#t.j. borden

[gianttankeh]

TFEH Midwinter Weirdo Drinking Fest: SIMON WHETHAM / T.J. BORDEN / BRITTLE YAMMER CHOIR at The Waverley Bar, Edinburgh: 8/12/22.

TFEH brings tidings of fumble & clunk to the Auld Reekie weirdo workers' Xmas do this Thursday with live sets by Simon Whetham, T.J. Borden & Brittle Yammer Choir (Euan Currie, Olivia Furey, Firas Khnaisser, Ali Robertson & Armin Sturm). Only fifteen tickets left so purchase with haste here!

[nofatclips-home]

People / Halfsleeper (Dilute / Chelsea Wolfe cover) by C.J. Boyd

[hpmoon]

Music by: Alvin Lucier: Disappearances 2019 Mivos/Kanter String Quartet Composition Prize Winner Peter Kramer: Three Fragments Henry Threadgill: Sixfivetwo 2020 Mivos/Kanter String Quartet Composition Prize Winner Bethany Younge: Carving Our Wooden Bodies

Mivos Quartet are: Olivia De Prato & Maya Bennardo, violin Victor Lowrie Tafoya, viola T.J. Borden, cello http://mivosquartet.com

Videography & sound: H. Paul Moon Assistant videographer: Blair Kanghyuk Naujok

[noloveforned]

tune into wlur at 4pm to catch this week's show. otherwise, there's always last week's show below! (ps- i also caught up with posting a handful of recent shows too so plenty to keep your ears occupied.)

no love for ned on wlur – may 20th, 2020 from 4-6pm

artist // track // album // label thee mightees // paranormal vacation // (bandcamp mp3) // (self-released) non la // not in love // not in love // kingfisher bluez lady legs // idle hands // off days // communicating vessels it thing // borrowed time // cassingle // under heat daniel romano's outfit // sweetheart like you // infidels // (self-released) daughter bat and the lip stings // how to make french toast // internet creeps cassette // under heat gen pop // hanging drum // 36 counties cassette // chapel of crimes parsnip // crossword cheater // adding up 7" // anti fade sustains // golden halo // sick ones cassette // hidden bay the molds // understandable // baby // (self-released) bloods // bring my walls down // feelings // share it peter charles macpherson // gone // dirty and rushed // cubbyhouse eleanor friedberger // the river // (bandcamp mp3) // (unreleased) jac berrocal, david fenech and vincent epplay // ice exposure // ice exposure // blackest ever black kaitlyn aurelia smith // the steady heart // the mosaic of transformation // ghostly international * ned milligan and john atkinson // plunko // call me when you can // fluid audio john truscinski // august closer // bridle path // open mouth patrick shiroishi, kyle motl and t.j. borden // hands clearly trembling // in this failing light // confront anna högberg attack // dansa margit // lena // omlott hideto sasaki and sekine toshiyuki quartet plus one // carole's garden // stop over // barely breaking even weldon irvine // i love you // sinbad // rca records label world quake band // on the one // everything is on the one // mad about mxmjoy // can man conquer it all // p.e.a.c.e // london field jean deaux featuring saba // moody // watch this! // empire elaquent featuring chester watson // airwalk // forever is a pretty long time // mello music happy spendy // feelings two // ready when you are ep // lost map ashley paul // window flower // window flower // takuroku edith frost // nothing comes around // nothing comes around ep // drag city * flowertown // rocks and air // flowertown ep // (self-released) constant smiles // save this house // psychic runners // (self-released) jade imagine // coastal pines // you remind me of something i lost cassette // milk!

* denotes music on wlur’s playlist

[aka-enlightenment-blog]

Teenage Brain: Science Or Passion?

The following is an essay I completed for my 10th grade Gifted Honors English class. It was an open essay, on the topic of carpe diem, where we had to create our own thesis and follow a new type of format. This is the result.

An understanding of how the brain of an adolescent is changing may help explain a puzzling contradiction of adolescence: young people at this age are close to a lifelong peak of physical health, strength, and mental capacity, and yet, for some, this can be a hazardous age.

-National Institute of Mental Health

Teenagers are the age group notorious worldwide for being risk-takers and impulsive decision makers. They search restlessly for what they love, and demand control over their own future once they find it. This makes them the perfect window through which we can view the idea of carpe diem. After all, in the end, what more is carpe diem than a mad search to discover and follow impulsive passions?

[X]

As the National Institute of Mental Health tells us, teenagers are the ultimate bad decision makers. But why do they make those bad choices? It seems to boil down to the science of the brain. According to Dr. Frances Jensen, chair of the University of Pennsylvania neurology department, teenagers are wired to be risk takers. She explains that what science knows is that, “The frontal lobes — which are the seat of executive function, decision-making, empathy, judgment, insight and impulse control — are the last places that hook up to the rest of the brain during development.” So, scientifically, teenagers take risks and act like they do because their brain isn’t done developing yet. The most essential decision making part just hasn’t fully attached yet.

[X]

Just because we know why it happens doesn’t mean we can stop teenagers from being negatively impacted by their own risky choices. Teenagers, as a collective, are romantics. This couples perfectly with the execution of carpe diem. To live in the way carpe diem demands, you need to be willing to take on a little romanticism in everything you do. They are dreamers simply because the world hasn’t stopped them yet. They hope that things can be better, and that they can make them better, no matter how cynical they may act. Just look at all the young people backing ex-presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Many otherwise ‘cynical’ young people were supporting him because they had a blind hope for change. This suggests that teenagers make these choices because they are blind with hope and passion, throwing themselves, sometimes literally, headfirst at life for what they believe in.

Examples of teenagers having this steadfast dream for a better life and a brighter future can be seen throughout media as well, old and new. In the movie Dead Poets Society, you can see literal examples of the benefits and dangers of aggressive and blind belief in carpe diem. Characters such as Neil Perry reap the benefits of carpe diem at first. He evolves as a person and is inspired to find his own identity as he pursues the idea of carpe diem. During this process, he even gains the strength to rebel against his controlling father, and debut as an actor despite his father’s commands against it. Neil says it best himself: “For the first time in my whole life, I know what I wanna do! And for the first time, I'm gonna do it! Whether my father wants me to or not! Carpe diem!” He learns to seize his own day and control his own future, and overall develop as his own, independent person. The idea of carpe diem allowed him to understand that this was possible, and he didn’t have to follow after his father all his life.

[X]

Like Neil, all of the teenagers in this movie are shown that they can control their own fate, if they only reach out to grab it. As a result, they start to search for this future actively, and begin to find their passions and dreams. This is relatively typical for teenage-oriented media, and for good reason. Teenagers can relate to and live through characters who fight the system and struggle to discover who they are.

However, when you look at the Dead Poets Society in particular, the movie stayed truly realistic to a dark degree. In Neil’s rash actions, we can see his deep passion for seizing his own future, but we can also see the dangers of this mindset. He stays true to his strong and stubborn character, and takes his own life, seizing the day in the most final way possible.

[X]

If we look at the sciences of carpe diem again, we can see that “mortality rates jump between early and late adolescence. Rates of death by injury between ages 15 to 19 are about six times that of the rate between ages 10 and 14” (National Institute of Mental Health). Neil’s fictitious death is replicated by real teenagers constantly. Many of these teenagers are acting rashly in an attempt to become their own person and seize their own day, just like Neil.

Media portraying teenagers as rash and irresponsible creatures is nothing new. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, we see a set of teenagers, Romeo and Juliet, acting in an impulsive way to try and seize their own day. When they realized they couldn’t marry due to the differences between their families, they act out in defiance, similar to Neil acting against his parents in Dead Poets Society. In both stories, the teenagers who try to control their own fate are met with death. In both works, we see that teenagers consider death preferable to life without passion or control. They demand carpe diem, and act impulsively to try and reach it in any way possible.

[X]

We can see the darker side of the carpe diem mindset in other works as well. In “Antaeus” by Borden Deal, we see the story of another teenage boy who tries to fight for his dreams, only to be destroyed by the reality of the world. It follows the story of a boy named T.J. who has just moved to the city from his home in the farmlands of the south. He tries to take some of his home with him by building a rooftop garden with a group of city boys, but the owner of the building finds out T.J.’s plan after the roof sags under the weight and demands that the dirt and grass are removed. In his anger at the situation, T.J. runs away, determined to return to his farmland if he cannot have it in his new home. He was still looking for new ways to control his own future, even when the odds were against him. Many adults in his situation may have given up at the first sign of trouble, but his younger, more impulsive mindset allowed him to stick to his dreams throughout everything that happened, even if it wasn't the most logical choice.

[X]

Through all of this teen-oriented media that focuses on the darker side of carpe diem, we can find a deeper message. People who have become accustomed to the world that demands much and offers little would rather avoid the dreamer’s mindset that many teenagers pose. They most likely had it once, but lost it when faced with challenge after challenge. They don’t want to look at teenagers and see the idea of carpe diem in action, because they are aware how unlikely it is for these hopeful and romantic dreams to come true. As a result, many who have given up eventually become part of the problem, making it harder for dreams to ever be accomplished, such as the harsh principal, Mr. Nolan, of Wellton, the school, in Dead Poets Society. As the boys and John Keating, their teacher, question the methods of the school, they are met with the realism of the other staff there. We are all born romantics, but life crushes us into realists before we can dream too much.

If we look at other examples, though, we can see that not everyone has been crushed by the world. Some people still preach carpe diem well into adulthood, and try to keep teenagers from being talked out of their mindset of freedom and hope. If one looks at the commencement speeches by Steve Jobs and Billy Collins, one can find a more upbeat and go-getter message for teenagers and young adults. Both speeches have an overall message of ‘be risky, and live in the present.’

[X]

In his speech, Billy Collins focuses on the idea of living in the present, saying, “The future will never arrive and … no one has ever experienced it” (1). He is saying that it is better to live in your present time because you can never really reach the future. Collins continues later into the speech, “We can assess the present only after it has passed”. The future will always be a bit out of your grip, and the past beyond you as well, so seize your current day.

Billy Collins talks about living in the present, and enjoying the moment, an idea many impulsive teenagers ignore. They are so busy leaping into the future, trying to change it before it arrives. However, he doesn't hold the message that we shouldn’t worry about changing the future, as much as he encourages people to change the future through living in the present.

[X]

Steve Jobs, on the other hand, has a more direct message. He talks about his personal experiences in doing everything parents tell teenagers not to do, and all of his failures and mistakes along the way. He dropped out of college, was kicked out of his own company, and overall, made a lot of choices that might not seem like a good idea to many people. “It wasn’t all romantic…” he explains, expressing the ‘real’ sides of carpe diem while, at the same time, sharing the more optimistic angles of the idea. Teenagers can relate to him because he is sharing a message that many have already been following, without ‘sugarcoating’ it. In him, they see a man who made many mistakes and still came out successful. They see someone who tried to seize his own future and succeeded. Teenagers make choices that may be impulsive and rash in an attempt to seize their day, and sometimes, it even works out in their favor.

[X]

Science can tell us all the concrete reasons behind why teenagers are impulsive and rash creatures. Yet, only experience and reality can show us another, deeper, side to that impulsiveness. Teenagers want control over their own future, and they aren’t afraid to fight for it against all odds. This blatant disregard for the seemingly solid truths of the world may seem silly to many adults, but maybe by taking a closer look at teenagers and how they try to live we can plainly see the importance of seizing the day.

They are the perfect window through which to see carpe diem in action, because they show the rest of the world that seizing the day isn’t logical, clean, or orderly. Even people who have long lost their youthful drive to seize the day can recall some of the impulsive drive of youth, by looking back at teenagers, both real and fictional. To really carpe your diems, as Mr. Keating from Dead Poets Society would say, you need to be willing to break out of the mold and fight for what you believe in.

[X]

Work Cited

Collins, Billy. "Commencement Speech." Graduation. Colorado College. Speech.

Dead Poets Society. Perf. Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke. Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, 1989. Netflix.

Deal, Borden. Antaeus. Mankato, MN, Creative Education, 1993.

Gregoire, Carolyn. "Why Are Teens So Moody And Impulsive? This Neuroscientist Has The Answer." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 June 2015. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.

Jobs, Steve. “How To Live before You Die.” 12 June 2005, Standford University, Standford University, Commencement.

"The Teen Brain: Still Under Construction." National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.

[orendarecords]

Los Angeles Percussionist and Composer Ben Rempel Releases Debut EP "Desert Music" on Orenda Records

“You have to get over the color green; you have to quit associating beauty with gardens and lawns; you have to get used to an inhuman scale; you have to understand geological time.” –Wallace Stegner

Desert Music, the debut EP from Los Angeles percussionist Ben Rempel, is a fresh, inter-genre exploration of time at different scales. Through a combination of minimalist percussion compositions and improvisation by an ensemble of distinctive musicians, Desert Music reflects on the grand, hostile, fragile, and rough beauty in Southern California’s deserts.

Though this EP is a debut, Ben Rempel has already embraced a wide array of musical practices early in his career. He has immersed himself in studies of contemporary western classical music, free improvisation, jazz, Brazilian music, music and dance of West Africa and its diaspora, and cross-cultural collaborations. All these influences manifest organically in Rempel’s compositions and improvisational style, and coalesce into an especially mature voice for a maiden voyage recording.

At the core of Desert Music are several rhythmic cycles, which are manipulated through improvisation, phasing, polyrhythms, swing, and modulation. In “Spheres” and “Horizons,” these cycles orbit one another in low drums and gongs. The compositions “Geologic” and “Coyote” each center around a provoking rhythm cycle and are expanded through open-ended improvisation. The four tracks flow together seamlessly as one continuous work.

Comprising the rest of the ensemble are violinist Keir GoGwilt (of Mark Dresser’s quintet), cellist T.J. Borden (of the Mivos Quartet), bassist Jordan Morton, and percussionist Amy Cadle (who collaborates with samba masters Ailton Nunes and Dudu Fuentes). Co-producer John Burnett was a vital collaborator throughout the editing process.

In the desert we are confronted with the vastness of the earth, exposed landscapes, and an incomprehensible scale of time and space that is not human, but geologic. This debut EP presents an artist whose musical vision is as expansive as the desert, and launches a career dedicated to the exploration of layers of time, like the layers of our planet’s long and mysterious history.

[tijuananettnett]

CONCERT + ARTIST TALK La Musa is an international transdisciplinary project for new contemporary and present music, art and culture initiated by Duo Muze - Diego Muné (AR) and Bernadette Zeilinger (AT), and currently touring with T.J. Borden (NY) La Musa presents a programme with own up-to-date works of professional musicians and artists at more than 100 events every year with music, sound sculptures, dance, live painting, literature, cinema, film music, silent movies & live music, boat concerts, exhibitions, workshops, master classes and so on at Schloss Schoenbrunn, Austrian National Library, Votivkirche, Otto-Wagner-Kirche, Ruprechtskirche, Konzerthaus, ORF RadioKulturhaus, Museumsquartier, Leopold Museum, WUK, Alte Schmiede, Porgy & Bess, Central Library, Japanese Embassy in Vienna, Ars Electronica Center in Linz, Stadtmuseum Munich, Museum of Modern Art in Olomouc, Belvedere Nettuno, Villa Adele Museo Archeologico in Anzio, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Villa Croce in Genoa, ​University Vienna, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland/ Music in Basel, University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham, University San Diego, Northern Arizona University and many other venues. La Musa is working in projects of scientific research and was collaborating with one of the biggest research centers: the CNR Pisa in Italy, where a team of doctors studied concerts of La Musa. Go.ETe _ Contemporary Flute Festival, CIMT _ Festival in Vienna, the ensemble ORCHIDEE and Orchidee _ Miniatur Fest, concert on board and more is part of La Musa’s playing schedule. Please join us from 7pm to 9pm for a concert and dialogue with the artists. Suggested donation 30-60 pesos. https://web.facebook.com/events/1968413946766388

[borderlandnoise]

CONCERT + ARTIST TALK La Musa is an international transdisciplinary project for new contemporary and present music, art and culture initiated by Duo Muze - Diego Muné (AR) and Bernadette Zeilinger (AT), and currently touring with T.J. Borden (NY) La Musa presents a programme with own up-to-date works of professional musicians and artists at more than 100 events every year with music, sound sculptures, dance, live painting, literature, cinema, film music, silent movies & live music, boat concerts, exhibitions, workshops, master classes and so on at Schloss Schoenbrunn, Austrian National Library, Votivkirche, Otto-Wagner-Kirche, Ruprechtskirche, Konzerthaus, ORF RadioKulturhaus, Museumsquartier, Leopold Museum, WUK, Alte Schmiede, Porgy & Bess, Central Library, Japanese Embassy in Vienna, Ars Electronica Center in Linz, Stadtmuseum Munich, Museum of Modern Art in Olomouc, Belvedere Nettuno, Villa Adele Museo Archeologico in Anzio, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Villa Croce in Genoa, ​University Vienna, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland/ Music in Basel, University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham, University San Diego, Northern Arizona University and many other venues. La Musa is working in projects of scientific research and was collaborating with one of the biggest research centers: the CNR Pisa in Italy, where a team of doctors studied concerts of La Musa. Go.ETe _ Contemporary Flute Festival, CIMT _ Festival in Vienna, the ensemble ORCHIDEE and Orchidee _ Miniatur Fest, concert on board and more is part of La Musa's playing schedule. Please join us from 7pm to 9pm for a concert and dialogue with the artists. Suggested donation 30-60 pesos. https://web.facebook.com/events/1968413946766388

[hottytoddynews]

Javon Patterson & Eli Johnson during spring practice. Photo by Steven Gagliano

Ole Miss junior offensive lineman Javon Patterson is an active volunteer in the Oxford/Lafayette County community. On Tuesday, he was recognized for his service, earning one of 108 spots on the 2017 Wuerffel Trophy watch list.

The Wuerffel Trophy, known as “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service,” is presented annually by the All Sports Association in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.

Patterson, who is also a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, has mentored children with the Marks Project and Reading with the Rebels programs, has helped local families with meals at holiday time, visited patients in hospitals, assisted with flood relief in Baton Rouge and South Carolina, and volunteered with a blood drive and a “Caps for Kids” program. The marketing major from Petal, Mississippi, has also been a member of the NCAA Division I Football Recruiting Ad Hoc Working Group.

On the field, Patterson has been a valuable starter in the interior of the offensive line during his first two seasons in the Red and Blue. He was the only Rebel lineman to start every game last season (nine at left guard, three at center), while helping the Rebels lead the SEC in passing yards and achieve big wins over No. 11 Georgia and No. 8 Texas A&M. As a true freshman in 2015, his efforts contributed to the Rebels shattering most of the single-season offensive records and making the school’s first Sugar Bowl appearance (and win) since 1970.

Voting for the Wuerffel Trophy is performed by a National Selection Committee that includes college football television and print media, industry notables, former head coaches and prior Wuerffel Trophy recipients.  

Ole Miss’ Deterrian Shackelford won the 2014 Wuerffel Trophy.

Nominations for the Wuerffel Trophy are made by the respective universities’ sports information departments and will close Oct. 13.  A current list of nominees can be found at http://ift.tt/29QMOJq beginning Aug. 1. Semifinalists for the award will be announced Nov. 2, and finalists will be announced Nov. 22. 

The formal announcement of the 2017 recipient will be made at the National Football Foundation’s press conference in New York City on Dec. 5.

The presentation of the 2017 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 49th Annual All Sports Association Awards Banquet on Feb. 16, 2018, in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

Past winners of the Wuerffel Trophy are Rudy Niswanger (LSU-2005), Joel Penton (Ohio State-2006), Paul Smith (Tulsa-2007), Tim Tebow (Florida-2008), Tim Hiller (W. Michigan-2009), Sam Acho (Texas-2010), Barrett Jones (Alabama-2011), Matt Barkley (USC-2012), Gabe Ikard (Oklahoma-2013), Deterrian Shackelford (Ole Miss-2014), Ty Darlington (Oklahoma-2015) and Trevor Knight (Texas A&M-2016).

The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 23 awards boast more than 800 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more.

2017 WUERFFEL TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY BY UNIVERSITY)

A.J. Coney, Akron, Senior, WR

Zach Guiser, Akron, Senior, DB

Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama, Junior, DB

Taylor Lamb, Appalachian State, Senior, QB

Jacob Alsadek, Arizona, Senior, OL

Tashon Smallwood, Arizona State, Senior, DL

Frank Ragnow, Arkansas, Senior, OL

Blaise Taylor, Arkansas State, Senior, DB/ST

Daniel Carlson, Auburn, Senior, PK

Vinnie Palazeti, Ball State, Senior, OL

Taylor Young, Baylor, Senior, LB

Brett Rypien, Boise State, Junior, QB

Fred Warner, BYU, Senior, LB

Raymond Davison, California, Senior, DL

Joe Ostman, Central Michigan, Senior, DL

Christian Wilkins, Clemson, Junior, DL

Derek McCartney, Colorado, Senior, LB

Zack Golditch, Colorado State, Senior, OL

Gabe Brandner, Duke, Senior, OL

Davon Grayson, East Carolina, Senior, WR

Jeremiah Harris, Eastern Michigan, Junior, DL

T.J. McCoy, Florida, Sophomore, OL

Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic, Sophomore, RB

Alec Eberle, Florida State, Junior, OL

Jeb Blazevich, Georgia, Senior, TE

Aaron Davis, Georgia, Senior, DB

KeShun Freeman, Georgia Tech, Senior, DL

Noah Borden, Hawaii, Junior, LS/ST

Steven Dunbar, Houston, Senior, WR

Rashard Fant, Indiana, Senior, DB

Kayden Elliss, Idaho, Junior, LB

Josey Jewell, Iowa, Senior, LB

Joe Campos, Iowa State, Senior, OL

Joe Dineen, Jr., Kansas, Junior, LB

Dalton Risner, Kansas State, Junior, OL

Matt Bahr, Kent State, Junior, LB

Courtney Love, Kentucky, Senior, LB

Grant Horst, Louisiana, Senior, OL

Lamar Jackson, Louisville, Junior, QB

Danny Etling, LSU, Senior, QB

Ryan Yurachek, Marshall, Senior, TE

Adam Greene, Maryland, Senior, PK

Spencer Smith, Memphis, Senior, P

Demetrius Jackson, Miami, Junior, DL

Shaquille Quaterman, Miami, Sophomore, LB

James Gardner, Miami (Ohio), Junior, WR

Brent Stockstill, Middle Tennessee, Sophomore, QB

Ryan Santoso, Minnesota, Senior P

Gabe Myles, Mississippi State, Senior, WR

Corey Fatony, Missouri, Junior, P

Andrew Wood, Navy, Junior, OL

Drew Brown, Nebraska, Senior, PK

Austin Corbett, Nevada, Senior, OL

Austin Proehl, North Carolina, Senior, WR

A.J. Cole III, North Carolina State, Junior, P

Andy Flusche, North Texas, Senior, DL

Max Scharping, Northern Illinios, Junior, OL

Justin Jackson, Northwestern, Senior, RB

Tyler Newsome, Notre Dame, Senior, P

Drue Tranquill, Notre Dame, Senior, DB

Nic Weishar, Notre Dame, Senior, TE

Tracy Sprinkle, Ohio State, Senior, DL

Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State, Senior, QB

Josh Marriner, Old Dominion, Senior, RB

Javon Patterson, Ole Miss, Junior, OL

Juwaan Williams, Oregon, Senior, DB

Marcus McMarion, Oregon State, Junior, QB

Trace McSorley, Penn State, Junior, QB

Brian O’Neill, Pitt, Junior, OL

David Blough, Purdue, Junior, QB

David Wells, San Diego State, Senior, TE

Nate Velichko, San Jose State, Senior, OL

Justin Lawler, SMU, Senior, DL

Tre Alford, South Alabama, Senior, DL

Antoine Wilder, South Carolina, Sophomore, LB

Harrison Phillips, Stanford, Senior, DL

Zack Mahoney, Syracuse, Senior, QB

Keith Kirkwood, Temple, Senior, WR

Todd Kelly, Jr., Tennessee, Senior, DB

Koda Martin, Texas A&M, Junior, OL

Gabe Schrade, Texas State, Senior, TE

Gabe Lloyd, Texas State, Senior, LB

James Sherman, Texas State, Junior, PK/P

Tyler Watts, Texas State, Junior, WR

Tryston Mizerak, Texas State, Senior, OL

Cody Thompson, Toledo, Senior, WR

Seth Calloway, Troy, Senior, DL

Parry Nickerson, Tulane, Senior, DB

Willie Wright, Tulsa, Junior, OL

Shaquem Griffin, UCF, Senior, LB

Kenny Young, UCLA, Senior, LB

Folorunso Fatukasi, UConn, Senior, DL

Adam Breneman, UMass, Senior, TE

Nico Falah, USC, Senior, OL

Auggie Sanchez, USF, Senior, LB

Chase Hansen, Utah, Junior, DB

Dallin Leavitt, Utah State, Senior, DB

Ryan Mata, UTEP, Junior, QB

Marcus Davenport, UTSA, Senior, DL

Tommy Openshaw, Vanderbilt, Senior, PK

Quin Blanding, Virginia, Senior, DB

Joey Slye, Virginia Tech, Senior, RB

Wendall Dunn, Wake Forest, Senior, DL

Azeem Victor, Washington, Senior, LB

Peyton Pelluer, Washington State, Senior, LB

Rob Dowdy, West Virginia, Sophomore, OL

Mike White, Western Kentucky, Senior, QB

Jamauri Bogan, Western Michigan, Junior, RB

Follow Ole Miss Football on Twitter (@OleMissFB), Facebook and Instagram. For more information, visit http://ift.tt/16ouVLF.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports 

  The post Javon Patterson Makes Wuerffel Trophy Watch List appeared first on HottyToddy.com.

[fileunder]

https://soundcloud.com/madison-greenstone/mirror-stratum

[batcheat]

Carpe Diem: Creation or Destruction?

When observing the core differences that exist between human beings, modern society tends to emphasize the importance of our own personal identities. Throughout our lifetime, we build on the view we have of ourselves through experiences, decisions, and problem-solving, constantly changing our answer to the ever-present question of “Who am I?” However, we cannot forget that we are currently limited by the constraints of time, and its byproduct of death. As pressure to advance with lifetime desires while the chance is present (carpe diem; “seize the day”) grows, the process of building identity must be sped up in order to match the rigor of actually doing so. Because this notion of carpe diem has continuously been proven to affect one’s life decisions, an interesting question should be considered.  Does the practice of “carpe diem” build identity, or destroy it? Does the desperate desire for satisfaction completely disregard the identity that we’ve built, or does it advance it further?

As shown during its many years of existence, the ideology of carpe diem seems to serve as a sort of motivator. By providing stressful incentive, it stimulates one’s identity by provoking new thoughts, wants, and dilemmas, forcing it to branch out even further. The added weight of our impending death pushes us to consider what limits we can break and what things we can achieve in that limited time. Because of this, when we adopt the practice of carpe diem, what we consider “seizing the day” essentially adds to our personal identity. What are our goals? What should we do, and why? What do we want to do? The answers to these questions set every person apart.

A prominent example of this effect is present in the character of Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) in the film Dead Poets Society. Prior to the movie’s events, Niel blindly followed the direction of his father without exploring his passions or going out of his way to commute to his own desires. At one point, he even goes as far as to say that he was “trapped” (DPS, 1989). However, after he is introduced to the idea of carpe diem by John Keating (Robin Williams), his teacher, he proceeds to place rebellion and going after his acting dream under the umbrella of “seizing the day”. While this did not solve Perry’s conflict, it seems to have added more to the personal identity that he already had by discovering his underlying desires.

In addition to provoking new desires, the physical practice of carpe diem will undoubtedly present the practitioner with obstacles and consequences along the way. Problem solving is another core part of one’s identity, as how we deal with problems will determine how our life will progress over time. Once we are faced with a new problem, our decisions and the aftereffects will leave a mark on how we think and act. For example, in the short story text of Antaeus by Borden Deal, the main character of T.J. must deal with the unfamiliar problem of having his farmland taken away from him (Deal 6). Because he has never dealt with this conflict before, its occurrence forces his identity to extend and find new substance in order to come up with a solution. The fact that he responded by destroying his own creation rather than having it done by someone else added to the independent and tenacious identity that had already been recognized by the audience and other characters (Deal 8).

While some may argue that the lengths taken to “seize the day” may overwrite or destroy one’s identity, it essentially depends on the outlook an opinion is based upon. In the case of the “8 May 1905” section of Einstein’s Dreams, one can easily attest that the expected “end of the world” forced the characters to abandon their previous selves in order to come together and enjoy what was left of their time. Although this is reasonable, it can also be refuted with the idea that the characters were merely suppressing their true identities, not discarding them. For example, the text describes friendly neighbors and a woman who carries out her hidden desires in pursuit of last-minute satisfaction. Both situations portray a different subject finding ways to deal with the same problem; the approaching oblivion prompts strangers to become friends and a married woman to cheat with another lover (Lightman 68). Just as earlier mentioned, these problem-solving solutions are building on the identities of these people, as each of them are practicing carpe diem in their own way.

When discussing this topic, it’s important to note potential differences in viewpoints. The proposed question of carpe diem’s effect on identity is a subparticle of an even bigger inquiry: what is identity? What does it include, and how it is made? This answer may vary between people; we cannot describe how it is influenced unless we can describe identity itself. Even so, of course, arguments can still be made.  The current standing that I seek to advocate is that the practice and ideals of carpe diem do advance our personal identities even further, presenting us with complex worries and situations that eventually pull out impactful decisions by force. To put it into an analogy: with just one simple instruction, the recipe for “seizing the day” has an endless combination of ingredients to add to the mix.

[annn-yi-blog]

From Seized by the Day to Seizing the Day

Carpe diem.  It sounds like such a cliche, but to be honest, doesn’t everyone want to have an extraordinary life?  Most everyone at some point or another has dreamed of becoming a superhero, changing and saving the world. While that sounds great in theory, in reality, achieving an extraordinary life is extremely daunting, as every wrong decision can make that extraordinary life ordinary. However, there is a solution to this. Change. Through change we can fix our mistakes.

Some people are excited for change and welcome it with open arms. Nuwanda, from the movie Dead Poets Society, fits this category. He is one of the first to immediately accept Mr. Keating’s unusual teaching style, and repeatedly shows throughout the movie that he is willing to be different. Nuwanda also doesn’t question his own decisions; when he does something he doesn’t look back and lives with whatever choice he’s made. There is a glimpse of that in the beginning of the movie when Nuwanda is the first to rip out the pages from the textbook. The next is when he decides to mock Welton Academy and Mr. Nolan, by asking them to bring girls to the school. Nuwanda shows this trait again when the boys are being questioned about Mr. Keating; he sticks to his guns and refuses to say anything negative about his teacher, even though it will cost him his spot at Welton. Nuwanda is not the type to be bogged down by routines and habits just because that’s the way he’s been doing it, he does things because he wants to. Nuwanda won’t become stuck in life, like many of us are, because he is not afraid to change.

 Most of us fall into the other category. We’re a bit reluctant, if not terrified, to change.  Take, for example the boys from the short story Antaeus, who were a bit skeptical to join the new kid’s idea about making a roof top garden. Their gang had never done anything productive, and T.J. (the new guy) had come strolling in with the idea to actually make them work. How was this going to affect them? Did they really want this kind of change with their friend group? Or Todd Anderson, another character from Dead Poets Society, who was also afraid to accept change. He was stuck in the shadow of his older brother, and struggled with trying to find out who he wanted to be. Should he follow his brother’s footsteps, which would earn his parent’s and the school’s respect, or should he become his own person, where he would be happier? And if so, how should he achieve the latter? While these characters opposed change in the beginning, by accepting it, they were able to grow and start living the life they wanted.

Many of us search for the one, perfect way to live our lives, but we never really achieve that. In the podcast Hidden Brain: Getting Unstuck, the show’s host Shankar Vedantam and some other interviewees talk about how there are actually multiple, different versions of yourself, living perfectly fantastic lives. We get stuck looking for a single path, going round and round in circles, not making progress. The only way out of this rut is to change the path you are on. One of the people interviewed, Dave Evans, says that most of the things people view as problems, are simply just circumstances. We cannot change these circumstances, and trying to change them leads us to becoming stuck. To solve this problem, Evans suggests planning three completely different lifestyles. If one doesn't work out, you have two more to chose from. This way of planning out your life prevents the long time periods of being stuck, doing nothing. It gives you another plan that you like, so you can get back on your feet sooner. Carpe diem is about making the most out of our lives, but we can’t live to our potential if we’re wasting our time wondering how to fix our circumstances. Change will force us to start making our way to a more fulfilled life.  

It’s quite hard for people to change. Changing requires us to step into the unknown, and some of these unknown factors can actually trigger the fight or flight responses in our brains (Percival). Change makes us feel insecure because we cannot predict the consequences from each big change. Jeremy Marchant, a business consultant, puts change on a ‘stretch zone’. Some changes cause only a little discomfort, but others can cause panic, stress, and fear. When people reach the panic area, most will try to rush back to their comfort zone. In the book, The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves by Stephen Grosz, he talks about how when the North Tower was hit on 9/11, many people remained in the South Tower despite the alarms telling them to evacuate. They continued to go to meetings, save their work, and did everything but evacuate the building. However, these small tasks cost them their life. Grosz says “We are vehemently faithful to our own view of the world, our story. We want to know what new story we’re stepping into before we exit the old one. We don’t want an exit if we don’t know exactly where it is going to take us, even - or perhaps especially - in an emergency” (121). He also cites other examples of situations where there is an emergency and people still either mill around, trying to get more information, or ignore emergency exits and go for the door they came in. In emergencies, people want to get back to their comfort zone, something they know. People will perform the same actions in a regular day and in an emergency because their habits comfort them. This is why people went back to their meetings in 9/11 and why they went for the door they walked in, rather than the emergency exit. Most of the time, change just gets dropped upon us. Because we aren’t prepared to deal with it, we’ll go into a state of panic and make irrational decisions, even ones that put our life at risk.

We may resist change, but we need it in our lives and it is ultimately leading us towards something better. In some cases, a change in habit can save a person's life, giving them the opportunity to literally seize another day; but a person doesn’t have to be on the brink of death to feel the positive effects of change. To find out who we are, or even just to reach happiness, we have to try out a few different situations to even realize what we want. Dave’s solution of creating prototype lifestyles is just a way to make change less painful. If we have a backup plan, maybe we wouldn’t panic so much when forced to change.

Carpe diem is about making the most out of our lives. To do that, we cannot waste time wondering how to fix unfixable problems; rather, we could change the perspective and work on the solvable problems. By accepting change, we are accepting a happier lifestyle. We are accepting control of our own decisions, rather than waiting for an outside force to push us into a certain direction. Looking back at the end of our lives, those who accept change will be able to say they have seized every day, and they have lived extraordinary lives,

Works Cited

Dead Poets Society. Directed by Peter Weir, Touchstones Pictures, 1989.

Deal, Borden. Antaeus. Evanston, McDougal Littell, 1994.

Grosz, Stephen. The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves. E-book, W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.

“How Silicon Valley Can Help You Get Unstuck.” Hosted by Shankar Vedantam. Hidden Brain, NPR, 3 Jan. 2017. Transcript.

Marchant, Jeremy. “Why Don’t Some People Want to Change?” Emotional Intelligence at Work,

Percival, Angela. “Fear of the Unknown and How the Mind Works.” Counselling Directory, Memiah, 9 Apr. 2013,