Stars in the Blogging Community

Blogging isn't just for journalism majors being forced into it, or people with opinions no one wants to hear so they let it out on livejournal.com its for everyone including many of the fames and stars we look up to, know and watch.

Check out Curt Schilling's recently created blog, 38 Pitches

When checking out blogs of very busy, prestigious, people especially sporting elites I tend to wonder if it is actually them doing the blogging. Do they really have the time to sit there and put the time in to typing their thoughts into a website? Well Schilling makes the time. This blog has a mix of question and answers where Schilling actually takes time to respond to his fans and readers:

Q-Have you ever been on a Starting Rotation comparable to this one, and the endless potential it may have?

A-That’s a tough one because to live up to ‘endless potential’ everything needs to fall perfectly right. In 1993 and 2004 the rotations we started the season with stayed intact for pretty much the entire year, which was huge. We competed against each other in an advantageous way for the team. This rotation absolutely has that potential.

Not only does Schilling answer questions on his career and team but he writes about his family and wife, and gives advice to his readers about their kids as well.

Q-How do you know when a kid has enough talent go far with Baseball?

A-I think that falls on the ‘kid’ as much as it does the parents. Parents view their childrens athletic ability through very rosy glasses. I’ve been around kids, coached kids and worked with kids who’s parents would tell me that their son is a surefire major leaguer if he ‘keeps it up’ and I’m sitting there watching a kid who isn’t going to make his high school team. The numbers are staggering, it used to be 1 in every 100,000 kids who plays organized baseball gets drafted. Then you look at the volume of kids drafted and how few of them make it to the major leagues and it can be daunting. If you’re working with your kids in sports for them to become ‘pro’s’ then I think you’re making a huge mistake. You won’t get them there, they will. However if you have your kids playing sports to learn the real lessons they teach, sportsmanship, camaraderie, respect, how to count on teammates and be counted on, how to handle winning and losing, all the truly important life lessons then I think you’re doing the right thing. I could care less if any of my kids become ‘pro’s’, I just want them to have a passion for whatever it is they do, and be as good as they can be, trying to be the best.

Now what makes this blog believable? He makes errors, spelling errors, and admits to them.

Trying some different ways to format, while I am shooting for zero misspellings, there may be a few!

However I think they add a real feel to his blog letting you know...he's just like the rest of us.

Up next is a blog just as comical as his acting on Scrubs, Zach Braff


The layout of this blog is particularly pleasing and impressive not to mention his witty entries.

Didn’t win, but I met P. Diddy, so who u calling a loser? He made eye contact with me and headed towards me and I was like “uh oh, did I anger Diddy?” My brain started spinning, “think of times you may or may not have pissed off Diddy. Quickly! What r u doing? Don’t look at Harley from “Lost” focus on Diddy!!!” Anyway, he just came over to say hi and that I made him laugh. He gave me a big smile and a cool handshake (that I kept up with – thank you Donald Faison) and could not have been a nicer guy.

This blog will definitely be added to my bookmarks.

Your Very Own Anna Nicole Smith!

The Wonkette.com has brought to my attention the knowledge that now everyone can make their very own Anna Nicole Smith Shrine complete with action figure. Now available on Ebay [http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260101911507] is a Beautiful one of a kind custom doll made by Artist Tina Lia. The current bid listed to purchase the doll is $202.49 the end time is April 4th at 4pm so if I were you I'd hurry and make an offer!

Big Strides for Females

I know its been decades since women were ever put down as unequal counterparts to men, but I found it interesting when I read an article on Drudge.com today titled Female Ump Gets A Day in the Big Leagues. Ria Cortesio will be the first woman since 1989 to work an MLB Exhibition game. [Who was the female in 1989?] In the article it discusses how Cortesio will be umpiring the exhibition game between the Chicago Cubs and the Arizona Diamondbacks and from interviews with the players, the fact that their ump is female could really matter less. In fact, they are excited that a female is actually being given the opportunity. Whether or not its something their publicist told them to say, I'm not sure lol...."It's awesome," Cubs star Derrek Lee said. "I think it's about time. Female eyes are as good as male eyes. Why can't they be umpires? Good for her."

To be honest I watch quite a number of baseball games and not to brag but I'm very observant and analytical...never once has the fact that all umps are men cross my mind...

Cortesio has now definitely brought that to my attention..why aren't their more female umps?

First campaigning for a Presidency...and now umpires in the Major leagues? Do we really even need men? ;)

here's the link http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/27/sportsline/main2613326.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_2613326

Trade..

First off I'd like to point out how ironic the name of the league I am in is..."Grown A S S Men"...My team sticks out like a sore thumb "Polka Dots"

Anyway here's a trade proposed

Trade proposed in grown a s s men

To: Polka Dots - Courtney Souza
From: Rochester Dominators - Dan *

PD trades Joe Mauer, Min to Dominators
RDO trades Brian McCann, Atl to Dots
RDO trades Jorge Cantu, TB to Dots
RDO trades Josh Johnson*, Fla to Dots


I'm declining...good move?

Fantasy Baseball

Recently I've joined a Fantasy Baseball league here is my roster...



C Joe Mauer
1B Richie Sexson
2B Dan Uggla
3B David Wright
SS Carlos Guillen
OF Ichiro Suzuki
OF Bobby Abreu
OF Vernon Wells
UTIL Barry Bonds
B Frank Thomas
B Marcus Giles
B Paul Lo Duca
B Edwin Encarnacion
B Bobby Crosby

P Erik Bedard
P Cole Hamels
P Takashi Saito
P Chris Ray
P Jered Weaver
P Bob Wickman

So, I know some about baseball but not much....

Does anyone care to comment on my players, maybe who I might wanna trade or who i'd want to look for?

In my opinion my hitters r the shit but my pitching is lacking

Soliders Face Neglect

After reading an article on the Washingtonpost.com I am absolutely outraged. How can soldiers, especially injured soldiers, be put in conditions and faced with such irrational and irresponsible behavior?! We are all living here in America with our heated homes and comfy beds and people that are risking their lives for us are stuck in places described as

the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole. The entire building, constructed between the world wars, often smells like greasy carry-out. Signs of neglect are everywhere: mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses.

EW!

Also if the Pentagon knows of this Walter Reed Army Medical Center and plans to shut it down in 2011...one why don't they help it? and 2 What's going to happen to injured soldiers after that? Where are they going to go?

The videos added a little bit more clarity to the treatment the patients are receiving as opposed to how the out patients are being treated. I just cannot comprehend how people are being treated so poorly after coming out of such traumatizing experiences as these soldiers are.

From reading the postings after this article "The Other Walter Reed" it shows how outraged Americans are. I dont understand how the government gets away with what it does when so many people have harsh opinions of it. Perhaps it isn't the governments fault but us as Americans for letting these people run our country. Here are some of the comments I found interesting...

Do you suppose if we forced Karl Rove and Dick Cheney to move into Building 18, things might improve? How many of the 363 tons of $100 bills we shipped to Iraq would it take to improve this hell hole?

How can Bush and his allies claim to be for the troops and then propose a budget that cuts funding to the VA their health care? And this supposedly in a time of war?

Journalism on Amazon?

When first approaching the reviews on Amazon.com I had a predetermined idea that there would in no way be any form of journalism. But...I found myself slightly in the wrong when reading reviews on a book by John Stossel called Myths, Lies, And Downright Stupidity Get Out The Shovel- Why Everything You Know Is Wrong


Aside from the usual..."read this book" comments there were other interesting facts that readers received from the book and were willing to share in their comments.

The fact that New York City tap water beat out EVIAN should really make the world feel NAIVE (EVIAN backwards) about making their product the number one bottled water. Particularly since a chemical analysis showed the water was no more pure or healthy than what came out of the NYC pipes.

I had no idea that that was true and I live in New York!

Other reviews although not spitting out information I was not aware of are sharing legitimate info that is not just opinion based. For example:

What he got wrong: Case in Point A ("scientifically clueless"): Stossel references The Bottomless Well: The Twilight of Fuel, the Virtue of Waste, and Why We Will Never Run Out of Energy (2005) by Peter W. Huber and Mark P. Mills to claim that tar sands in Alberta, Canada "alone contain enough oil to meet our needs for a hundred years." What he doesn't mention is that extracting that oil is currently not cost-effective, and when it is, it will require not only massive amounts of water (which will by then be perhaps a more fought-over commodity than oil) but will pretty much destroy the surrounding environment, which will be more valuable than the oil!

This person read the book and is establishing the fact that it isn't completely right. Then voicing more truth to go along with the information within the book.

This to me is journalism because the reviewers are passing along truthful information they have gained from reading this particular book as well as outside information they have gained from other resources.

Forums aka Gossip Gallery

Over the course of the past week I've had a roller coaster of likes and dislikes with joining a forum. My task at hand began when I had to attempt to find a forum worth joining. For me personally, this was probably the most difficult part because I have A LOT of likes but not so many LOVES as to the point where I'd return to a forum everyday to discuss things with people I don't even know really exist. So I attempted to join two, one at Shape.com and the other a Grey's Anatomy Forum on TelevisionWithoutPity.com.

My first try at registering with TVWP made me put down my computer and not touch it for about 24 hours because I was so frustrated. They asked me to click on either Born: Before March 5th 1988 or After March 5th 1988. But me a click-a-holic just clicked and mistakenly clicked the wrong one concluding me to be bombarded with restrictions telling me I needed my Parent to fill out some form and yatta yatta yatta.

UGH

So after my frustration passed I decided...okay I read Shape Magazine a lot why not try one there...
So I join everything goes smoothly...I get to the forum...but I CAN'T POST. Something about being restricted from doing that. UM HELLO?! WHY WOULD I JOIN A FORUM AND NOT WANT TO POST? (Later I find out I have to be approved first but..Hey I'm still learning give me a break.)

Finally I go to my neighbors house and use her computer to successfully join TVWP specifically the Grey's Anatomy Forum, where I decided to join Gab, Stat: The Meet Market under Grey's Gab Gallery.

The registration at this forum led to the same frustration at Shape, but using my brain a little more I waited a day or so to be "approved" then post my first comment, which read...

"Hey everyone! I'm new so I just wanted to say hello, I hope I can catch on to the convo."

I figured I'd jump in and just admit flat out I was new. This I decided was best because my friend, who strictly FORBID me from joining his Ultimate Fighting Forum (which I had no intention in anyway), forewarned me ever so kindly that...
"You better watch out you NOOB they are gonna attack you if you say things they don't like."

After making my first appearance I was slightly anxious to check back later and see if anyone even cared I was there. Also, I had noticed that although I had joined a Grey's forum...there was definitely no talk of Grey's in site. Subjects more a long the lines of husbands, boyfriends, vacation, traveling, and hair advice were running the wires. Not that I minded, the last Grey’s was a repeat so it was nice and yet somewhat intimidating to be joining what seemed more like the "cool girls lunch table" in High School than anything else.

Checked back and I had already two responses:

"Welcome CSouz! We're a fun bunch, I promise. Perhaps even a funky bunch. Any takers on being our resident Marky Mark?"

"Welcome to the thread CSouz! Jump right in!"

Okay so I had the approval and the intimidation was far-gone so I decided to do exactly was I was told and jump in. The discussion was taking place in other countries, countries I had no knowledge of. It was interesting to find a lot of the girls were either from Canada or Australia. They have a slightly different language and weren't making fun of Americans, but there was a little teasing taking place.

"I have to be honest I'm American and I have no idea what countries you are all talking about, but sure sounds nice. I'd love to be at the beach right now but its like 30 degrees here and if I went out in my "tog"? I'd freeze my bum off!"

Is what I said...I used the tog reference because another girl had noted that that's what they call bikini's ("As far as I know, it's just jandals slang for a bikini. I just call them togs.")

Immediately I was asked questions of where I was from, how old I was, and not to be offended that I was American.

So I used the quoting blocks and answered their questions.

“I go to school in Massachusetts, but I'm from Long Island, NY

I'm 20 and a Junior at the University of Massachusetts. I'm actually in a Convergence Journalism class and our assignment is to join a forum of our interest and interact. I must say you guys are very welcoming.

As for wolverinegirl53
Don't get involved with guys with girlfriends believe me, ironically I just got off the phone with my ex who has a girlfriend as well. I just don’t think it's worth it, if he likes you and misses you so much why is he still with someone else?”

The last part was in response to a girls comment above mine. She was discussing how an old boyfriend of hers confessed his love but still had a girlfriend. Having a similar situation I decided to comment, and my advice was taken well and backed up.

“I ditto CSouz's sentiment. wolverinegirl, it's really not worth it.”

Then I received other comments on the part about me having an assignment to join a forum…a lot of the girls were jealous…

“That sounds like a pretty cool assignment. I'm also 20! And a junior at a school in Ontario. Though I don't call it "junior". I just say "third year". I'm Mass Comm, so not at all the same thing as you, but we get alot of journalism co-majors in our program. I've actually used this forum as an example of how technology establishes relationships and how groups of people have an anonymous sense of unity and..blahblahblah-schoolcakes.”

“wish I could get an assignment like that. Get graded for something I spend time doing already. I wish I was a junior now lol. I'm a freshman. With 3-4 more years of undergrad school and 3 years of post undergrad learn-how-to-be-a-physical-thearpist school.”

Overall my experience in the forum was quite exciting. Although I most definitely judged in the beginning, thinking...what losers actually have the time to go onto a site and just blab…that’s what you have friends for. However, now I realize there is only so much you can learn from the people you are constantly in contact with. Look outside the box and there are so many new things to be done, new friendships to be made, new ideas to be shared.

I like this forum thing…it’s almost the equivalent to having a pen pal…but with more instant gratification.

Obama- who cares

The latest post on the Wonkette.com is about Barak Obama and his 17 traffic violations within 2 years...those two years however are 1988 and 1990. Can someone please tell me why this matters?

This only thing this shows is arrogance for the parking laws in Massachusetts. However it was over 10 years ago, people change. I really do not understand why this type of "dirt" is uncovered about campaigners. I don't care if you smoked pot in college, or got traffic violations 10 years ago. Also linked on the Wonkette was another story about Obama's ancestors owning slaves.

I know slavery is a huge issue. I know racism is a very important matter and steers a lot of controversy. However...did Obama himself own a slave? No.

Also I'm wondering does this fact cancel out his race card in the campaigning?

Oh and I really do not understand the Wonkette's jokes about Obama and Osama. Does someone care to explain why perhaps this is funny?

We’re forced to agree with commenter “Osama Obama.”

Many citizens and voters are interested to know whether or not a candidate for President has an ounce of character.

Barak Hussein Obama apparently does not.

Heres a Doosie For ya...

We all know who Teri Hatcher is...









We all know who Former President Bush is...aka Poppy











But what you don't know is that recently on the Wonkette.com there was a post that these two well-knowns had a lunch meeting together followed by a little slapping action. Video by TMZ.com...
Bush..what a hornball

My question is...what is Teri Hatcher doing having lunch with him? Hes like 82 years old?!

Venting Time

I've decided that once a week I am going to "vent" aka whine about an issue that I know has applied to many people before. Today's "venting" session has been set off by my recent trip in the kitchen of my townhouse. Now when i say trip I mean it as a verb because I literally slipped and fell because of...TRASH JUICE...EW.



How come some people are just so lazy they don't even want to bother cleaning up after themselves?!
Wouldn't you rather take the extra second and clean up whatever mess you made? Then the next time you are in that same area you don't have to look at filth or clutter. I truly believe the motto my freshman roommate and i had..."A Clean room is a Happy Room."

So my solution to the yucky problem in my house was to charge $2 each day for each mess not cleaned with in 24 hours. Who thinks this is fair? Who thinks I'm insane and have OCD? Let me know...no hard feelings...swear.

Great Example

Recently in my Broadcast Journalism class my professor, who is an anchor for ABC-40, showed us a clip from an ABC story. The clip was put forth by Bob Woodruff, an ABC anchor who almost died in Iraq, but because of the amazing medical attention he was given miraculously survived.

Heres a link to the full story.

I would just like to add how amazing the editing of this story is. The sense of urgency they managed to capture in the scene where they described the bomb going off is just incredible. This is beautiful journalism.

Now if only every American Soldier could get the treatmeant Woodruff recieved.

Don't Be Mad Boston...

So I know I'm in the state of Massachuetts and everyone that lives on the east side of this state claims to be "from Boston" so before posting this blog I'd like to say that I actually have no opinion on this one...aside from the fact that I did have quite a giggle when reading this post on Wonkette.com

You know those traffic-counting gizmos that city workers string across streets to figure out how many vehicles are passing? Well, the brave anti-terrorism officials of Boston most certainly do not know of these common devices — so they shut down the city today, again, and blew up the traffic counter. You know, the traffic counter the City of Boston was paying for ….

Keep in mind this is the SECOND time these officials have blown up an object in the city mistaken for some sort of terrorist device...remember Aqua Team Hunger Force?
Some of the comments on the page are a little offensive to Bostonians

Boston. Henceforth to be referred to as "America's Stupidest City." At least until somebody comes along to challenge them for the title, and it'll be damned hard to beat this.

This one is one of my favorites and actually comes from a Bostonian...

As a proud ex-Bostonian... wasn't the birth of the American Revolution all about just blowin' shit up? Or just dumping it in the ocean while dressed up like the Village People?

I have to poke some fun I mean they blew up a device owned by their own city?!
Maybe...just maybe the anti-terriorist forces in Boston are being a little too careful...

What do you think? Should they be taking such precautions? Are they WAY too paranoid? Or maybe they really are just a bunch of idiots that should start to wear Village People Outfits?

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