Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Food for thought

Hey just read this article and completley agree with it...not because i smoke pot but becasue we can use our resources on better issues.  This is progressive thinking and I think the same way...

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/09/28/piper.decriminalize.pot/?hpt=C2

Monday, September 27, 2010

Arabian Dream

Saw this article in the NYtimes yesterday regarding a utopian city being constructed in the middle east.  This is no regular utopian society but it is completely sustainable.  Very cool idea, although like most Utopian societies it seems it will only cater to the people who can afford to live there.  Looks cool though...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/arts/design/26masdar.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Time to protect yourself...

As I predicted last week or two weeks ago, Denard Robinson is going to get hurt if is running every 2 out of three plays.  Well sure enough he has been injured, and injured enough he probably will not play the rest of the game today.  Although I am not at the game this week (I am following it on TV), it was something that could have been avoided especially against a weak opponent such as Bowling Green.  I just hope its not a serious injury.  it seemed like he just banged his knee hard on the ground. It did not seem like he twisted or tore anything which is good, but we will probably find out what is wrong within the next few hours of day or so.  Hope Michigan wins! GO BLUE!

Also on another note, awesome win today for both Manchester City and West Brom Albion.  Both teams beat the top two teams in the premier league.  Man City won 1-0 (i didnt see the game) and West Brom won 3-2 in a thrilling five goal second half (i did watch the game). 

Friday, September 24, 2010

Colbert at his best...

I know i haven't been updating much lately but I just came across this article/video of Stephen Colbert testifying before a subcommittee of congress regarding migrant workers working on farms. It is absolutely hilarious. Also if you look at the Congress members who are sitting on the sub committee you will notice they do not seem to happy or attentive when he speaks. One congresswoman or someone on the panel is seen using their cell phone while Colbert is speaking. Take a look and read the article it is fantastic!

Colbert's Video

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Back to school, back to school

So the first two weeks of grad school are just about finished and so far it has been a great experience. I am taking four classes, statistics, economics planning law and policy and planning theory. Each class is a building block to future classes that i will have to and want to talk before i get my degree. With that said, some of these classes are not easy.

My statistics class is no walk in the park but then again, unless it comes natural to you I don't know anyone would say they would enjoy stats class. If I keep up with the readings, see my teacher during his office hours, and pay attention in class (which i always do) I think i will be fine.

My econ class is simple. I took one economics class in college, so this is kind of a refresher class but at the same time this is a class that i am trying to succeed in because in college econ was tough and i took it pass fail. Although its a refresher some concepts will be difficult to understand and wrap my head around. If i stay persistent like my stats class i should do fine.

My law class is my toughest class. It just has a lot of reading and writing involved and it will certainly take a lot of time and effort to do well in the class. I think it is a very interesting and especially important class for my future. I will be learning about many of the main law cases and zoning policies regarding urban planning. Additionally, i will be learning how to write memos, briefs and other planning related plans. It will probably be my most important class to take away from this semester, but stats and econ will also be important.

Finally, my theory classes seems the most enjoyable because a lot of the readings from class i have looked into and know i am going to enjoy. So far the class has not gotten too in depth about planning theory but a few early readings have been enjoyable and interesting. The most interesting reading so far was from Kevin Lynch's book An Urban World. In the chapter "The Pattern of the Metropolis," he points out five different type of patterns of cities and makes sure that each city has a few characteristics that are specifically important to the functionality of cities (accessibility, density, organization, grain, circulation, and services). All are important parts of a functional and successful city.

Overall, school is a lot of work but it has many perks and has been a good time.

Its been tough to keep up with my blog but as i figure out how to manage my time to the best ability, i will be able to write more.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

UM v ND

Yesterday I watched the Michigan game and it was awesome! There is only one man to really talk about and he doesn't even tie his shoes. Yes, Denard Robinson might be one of the most fun athletes and quarterbacks to watch in college football right now, and although I might have a bias towards him, I think my statement has some truth to it. The man has rushed for over 500 yards and passed for over 500 yards in just two games. Maybe people though it was a fluke last week because of their weaker opponent of UConn, but this week I think he proved all his critics wrong. I do have to say I have some concerns (I will address these in a minute), but he is one great athlete to accomplish numbers like this. Yes, Notre Dame did lose their starting quarterback for basically the first half, but depth is part of the game and it showed that the backup quarterbacks for Notre Dame were not ready.

Although Robinson had a great two games, I have a few concerns that might come up alter in the season when Michigan starts its Big 10 battles. First, I dont think his body will be able to take the beatings all season long. Unlike many other quarterbacks, Robinson does get hit a lot after his runs. They are not always the hardest hits, but after a while I think they will take a toll on his body. I am also worried that one day he is going to get hit so hard he wont be playing for a few games. Another concern is his conditioning. He seems like a stellar athlete and I know he runs track but can he keep this energy and stamina up for the entire season? I am not sure and it will be a great achievement if he can (as long as he is healthy as well) but its just human nature to begin to tire at least 3/4 way through the season. Finally, I am still not convinced Michigan football has turned around. Although the last two games were great wins, if a team somehow figures out how to stop Robinson's feet, his throwing game was a little more shaky yesterday which shows me hes not a complete quarterback yet. Also Michigan's secondary yesterday was burned three times, and could have been worse if Christ played all game. I am specifically recalling when ND's tight end beet everybody up the field for a 91 yard touch down. The safety's and corners can just stop running when the player they are guarding keeps running. So clearly there is a lot of work to be done in Michigan's pass defense.

I am glad we won, and the next two games, (UMass and Bowling Green) should be wins, but again these teams are not to be taken lightly. I hope the winning continues and Michigan will have a great season GO BLUE!

On another note, the NFL finally has begun and I cant wait for the season to finally get underway today. the saints game was bad, and not very fun to watch although it was still awesome that the NFL started. I hope the Giants don't disappoint too much, but today's game against the panthers will be a good first test and they better have a chip on their shoulder for how poorly they played last year against the panthers and got blown out. That better be a reason to play out of their mind. GO GIANTS!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

I will always remember...

First I want to say God Bless America. I am certainly no supporter of the ever lasting war in the Middle East but I am proud of our bounce back from 9/11/2001. I remember that day vividly, as I'm sure most people do. I was in 8th grade and I had just started at a new private school (which I hated and left after 1 year). But I was in history class when rumors began and before I knew it we were being funneled into the gymnasium in order to listen to our principal tell us what was going on. Afterward we were able to watch a little of the live news coverage on a TV that was placed in the gymnasium for anyone who was interested or worried (basically everybody). I also remember coming home from school and the upper part of my road being closed off. I thought it was due to construction but i didn't link the view of my street that pointed toward the city to be a hot spot for on lookers. Let me just say, I lived about 20 miles from Manhattan and about a quarter-mile up the street from my house is a view of Manhattan. On 9/11/2001, the view near my house was littered with people who wanted to watch the towers aftermaths. I watched as smoke poured into the sky and although I never saw either tower collapse, it was a site to never forget. I will always remember...

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Maize and Blue

So as the college football season kicks off, I experienced my first College game of my life and boy was it fun. The University of Michigan has a prestigious history for sports but most notably their football program. Many NFL stars have suited up the Maize and Blue gear, but over the past few years, with their new coach Rich Rodriguez, Michigan football has not seemed the same. This game possibly marked a change in recent times.

I didn’t do much heavy tailgating, mostly because I am still unfamiliar with the campus. I first met up with some of my planning colleagues who were having a small get together at one of their houses. It was fun and relaxing, but after I left, I stated my journey toward the Big House. Thousands of people dressed in yellow and blue, hundreds of parties and tailgates along the way, and a sunny and mildly warm end of summer day created the best concoction for football. I can’t try to explain what the atmosphere was like, but I have never seen such passion and dedication towards a sports team before. I am sure many other large Universities have similar qualities, but because this was my first time at a major collegiate event this was an event I will always look forward too for this season and next. I wanted to meet up with my roommate and his friend who were tailgating on the golf course, but I never did make it. It just took me too long to walk from the central to south campus and by the time I got to south campus it was 30 minutes to game time.

Walking into the stadium has a very simple but large feel. The stadium is HUGE. Accruing to the game announcer it was 113,090 people attended huge. Yeah, it was nuts. I have never seen sooo many people in one sporting event. The stadium is great, because it really has a college field and although my tickets are not considered the best seating, I had a very good viewing angle. The stadium is built below road level so the concourse dumps you out onto row 50 or something like that and so every seat is great. Standing for almost 4 hours was not so great, but again it was all part of the experience.

The game itself was awesome. Michigan played Uconn, and many people thought Uconn could upset Michigan. Well they were wrong. From the start, the wolverines played hardnosed run it down your throat offense. Mainly their quarterback was the rusher (he rushed for 197 yards or something like that) but in general Michigan just overpowered Uconn. The quarterback who apparently was battling for his position played very well. Not only did he rush a lot and picked up a lot of yards (he is one of the fastest players on the team and in the country) but he had no interceptions and only a few incomplete passes. The defense also played well giving up only 10 points and allowing I think less than 300 yards of total offense.

It was a great game and a great first game to go to. Michigan won 30-10 and I hope their next home game is even better. I found that Michigan looked a lot like the rich Rodriguez West Virginia team of the past where the quarter back could throw, run or option it off because of the QB’s speed and spread formation offense. I hope that means the players are finally buying into the coaches system and they will stop having losing seasons. LET’S GO BLUE!