Brian Kelly

As the 2009 college football season came to end for the players of Notre Dame, the off season festivities had just begun. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish fired Coach Charlie Wise after the second straight five hundred season and third straight season without a winning record. Since the firing Notre Dame has been on a hunt for the right guy to finally put Notre Dame back on the map. Rumors swarmed of the possibility of hiring coaching names like Urban Meyer, Bob Stoops, John Gruden, or Tony Dungy. All these names swirled around but for the most part none of these coaches showed the least bit of interest. One name which interested Notre Dame was Brian Kelly who had taken an unranked Cincinnati Bear Cats team at the beginning of the year to an undefeated season, a number three national ranking, and a BCS bowl berth. As Brian Kelly found out that Notre Dame showed interest in him he also hinted at interest in taking the head coaching position at Notre Dame. So great pleasure was found when yesterday Notre Dame announced the hiring of Brian Kelly as their knew head football coach.
Brian Kelly has been successful wherever he has coached in college football previously. He coached at Grand Valley State University and put them on the map. He then went on to Central Michigan. At Central he recruited Dan LeFevour who has been named as one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time. He also turned Central into a prestigious program. After turning Central into a top notch program he moved to Cincinnati. In his third year at Cincinnati he led his team to undefeated season and was a Texas field goal away from making it to the National Championship. Now he has the head coaching job at Notre Dame. Brian Kelly has proclaimed this job oprrertunity as his dream job. Notre Dame is looking to get back on the map. They need a coach who knows how to win football games and who else but the man who has previously put three programs on the map. Brian Kelly will have little room for error in his career here at Notre Dame. Not even in his first year will he be able to get away with losing to many games due to the fact that Notre Dame has a lot of talent on their roster. Now all we can do is wait and hope that Brian Kelly is the luck the Fighting Irish need to get back to the National Championship.

Rwandan Genocide

As I take a look back at the devastating effect of the Rwandan genocide it is hard to point the finger at one group. After studying and learning so much about my specific group, the RPF, I came to believe that the RPF was the only group doing things right. In all actually though this is true. The RPF was a Tutsi organization that formed in order to gain equal rights in the country they once resided. The RPF were forced to fight in order to protect their people. The group who were at most fault for the genocide, which by definition means systematic killing of a racial or cultural group, was the Interahamwe. The Interahamwe was the group that killed 8,000,000 Tutsi people, the death of innocent Tutsis including, women, children and babies. The Interahamwe butchered people viciously with machetes. There is nothing that can justify the actions that the Interahamwe performed. The Intwerahamwe can say things like it was either killed or be killed or that they were brainwashed but I do not care. Nothing can justify the vicious mass murdering of so many innocent human beings.

My opinion on the debate we had in class was that it was a phenomenal experience. It was a very interesting way to learn a bundle of information. Through the debate style format I learned so much about the Rwandan genocide. I not only learned a ton of information but I also enjoyed the whole atmosphere of the debate. It was a lot of fun arguing for the cause, which we had to represent. Through the whole experience I learned so much about my group of people, the RPF, that I agreed with what they did one hundred percent, even though the RPF may have caused some trouble throughout the genocide. The debate style of learning is such a unique and fun way to learn sometimes boring and confusing information. For this project I every one really had to work hard to learn information about the group or they wouldn’t be able to support themselves throughout the debate. This made everyone strive to understand what he or she was learning. It is a lot of fun to experience learning in other ways besides margin noting and reading sometimes. The debate style format gives us a taste of how official debates like a U.N. meeting is run. All in all this debate was a ton of fun.

The American Scholar

Emerson's argument in "The American Scholar" about America society still holds true today.

One reason Emerson's argument still holds true today is the fact that American's identify each other by the occupation they hold. Many times I seen people introducing themselves like,"Hello my name is John and I am doctor." The common American uses their occupation as a label. Instead of being a human, or a thinker, he is a farmer or a teacher. Emerson mentions,"Man is not a farmer, or a professor, or an engineer but he is all." Emerson speaks of how there are no thinking men in society in the 1800's and in the 2000's they still remain to be seen.

A second reason Emerson's argument still holds true today is the fact that people's goal in life is to get a sucessful job. Today people are always worried about doing good at work in hopes of not loosing their job in fear of loosing their identity. Many people in these harsh times are so worried about loosing their jobs and nothing else. All they care about is doing whatever they can to keep their job. People do not care about anything outside of their job.

Halloween Sweets

As Halloween is quickly approaching I imagine all the heavenly candy that I have received in past years. I decided to make a list of my ten favorite types of candy that I get on Halloween and hoping that this year that my income of goodies this year will consist of the candy I truly love.

10- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are a tasteful treat. A unique blend of rich chocolate and creamy peanut butter always hits the spot.
9- Starburst
At number nine on this sweet list we have Starburst. The ever so juicy flavor packed in that little square of candy is an amazing taste.
8- Three Musketeers
Three Musketeer bars are a delicious type of chocolate bar. The chocolate surrounding cover a rich creamy chocolate inside is a wonderful combination.
7-Milkyway
The Milkyway bar was the first filled chocolate bar. A great mixture of chocolate and caramel and inspired by the chocolate malt the Milkyway is a tasty candy.
6-Nestle Crunch Bar
The Nestle Crunch Bar is a lovely tasting candy bar. The mixture of chocolate and the crisped rice, which helps the candy live up to its name “CRUNCH”, is something everyone should enjoy eating.
5-Hershey’s Take Five
The Take Five candy bars are made up of a very interesting combination of chocolate, pretzels, caramel, peanuts, and peanut butter. For me any chocolate with pretzels are high on the list of great snacks.
4- Sour Skittles
Skittles alone are a juicy delight but Sour Skittles out do the original by a long shot. The intense flavor that makes you pucker up when you eat ever little Skittle is something I really enjoy. I love sour candy so the Sour Skittles are high up on the list of my favorite candies.
3-Kit-Kat
The Kit-Kat is one of the greatest types of candy known to man. Light crispy wafers of chocolate are so tasty. Kit-Kats deserve to be number three on the list.
2-Sour Patch Kids are my favorite sour candy in the world. The intense sour flavor and also the sweetness afterward is such a treat. I love Sour Patch Kids.
1-Twix
Twix is number one on the Halloween candy list. That caramely, crunchy, chocolatey taste can't be beat. Twiz are definitely the best Halloween candy in the world.

P.S. Of course the Hershey's Kiss is the best candy in the world but not really a Halloween candy.

The Good Old Fighting Irish

Notre Dame's football program is one of the most storied football programs of all times. Notre Dame's great history of success has made it easy to watch them play every Saturday. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are my favorite college football team and have been since the day I was born.

My great grandpa attended Notre Dame making my grandpa a die heart fan. With my grandpa loving Notre Dame with such passion it basically wore off on the rest of the family. My grandpa would give nothing more than to see Notre Dame pull off a win on a Saturday and this year the Irish have not only pulled of wins but in exciting fashion.

Notre Dame has a 4-2 record so far this year. The final score in five out of those six games was decided in the last minutes of the game. Notre Dame lost to Michigan with eleven seconds left on the clock when Michigan completed a touchdown past to put Notre Dame away. The Irish also lost to USC after failing to score on 4th and goal, which was a devastating loss. The season hasn't been all bad news though. Notre Dame has had three thrilling victories.

Michigan State driving into Notre Dame territory late in the fourth quarter. The season could turn out to be a disaster if the Irish would have lost to Michigan and Michigan State back to back. With the ball on Notre Dame's 18-yard line the Irish's senior safety Kyle McCarthy makes a huge play and intercepts Kirk Cousins pass in the end zone to ensure an Irish victory.

Their next game was at Purdue. Purdue was leading the Irish by four points with three minutes left to play in the game. Jimmy Clausen led an outstanding drive with a hurt toe and topped it off with a two-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph with eleven seconds left. The Irish had pulled it off again in thrilling fashion but they weren't done yet.

The week after beating Purdue the Irish pulled off another amazing victory, this one coming in overtime against Washington. Notre Dame made two huge goal line stops in the second half, which kept them in the game. In overtime Notre Dame's Robert Hughes scored a one-yard touchdown for the Irish and then they stopped the Huskies winning their third straight game, all of them in dramatic fashion.

Notre Dame is now 4-2 and fighting to stay alive in the BCS race. No matter what the Irish have truly lived up to their name this year. Fighting in every game to the very end no matter win or loose. They also have had the very helpful "Luck of the Irish."

Deja Vu

July 7th 2008, in Kabul was a day of nightmare for the people of Afghanistan. At around 8:30 A.M. a suicide bomber who was linked to the Taliban drove a car full of explosives into the entry gates of the Indian Embassy. The bombing killed 58 people and wounded 141. Afghanistan had to work to repair the damage and hoped that they would not have to deal with a devastating act like this again.

Flash forward to October of 2009. All repair of the damage that was caused last year by the Taliban had been completed recently and things were starting to get back to normal in Kabul. Then on the 8th of the same month at 8:27 A.M. a Taliban suicide bomber attacked the Indian Embassy in Kabul killing seventeen people and leaving 63 wounded. Now the Indian Embassy in Kabul has been attacked twice in the last year a half by the Taliban. Many believe these attacks occurred because of the tension between the people of Pakistan who are closely linked with the Taliban and the country of India and all ties with it.

These attacks really scare me. With the U.S. soldiers entering Afghanistan they must be aware of the Taliban. The Taliban are a vicious, cruel cold-hearted group that apparently don’t care about seeing a little bit of bloodshed. This attack affects the United States because the soldiers from the U.S. entering Afghanistan are at risk of being attacked in some way. The soldiers will have to be extremely careful of things such as roadside bombs. The Taliban apparently have no trouble setting off bombs in Afghanistan as they have let off explosives twice in the same place in the past year and a half. This bombing not only frightens the U.S. and the people of Afghanistan, but the whole world should now be afraid. The Taliban are looking for respect and it’s sad to say but they probably have earned it. The whole world should be conscious of the power of the Taliban. The people in Kabul could not prevent the same attack from happening twice. It shows how organized the Taliban are. If the Taliban were to overtake a country like Pakistan the world could be in trouble. Pakistan would be in control of nuclear weapons, which would not be a pretty sight. Hopefully as the U.S. troops enter Afghanistan they can avoid a Taliban attacks and protect innocent Afghanistan Ian people from a future attack.

Let The Good Times Fall

The warm summer air is now leaving us, as these now cold days give us the sign that it is fall. The fall season also known, as autumn is a very special time that surprisingly ranges from September 21st all the way up to December 21st. One of my favorite things to do during the early fall season is drive through Hines Drive while all the leaves are changing colors. It makes a beautiful sight to see.

Fall is a time when football season is at its prime. The thrill of spending a Saturday watching colligate athletes, playing for the love of the game and not money, work hard to provide their school with a victory is second to none. Or watching Monday Night Football during the month of October and getting the chance to see a thirty-nine year old man beat the Vikings and accomplishing the rare feat of defeating all thirty-two teams in the NFL at one point.

Fall is also the time when hockey season begins. The anticipation of waiting all summer to see your team play, and if it’s the Red Wings, then blow two, two goal leads in Sweden to start the season off 0-2. Now the question is whether or not Detroit has the strength to make a third Stanley Cup Final visit in three years. They may have an “off year” and finish fourth in the division and loose in the Western Conference Finals, which is success for most NHL teams.

What else could top watching playoff baseball during the fall? Well I guess it would be better if your team had made the playoffs and not blown a seven game lead in which they held at one point in September. Still playoff baseball is always dramatic whether the beloved hometown team made it this year or not. Will the Phillies repeat? Or will the Yankees, who are on fire right now, rise back to the top like old times? These are questions in which only time will tell as the fall season rolls along.

Halloween also takes place in the lovely fall season. Kids and grownups alike, from all around the world, dress up in costumes to fit the mood of this great holiday. Don’t let the delicious candy that is passed out while kids go trick-or-treating be forgotten. Or the fact that some teenagers act like they are to old for trick-or-treating but would die to be able to go run out and get some candy, especially anytime type of Hershey’s chocolate.
Fall is an eventful time of sports and festive activities. Although the whether maybe cooler it doesn’t stop our state from enjoying fun things to do. Fall is a month I enjoy second to summer. It is just a beautiful season. I LOVE FALL!!!

The Sound of Success

“BEEP, BEEP, BEEP”, was the annoying sound that woke me up on the first day of high school. I tried to open my eyes but they remained shut. I didn’t have the strength to be up at six o’clock in the morning. I rolled out of my bed and onto the floor and that woke me up a little bit. Today was the first day of high school. What would it be like? Would I be able to find my way through the school? Most importantly, would I fit in and become an official high school student?

All this was going through my mind when I made it out the door and to the bus stop. When the bus doors opened I waited my turn, then quickly found a seat trying to avoid conversation. When I got off the bus, I felt like I had stepped into the Big House wearing Brutus the Buckeye’s outfit, totally out of place. I had to get to my locker without getting run over by the stampede of kids roaming the hallway, kids going every which way. It was controlled chaos. I somehow avoided being trampled and made it to my locker.

I tried opening my locker and it wouldn’t budge. I started freaking out, thoughts running through my mind like, “What if I have the wrong combo?” or even worse, “WHAT IF I AM AT THE WRONG LOCKER?” Now I had to make a decision. Do I keep attempting to open my locker and go to class prepared, but maybe late, or take off to class without getting any of my supplies? With the time ticking by and the sounds of voices slowly fading away as kids were making it into their classes, I tried the locker one more time. This time working slowly and carefully and finally I heard a “CLICK!” I breathed a sigh of relief, shoving my books into my arms, hurrying to make it to my class on time.

I made my way to D Hall on my way to Spanish when I heard the two minute bell shrill which startled me to a point where I dropped my folder. I quickly surfaced the ground, but it was so hard to find the folder with all the feet scattering everywhere trying to get to class. I finally spotted that white folder and dove after it like a lineman jumping on a fumble. I got to my feet as quickly as I could and found my class. I was a little lost for breath but slipped into the class just in time to hear the bell ring.

I had made it. I found my seat in the class and was warmly welcomed by the teacher.
When I sat down at my desk I felt as if some sort of weight had been lifted off of me. The grueling task of making it to my first class could be compared to the tasks of an ancient Roman gladiator. All that didn’t matter much to me now. High school wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I had found my way through the school, but most importantly, I had succeeded in becoming an official high school student. Wow, I liked the sound of that.

The ABC's of Mikey B

A. I am an ATHLETE. I play football, hockey, and baseball and enjoy them all. I love competing and doing things which could make me a better ATHLETE.

B. BASEBALL is America’s pastime. Everyone knows how to play BASEBALL and has played it once in their life. Whether it’s in a league or just getting out with your friends and playing a pick- up game BASEBALL is fun at any stage.

C. COKE is one of the greatest drinks of all time. Who doesn’t enjoy an ice cold refreshing coke on a hot summer day? CANDY is another thing that almost everyone loves. Whether it is a Hershey’s bar or Sour Patch Kids candy is a treat to the stomach.

D. DOGS are a man’s best friend. DOGS are always there to make you smile on a bad day and will always care for you and protect you.

E. EATING is something I enjoy more than almost anything else. I love to EAT. I am one person who doesn’t get tired of EATING.

F. FOOTBALL is a great sport. I love watching FOOTBALL all weekend. I love college and pro FOOTBALL and also playing the sport. FACEBOOK is almost like a necessity to me now. I enjoy being able to keep in touch with people on the internet. FARMVILLE, I mean come on. Who doesn’t like running a farm from their computer?

G. GRANDPARENTS play a key role in my life. My GRANDPARENTS are very important to me. They show a lot of love and compassion for me and I could not imagine life without them.

H. HOCKEY is my favorite sport in the world. For me my life would be complete if I could play hockey everyday and do nothing else. HOCKEY is a sport that not many can master. A sport which involves you to learn how to skate before you can succeed.

I. ICE CREAM is one of the most delicious foods known to man. There are so many different flavors that you can never get sick of ICE CREAM. It is a treat for the taste buds that never gets old.

J. JOKES are something for me that are hard to go a day without. I love telling jokes and getting people to loosen and up and smile.

K. KNOWLEDGEABLE is a pretty good word to describe me. I am definetley a KNOWLEDGEABLE person. I would say I am a pretty smart person.

L. LAUGHING is such a huge part in my life. I am probably laughing a good third of the day. As people say LAUGHING makes you live longer so I am going to LAUGH as much as I can.

M. MUSIC is a huge part of my life. I listen to so much music, mainly one type of music. Still music is something I definitely couldn’t live without. MONEY is a sign of success in this great world. I love earning MONEY by working. It gives me a sense of responsibility and power.

N. NOTRE DAME is the college I love more than any other college in the world. The beautiful campus there is second to none. The great history of athletics at NOTRE DAME intrigues me even more. I am a huge fan of NOTRE DAME and hope to attend college there someday.

O. OREOS are probably my favorite cookie. Chocolate on the outside with vanilla frosting on the inside is a perfect combination. You can also throw milk into the picture which makes OREOS an out of this world treat.

P. PIZZA is my favorite food in the world. I could eat PIZZA seven days a week, three times a day and it would never get old that's how much I love it. PLAYING the PIANO is something that I enjoy doing. I have never gotten into it very seriously but I have fun fiddling around with the keys and making new sounds. I have even taught my self some songs.

Q. QUILTS are used in my family a lot. Many QUILTS have been made showing family members on them. QUILTS are important to my whole family.

R. The RED WINGS are my favorite professional team. I follow them very closely always watching the games and keeping up on their progress. I also make it down to about three games a year which is always a treat.

S. SHARKS are animals that really fascinate me. There raw power and speed is a deadly combination.

T. TACOS are the greatest Mexican food ever invented. TACOS are great wherever they are made whether it be homemade, at an authentic Mexican restaurant or the famous and delicious TACO Bell.

U. UNIFORMS of sports teams are something I am really interested in. My favorite teams uniform out of all sports as to be the Oregon Ducks football team because they have so many different UNIFORMS.

V. VALENTINE'S DAY is a great little holiday. You get to show your affection for someone and do it secretly.

W. WINGS, not the ones used to fly but the wings which are served at places like Buffalo Wild Wings. A wide variety of sauces whether it be spicy or sweet makes the wings even better. WINNING is something I live for. I do not like to loose. To me WINNING at anything and being the best at whatever you do is what it's all about.

X. X-RAYS are very vital in life. I have had to get X-RAYS a few times. They are very helpful. They can notice something which can help save someones life.

Y. A YO-YO is so much fun to play with. The YO-YO is one of my favorite toys since I was little.

Z. The ZOO has been one of my favorite places to visit for all my life. I love being able to go see all the animals. The ZOO is such a great place.

The High School Blues

High school is an amazing time besides a few disadvantages like waking up at 6:00 and the fact that it's school which is always a little boring. High School is so different then middle school. The day goes by so much quicker; the lunches are so much better and over all its just a boisterous time.

My first two weeks of school have been a little hectic. Getting adjusted to a new school is always tough but high school is no fun and games anymore. No late assignments, no being late for class, and no longer being a big shot of the school which we all were just a year ago. After I got acclimated to high school I have really enjoyed it.

I am pretty glad with the teachers I have. All of them are nice give or take one or two. That myth of getting into high school and having five hours of homework every night has been thrown out my head as the homework income has been pretty reasonable. No seven hundred word essays assigned by my language arts teacher, yet.

One thing about any school that I have been too is that the kids are always friendly and nothing has changed here at Stevenson. I enjoy coming to school and spending time with a great group of kids who are all easy to get along with. I have a lot of classes with friends and since school work always comes first I never talk to them during class. (Okay maybe a few exceptions) Over all though I am keeping on top of my studies getting good grades and having an enjoyable time.

High school, some fear it, some go through it trying to stay out of everyone's way. Not me. I am going to leave my mark at Stevenson High School. I am going to enjoy my time here, make new friends and form new relationships. I am going to enjoy these next four years no doubt about it.