Chinthaka Weerappuli’s Blog

Alright, being a big sports fan obviously my blog is going to be related in some way to the current seasons underway. However, I’m not actually going to focus on a player or sport itself but rather a common theme that has recently been bothering me a lot. It seems like the most insecure job in America is that of being a professional coach or manager in any league. That may be old news to most of you, but the reason this is so is not simply isolated to sports. A manager like Phil Garner, who recently took his Houston Astros to the World Series a few years back, was recently canned because of a lack luster season. The reason? The fact that sports, and America in general, is a, “what have you done for me lately?” society. Often times I feel like we as an audience put too much expectations on the coach themselves, because he/she is the one that can actually be removed and replaced. However, isn’t it the players on the field that ultimately decide the outcome of the game? Which brings me to my main point. The Michigan Wolverines will play at the Big House tomorrow (Saturday) against the #10 Penn State Nittany Lions. Despite a great 11-2 season last year, a national championship in his back pocket, and countless big ten titles, Lloyd Carr seems to be on the hot seat of his Michigan coaching job every time he suffers a loss. Was the Appalachian State defeat maybe the greatest upset in college sports history? It very well could’ve been, but upsets happen when one team simply wants it more than the other. Carr did his job in getting the Wolverines ready, but when the first half came around they simply took the opposition too lightly, and despite the halftime adjustments and allowing only 6 points, the Mountaineers took the victory. I’m not defending Lloyd Carr blindly because I feel bad for the man that many say is too old school and ancient to coach the great Wolverines. I’m simply saying that there’s a long season to go, and creating a hot seat for the coach that has to refocus our players may not be the best thing right now.

Tye Chang’s Blog

Is it worth it to win the lottery? Jack Whittaker surely would not agree. Before people become judgmental and call this guy crazy, you might want to listen to his story. Jack Whittaker won the Powerball game back in 2002, but today, he regrets this huge boost in his life. In his recent interview with CNN, Whittaker feels as if his win came at the expense of his happiness. What does he mean by this? Since his win, Mr. Whittaker has become divorced, his daughter has become diagnosed with cancer, his granddaughter has become a drug-addict, and he has lost all friends.

Sure I’ll admit when I first saw the headline to this article, “Winner Reflects on Nightmare Lottery,” I thought that the piece would be a joke, but now I realize that it is actually a quite sad story. In fact, I think many should sympathize for this “winner.” It can be ascertained by Mr. Whittaker’s case that, winning millions is not something always worth it. I’m sure there are many reasons for this (which I hope responders will talk about), but in my view, a main cause of this is the seclusion, a supplement of lottery winning. Whenever someone hits the jackpot, that individual or group of individuals becomes vulnerable targets for all sorts of “money-hunters,” whether it be distant-relatives, mafia, etc. And evidently, this separation from the social world is not a happy one. However, I’m not to say that wealth and happiness are like water and oil, but instead, that happiness depends on how the money is earned. For example, Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods is the richest athlete and despite his unimaginable wealth he lives life happily, and this is shown by his continuous participation in the PGA Tour. The difference between figures like Tiger Woods and Jack Whittaker is that, one is rich from doing something he loves while the other is rich for… no reason at all. In the end, it really seems that the winner is a poor loser.

To sum this up, I’ll say this: If there’s something money can’t buy, it is happiness, not even MasterCard can buy this.

 

Stephanie Baum’s Blog

I am currently reading a book called Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, and the subtitle reads The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World. Paul Farmer, an infectious disease doctor who grew up in a trailer park, has a very credible name. He graduated from Duke University, with a Bachelor’s Degree in anthropology, and received his MD from Harvard Medical School and his Ph.D in medical anthropology from Harvard University. He is both a professor and a doctor in Boston, and is also one of the founders of Partners In Health, which began in Haiti and is now a worldwide organization working in an effort to cure TB and AIDS. The book illustrates, through Farmer’s eyes, the demand of a proper health care system in Haiti. Even though Farmer spends most of his time in Haiti, his time spent in Boston is occasionally interrupted by weekend trips to the hospital he established in the Central Plateau of Haiti. He has dedicated most of his time and money to try to create enough of an influence to help stop pressing problems around the world in the matter of health care. His philanthropy has no end, exemplified by the time he handed his entire paycheck over to an AIDS patient who was near eviction, and the frequent trips made to Haiti whenever possible.

I feel that the topic of this book can be related to the topic of our course. Just outside our country, people are dying of diseases that could be so easily cured or prevented if the proper living conditions and available medical treatment were provided. Paul Farmer has dedicated himself to the Haitian people, and has impacted the entire nation of Haiti, one TB case at a time. To prompt further blog entries, I’ll start by saying I support the globalization of health care, and that the United States along with those who are able to help should be putting forth greater effort to help control health problems overseas. Dr. Paul Farmer is a model of the difference the selflessness of one person can make.

David Braid’s Blog

Hello fellow English 125ers,

I could easily write about the disgusting and embarrassing effort the football team put on the field today, however, I will look for something positive to talk about. How about the women’s Volleyball team? Can you say 8-0? Although I have yet to see the volleyball team play, I can probably guess that their games are a lot more exciting than the ones that take place at the Big House. Well, you might ask, “There were six TDs. That was exciting enough?” Well, yea the game was exciting. Except it was the Ducks with the high-powered offense that WE were supposed to have this year! I mean with Hart, aka Hart Attack, Manningham, aka Super Mario, and Henne, aka Superman Henne, WE were suppose to be the ones destroying teams? We were the ones that our friends were jealous of when they found out we were going to Michigan! Okay, deep breath David. Inhale…Exhale. Inhale…Exhale. Ah, that was refreshing. So, what was I talking about? Oh yea, the fact that even the lowly Detroit Lions are going to have a better record than us after they kicked off their NFL season with a win against the Oakland Raiders. Who would have guessed that? The team with a combined 8 wins(3 less than we had all of last season) in the last two years, would have a better winning percentage than “the champions of the west.”

Alright, I know Professor Wang wants me to write something worthwhile in this blog. So I’ll say something about my first week of college. Considering we didn’t have classes on Monday and I don’t have any classes on Friday(yea, you know you’re jealous), college wasn’t all the work people made it out to be(for now, atleast). Well, my New York Giants are playing so enough with this blog. Peace, and I’ll catch you on Tuesday.

 

David