This is a repository for the nothing. I take all the credit for the brilliance and none for the ignorance
follow me at twitter:http://twitter.com/sconigman add me as a friend: Scott Onigman shoot me an email: scottonigman@gmail.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/sconigman/
I have no idea of what I am doing this summer. But contrary to my previous blog post, I don't want a boring job. I want to get a head start on college and get an internship somewhere in Boston. Hopefully, I will find something practical and related to what I want to study in college: Economics and Political Science.
While the opportunities of last summer have dried up: to put it concisely, I aspire to find something fun and fulfilling for the summer after my senior year. Some that have been recommended to me are internships at the state capitol or other gov. jobs. At the end of it "all", I'd like to do a considerable amount of photography and improve my tennis game. Fitting all of these in would be a tremendous accomplishment. I hope to make this the best summer yet.
While writing this blog post, I am currently on the 20th floor of the Sheraton Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. While curfew was at 12:30, I’m click-clackin away on the keyboard unable to fall asleep. One of the things I have noticed while looking out over the Boston skyline and the south tower of the Boston Sheraton, is that I have my own personal view that no one else has from this room. No one else in the north tower or on this floor has the same view. As you may be thinking right now/waiting for right now, “Why is he doing this?” Well, here’s the reason I’m doing this.
I’m going to make this very easy to understand, this is a palpable extended metaphor. My view from this room is the same as my view of the world and my personal opinions. I see the people in the other tower with either their lights on or off, but each in their own specific situations. I see someone in a room across the way with “I heart 1850”, which is presumably their room. Yesterday they had a more risque saying on their window. Glancing to the left a few floors down are people having a dance party. I have no idea how they have the energy for that right now, but it seems like they’re having a fun time.
But let’s get back to the reason I am writing this. Ignoring the stream of conscious, that previously gave the setting for this narration; I hope to give you an insight on life.
We all have different views of life. Our lives are like the situation that I am currently in (writing this blog post), listening to my Ipod and watching the traffic around the Christian Science Museum and the shenanigans of those in the other tower. I have no idea at all of what the people in other rooms and floors are doing; all I know is what I see from my room. This extends to the concept that you have no idea in life of what other people see and what their opinion is of you or anything else. While I’m not screaming be considerate of everything, go hug trees, and write a book on political correctness, I am saying that everyone has a different view of the world and we must account for this. As previously posted, Robert Fulghum says that when out in the busy world, we must stay together, hold hands, and most importantly, LOOK.
This is all I have to say in this post, I just leave you with this little tidbit of a quote from the song End of All Time by Stars of Track and Field, “Turn off the lights, and watch you glow. To the end of all time, just so I can see the lightning climb.”
As college approaches, I am in search of gaining my own economic independence. In addition to this, as a second semester senior, I am greeted with an influx of extra time. This amount of time until graduation and thereafter till college is a beneficial opportunity to have spending money now as well as over the summah.
Con's
-Already filled schedule
-Difficult to find a job (in his economy)
-May take over my life
-Hard to balance schedule
Pro's
-Real world experience
-Spending money
-Good high school experience
-First real job
While I am still undecided on this matter, please send me a message on: facebook, twitter, email, or formspring if you have any good advice
If you have ever read the book and seen the movie you may or may not agree with me. But my opinion is that Great Gatsby the movie was a little better than mediocre. It did not meet any of the conceptions I had formed in my head, as far as a visual interpretation of this American Classic. Paul Rudd plays a great Nick Carraway, but otherwise it was an utter disappointment. Meyer Wolfsheim did not meet the description of the book and his visual representation and actions were considerably mellowed out, compared to the novel. Nick's abode hardly meets what I viewed as his living arrangements. What also adds to my grim opinion of this movie is the actress who plays Myrtle. She is nothing compared to the character described in the novel, she is hardly the vibrant and voluptuous woman that the book made her out to be. The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite novels, but the movie is far from it.
If you have been reading this blog you would be aware that I have began to tweet. If you do not know what tweeting is, tweeting is, “A very popular instant messaging system that lets a person send brief text messages up to 140 characters in length to a list of followers.”(PC Magazine).
On a recent trip to Boston and Cambridge, I visited the Cambridge Side Galleria and by chance perused the literary selections of a Borders bookstore. Amidst the “deals” and “50% off offers”, I found a book named “Tweet This Book”. This book is a collection of 1400 witty quotes by famous, not-so-famous, or anonymous personalities, each under 140 characters (the character limit for a tweet). With a wide variety of topics and authors for every mood and situation, this book is indubitably splendid fodder for a twitter addict (even though this is no admittance of an addiction). I would recommend your own copy for personal enjoyment even if you do not have a twitter account.
This is the Senior year of my high school life. I’ve been through 11.5 years of public schooling. I have taken numerous standardized tests (living in Massachusetts), as well as tests that are “so important”. But what always confuses me, is the importance of midterms and finals. They are heavily emphasized in high school as something to commit heavily to. Without a doubt, this should be done, but with a closer look at the transformation of my grades depending on how well I did on midterms was perturbing.
Midterms/Finals are worth 20% of the semester grade, and each quarter is worth 40% of the grade. But when one considers how a grade is made up, if you have three big tests a quarter, those tests are worth 13.33% of the semester grade. When one compares how much this is worth in time spent to the midterm studying compared to test studying, they are disparate.
But since I did not do amazing first semester, I hope to do better this semester. But at the same time, I want to relax and enjoy the last semester of high school. Since I got into college, I’ve been relatively relaxed but still committed.
What midterms are best for is a small break. Its a rededication in the middle of the year. A chance to revise what has been happening so far, and fix things that may have gone wrong to this point.
This is my favorite poem.
Written by Robert Fulgham, this teaches all the morals one needs to succeed in life.
"All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.
ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW about how to live and what to do
and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not
at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the
sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some
and draw and paint and sing and dance and play
and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic,
hold hands, and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.
Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup:
The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody
really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even
the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die.
So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books
and the first word you learned - the biggest
word of all - LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.
The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation.
Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
Take any of those items and extrapolate it into
sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your
family life or your work or your government or
your world and it holds true and clear and firm.
Think what a better world it would be if
all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about
three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with
our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments
had a basic policy to always put thing back where
they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you
are - when you go out into the world, it is best
to hold hands and stick together.
I'm currently catching up on my favorite TV shows: NCIS, NCIS:LA, CSI:Miami, Hawaii Five-0 with the strong possibility of making it through last night's premiere of Royal Pains also. There is a strict conflict of interest associated with this Friday, 1/21/2011.
This is that I would have had my last midterm today, Advanced Placement Statistics. But we're currently getting 6-8 inches of the white powder on the North Shore and therefore, school canceled. This leaves me to study and worry and be anxious about the midterm all weekend. I figured that I would have gone in early to study before and review the tests we have taken throughout the year. What complicates this is the fact that I forgot half of my tests in my locker at school. So I have reviewed all I can for the midterm without those left at school. Anymore studying would be kicking a dead horse.
A conflict of interest, combined with a stream of consciousness.
But what else are you going to do on a snow day?
Everyone goes through lifestyle changes throughout their life.
Everyone changes, its part of human nature.
An article I wrote for the Orbit last year before the Seniors graduated
What is change?
How important is change?
(Think about these questions as you read this)
Change is a momentous word. Although some regard it as frivolous and common place, it is hardly so. Nor is it a word that can be thrown around to get elected to a political office. (Of course when running for a public office, you’re going to preach change.) No one except an incumbent approaches the podium and says, “I’m here to do nothing, and carry on business as usual.” Change is far more significant than many realize, and it needs to be paid its dues in respect.
Every year, week, day, and second; something changes. The world is constantly revolving in change, (even though that is an oxymoron). The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines change as, “to make different in some particular”. This definition is extremely vague. My definition for change, in life is; an altering of circumstances by an event. In this way, it implies that not only has something changed, but there was a reason for this change. In spite of the fact that this definition too is vague; it can be readily applied to our everyday lives.
Humans adapt to change every second, whether this has good connotations or not, it is up for you the reader to decide. Change keeps life interesting, even if one lived in an Utopia, change would still be necessary. For the seniors, an enormous change is occurring, leaving the home and environment they have known for years and venturing off into the world to go to college. This involves confronting numerous life choices, some of which began back in the beginning of their senior year with the decisions where to apply to college. No matter where the path leads you in life, you are confronted with change.
-Orbit, May 2010
My life has changed serendipitously in the past few weeks. Three things have made this possible.
The first of which is I got into Franklin and Marshall College, Early Decision (woot)
Second off, I got sick for two weeks (probably a sinus infection). Being sick for two weeks made me change my policy on drinking tea. I've started consuming at least one cup a day, frequently blueberry with a teaspoon of honey. This is a nice replacement for drinking overt amounts of apple juice and orange juice.
Finally, I've started to write this blog, as well as start a Twitter. I had been considering on starting and writing both of these for a long time. But now I can express all of those ideas that bounce around in my head all day.
"We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom -- symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning -- signifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.
The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe -- the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge -- and more.
To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do -- for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom -- and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.
To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required -- not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge: to convert our good words into good deeds, in a new alliance for progress, to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.
To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support -- to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective, to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak, and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.
Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.
We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.
But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course -- both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.
So let us begin anew -- remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.
Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms, and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.
Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.
Let both sides unite to heed, in all corners of the earth, the command of Isaiah -- to "undo the heavy burdens, and [to] let the oppressed go free."¹
And, if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor -- not a new balance of power, but a new world of law -- where the strong are just, and the weak secure, and the peace preserved.
All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days; nor in the life of this Administration; nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.
Now the trumpet summons us again -- not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need -- not as a call to battle, though embattled we are -- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation,"² a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility -- I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it. And the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own."
Whether you read or didn't read the previous speech by one of our most famous presidents at his Inaugural Address of 1961, isn't the point of this blog post. What many valedictorian and salutatorians at graduation speeches reference , "ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." As one who has seen this quote before, it does not need to be restated how important this as a rallying cry for the country at that time.
What most people miss, is that this speech had larger overtones of hope and worldly aspirations as a call for action for the American people. John Fitzgerald Kennedy spoke, "For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life." I have not heard a larger call for action that the previously mentioned. In a country that was embroiled in the Cold War, this was an unprecedented call for the youth of America.
Maybe America needs another call for action? A re-commitment to the same values that JFK wrote his speech on?
This is one of the busiest weeks I've had in a long time, as far as school work goes.
Its midterms.
But in contrast, the extracurriculars are fairly light this week.
Another thing that makes this week hectic yet awesome at the same time is the return of four of my favorite tv shows: White Collar, Royal Pains, NCIS, and NCIS: Los Angeles. Each of these shows are not commonly watched by many people I know, but they are great shows. Each of them provides a new take on the stereotypical shows that are on the main networks.
White Collar premiered for a second season this last Tuesday. Not to give away what happened in this episode, but it was a finishing of the cliff hanger of the end of season one. With a well balanced character list, this show always brings something new to the table each episode, but also continues a hierarchical background story that is essential at numerous different points. Without a doubt, if you haven't watched this show, you should.
Royal Pains is based around a doctor who was fired as a busy E.R. and goes out to the Hamptons with his younger brother to "get away". This weekend getaway turns into a whole summer as they stay in the guest house of a very wealthy Hamptons billionaire and he becomes a concierge doctor for the wealthy and solving medical crises for those in need. Balancing medical drama with the father-son-brother plot with multiple romances makes this a great spin on those boring hospital dramas.
NCIS and NCIS:LA each bring new seasons to CBS. Widely regarded as drawing many viewers, NCIS ended with a big boom at the end of last season. This season promises a finishing of the story from last season but also new promises of drama and conflict. NCIS:LA continues with its balance cast of last season. What makes this NCIS different from other shows out there is no crime scene evaluation. The show is more people relations based with a greater emphasis on action scenes.
Heres what I really think about what happened in Tucson.
What happened in Tucson was the climax and tragic outcome of our current media frenzy. The desires of the American people has created a media vitriol with promotes the voicing of increasingly disparate political opinions. What this ends in is the shouting of pundits and both right and left wise skewed radio hosts voicing their opinions. This has deadly consequences when the general public has no hints that the news they are being informed of is distorted by the yellow journalism which is ubiquitous in the American Media.
Although it has been very opposed theory, I still consider the American media to have a part, even if it is a small one in this tragedy. With the constant bombardment of the American people with news via countless outlets, we are drowned in the amount of different news sources. With the innumerable ways of attaining news, as a news consumer, we are more attuned to those stories and opinions that are superfluously sensational.
This all contributed to an atmosphere that can have devastating consequences.
On Saturday January 8th, 2011, Gabrielle Giffords was holding her first “Congress on Your Corner” of the year at the Safeway Supermarket in northwest Tucson. This meeting with the Congresswomen was setup in order to give her constituents an opportunity to voice their opinions and for Giffords to interact with her voters of her district; she has recently been elected to a third term in the House of Representatives. During this meeting, Jared Lee Loughner, a 22-year-old college dropout, shot 19 people with a semiautomatic Glock pistol that combined with an expanded magazine allowed him to shoot 33 rounds. This left 6 dead and 13 injured, notably the quickly recovering congresswoman Giffords, and the now deceased Federal Court Judge John M. Roll and 9 year old Christina Green who was born on 9/11/01. While there are few known causes for this shooting rampage by Loughner at this time, the Sheriff of Pima County Clarence Dupnik has deemed political vitriol of the caustic right wing media personalities as the cause of the tragedy.
What troubles many in this tragedy is the accessibility of guns by a 22 year old who has been called by many to be a very troubled young man. Jared Loughner was able to purchase a semiautomatic weapon and combine it with an extended magazine of 33 bullets, which allowed the shooter to get off more shots without having to reload. The Constitution of the United States, specifically the Bill of Rights allows for the right to bear arms, “A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” Another pertinent fact in this matter is that the civilian population of the United States, according to a survey from 2007, is the most heavily armed in the world, with the U.S. population owning 270 million firearms, which is approximately 9 guns for every 10 citizens.
As the country saw this tragedy unfold on copious news outlets, I began to question the basic second amendment rights. While I understand the fact that one is allowed to carry a concealed weapon accordng to their rights, and this was listed in the Bill of Rights as a reaction to British tyranny, but what is the point of owning a gun? An even better question, what do normal citizens, people such as ourselves need with extra large magazines and assault weapons for public sale?
When one buys a gun, one figures they may have a stronger sense of security about themselves. But at the end of the day, guns are not toys and they have horrible consequences. The implications other than being safe in owning a gun is to use it. Hunting guns and rifles excluded, the normal citizen does not require a gun because it only ends with horrific violence. The accessibility of guns in the United States has led to numerous tragedies close to home and throughout the country.
We must learn from the tragedies that have occurred recently ie; the death of a Woburn police officer in a robbery and the attempted political assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
I was suggested some names by a very good friend of mine, but unfortunately, they didn't fit the mood I had at the time. Then, I did a google search for "name your blog", and came up with some relatively helpful sites.
What did it for me in the end was a combination of what was playing on my Itunes (Save the Last Dance for Me by Michael Bublé) and what was on my mind at the time, tennis.
