- What is college about if not doing stupid sh*t you would never do at any other point in your life and laughing it off as merely part of the experience? That’s exactly the sort of attitude four students and a former student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania embraced and for that, The Man is looking to crack down on them. The five have been charged with rioting and other crimes, and two fraternities have been suspended after an off-campus brawl near the university. According to IUP spokeswoman Michelle Fryling, the Alpha Chi Rho and Phi Kappa Psi fraternities are suspended until campus officials complete an internal investigation of what went down on Locust Street about 2:15 a.m. April 17. No one is quite sure what went down, but we is known is that the two rival fraternities threw down right there on the street and at least 20 people were involved in the fight. Better still, some of the participants mixed things up and incorporated a certain WWE-style vibe to the fight with shovels, cinder blocks, baseball bats and a machete. Yes, I said a machete. What is this, the news team brawl in Anchorman or a frat brawl? In the aftermath, several people were treated for minor injuries at Indiana Regional Medical Center. Why anyone is being charged, I don’t know. After all, the fight broke up before police even arrived, so a) how do we even know what happened and b) how bad could it have been? Afterward, police went to the Alpha Chi Rho house and were told by residents that members of Phi Kappa Psi had come by and broken windows because of an earlier altercation at a party. In addition to potential criminal charges and jail time, those involved in the fight could also face discipline from the school. "Students can face anything from educational program sanctions to probation, and the worst being expulsion," said IUP spokeswoman Michelle Fryling. On top of that, both fraternities are found to be at fault, they could lose their university recognition. If I may be so bold, why is it we can't just just this up to college students being college students? If anyone among us hasn’t attacked a member of a rival fraternity with a machete at some point in their life, let that person cast the first stone…………
- Barriers must be crossed, broken down and trampled upon in any revolution. Nothing great was ever accomplished by sticking to the status quo or meekly accepting the dictates of The Man. That spirit is what makes me the riot lover I am and it’s why I have been behind my peeps, the Red Shirts of Thailand, every step of the way in their quest to oust a government they believe to be wholly illegitimate. They have overrun and shut down financial districts, government buildings and the like and I have cheered them on. With that in mind, what I am about to say becomes that much more painful to utter. The Red Shirts have gone too far in their efforts to force new elections by storming a major Thai hospital Friday, forcing hospital officials to evacuate hundreds of patients and suspended all but emergency surgery. The Red Shirts went in looking for security forces they suspected were taking positions there overlooking their barricaded compound nearby, but that absolutely doesn’t excuse their actions. The hospital’s director attempted to plead with the Red Shirts to withdraw from Chulalongkorn Hospital, but they refused. Instead, members of the group went around the hospital making a major mess and only after they had disrupted everything did they accept that there were no soldiers or police within the sprawling compound. As you would expect, the raid was a huge black eye for the Red Shirts from a public relations standpoint, as people don’t tend to get behind groups that willfully disregard the well-being of sick, weak and suffering people in positions of helplessness. Now, I am by no means demanding that the RS become a peaceful, hurt-no-one and do-no-harm group that shies away from confrontation and acts like a bunch of scared cowards. Brawl all you want with police in the streets and overturn police cars, trash government buildings and set things ablaze - just leave hospitals alone. Those people did nothing to you, nor do they have anything to do with the illegitimate government currently running your country. This crisis has raged on for seven weeks in Bangkok and for the first time, I am regretfully having to backpedal from my support of the RS and crack them for acting like morons. Protest leaders are doing the same, apologizing, promising to leave the hospital alone and removing some of the barricades blocking it as gestures of contrition. That looked good right up to the point later in the day when the Red Shirts put the barricades back in place and missed a meeting with hospital administrators to discuss ways to keep the patients and staff safe. Something tells me they still don’t get it and that this may not be the last time we see a debacle like this……….
- The iPad has forced everyone else in the tech world to stop their game up even if it is an overrated, over-priced iPod touch without the ability to multitask and serious Wi-Fi connectivity issues. The latest competitor to up its standards to compete with the iPad is Amazon, whose Kindle e-reader is being upgraded, the company has announced. Chief among the new features will be access to Facebook and Twitter, which seems to indicate that Amazon is looking to branch out more in the direction of an actual computer or at least computer-like capabilities. The key difference for users is that unlike the iPad, these upgrades won't necessitate the purchase of a whole new device. Instead, the features will be part of a software upgrade downloaded directly to existing devices. Better still, this isn’t one of those deals where new features or upgrades are announced far in advance and anxious consumers have to wait months and months to see the actual results. Amazon expects all Kindle users to have the upgrade by later this month, so whether these new features prove to be a good thing or not, the verdict will be in sooner rather than later and Amazon will know if it has taken a step forward in its battle with Apple or simply made a major mistake…………
- Dork Alert! Dork Alert! In addition to being May Day and seeing plenty of festivities and marches in cities and towns around the world, May 1 is also a huge day for dorks, as I found out. See, May 1 is also Free Comic Book Day and participating comic book shops around the world and literally giving away comic books free to anyone who comes into their stores. Unbeknownst to me (as I am not a totally knob), Free Comic Book Day is the first Saturday in May each year and according to those involved, it’s a huge day for the comic book world.
"It's one of the biggest days of the year for the comic book industry," said Adam Rosko, assistant manager for Excalibur Books & Comics in Portland, Ore. Rosko and his store allow visitors to select up to five different free comics from the counter. Different stores approach the day in varying ways, but the basic premise is that somewhere in their store, dorks, er, um, comic book enthusiasts can find free comics. The unwritten rule seems to be three free comics per person, but some stores go above and beyond that limit. Larger comic book stores bring in costumed characters, comic book artists and authors for signings, adding to the festivities for those who so infrequently venture out of their basements into the harsh rays of the sun. Those who take part in the event say it grows steadily each year and may stores report customers coming from hundreds of miles away to be a part of the day. Having said all of that, here’s hoping that not a single person reading this was anywhere near a Free Comic Book Day event, either as a participant or even an innocent bystander. I don’t need that brand of loser as a part of this blog or site and if that offends you……good, because I don’t want you reading anyhow…………
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