CohanReport.... blocked??

For some reason the Blogger Patrol have decided to blog the almighty CohanReport.BlogSpot.com (see for yourself by clicking here.) It may not appear to be blocked but I cannot edit/post/customize it. It is now under review by the Blog Police.....

My thoughts are too powerful for the Blogosphere I guess. What can I say, I was born with it.

I Blog You Adieu, My Fair Readers

Okay the home stretch. Time to buckle up, cause its gonna be a bumpy ride. As Semisonic once so eloquently stated, it's "closing time." And like the song, I don't have to go home but I just cannot stay here... in this blogging world. It's over. My long, twisting, winding journey through blogging life has become something of the past. As R.E.M. once said, "it's the end of [my honors IV blogging experience] as we know it." As I sit here on this glorious day, I can't help but shed a tear for I long to continue blogging. 10,000 Maniacs says it best when they declare that "Because [the idea of blogging] was made for [Steven Cohan]." I think it was Sarah McLachlan who announced that "I will remember you. Doo da doo da doo doo doo." And she couldn't have hit the nail on the head any more accurately, for I will always remember you, Blogger.com. And finally, quoted directly from The Killers, "I hope you enjoyed the [SteveBlog]." I bid you adieu ... all of you... adieu. 

Check out my new more political Blog, which pertains to my research project about politics and Satires, The Cohan Report.

Research Paper Done..... now what

   I handed in my research paper last week, so now I will be moving on to the next part of my English Project: putting together a presentation and my final project. 

   I have been watching a ton of the Colbert Report, and think it would be appropriate if I shared a few minutes of the television show with the class. Its always good to get a few laughs. I might also share with the class one of my favorite passages from Colbert's book, I Am America (And So Can You!).   I would also like to show the class Wikiality, which is basically a Wikipedia like database but in the opinion of Stephen Colbert. Although he did not create this website, it shows that his works has rubbed off on many people and influenced someone to make this site. 

   I plan to look my freshest on June 11th, the date of my presentation and might even come to school dressed in suit and tie. Only time will tell, and I'm sure you are falling off the edge of your seat just waiting to see what I wear.

A Post for the Mothers

Happy Mother's Day to all!!

Discuss your efforts over the previous week.

• Last week I was able to accomplish a lot. I collected a lot of very interesting data that could be put to use in my paper. I was able to perfect my intro paragraph and thesis and finish my first body paragraph. 

What are some breakthroughs and walls you have hit? What are some questions you need to find answers to?

• Some walls I have hit is my ability to stay on task, and finish what i begin writing. I often find myself getting off task and not getting the most out of the time I am "writing" my paper. Also when researching, I find myself getting sidetracked. One second I can be on The Colbert Report page on IMDB.com, the next second I can be somewhere else on IMDB.com, etc...

What is your plan for this week - be specific with tasks you will complete.

• Well the essay is due Friday so I plan on polishing the essay up by Thursday night. Of course I will continue to watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, as I feel it is my duty to keep up with these shows.  

What are some new, valuable web sites you have found to help you with your work? Make links to those sites for future use.

• Most of the sites I have/am using are below in my other posts so:

Last week's post

Two week's ago post

Initial post

tres semana (feliz de mayo)

Another week gone by, another week closer til graduation, another week closer til this project is due, another week less I have to complete it. I think I am on a pretty good track though. I am about 3/4 through "I am America (And So Can You!)" and it has been one of the most entertaining books I have ever read. It has fueled me with many ideas for my upcoming research paper and final project.


I want to finish off the rest of "I am America (And So Can You!)". I have felt really inspired by watching nightly episodes of "The Colbert Report" and this will push me further in my work. I need one more avenue of approach for my research paper, but what I have so far is pretty solid. Hopefully soon enough my paper will be completely planned out and I can continue on to my body paragraphs. I just need to get by Tuesday and Wednesday (Stats and Calc AP Tests) and I will have more time to work on the paper.


Colbert Nation
Stephen Colbert
Dr. Stpehen T. Colbert
Wikiality: The Truthiness Encyclopedia

Blog II

Week II

Discuss your efforts over the previous week.
Last week was vacation so I took a pretty lax approach. I watched more of the “Colbert Report” which actually was filmed from the University of Pennsylvania to cover the Pennsylvania Primary. The show was especially funny this week, and Bergen County, New Jersey was even mentioned. During the “Threat Down”, segment Colbert mentioned how bears are a hazard in New Jersey, and how they were attacking “Paramus, the shopping mecca. It’s like the Rodeo Drive of New Jersey.” He went on to add, “they’ve got outlet stores. I mean, these bears are now a threat to our national inventory of discounted irregular merchandise.” This is just the type of humor I need to model myself after.

What are some breakthroughs and walls you have hit? What are some questions you need to find answers to?
Although I have been watching many episodes of the “Colbert Report” I have yet to get Colbert’s book. The person who I was supposed to get it from conveniently went on vacation. so I am planning on getting it today so I can bring it into school tomorrow.

What is your plan for this week - be specific with tasks you will complete.
What are some new, valuable web sites you have found to help you with your work? Make links to those sites for future use.

Over the next week I would like to get through a good part of I am America (And So Can You!). Additionally, I would like to find articles or interviews of people who are against Stephen Colbert and do not agree with his satirical approach to the news. This should help me formulate a good basis for my research paper. 

NotTheOnion.com

Article

Contemporary Satire

Colbert's Enemy: Conan

Entry 1

First week, let's get to work!

• What are some breakthroughs and walls you have hit? What are some questions you need to find answers to?
  
• This is my first week getting to work. I am undecided on what I want to do with the fourth marking period. It is the last 16th of my high school career so I better make it count. The wall I his i guess is my lack of ideas of what to do.

• What is your plan for this week - be specific with tasks you will complete.
• The first thing I want to do is actually figure out what direction I will take with my work. I have some good ideas, but nothing set in stone that I am really interested in. Music and complex lyrics has always interested me, but I do not know where to go with that idea. I am also a huge fan of sports, so my idea might be along those lines.   I want to finalize a good idea by Wednesday the latest and hopefully get some good research in by the end of the week. This will give me a solid jumping off point.  

• What are some new, valuable web sites you have found to help you with your work? Make links to those sites for future use.
• I started looking on Questia, and typing some key words that could possibly be connected to my project. I have read/skimmed some interesting articles that have caught my eye.

Questia

Britannica

Proquest Full-Text National Newspapers

Only One More to Go... LupEnd

In homage to Lupe Fiasco's third and final album entitled LupEnd (which might have a 1984-esque theme)  due out late 2008, that will be the name of my last post. So now on to the post....

So the end of the marking period looms and this will be my last post regarding the books I have read throughout this past marking period. I enjoyed both Herland and The Sunflower, and would suggest them to people in need of an interesting read. While neither have you laughing out-loud or hanging on the edge of your seat, each book makes you think. Herland was quite farfetched and in no way do I see a nation of self-propagating  women coming to be in the near future - although there is a guy from Oregon who claims to be pregnant. On the other hand, The Sunflower is a true story, telling the tale of Simon Wiesenthal. One pattern I have noticed is that each book deals with different races and cultures. Now that it is senior year and next year we will all be moving on to different parts of the country, we will all experience and learn about different cultures. Growing up in Montvale or Woodcliff Lake has not allowed any of us to really experience culture for what it really is. While I did not read the other books, I know  Like Water for Chocolate and In the Time of the Butterflies each have a Hispanic theme. Are these books included in the senior library to prepare us better for all of our first years away from Bergen County? Well even if that wasn't the master plan of the administration, I think these books were a good choice for senior year. By reading about other cultures, especially those we are not so familiar with, it allows you to gain an appreciation  and respect for them. 

I only have one more project to go, or two if I'm feeling up to it. I am excited for fourth marking period where we will have more freedom, yes I said MORE freedom (believe it or not), but sad because it is the culmination of my four years at Hills. 

What to look forward to...

1. Finishing project
2. Random Blogs
3. 4th Marking Period Project
4. ...
5. Graduation?

Hip Hop Saved My Life

This is my favorite song on his second album, The Cool. Enjoy!

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

Its Always Sunny In Nazi Europe.... excuse the reference

The Sunflower, what more is to be said about this book that has not already been stated in my previous two posts about it.... well for my sakes I hope I can come up with two more quality posts for all your enjoyment. While many see this book as to be a long, boring read. More than half of the book is reviews and reactions to the first ninety-eight or so pages of the novel. In particular there were a few entries that caught my eye.......
1) Harry James Cargas has the first entry that I had to reread. Professor Cargas raises the question, "Who am I to forgive" (Cargas 125)? He initially believes that forgiveness is the route to go, but when it comes down to such terrible events that "Hitler and his henchmen have committed", these events have gone too far (Cargas 125). When reading his response you can really feel how torn he is. Cargas, a Catholic, believes in G-d and G-d's belief of forgiveness. He ends this dilemma agreeing with Simon Wiesenthal's decision to not forgive the SS soldier and by asking G-d to have mercy on his soul.
2) The Dalai Lama also had a interesting point of view on the situation the book describes. He says that forgiveness is always important, but that does not mean that you have to necessarily forget a terrible event. He relates the Holocaust to the Chinese invasion of Tibet, where over 1,200,000 Tibetans died. Since the Buddhists believe in "nonviolence and compassion", it would be too easy for the Dalai Lama to just call the Chinese their enemy; he believes the same should be true for Simon Wiesenthal. Instead of condemning Karl Seidl and Germany Wiesenthal should have forgiven them.
3)Theodore M. Hesburgh is a reverend and former President of the University of Notre Dame. His response is quite lame and it seems that he is a pushover. As a priest, he says how it is his job to forgive those who have sinned. An example of this is the confessional. He "sits in a confessional for many hours and forgive(s) everyone who comes in" (Hesburgh 169). Hesburgh will always forgive no matter the situation. In my opinion I do not believe everythign he says. It is a bold statement for him to make, saying he will always be forgiving. There are certain situations, this being one of them, where forgiveness is not the way to go.
Well that wasthe last of my The Sunflower posts. Overall the book was okay, and made me think a lot about my heritage and how I would approach the situation Wiesenthal encountered.

Symply Amazing

After reading The Sunflower, I have gained an interest in the Holocaust. The harsh conditions that the victims had to live through are terrible, and cannot be fathomed. The second half of The Sunflower is made up of a symposium or a collection of reflections on the dilemma that the author of the book faces. For those who haven't read The Sunflower the conflict of the novel is about the soldier who wants forgiveness, from a Jew, for the actions he had done during the Holocaust. The second half of the novel is a Symposium. A Symposium is a collection of reflections. In this case, there are 53 entries from people about their opinions of how ethical they thought the situation was. The symposium is a very interesting part of the book as it gives many, a total of 53, point of views on the major issue.
On to my take......

STEVEN ANDREW COHAN
12th Grade Student

Dear Simon Wiesenthal,
Your last question posed to me, the reader, "What would I have done?" is very thought provoking (Wiesenthal 98). I could not imagine being put in the situation you were put in. I think I would have acted the same way you did. I would have sat in silence and made the dying SS soldier think long and hard about the question he had asked. As a young Jewish man, I am able to feel for you and our people. The Holocaust was terrible and to this day if the same question was asked, I would still hold a grudge. If I had the opportunity, I would have punched the dying soldier in his face; how dare he ask for forgiveness after being part of an organization that was responsible for the death of over six million Jews and up to twenty-one million people total? The Nazis involved in the Holocaust should never be forgiven for their terrible acts. I agree that forgiving is the right thing to do, but there is a point where forgiving in not always acceptable; this is one of those cases and I agree fully with how you handled it.

For more on The Sunflower, and about forgiveness on such a high level, check out this
article by Kelly Sawyer. Her take on how far forgiveness can go is very interesting. It is tough to determine "the capacity to forgive someone of a crime as atrocious as genocide" but I think that there is no way forgiveness is possible when the crime is as bad as playing a role in the destruction of a human race.

Stats.

I Hate Stats.

Flor del Sol

The second book on tap for me is The Sunflower. I feel that this book will be very different than Herland. First off, it is much more serious and a lot sadder than Herland. It also has a total of 53 responses or essays that give the reader another take on the novel. While reading The Sunflower, I often feel sad and sympathize for the author and protagonist, Simon Wiesenthal. The book details a Nazi soldier on his death bed, who asks a Jew for forgiveness before he passes. As a member of the Jewish faith, I thought about the possibility of this happening to me. I do not know how I would react to a person who would ask for forgiveness even though he believes that Jews are lesser people and are the root of all evil. I do not even know how Karl Seidl, the wounded Nazi soldier, mustered up the courage to ask the Jew, Simon Wiesenthal, for forgiveness. I don't even know what to compare this to; this would be like Osama Bin Laden asking an American for forgiveness for the 9/11 World Trade Center and Pentagon Terrorist Attacks, except worse. I could not fathom this happeneing. Although I am not overly religious, I feel that the Holocaust was one of the worst events to happen not only to the Jewish people, but for everyone who was in Germany during the 1930s and early 1940s. In my opinion there will be no genocides worse than the Holocaust. The main number that everyone hears is the six million Jews were executed in concentration camps, but there were over seventeen million total people who were killed under Adolf Hitler's regime. The Holocaust was a terrible event and it should always be remembered. The Holocaust was a terrible time, and living in one of the Ghetto Concentration Camps like Aushwitz, Birkenau, and in the case of Simon Wiesenthal the Lemberg Concentration Camp, is one of the worst fates one can imagine.
I cannot wait to read more of this book and finish it up.

Displaced.

My Faithful Readers:

After a night of hurricane force winds, knocking down a massive tree into my front yard, I have regrouped and found a home at Thirty-Two Winding Way. The Eisbrouch's have taken me in and this is quite a relief. I hope I can finally get around to my actual blog, now that I have internet.
The Eisbrouch's are very hospitable. Eileen is a great hostess and makes sure we are all well fed. My real post will be coming soon so stay tuned.

Dear Blog Buddy,

I would like to apologize for my lack of a solid grade on my last blog. I got a 19 on my last post (see below) and I am embarassed for both myself and Josh Spellman. I will be back strong on my next blog, so do not worry.

Sincerely,
Steven Andrew Cohan

Rant....

Just as my good friend Darren posted on his oh so amazing blog Bad Grammer Good Blog this week my post will also be in the style of a rant. My rant will be directed at Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the author of Herland, and to women. I would like to note that I really have nothing against women, but I thought it would be fun to experiment with this style of posting.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who do you think you are? Who are you to say women would be able to have a fully sufficient society without the assistance of men. Not only is this improbable, it is impossible. I don't care if this is a fiction novel, the idea of human beings gaining the ability of parthenogenesis is just stupid and far fetched. She continues to assert females as the stronger sex and that males are actually weaker. Yes women have faced oppression for thousands of years, but does Gilman really think she can just put an end to all this oppression by "freeing" an entire society of women from male's "rule"? No, she cannot, and should have never had an inkling of hope that she could. I also don't know where she came up with her theory that "The only reason a female has not withered away completely is that each 'girl child inherits from her father a certain increasing percentage of human development, human power, human tendency." This is a very illogical statement as she first says that women continue to live because of the infusion of the male's gene, but then says that everything the father adds to the child is negative. Really Charlotte? Really? Charlotte Gilman Perkins, we are all now dumber for having read your novel and your comments on women and how men seem to be unnecessary. This is no utopia! This is a mockery of a "perfect" society.

Now I'm not gonna say I'm the best "ranter" around, but I gotta start somewhere.....

Quotes from: "Reproducing Utopia: Charlotte Perkins GIlman and Herland"

Listening to some music....

Random shuffle on iTunes and Can't Tell Me Nothin' (Remix) comes on by Kanye West --of course-- featuring Lil Wayne.... it must be a sign from up above tellng me to finish my english project as he lays down the line.....

"So tired of ballin', excuse me if I yawn
Ha, But I know what I'm doin'
Out the window of the jet,
U.C.L.A. like a Bruin"
(you see LA)

Must be Saxon tellin me to get back to work.... but then again just as the song proclaims, he "Can't Tell Me Nothin'"

** guess I'm that bored I turn to Blogger to pass my time

Wow

Kanye managed to sell out in about 32 seconds... convenient.
Even with a presale password and logging on at exactly 12 o clock noon, I am ticketless.
Hopefully I find a way to get my hands on some tickets for the Glow In The Dark Tour, as I am so determined to do so.

I Used to Love H.E.R. ... I Still Love H.E.R.

....so after a long week of sitting (and burning) under the hot Mexican sun, I have finally made it back to snowy New Jersey. With that in mind, I was able to finish Herland but with the price of Internet being $15 a day, I was not able to blog about it. Lucky for all of you I am back and ready to blog about the book they call Herland....

I last left off with the men learning of how the inhabitants of Herland reproduce and thrive as a "nation". The men are in awe of how everyone is able to coexist. This is probably because there is no competition supplied by men, and since everyone is derived from one common source, it is as if they are one huge family. The men are embarassed of the world they come from, and the women of Herland almost feel pity for the men that they come from such a terrible place. Vandyck tries to explain the act of abortion and the women backlash at him. They stress how inhumane that is and how they would never be able to do that. Sommel says this is no way to build up a strong nation and that giving birth to a child (or girl) is an honor, and that you should take this as an honor.
Terry hates Herland. He sees the society itself as a terrifying, uncomplete place and that men are necessary for a nation to thrive. Herland just does not make sense to him. The three men begin relationships with the three women they met in the onset of the book -- Celis, Alima, Ellador. Terry and Jeff find love in Alima and Celis respectively. These two relationships are not as successful as Ellador and Van's. Van sees that the women want to have a mutual bnd and respect for their partner and he loves Ellador accordingly. Each couple is married; the men and women have differing opinions on what sex is: for intercourse or for reproducing.

...It was interesting to see the varying approaches to marriage and sex the three explorers had. Jeff and Van each see it as their female counterpart see it. They are able to compromise with their partners for the most part. Ellador and Van have a blanced relationship and Celis and Jeff have minor problems. They overcome their issues as Celis eventually is impregnated by Jeff, the first in over 2000 years of Herland. Terry thinks he is the owner of Alima, now that they are married, and he attempts to rape her. This leads to the banishment of the men from Herland...

Because he has fathered a child with Celis, Jeff decides to stay behind at Herland. Ellador accompanies Van back home and Terry leaves angrily. At first he threatens the country but he later backs down from his threats. The two men and Ellador leave the paridise of Herland and go back to the bi-sexual real world.

This book left many questions such as,
1. What is the world's reaction to Ellador?
2. What will happen to Jeff at Herland?
a. Will his child with Celis be "normal"?
b. If it is a boy, how will that change Herland?

Thank god there is a sequel With Her in Ourland
I'm sure that will be EVERYBODY's book to read!!

In conclusion i found Herland to be a little bit sexist, in the way Gilman made men to seem to root of all evil and that a society of all women could exist perfectly. In the end though, a man is left at Herland and who knows what will happen with that, so in a way men win... as it should be.
With Her in Ourland takes the persepctive of Van and Ellador living in a "real" society. Yes, Google has a Book tab and here it is for With Her in ourland... Google does it all.

Bring on the next book.

So Hot in Herr(land)!

Four chapters into Herland, and this novel has not taken me the places I thought it would have taken me. Three men+society of thousands of women who have been without men for 2000 years=... well you know. Herland is about three middle aged explorers - Vandyck Jennings, Jeff Margrave, Terry Nicholson - who want to discover the land where no men roam, just women. While Vandyck, or Van, actually wants to find Herland from reasons other men might, all three men are intrigued by exploration and the thrill of discovering un-found territories. The three men fly in a small bi-plane and view the area from above; it appears cultivated and technologically advanced for a society of all women. When they touch down they initially do not see any women but after rummaging around, they feel they are beign watched by three females. The three explorers try to get the women to come to them, but they play hard to get. Nicholson makes a grab for one of them, but fails and they chase the surprisingly athletic women to a settlement. They struggle to keep up but when they come upon the settlement, find themselves surrounded and then taken captive. All three are drugged, become unconcious, but wake up unharmed.
....i found this part of the book very weird. the capture seemed to accomplish nothing at this point of the book. they roam around pretty freely although they are still "captive." it is almost as if the men are welcomed there, yet the women do not know how to handle the three men....
....when they do escape from their non-strict imprisonment, they make it to the plane, only to see the three women from their first encoutner to be waiting for them. this part of the book surprised me and i i found it quite redundant. this might be done by Charlotte Perkins Gilman to show just how smart the women are....
The men start to befriend the women and even in captivity, talk freely with them. They ask how long has this been an all woman society, and they answer 2000 years. They are surprised that it took that long for them to ask.
....it seems that Herland is the perfect place. as a society of all women there are no problems, no enemies, everyone coexists together. reproduction is done asexually and babies are always female through the process of Parthenogenesis. Parthenos means virgin in Latin. its crazy to think that for the last 2000 years there have only been females and all the babies born are girls...
This is as far as I have gotten through Herland, it is not a hard read, but it also is not easy. I find myself reading passages a few times often, and getting lost in the book.

1. When will the action pick up?
2. Will there be a sudden twist?
3. ..and what will it be?
4. How could Herland be so "perfect"?

blogger is frustrating....

Lupe Fiasco Review

For all you who want a review on the Lupe Fiasco concert, check out Darren's post on his blog: Lupe Fiasco Review.

Darren's view on the concert was excellent and it was a blast. The energy was great and besides Optimus, his opening act, every song was great. Even during his 20 minute intermission Gemstones, a rapper/singer on the First and 15th label, kept the crowd going.

Check out the video of Superstar live at Nokia below...


and a crazy version of The Coolest (profane):

3:30

tonight i will start reading Herland. Sounds like an intersting book.

ill be sure to keep you updated....

lets blog...

blog on