Big Ross and Me

With the deaths of Tim Russert and George Carlin, the nation is now without two people to hold us accountable for our national actions and decisions.

NBC and HBO have a little less spring to their lineup. But beyond how George Carlin transformed our public vernacular with “Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV” and how Tim Russert was in many respects, NBC News, these two men bridged a gap between a generation of fathers and sons. Fathers saw the emergence of each one’s career and their sons became fans by following in the footsteps of their dear ‘ol dad.

My father, Ross, an avid news and politics buff, reserved Sunday mornings for his news shows, including “Meet the Press.” At the insistence of trying to educate me on current events, he always encouraged his children to watch or listen with at least one ear. In a household where even the most minor of disagreements with political analysts or news anchors often meant tuning out, it was my father’s unwavering respect for Russert’s objectivity that told me this was a man worth listening to.

Passages from his book, Big Russ and Me, were recited in the car, at dinner, while doing my homework; wherever my father found himself to be reading it. Even though my father was reading from Russert’s book, it was clear he could have easily been reading from a passage in our own book, “Big Ross and Me,” and my father was proud of that.

In middle school, I asked my father to recommend a book to read from his impressive collection. With my budding comedy obsession, he gave me George Carlin’s first book, Brain Droppings, realizing I was old enough for this introduction. Something about his exploitive-laced rants made him more appealing than old Abbot and Costello shorts from the ‘50s that started my comedy foundation.

The natural progression from Carlin’s books was his live albums. My mother did not approve of these “parental advisory” CDs. My father ended this short disagreement by telling her, “It’s George Carlin, modern philosophy.” My father’s insistence on allowing George Carlin to expose the idiosyncrasies of our culture meant Carlin came with my father’s approval.

The appeal of Carlin and Russert to a wide range of ages and multiple generations strengthened the bond between fathers and sons, sons and grandsons; it was an opportunity to reach a common ground, to sit and enjoy something together, to create conversation.

Among the many people, movies, music, and books my younger self ignored for being “old or boring,” Carlin and Russert were never part of the recommendations I brushed off. And at their deaths, my father and I had little to say but how sad it was and how much our collective consciousness has lost.

This is a generation of men who transcended their respective generations; men who brought together a nation under comedy and political news. On the day of Russert’s death, his entire network was brought to tears as Tom Brokaw and Andrea Mitchell anchored with heavy knot in their throats.

Without my father, I would not have felt the loss of Russert and laughed with the rest of the country as we watched the endless amount of Carlin retrospective clips. Russert guided his viewers with the strong parent and child relationship that was instilled in him; he was the father carrying us through the complicated and often turbulent political landscape.

And George Carlin was right there to inform us that we are all diseased (see his 1998 HBO special). In a country so intent on sensitivity and political correctness, Carlin, in his affirmative raspy voice, was there to slap us back into reality and tell us we all die and do not simply “pass away.”

Russert was a voice of reliability and credibility, one that goes a long way in news. His son, Luke, is 22 like myself. Luke and I both graduated from ACC conference colleges in May; Luke from my University of Miami rival, Boston College. Our fathers and mothers both shared in this proud moment.

I If I am privileged to one day have a son, he will know of Carlin and Russert from the history of our nation and will hopefully share in the joy and knowledge that these men brought me.

My father and I will always share the memories of Russert and Carlin unfolding before our eyes. George Carlin and Tim Russert made us watch and pay attention. They made us listen. They transcended their own generation.

The Final Four at the OB

As a senior going to my last game in the Orange Bowl, I am proud to say that I was part of the last class to enjoy four years in the OB. For myself and my fellow classmates, we began our freshman year on September 10, 2004 with a triumphant overtime win against FSU; probably the most memorable game for the class of 2008, the second possibly being this year’s win against FSU.

For that being the first game, it set a mighty high precedent. Though it has come close, never has my voice been so raspy the next day after my first game as a ‘Cane. Never again did I see fans bring down the house with more chanting during a regular season game. The metrorail was never again quite as loud as it was the night we beat FSU in ’04. Never have I felt so many people crashing down on me with high fives, fist pounds, and chest bumps. Maybe this game was truly the most exciting over these past four years. Maybe it is an indication of how our team has been playing. Whatever the reason, there is no experience like the magic of one’s first time. And on that hot night in September, the class of 2004 learned just how great it is to be a Miami Hurricane.

It is time to say goodbye to the good times in lot E4. There will be new parking lots to tailgate in and new police to “arrest” fans drinking underage. It is time to put to rest the old “light bright” scoreboard (a toy reference to children of the ‘80s). It is time to say hello to real parking and goodbye to “Twenty dollars, no block.” So long Little Havana. Hello Dolphin Stadium. Like George Harrison said, “All things must pass.”

For those freshmen who will enter UM next year, I say enjoy the new possibilities of your Hurricane football team with a new season and a new stadium to play in. Though many of you will never know what it is like to experience a game in the historic Orange Bowl as a student at UM, we have to believe that our memories in the OB will be passed along from those who chanted all the way down the concrete ramps at a game’s end.

The class of 2008 is privileged to have enjoyed their last four years in the Orange Bowl. We will usher the OB into the history books with glorious tradition and rich history. Regardless of how well we play next season or whether or not fans like Dolphin Stadium better, there will only be one Orange Bowl. There will only be one place where I saw my first UM football game. There will be only one place where I remember exactly where I was sitting and who I was sitting with. Was it the sweet taste of victory that made that first FSU game so memorable? Was it the kid sitting next to me chanting voodoo in the fourth quarter? Was it being a freshman not yet in college one month? This was all part of that winning atmosphere, but most of all it was the magic of the OB.

This Article in "The Hurricane"

The Wellness Center Staph

Symptoms: Pimple-like red bumps that become large abscesses on the skin with the potential of joint, bone, blood, lung, and heart infections that can become fatal.

Some well-informed people may already be taking the necessary precautions to stay healthy and avoid these symptoms, while others may be unaware of the increasing drug-resistant bacteria called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA. MRSA is a skin-dwelling strain of the staphylococcus aureus infection. It is making headlines after the Center for Disease Control released a report a month ago stating this infection caused 19,000 U.S. deaths in 2005, nearly 2,000 more than AIDS caused the same year.

With the October deaths of a Virginia high school and New York City middle school student, the overall awareness of this “super bug” is growing like the strain itself. It is reported that MRSA dwells in communal areas like gyms and can be transferred through sharing personal hygiene products like towels, a profile that UM’s Wellness Center fits perfectly.

For anyone, like myself, who enjoy daily trips to UM’s Wellness Center, lack of appropriate hygiene precautions puts all of us at risk of MRSA every time we step onto the elliptical machine or pump out ten reps on the bench press. Wellness Center patrons are greeted at the entrance to the gym with a sign reminding them to bring towels and wipe down machines to avoid the spread of germs. I have observed, like George Costanza, that the majority of people don’t separate their skin and sweat from the machine with a small hand towel (some use washcloths, read: useless), and when a towel may be a carrier of MRSA, no one here is truly cleaning up after himself or herself.

At least the Wellness Center usually has two, maybe three nearly empty bottles of what they claim to be the disinfectant, Virex, accompanied by wet, dirty towels –staph breeding grounds. Cardio equipment users often wipe down their machines with the dirty water-looking chemical, but no one seems to realize the weight machines and benches need constant cleaning as well; the occasional cleaning by the “Can I Help U?” crew proves worthless the second someone uses the machine.

Where are the dozens of spray bottles and towels next to the weight machines? What about tubs of disposable disinfecting wipes?

Here is an idea: Let us get one of our bright infectious disease specialists from the medical school to organize a plan to use the appropriate disinfectants and cleaning treatments that will help prevent the spread of MRSA from lurking in our athletic locker rooms, the Wellness Center, and wherever else this dreaded bacteria may lurk on campus.

With MRSA on the mind and skin, it is becoming clearer to medical professionals and well informed citizens alike that necessary precautions must be taken to keep our exercise, learning, and working environments as clean as possible. Implementing a larger cleaning plan will help prevent the Wellness Center from becoming “MRSA central.” In her February 2007 Hurricane article, Amy Sofka voiced some complaints about the Wellness center including the relatively nonexistent cleaning precautions. Since nothing has changed, I suggest we work on this as soon as possible. Despite the Wellness Center promoting health and fitness with exercise classes, yoga, and nutrition courses, clearly cleanliness is not next to wellness.

This Article in "The Hurricane"

Information provided by:

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00735.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032076/

http://www.webmd.com/news/20071024/mrsa-experts-answer-your-questions

Our President the ‘Toon

We went around the room in my public speaking class, each person offering a topic for an upcoming group project. After hearing some interest in current events, I thought it would be appropriate to offer the most obvious topic: the war in Iraq and its global and national effects. I was hit with responses of, “Does anyone care about the war?” and “Do people in the class even know what the war is about?” After a show of hands exposed nearly half the class knew about the war, I was asked to explain our military occupation. I suggested my classmates Google it. This short discussion that my topic sparked did not surprise me. News polls show that a large percentage of American citizens do not have a clue; anything is possible in a country run by a president who has become the nation’s quintessential “dumbass.”

For nearly eight years, our president has given America countless amounts of comedic material. Saturday Night Live showed late night television the idiocy and childlike behavior of President Bush through Will Ferrell’s mastery of impersonation. Frank Caliendo mastered the dim-witted Texas twang on MADtv. Comedy Central is no amateur at creating Bush related humor with the short-lived That’s My Bush! and the latest Lil’ Bush. This summer’s blockbuster Transformers portrayed Bush as the bed-lounging, Ding-Dong craving president aboard Air Force One. And Bush’s likeness has appeared on South Park, The Simpsons, and Family Guy; clearly not the smartest gun-slinger in the Lone Star state.

It is heart breaking to realize that our country is being managed by a caricature of a walking cartoon. Good observers will always find fault or the idiosyncrasies in people, but never has a president been the brunt of so many comedic jokes. Our president’s portrayal as an incoherent buffoon is far from adoration. He has transcended mockery as a form of flattery. Now the joke is on the American people who felt it necessary to reelect him.

Despite the many laughs Jon Stewart gives us on a nightly basis with his updates on “Messopotamia,” any person who is not clouded by a rightwing endearment must realize the great embarrassment our country is suffering and the suffering our country’s actions are causing. Over the past seven years, our actions have slowly isolated ourselves from the rest of the world. As the rest of the world keeps watch over our every move, the fact that we have a cartoon portraying Dick Cheney as a little boy who grunts and eats live animals does not help our international image. If Osama gets cable in his cave, he is certainly being entertained at our expense.

For the existence of this presidential entertainment, our country must thank the first amendment. Attempting to alter the amendment to remove all public tomfoolery at President Bush’s expense sounds like an episode of South Park or Lil’ Bush. Hopefully, our President would have the decency to never amend the first amendment; then again, would he?

Fortunately and unfortunately, time is dwindling for George W. Bush related humor as his second term slowly comes to an end. Depending on the next elected president, one may lend himself or herself to more comedic antics; we have to wait two years to find out. No candidate will ever be safe from Matt Stone and Trey Parker, Jon Stewart, and David Letterman with Stone and Parker having already made Hillary, nuclear missiles, and her private parts the joke of an episode. If nothing good has come out of President Bush’s tenure in the white house, at least many of us have shared a lot of laughs. Unfortunately, these laughs come with great pain and suffering for our country and the rest of the planet.

This article in "The Hurricane"

This Movie is Rated "Hard R"

The MPAA is looking to lose the stigma surrounding its NC-17 rating as it attempts to differentiate between films considered a “hard” or “soft” R. The term “hard R” is the MPAA’s own in-house description of films such as “Saw” or “The Hills Have Eyes” that push the limits of graphic content and border on an NC-17 rating. With such horror pics stretching the R-rating, the MPAA is looking to tell viewers that this material may not be suitable for anyone under 17, as opposed to the “soft R” films like Chris Rock’s latest adult comedy, “I Think I Love My Wife.”

The problem with trying to sell NC-17 as a legitimate rating like its G, PG, PG-13, and R brethren is that it has a small track-record of films like “Showgirls” and “Henry & June.” Additionally, commercial exhibitors are unwilling to show such films. Media publications sometimes will not run advertisements for NC-17 films and Blockbuster will not carry them, which is a reason why customers must stay loyal to the uncensored Netflix internet rental site.

It seems the NC-17 rating gives people this idea that it is the next closest thing to pornography. This rating was eventually added after Miramax Films, not wanting to be categorized with adult entertainment, brought an unsuccessful lawsuit against the MPAA protesting the X rating given to Pedro Almodovar’s film “Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down.” If the MPAA wants acceptance of its adult oriented rating, it may take the commercial success and acceptance of one film to lead the way.

The MPAA might be fighting a winless battle in trying to rebuild the reputation of the NC-17 rating. Like Hollywood stars Mel Gibson and Michael Richards who have had success with humanly troubles, their creative work cannot be denied and should be celebrated but their personal mishaps will not be forgotten. The MPAA might need to invest in another rating and change its description of R. There may need to be an age restriction no longer at 17 but at both 16 and 18. For both of these ratings, anyone under the age must be accompanied by an adult. The 18 and older rating, though not as restrictive like NC-17, should have similar implications and warn parents that children and teens should be wary of viewing such content, but the parents should still have the deciding factor.

Part of the problem of the NC-17 rating is that films will lose the cash cow of the strong teenage market. If such films are not outright restricted from teens but given access as long as with a parent or guardian, this still leaves access to teens with their increasing appetite for sex and violence. Even with an alteration to the current ratings system, it is going to take cooperation and man power on the exhibitors’ part to enforce the rules. In high school, the only time I had trouble sneaking into an R-rated movie was during the opening week and sometimes the second. After that, no one was making sure that I was actually going to see “Finding Nemo” because after a couple weeks there was a new R-rated film to enforce.

The discrepancy between films that receive R ratings is misleading to the public. If films continue to push content boundaries, there will likely be a necessary revision to the current ratings system in the near future. Is cleaning the reputation of NC-17 the best route for the MPAA? If history repeats itself, another rating will likely be created and NC-17 will find itself next to its outcast brother X. As violent horror pics continue to create the next big shock factor—and it takes a lot to shock audiences today—the R rating is becoming too tame. As film content evolves, the rating system must inevitably evolve as well. Hopefully, we do not have to go through a series of “copycats” that occurred in the “Natural Born Killers” aftermath before the MPAA decides to make a commanding decision.

Information provided by “Indecent Proposal” by Pamela McClintock for the March 12-18, 2007 issue of Variety.

This Article in "The Hurricane"

President Shalala: She Keeps Going and Going…

It is a great time to attend and study at the University of Miami under the leadership of Donna Shalala. Asked to co-head a commission to investigate problems at the Walter Reed Medical Center with Senator Bob Dole, President Shalala returns to the political spotlight.

As former secretary of health and human services in the Clinton administration, President Shalala has always been an individual working for the people. She continues to demonstrate this quality as she leads UM through each semester. Last year when UNICCO workers were protesting for higher wages, she and her staff recognized the workers’ needs and created a positive, rational solution.

Along with her great leadership, she comes with her political connections and her vast friendships with people in influential places. Throughout my time at UM, President Shalala has consistently used her personal ties to benefit the students. With the first presidential debate of the 2004 election held at the Bank United Center, President Shalala put the university at the forefront of the political scene. Students did not hesitate to take advantage of watching “Hardball” live from “The Rock” as well as some even having the privileged opportunity to attend the debate.

Students, who today lack a general political fervor, could not help but take part in all of the events that took place on campus to promote election awareness. Now with the 2008 presidential election already taking shape, we are sure to have our share of respected political guests as election time nears, courtesy of our president. President Shalala’s commitment to keeping her students engaged in today’s politics is obvious by the recent appearances of Vice President Al Gore and President Bill Clinton.

President Shalala’s willingness to lead the Walter Reed investigation to help correct a national disgrace proves her everlasting commitment to public service and the American people. It is a huge honor for her to be selected among her other capable peers and this high honor reflects on this university. Having a president that is so respected and admired throughout the nation is an invaluable asset to this school.

Those students past, present, and future who have the good fortune of studying under the leadership of President Shalala have an opportunity to develop in an educational atmosphere that not all students are privileged to. We have the guidance, leadership, and example that President Shalala offers by her service. Over the next few years, it is going to be a great time to be a Miami Hurricane.

This article in "The Hurricane"

Protesting in the "Can"

As it is reported in the media, presidential disapproval is increasing and concerns about the Iraq War grow. I have often wondered how much of this anti-Bush sentiment exists in my generation and college age adults, and what is being done to vocally demonstrate anti-war beliefs? I can only speak of first hand experience from the University of Miami campus and information I gather through the internet, television, or my Newsweek subscription.

Unlike in Washington, there has been no picketing or protesting here on campus in Coral Gables. There are no anti-war tables staking a claim in the breezeway. The topic of conversation is usually not the state of our country. I had a bumper sticker that said, “January 20, 2009-The End of An Error,” until it faded, and I removed it. I had some anti-war pins on my backpack last year until they either fell off or were pilfered.

When it comes to print media at UM, The Hurricane prints a variety of political commentaries which means students are using their keyboards to voice their opinions.

But recently I have found a cry for anti-war protest from UM male citizens in an unlikely place: the men’s bathrooms around the UM campus. Urinal and toilet stalls have long been the canvas for verbal epithets about mothers, sexual pleasures, good times, who to call for a good time, and male genitalia, but now I’ve noticed a sixth category: political protesting.

Phrases such as “Bush lied,” “War sucks,” “Peace is the answer,” can be seen in UM men’s bathrooms like the one in the UC and the one next to Starbucks. Why have people chosen the public toilet as the venue to voice opinions especially since only the male population will ever read it? (I have to hope the women are as politically active. Since I never visit the women’s facility, I hope someone writes in to enlighten us.) It appears we have little time in our increasingly busy lives to organize a protest or a display table in the UC breezeway. But during this rare moment in the day of five minutes of relaxation, it appears that some male students take the opportunity to do something we wish we had more time to do: protest our current political and military displeasures. Not everyone is able to write a newspaper article or orchestrate a demonstration, so this toilet graffiti might be one’s preferred method of expression.

The fact remains that there is an increasing public outcry throughout many age levels against the president and his leading our country into war on what appears to be more than increasing suspicions of false pretenses. We all express our feelings in different ways. As long as one can offer one’s opinion publicly, it does not matter the venue. Keep in mind that political graffiti was a staple of ancient Rome and was put up everywhere.

We are in a time of uncertainty with many of our questions either unanswered or answered with the current solution of deploying additional troops. Maybe the bathroom protestors have the best method of voicing this concern. A ball point pen or permanent marker can leave an imprint that lasts until it is painted over or the building is destroyed, but the potential exists for the writing to last for an exceedingly long time. A well placed phrase of “Bush is the devil” (an actual piece of toilet graffito) can be seen by hundreds of people in a given week. For the work of one to affect such a large group of people is a very powerful way and non-violent way to voice disagreement.

With each passing day and more Iraqi citizens and coalition forces killed and wounded, the concern grows about the escalating violence. So far presidential candidate Barack Obama is the only one to provide us with a solution to the Iraq War, a solution that will have all American troops redeployed by March of 2008. Obama was also against the war from its inception.

Will we see demonstrations like the US saw during the Vietnam era? I hope our current political and military situation does not reach a point to necessitate such outcry, but if our country must, we will take our fight from the bathroom stalls to the streets and hopefully into the halls of Congress and the Oval Office.

This Article in "The Hurricane"