." read on

With Michael Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11", which critiques the Bush administration's foreign policies, taking the top prize at the Cannes film festival, fellow documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has joined in on the fun.

With presidential security helicopters circling over the Yale University campus, filmmaker Ken Burns denounced the war in Iraq on Sunday and told graduating seniors to remember history as they work to repair divides in American culture.
....
Without mentioning Bush by name, Burns drew parallels between today's political leaders and the Iraq war, versus Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, which he chronicled in an award-winning film series.

Both wars threatened to tear the country apart, Burns said.

"Steel yourselves. Your generation must repair this damage, and it will not be easy," Burns told the seniors.

Burns quoted famed jurist Learned Hand as saying, "Liberty is never being too sure you're right."

"Somehow recently, though, we have replaced our usual and healthy doubt with an arrogance and belligerence that resembles more the ancient and now fallen empires of our history books than a modern compassionate democracy," Burns said, to applause from the 1,300 graduates and their families and friends.

He criticized what he called a culture of censorship and intimidation that was intolerant of others, as well as a compliant media and a consumer culture that values the pursuit of money above everything.

"We have begun to reduce the complexities of modern life into the facile judgments of good and evil, and now find ourselves brought up short when we see that we have, too, some times and moments, become what we despise," Burns said.

Burns noted that it is tempting in such times to turn inward and ignore outside troubles, but he urged the seniors to reject that impulse and study history as a way to cope with these troubles and to figure out what to do about them.

"If you don't know where you've been, how can you possibly know who you are and where you're going?" Burns asked.

Citizens Bank Park

Citizen's Bank Cont

Cont.

Citizen's Bank Park

Millwood delivers a strike

The Phanatic

Doing the Phanatic Thrust

Utley delivers the winning RBI in the 8th inning

The Liberty Bell rings after the Phils complete a successfull late inning comeback

As you can probably see, I posted a couple pictures to my blog using a program called Hello, which is associated with Blogger. I am pretty happy with the results. I took a few sequenced pictures of my turntables as well as a single shot. I applied some effects, then posted them to my blog. Tune in tommorrow, I am going to a Phillies game with my dad, chazzy g and the chaz's son. My dad informed me that the seats are primo, meaning a relatively up close view of the field and the ballplayers. Expect some pictures.

I got 99 Problems but HELLO aint one

1,2,1,2

Testing...

My response to Mr. Barny's editorial on the Loud Music law appeared in the News Journal today:

Yelling over loud music doesn't help

Writers have expressed outrage over loud music. It might have been wiser to channel emotions into an appeal to the public. Counter-bullying just alienates people who play loud music even more. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Ivan Orsic, Union Park Gardens

As you can tell it is a slightly abbreviated version of my original response. Hey, but it is the thought that counts.

On a slightly more serious topic, over the weekend I learned that one of my high school friends, who had joined the National Guard during his sophomore or junior year of high school, would be heading over to Iraq in September. Although he is enrolled at the U of D, he is still being sent over to Iraq. His eventual depature to the Mideast puts a lot of things into perspective about our everyday lives and how trivial some things can be. It also raises the issue of reinstating the draft and how I would react to it. Hmmm....


"Quote" of the Day, from Jerry Seinfeld's Comedian:

Get into something dumb...DEEP into it....you'll find the greatest wisdom.

"Fahrenheit 911", Michael Moore's "blistering Anti-Bush documentary" has enjoyed great success at the Cannes Film Festival as critics have rated it as one of the favorites to take the top prize at the Festival. The film, which Mickey Mouse deemed undistributable, received a 20 standing ovation. I hope that the documentary will be shown before the election....anything to get Bush out of office.

Speaking of the election, on Monday, J. Kerry appeared on stage with former rival Howard Dean in Oregon. It has been rumored...or at least, I have heard that Dean might end up being Kerry's running mate. This presents an interesting quagmire for Kerry, does he choose to run with Dean and strengthen his position in many of the northern states or does he choose to run with the smooth-talking southerner John Edwards? John Edwards would most likely strengthen JK's standing in the south, but would it have a noticable effect when it comes to stealing states from Bush's country. Dean would help with some of the fringe states like Oregon. Hmmmm....what to do, what to do?

I just learned that the one and only wild and crazy guy, Steve Martin, will star in the next Pink Panther. I am a huge fan of the original Pink Panther movies and even though I think Mr. Martin is a funny man, I would find it hard to see anyone but Peter Sellers playing the part of Inspector Clouseau. Do you have a phuuuuune?

Next topic....I appears that the first season of Seinfeld will finally be released on to DVD. Its been a long time coming, but it is finally here.

Check for Venus on June 8th....

Smarty Jones continues his quest for the Triple Crown after winning the Preakness by a record 11.5 lengths, eclipsing a 131 year record. Take a look at this beautiful horse in action.

Judy Johnson
During the early to mid 1900's, the Negro Leagues demonstrated that black baseball players had as much and many times more talent than the Major Leaguers of their time, with legendary players such as Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Delawhere's own Judy Johnson, and many more. The League and its surviving members have received a bit of credit with Ken Burns' documentary Baseball and other projects. But, they have still been forgotten. Now, the MLB will try to atone for past actions by paying pensions of those players who played in the Negro Leagues after Jackie Robinson broke into the Big Leagues.

So, last friday my dad sent me an email on Friday, May 7th confirming that he would be driving out around noon and would arrive around 8 o'clock. Well, I recieved the email on the 10th after I had hooked up my computer in my room back here in the DE. So much for great service. Hopefully, it will work itself out.

Who is going to be the 100th visitor since I set up my site meter on May 5th, 2004? When the meter hits 100, check the details out and email me so that I can congratulate you for your epic feet, I mean feat.

The shoes dont match the suit Donald.

It appears that Lynndie England wasnt just an innocent bystander, but an onlooker in love with abuse "ringleader" Spc. Charles Graner. According to The New York Post (not exactly the most reliable of news sources), the two accused abusers taped themselves doing the nasty. The article goes on to say that England was also taped having sex with other soldiers while in front of prisoners. Remember, that is according to the New York Post...so it might be a tad embelished. Sidenote: I read in the paper today that Graner was a prison guard in the U.S. During his time as a prison guard, he was accused of misconduct. Seems as though the Army did an excellent job of personel research.



Another quick bit of interesting news, Two Islamic militant groups, Hezbollah and Hamas, issued strongly worded condemnations yesterday of the videotaped beheading of American civilian Nick Berg in Iraq.

In a statement, Hezbollah called Berg's killing an "extremely brutal and cruel" act.

"Hezbollah condemns this grisly act which has caused great harm to Islam and to Muslims by this group which falsely claims to belong to the religion of mercy, compassion and genuine human values."

Of the killers shown cutting off Berg's head, Hezbollah said: "This group belongs to the Pentagon school - the school of killings, occupation, crime, torture and immoral practices as exposed by the big scandal in the [US] occupation prisons."

Blaring Car Stereos are a kind of bullying

The new law against loud car stereos has elicited protests from the cultural tyrants who will be required to keep their unwanted music to themselves.

Let us examine why they play their public address system stereos at volumes that can be heard a mile away. Contrary to what they tell us, loud music is never played to enjoy the music. It is played because the bullies who play it find it fun to demonstrate their power to indiscriminately abuse others. It thrills them to get away with invading the privacy of people's homes and businesses, degrading property values, destroying the quality of life, and dominating by imposing a culture that they refuse to admit is obviously inferior.

In the wild, Chimpanzees express pecking order by smearing their excrements upon those less able to defend themselves. The players of loud music are chimpanzees in human bodies who defecate their "music" from their car stereos and smear it in the interiors of all our homes. When we the people fight back with a law that limits the volume of their music, they argue in bad faith about their freedom to do whatever they want at the expense of other peoples' rights.

Like public smokers who want the libertine surplus right to light up wherever they feel like they complain, "Stop picking on me and go after more important social problems."

Senate Bill 165 is necessary. We need it because it empowers us, the people, to take back our personal environments and it restores our right to decide for ourselves what kind of music we shall hear in the privacy of our own homes and in our own cars.

Barny Vincelette, Houston

Response:
While I respect Mr. Barny Vincelette’s opinion about excessively loud music, I find his argument to be flawed and offensive. While I understand that music played at ear-drum popping volumes can be disruptive and many times offensive, I feel that you cannot express such a harsh judgment on a “culture” by stating that “…dominating by imposing a culture that they refuse to admit is obviously inferior.” I find that proposal equally as offensive as you, Mr. Barny, find loud music. You have expressed your outrage and anger with loud music. Consider that it might have been wiser to channel your emotions into your appeal to the public and attempt to present a less brash and outrageous argument. Comparing people to poop-throwing chimps and declaring a certain culture to be inferior are forms of bullying as well. Counter-bullying just alienates those people who play loud music even more. Two wrongs don’t make a right. And the wrongs that you have committed are detrimental to gaining support for Senate Bill 165.

Ivan Orsic
Wilmington

I just got back from playing a basketball at Rockford Park this afternoon and I opened up the esteemed Delaware newspaper, The News Journal. I flipped to the Opinion section and found two pieces about Senate Bill 165, which will bring hefty fines to anyone who plays music in public space. Here isthe News Journal's Editorial Board's stance on the issue.

Bill to outlaw loud music in cars sends a signal to rude people

05/10/2004

Whether the music is rap or a rhapsody doesn't matter. People who turn up the level on their car stereos so loud that the sound reverberates for several blocks are rude and offensive.

We don't know many people who would disagree with the thrust of Sen. John Still's proposal to make turning up the stereo in a car a motor vehicle crime. Under Senate Bill 165 anyone who plays music on a public thoroughfare or other public space loud enough to be heard 50 feet away would be subject to a fine of between $100 and $500 for a first offense and twice that amount if they do it again.

Young people already have complained that the law is aimed at them and one of their few pleasures. Wrong. Many of those who intrude into other people's lives with their blaring stereos are well beyond the teen and young adult stages. But they obviously haven't learned how to behave as adults. Adults are respectful of others.

Some others contend this bill is aimed at a particular kind of music. But it's not. Beethoven at unacceptable decibel levels would be just as unwanted on the roadways as the latest in pop music.

Noise pollution is just as grating as graffiti. Those who share their favorite recording artist's work with the world are no different than those who spray their self-indulgent messages on public buildings and walls . They are intruding where they are not wanted.

The problem is really a matter of civility. And it's difficult to legislate good manners. Sen. Still is well intentioned in this matter and, perhaps, the prospect of a big fine will induce some people to turn down the volume.

And an editorial from a man in Houston...(I guess there is a Houston in Delaware...thanks for the tip-off)

Blaring Car Stereos are a kind of bullying

The new law against loud car stereos has elicited protests from the cultural tyrants who will be required to keep their unwanted music to themselves.

Let us examine why they play their public address system stereos at volumes that can be heard a mile away. Contrary to what they tell us, loud music is never played to enjoy the music. It is played because the bullies who play it find it fun to demonstrate their power to indiscriminately abuse others. It thrills them to get away with invading the privacy of people's homes and businesses, degrading property values, destroying the quality of life, and dominating by imposing a culture that they refuse to admit is obviously inferior.

In the wild, Chimpanzees express pecking order by smearing their excrements upon those less able to defend themselves. The players of loud music are chimpanzees in human bodies who defecate their "music" from their car stereos and smear it in the interiors of all our homes. When we the people fight back with a law that limits the volume of their music, they argue in bad faith about their freedom to do whatever they want at the expense of other peoples' rights.

Like public smokers who want the libertine surplus right to light up wherever they feel like they complain, "Stop picking on me and go after more important social problems."

Senate Bill 165 is necessary. We need it because it empowers us, the people, to take back our personal environments and it restores our right to decide for ourselves what kind of music we shall hear in the privacy of our own homes and in our own cars.

Barny Vincelette, Houston

With the recent completion of this Public Speaking course, I feel compelled to respond to these two pieces and teach them (especially the purple dinosaur from Houston), a little bit about persuasion and working with people, instead of putting them on the defensive. I found it offensive that the man said that blaring car stereos is a form bullying and then turned around and put down the people who turn their music up. He described their culture as being inferior. That sounds like bullying too. I am going to write a letter to the Opinion section about this and I will post it on here when it is completed.

The Semester is over and I found my way back to Delaware. My Dad and I drove back to the first state on Saturday. My dad came out on Friday and took my friends and I out to this tiny little restaurant called Brenda Sues. It probably wouldnt be a restaurant as much as it is a place to eat some country fixins. Brenda Sues is a unique roadside restuarant located between Lancaster and Granville. Brenda Sue, the woman, the myth, and the legend, has a massive mural of her mug painted on the quaint one story eatery. When you walk in, you are greeted by the life-size Brenda Sue. The food is great and the atmosphere is better. On Friday night, they had a couple local country musicians providing entertainment, including an excellent fiddlist. If you know me or read my blog, you know that country music isnt really my thing. But, I have an appreciation of music and the Out of Towners were excellent and it was an great close to a great year.

So, I am back here in Delaware with a Rita's Water Ice in hand. Mmmmm so refreshing and delicious. I know that Eddie had a craving for some water ice recently, but he wont be making it back here for some of Philly's finest (side note to eddie: I think Dr. Gilbert mentioned that he would cease blogging for two weeks and then he would reappear and the blog would serve as his personal one I know that I am looking forward to his trimuphant return). I love a good rejuvanating lemon ice. Rita's and Italian Ice is to the Philly region as Graeter's is to Cincy, except better and probably more healthy. It is great to back on the east coast. It looks to be a great summer with family and friends. I hope to blog some more and hope that some of my classmates are inclined to do the same. Check out Dre's Random Jount for some repulsive behavior by an outgoing senior. It seems as though the whole situation is being covered up by the brilliant administration at Denison. This is some serious ish going down on our campus and it is an issue that should not be overlooked or covered up by our Administration.



be the first one to leave a comment, below.

When composing a deliberative speech, you should take a hint from the instructions found on the back of a bottle of shampoo: “Rinse and Repeat”. The most important part in composing a deliberative speech is the constant revising, tinkering, and even “tweaking” which you must do to your speech in order to achieve your goal: to persuade your audience on the merit of your position. In order to gain the support of your constituents and colleagues, you should follow a tedious, but necessary series of steps. At the core of a deliberative speech are the principles of Rhetoric defined by Aristotle and provided by Silva Rhetoricae. Aristotle defined rhetoric as the available means of persuasion and described those means of persuasion with Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. Logos or logical proof comes from the line of argument in the speech. Ethos or ethical proof is the way the speaker’s character is revealed through the message. While Pathos is the feeling the speech draws from the hearers. These three parts of speech are essential to writing and presenting a deliberative speech.

My group and I wrote our speech about the controversial issue of censorship in broadcast television. With the “accidental” exposure of Janet Jackson’s breast at this past Super Bowl, the FCC has been coming down hard on obscene broadcasts with increased fines. The FCC’s actions signaled that a “one-size fits all” solution was being applied to our country. It was our feeling that there needed to be a better solution for the regulation of broadcast television. We followed this sequence of steps when writing our speech. The first task is the research of the topic from every plausible viewpoint possible. One of the most valuable resources is the Congress’ website, Thomas. Thomas allows you to freely access Federal legislative information. The amount of research that you do will allow you to put into practice Social Judgment Theory. Social Judgment Theory provides a framework for you and/or your group to approach the issue with your audiences’ reaction in mind. The framework of SJT allows the speech to have a positive effect on as many of your constituents as possible, while offending as few people as possible. Once you complete the research, map those positions from one extreme to another and place the other positions in between. After your initial SJT spectrum has been created, the spectrum is divided into three “latitudes”:

1. The Latitude of Acceptance: zone of positions that audience supports
2. The Latitude of Indifference: zone of positions that audience neither accepts nor rejects
3. The Latitude of Rejection: zone of positions that audience rejects.

Those people who hold the positions within the latitude of rejection are not your target for this speech. You will not be able to use your POWERS of PERSUASION on them. However, the goal of the speech is to use Aristotelian rhetorical techniques and the art of persuasion to, as Allison wrote, “seduce” those people who are located in the latitude of indifference. A great example of Social Judgment Theory in practice is the spectrum created by Big Tymers. With this in mind, the next step is to develop a strategy for the speech that will play to those people within the latitude of indifference. This process is aided by taking the concepts of Ethos (appeals to logic) and Pathos (appeals to emotion) that Aristotle set out. Examples of speech strategy include referring back to past experiences and the emotions associated with those events, or telling personable stories, regional pride, etc. Our group, G.7 used a Bob Dole approach of sorts by harking back to the days of “our” childhood when “a television set had only one knob with a handful of channels to choose from.”

With your ingenious strategy in hand, you can start writing your first draft. Your first draft will be the first of many drafts you must be concerned with not only content but also form or delivery. You can have good ideas but if you cannot express them in a convincing fashion, you will gain no support from your audience. Therefore, every syllable, word, and sentence (tricolon) becomes important. A thin line is taken when writing the speech. It is the line between talking over your audience’s heads and talking down to your audience. If you can find the careful balance between the two sides and have a solid strategy, then a great deliberative speech can be written. Of course, that careful balance can only be found after countless revisions of your speech. Each sentence should be taken apart and evaluated. This is a tedious and sometimes frustrating process, but it is a necessary one. Of course, the final element of your speech is composed of the actual delivery. This part requires the speaker to practice their delivery using inflections, emphasis, and other McGuffey techniques. Once the speaker has become comfortable with the speech, the only thing left to do is to deliver it to the unsuspecting masses. If you follow these steps and the steps outlined by fellow classmates like Allison, Ethan, and Scott, you should be able to construct an excellent and successful deliberative speech.

With nothing to do other than those pesky finals...but who needs to worry about those, I have started to perform a facelift on my blog. I added a bunch of links, registered with feedster, as well as blogwise, and placed a visitor count on my page courtesy of SiteMeter. There are many more changes to come especially after finals are over. Currently, I have had 26 visitors. Most of which were me, checking to see if my site meter had increased. It really hasnt increased that much at all. Which leaves me with a question of pride and curiosty: Do I keep the current sitemeter icon up, which shows the number of visits or do I choose another one which conceals my lowly visit total until it becomes respectful? I want to see if it has changed, but I dont want people who might happen upon my blog and view the embarrassingly low traffic total which I have racked up.

Looks like the State of the Union address did not fool everyone. Check out this ad placed in the NYT. For more information about the "No Child Left Behind" Initiative...or lack thereof, check out this special report courtesy of the National Education Association.

Check out the Drudge Report for the latest in the Iraqi prisoner controversy. Some new pictures have come out and the criticism that the Bush Administration has increased. Although Bush has publicly supported his defense secretary, there seems to be something going on behind the scenes as Bush Privately Admonishes Rumsfeld....

Dave, Are we allowed to post our final blog and edit it before midnight on Friday? Or is the version that we post the only version?

I have been fooling around with this production program called Fruity Loops for a little while. It is not exactly the best program to use to make beats but it has served its purpose for me. I just got the Ladykillers soundtrack....which is great by the way, and I decided to sample on of the songs for a beat. This is probably the best one I have made so far, so I posted it on Soundclick.com. Check out my first "published" song, titled "Let It Shine":

Let me know what you think.