-Jibbli Admin

I just wanted to give my daily two-cents worth. When things started to escalate with Tiger and his family recently after the car crash, Tiger asked for privacy, peace and quiet, and just to be left alone to deal with his problems in his own manner. I mean that’s how Tiger does things, he’s a secretive guy with a quiet life, quiet yet effective training strategy, yet when something happens we as a society have to start jumping in and all inserting our own selves into other peoples’ lives.

Tiger-or any other celebrety for that matter, has the simple human right to privacy. Tiger’s issues are for Tiger to sort out. Plus what’s happened to him in the past few weeks happens to a lot of people around the nation. A lotta people get into minor car wrecks..a lotta people have small family issues.

People claim it’s unjustifiable how he runs his life, but then again isn’t that kind of hypocritical-because demanding him, investigating him on personal matters is just as unjustifiable.  In a matter of short weeks Tiger will be back on the course devastating Par-5’s and playing like he always does. I’m calling it.

And just to let you guys know, his life style isn’t the greatest, sure he’s messed up a few times in his life. But we all do. It’s natural human nature to err, and although his luster might be dimmed, he still lays claim to the worlds best golfer, one of the most highle paid atheletes, and his life isn’t about to end. He can fix this situation and return to golf and maybe his family. A lot of professional atheletes have before, like Kobe Bryant and his rape ordeal, like Todd Bertuzzi and how he intentionally almost killed another player, like almost every good athelete in every sport.

IT WOULD SUCK!

It was only this morning when I was sitting in my collegiate math class wondering about what I was going to write about for my latest post on Jibbli, when I stumbled upon my University’s daily paper, The Daily News. As I was reading it like I always do in math, I found an article by Derek Wilson titled, “BALL STATE SPORTS COST $827 PER STUDENT FOR 2008-09.” Intrigued by what actually was costing me almost a thousand dollars a year. As I was reading, Wilson focused on why Ball State students get free admission to sporting events, and why other non-students (including adults, friends, and family) get a generally discounted price compared to other colleges around the nation.

His reason was clear, we pay more in tuition to get this small luxury…over 800$ more to be in fact.  Through his research he found that this fee comes from an initial $1,464 fee charged to every student. This larger fee covers funding for student services, technology, and what not (this can be found and backed up by looking at the tuition bill). But, what the tuition bill doesn’t cover is a sizable 56% chunk of that goes to sports administration.

Another small thing to keep in mind is how a full season pass to all sporting events that Ball State offers only costs $216. I, and most fellow students go to maybe 3-5 sporting events a year tops, that’s maybe 50 bucks I would have paid. I would feel a lot better paying 50 bucks instead of eight-hundred-something..

This small article in the middle of a school news paper struck something in me, and for some reason it sounded like something that not only people at Ball State could connect to, but the whole nation. That’s right, it sounds like Obama’s health care plan. We are tempted with the freebie sporting events, while behind our backs we are getting charged a large amount in tuition! With “Obama Care,” we are tempted with what might be considered free health care, but all the while we are getting charged a large amount in taxes to help out other people who don’t want to pay. WHAT A SCAM!

Sure you can keep your old health care options under Obama’s proposed plan, but do still want to pay more in taxes for something you aren’t using? Is that fair? Is it fair to charge already broke college kids more money to help subsidize a price of a football ticket?

If I want to give my money away, I should be in charge of where it goes, and to what organization it goes to. I shouldn’t be taxed money that’s going to a charity fund I don’t believe in, let alone I shouldn’t be charged tuition to help someone go to a football game. Going to a football game is a luxury, and not something you have to do. Same should be with health care, people need to learn what’s important and make some sacrifices if they want something like health care.

Bill Clinton was recently recognized in Kosovo with an 11 foot tall bronze statue. The statue was inaugurated at Bill Clinton Boulevard – another little gift to go along with his new statue.

Many of them regard Mr Clinton as a hero for launching Nato’s air bombing campaign to drive Yugoslavia’s troops out of the Serbian province in 1999. I view him as a shallow man, but then again we each have our own opinions.

Clinton wasn’t all such a bad president, he did have the longest period of peace-time economic expansion in American history, which included a balanced budget and a reported federal surplus. Unlike his latter counterpart, he didn’t drop more then Bush did in the first few hundred days as president.

But enough has been said, and Clinton’s actions are in the history books, but I think he deserves this statue, because I’ll never see it. I’ll never hear about it again, there probably won’t be any major (if any at all) political ramifications and hey, if I could be as free has him and still get an 11 foot bronze statue, I’d take it.

A stereotypical looking Frat Boy.

First, allow me to go into detail about the stereotype of a fraternity, and how many of my fellow classmates imagine my pledge brothers and future brothers. When the word, “fraternity” gets thrown around in a conversation, most people can formulate an image in their mind of what a “frat boy” might look like—wearing double polo shirts, with the collar popped; holy jeans, typically a light colored pair; a flat billed hat, probably a popular baseball team; and a beer can, most likely a cheap brand, in his hand. To go along with this image, there are actions that people also relate to brothers in a fraternity. Such actions include brothers calling everyone “bro,” partying hardcore every chance the brothers can get, and looking for the quick nightly hook up with some easy women. To sum up the stereotype of a member in a Greek organization, Dan Opp, author at an online college fact website, said he or she is out looking for trouble, negligent, and immature. But, this is only the surface of descriptions that fit the stereotype of a brother in a fraternity. All of these claims are far from a generalization of all fraternities as a whole, and such dramatization of fraternities has come from Hollywood and movies depicting fraternities as places where crazy parties go down—and bad things result.

Anyone who gives fraternities a chance, and actually takes a look inside the ritual, the beliefs, and the inner workings can see that fraternities are much more than just a place to party. Being in and a part of a fraternity is something special, but something that is different then what people tend to think. The Sigma Chi fraternity strives to make its brothers do things that they wouldn’t do otherwise. Joe Gangnon, a brother at Sigma Chi, said that being in a fraternity was something that made him become more of a leader, and ultimately made him who he is today. “I used to be shy, and not get out much,” he said, but being around Gangnon it is easy to see that he is much different now. This is one of many similar stories that brothers will share with anyone who inquires, but some will even go into telling you that it has also helped them academically. Justin Coleman, another brother at Sigma Chi, claimed that being in a fraternity helped him primarily with grades, “I’ve never been good with tests, and grades, and such, but being here with other people in the same situation as me, helps keep me motivated and supported to do well in school”. There are a lot of things that go on in a positive manner with fraternities, yet fraternities still cannot shake that barrier of stereotypes placed upon them. Every time something wrong goes on with a fraternity, the media blows it up, yet every day there are thousands of constructive and upbeat things fraternities do to help move the communities they live in move forward (Opp). Fraternities around the world each day help their brothers move their life forward, improve brothers’ grades above campus standards, and positively interact with communities, all of these things are simply overlooked by media, Hollywood, and people who do not have an active affiliation with Greek life.

Going Greek is a decision that hundreds of thousands of college students each year choose, and it could be one of the most important decisions that undergraduate students make in their lifetime. Joining a fraternity has many more upsides than people think. The doors that are open by becoming a Greek member are countless and can prove to be beneficial throughout the remainder of a person’s life. Character building, lifelong friendship, leadership abilities, and a higher tolerance level towards people are all gained though the path of brotherhood in a fraternity. The building of character is something that everyone needs to become who they want to be, and being in a fraternity is a very good way to do that. Being in a house with people who care about you, and have the same ideals as you is one of the strongest ways to build a person’s character. Gangnon is just one example of what being in a fraternity can do for a person’s character, and it certainly helped evolve him to become a positive impact on Ball State University’s society.

Grades are the upmost important thing that going to college is about. Grades decide what will become of your life, and they really say a lot about who you are as a person. People with grades that are above average tend to get more of what they really want in life, and landing that dream job is all just a small part of enjoying the benefits of getting good grades. While on the other hand, getting sub-par grades can give off the impression that a person slacks in everyday business, does not give the necessary effort to obtain valuable things, and all around not the kind of person you want in your organization. Organizations like fraternities want their future to not only rest in the hands of people with similar ideals, but also someone who manage good grades in the process. Once initiated, maintaining good grades is statistically an easy thing, in an article in the US News & World Report, Lewis Lord wrote “If the chapter has a high GPA the student’s grades will go up”. The fraternities in the Interfraternity Council (IFC) combat grades in another way as well. The IFC requires the pledges of its fraternities complete three academic building sessions, which can include legitimate tutoring, supervised study groups, and extra credit—or else there are fines to pay. The bottom line is clear; grades are priority in fraternities around the world.

One of the most over looked part about Greek life is how Greek organizations give back so much to communities. At Eastern Kentucky University, members of Greek organizations contributed over 63,000 hours of community service, from only twenty-seven organizations. Not only was a massive amount of community service contributed to the area around EKU, approximately $115,000 was donated to philanthropies on both the local and national level. Fraternities at Ball State can show the similar numbers as well, with Sigma Chi requiring all brothers to actively participate in at least ten hours of community service per semester, plus each pledge class to organize and participate in their own community service project separately from the house. With all that being said, it is hard to imagine how fraternities have a massive black mark on their image.

This kind of mass stereotype affects hundreds of thousands of Greek members in almost 800 colleges around the world, yet with a few over exaggerated accidents and big screen movies depicting bad judgment and decisions, all the quality outcomes that fraternities give to colleges and communities are simply over looked and forgotten about. Taking a look at the evidence supporting the positive areas of going Greek, it is hard to imagine that that communities and colleges are not supporting their students to go Greek. Making the smart decision in going Greek can be the best decision that an undergraduate student, at college campuses around the world, can make. The benefits of doing so include character development, better grades, and giving to the community, yet there are still people who think that joining a fraternity is like joining a gang, with hazing, and other immature acts, but allow me to say this, many colleges and fraternities are cracking down on hazing, and to this day I have not been hazed as a Pledge in the Sigma Chi fraternity.

A glimpse at how space based solar power could work.

Space based solar power is one of the newest things that scientists are looking into. I think the idea is insanely effective and well worth the price. It involves sending a huge solar panel about 22,000 miles into orbit, allowing it to always be in a full view of the sun every minute of the day, which is already a plus. It then converts the solar energy into microwaves which are sent to earth and then reconverted into energy. This allows for constant energy 24/7 no matter where in the world at any given time. So, no matter the weather, time of day, or season the panels will be in full constant view of the sun’s solarness.

Also, the light doesn’t have to go through the earth’s atmosphere, which can cause a reduced amount to be harvested, yet while the panels are above the earth, there is no worry about the atmosphere. Space based solar power also avoids the expense of storage facilities (dams, oil storage tanks, coal dumps) necessary in many Earth-based power generation systems. Additionally, it would have fewer or none of the ecological (or political) consequences of fossil fuel systems.

This would be an extreme way to get energy, sure, but as of now it’s the only guaranteed way of constant energy that would be incredibly easy to harvest. Plus just like normal solar power here on earth, it’s very clean, and works the same. One unit is estimated at powering over 1 million US homes too.

On a final note, space based solar power would also be applicable on a global scale. Nuclear power especially is something many governments are reluctant to sell to developing nations, where political pressures might lead to proliferation of nuclear weapons technology.

Attention Readers

We try to write on different topics each day, and take the weekends easy, so finding time to write on something you want and get your post up in a reasonable timeframe shouldn’t be as hard as other new and upcoming blogs.

We need you here at Jibbli, diversity is good, and no matter who you are, no matter the race, religion, culture, or view and beliefs, we would like to utilize your temperaments, talents and convictions in our site, and make it the best dang thing this side of the computer screen.

If you are interested in joining our team in expediting the progress of Jibbli, please feel free to contact me at admin [at] jibbli [dot] com, and we’d be more then happy in helping you become the newest writer of this wonderful blog.

The  Patriots used to go all out and own up the AFC East division of Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, and themselves, but with Miami coming back from a pathetic season 2 years ago, and Buffalo getting their O working, and the Jets making some huge statements on D, the Patriots season is going to be anything but a walk in the park.

A questioner chimes in, “Why would he do it?”

“He’s a jackass,” Obama replies, which is met with laughter from several people.

The president seems to quickly realize he may have gone too far, and jovially appeals to those assembled that the remark be kept private. “Come on guys,” he says. “Cut the president some slack. I’ve got a lot of other stuff on my plate.”

Obama was smart in the fact he was right about something, finally and about time but….

He as our leader made the mistake of keeping a watch on his mouth. He is the president, and what he wants to keep secrect, and hidden he shouldnt say about in public situations, on or off the record, if people are around to hear it and you don’t want them to hear it…DON’T SAY IT!..

In other news concerning the Democrat party as a whole, I must bring up the outburst from Rep. Wilson. President Carter is now calling the our burt “based on racism”. Wilson’s son came forth and said, “It’s unfortunate people make that jump. People can disagree — and appropriately disagree — on issues of substance, but when they make the jump to race it’s absolutely ludicrous. My brothers and I were raised by our parents to respect everyone regardless of background or race.” I put the main point of that in bold, because that is exactly what is happening in the upper levels of our country.

Carter had said, “I think it’s based on racism, there is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president.”  There are too many people in America who have no idea what anything is that the Government is taking part of, but that doesn’t mean if they disagree with socialized healthcare (whose name defines itself) they are racist by any means.

So, for today’s science “blog-of-the-day” I am going to post a few pictures that I have found on the internet (all were acquired and can be located from NASA’s Hubble Telescope website http://hubble.nasa.gov/).

Also, for those of you who are interested in how some of Hubbles pictures are taken, and for what purpose, and if you only watch one video this year I highly suggest, recommend you watch this 4 minute clip. It talks about Hubble, and risks taken, and what all it has shown us.

For those of you who don’t feel like watching it, allow me to at least quote this one line, “There are over 100 billion galaxies in the universe. Simply saying that number doesn’t really mean much to us, because it doesn’t really provide any context. Our brains have no way to put that in any meaningful perspective. . .We pointed the most powerful telescope made by human beings at absolutely nothing, for no other reason than because we were curious; and discovered that we occupy a very tiny part in the heavens.”

This quote did really mean a lot, and when you think about the number 100,000,000,000; nothing we know of comes close to that number! One hundred billion, the richest man in the world is only worth half of that. There is 20x more galaxies then humans on this plant. And with this we are talking galaxies alone! each galaxy has billions, if not trillions of stars, planets, and unknown meaning. in a size no bigger then a grain of sand, there is are hundreds of millions of galaxies just behind it.

Just putting those numbers into perspective, may be impossible, but putting the actual size of each galaxy into perspective is just beyond the power of one mind. A picture or a graphic may show a lot of galaxies, most of which appear to be small, cool looking things, but in reality, they are trillions of miles long, hundreds of light years wide, and millions of light years away.

For those of us who do not know what a Mac is, allow me to explain. A Macintosh computer is an operating device that Apple has made/designed both the hardware  AND  software for. Apple claims that the hardware and software “are made for each other.” And thus, they will work better then any other computer on the market.

Honestly, even though Vista is flawed and Microsoft has stopped caring about Vista all together it seems (with the release of Windows 7 only a month or so away) Windows still has the title of the most popular OS. Even Apple and all their glory can’t do everything themselves, and they need the help of Microsoft’s programs, primarily Office and all the sub-categories that it contains.

But do not count Apple and Macs out yet. Lately with the introduction of the newer MacBook Pros, and the key hardware upgrades that make them superior to any other hardware manufacturer, OS X is slowly coming along. Apple is determined in their ways of making life simpler for consumers, and OS X (especially Leopard and Snow Leopard) has done a lot for that cause.

Many college kids, adults, and everyday consumers are turning to Apple’s Mac, and why? because lately it is doing everything the average consumer needs, and in a simple manner. The “dock” is simple and easy to use, and programs have features that are surpassing the complexity, but maintain the simple usability, of their PC counterparts. They also are just making everything easily accessed, easily set up, and easily used. The Mail application for example, is making organizing your e-mail and viewing attachments effortless, and how you can create easy-to-use mailboxes and instantly view attachments (without opening any other application).

Plus the maneuverability of almost every application that comes pre-inatalled on a Mac has the same interface as iTunes… why do I compare them to iTunes? iTunes is one of the most globally downloaded, viewed, and used application for any OS (excluding Linux). Setting up photo albums, movies, folders, play lists, e-mail dividers are now as easy as using  we all know and love…iTunes.

Microsoft better start stepping up their game, because Apple is coming from behind with a full head of steam. It appears as if anywhere you go Apple’s computers are there, from retail stores, internet cafes, schools, and libraries.

Granted, most people still choose PCs right now over Macs due to the cheaper cost, the craphole economy, and the individuality and versatility of Windows. But, be warned, Apple’s prices are getting more competitive, their software more versatile, their image more accepted, and the products in consumer’s homes.