UFC

For those that do not know what UFC is, it is mixed martial arts fighting inside of an octagon-shaped, fighting area that is enclosed by about six feet of fence.  Mixed martial arts is a combination of kickboxing, judo, karate, wrestling, and any form of fighting mixed into one big fight.  There are a few ways that a fighter wins; they can submit someone which means that they tap out to stop themselves from breaking a bone or passing out; knocking someone out by kicks, punches, flying knees; technical knockouts, which is when a doctor stops the fight to prevent permanent damage to a fighter; or by decision which means that judges that are all around the cage give scores based on the number of landed punches, kicks, elbows, knees, and other factors.

This weekend, Saturday January 31, 2009, there is going to be a title fight between George St. Pierre (GSP) and BJ Penn.  GSP is the Welterweight Champion of UFC because he beat the former champion, Matt Serra, almost easily.  He is a naturally fit, French-Canadian.  His opponent, Penn is the Lightweight Champion of UFC and is from Hawaii.  He does not appear to be very fit but he is clearly a very good fighter and is also a very natural fighter.  He gained weight so that he could face GSP so that he can prove himself as a fighter, and maybe partly because he will get paid more to have another title fight.  Welterweight fighters are 156-170 pounds while Lightweight fighters are 146-155 pounds and Penn is a normally a big Lightweight and GSP is a big Welterweight.  This is a much-anticipated fight among UFC enthusiasts.   These fights are only available on  Pay-Per-View and are $40 to purchase, however, they are usually shown at sports bars or restaurants such as Hooters or Buffalo Wilwings.

 

Inauguration

The inauguration of President Obama is truly history.  That cannot be disputed.  Being the first African American to become president is obviously a gigantic accomplishment and is also a big step for our country with a past of racism and segregation just thirty years ago and some continuing today.  This being said, I did not view the inauguration of President Obama as something to be compared to the time JFK died or the September 11^th attacks.  I do not think that people will look at this moment in history with such remembrance, simply because aside from becoming president, he has not done anything good enough to be revered so much.  This moment in history does not deserve to be classified with such enormous moments in history.  His resume is not impressive enough for me to be excited yet.  This also being said, I hope that President Obama proves me wrong and does an exceptional job as president and most importantly with our economy.

   This inauguration, I was not able to watch at first because of class, however, I looked the event up on the Internet shortly after class because my friend called me and told me to watch the Oath of Office because Obama messed it up.  I immediately uploaded the video on CNN.com to see what he was talking about.  Obama did in fact mess up because he forgot what he was supposed to repeat, but the Chief Justice also messed up when he tried to repeat what he said to Obama.  So the mess up was, in part, both of their faults, even though it is pretty bad that he forgot a simple line.  Other than that I was not able to watch much of the inauguration.  I watched clips of the Youth Ball on MTV.com.  I watched his speech, which was all about the youth, obviously, and how much they impacted the election, which I very true.  I also watched his dance with the first lady and some interviews with celebrities such as Usher.  I also watched the performances of Kanye West and Young Jeezy.  The performances were very good and even though I doubt Young Jeezy actually wrote the song, I am impressed that a song came out about the president so fast. 

                 

  This inauguration was in fact, a moment in history, however, I don’t think that it was that significant.  Every inauguration has been a huge even and I do not feel that this was any exception.  Journalists were saying how they have never seen such a turnout at an inauguration because people were turned away because they did not have enough room for all the tickets sold, but they must not have ever gone to one in the past because someone from the Inauguration Board was getting interviewed and said that this has happened at every inauguration ceremony.  I think that Obama is blown up to be something a lot bigger than he actually is, yet, but I hope that he lives up to it and does something exceptional for our country.   

Introduction Blog #1

I have been born and raised in a small town in Illinois called Monroe Center. It is a town of 500 people and I live a few miles outside of it. Many people think that it would suck to live out in the country so far, but I love it and would never want to live in the city. It is also enjoyable because Rockford, IL, which is the second largest city in Illinois, is only fifteen minutes away so it is very accessible for jobs and recreation. I have five sisters, three of them are 25, they are fraternal triplets, the other sister is 23 and then I have a half sister that is almost seven.  My parents divorced when I was five years old and my mom, five sisters, and I moved out to a small house which was also in the country. My mom and dad both got remarried a few years later and my mom and her new husband built a new house, when I was in third grade, on the land that he owned. This is where I currently live. The new house is in 100 acres of woods and is very scenic. The country is where I am meant to be because of all of the activities that I can do outdoors and enjoy God’s creation. I also like not having to deal with neighbors and not having to worry about anything. I went to a small school that is two towns west of where I live. My high school was only 640 people and I had a class of 140. I was incredibly active in high school and enjoyed it a lot. I played football and rugby and was in chorus, FFA, Renaissance Team, PEACE group, and Student Council. I have also been in seven high school plays since I was in fourth grade. In my spare time I like going to movies a lot with my friends and/or girlfriend and going out to dinner. I also like doing things outdoors, as mentioned before, such as hunting with my dad, tubing, badminton, biking, hiking, 4-wheeling,riding my motorcycle, and a lot of other outdoor activities. My friend’s family purchased a house in Florida when we were freshman in high school and we go there a few times a year. I like vacationing and seeing new things a lot.