President Barack Obama, who has been in the White House for little more than 9 months, was named the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 today. The White House was notified at 5:00a.m. this morning. President Obama joins a small and prestigious list of world leaders who have been honored with the reward. When Al Gore received the reward in 2007, I remember feeling so sad that we should have had a Nobel Peace Prize winner as President; but instead, we were handed a President who would eventually earn the lowest approval ratings of any President in American history and who was responsible for an endless number of social, economic, and military disasters. President Obama was humbled by his selection:
“I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations. To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize — men and women who’ve inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace. But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women, and all Americans, want to build — a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents. And I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it’s also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action — a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.”
CONGRATULATIONS President Obama…The United States of America is PROUD that you have been selected as the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient!
The UCF Knights handed the Tigers of Memphis a solid loss on Saturday in-front of a large and boisterous crowd on Parents’ Day at Bright House Networks Stadium. After running into some offensive stalls during the first half, the Knights turned-up the heat during the second half, forcing multiple turnovers and having mostly scoring drives. Running back Brynn Harvey (a recruit out of Largo) carried the ball 42 times and accumulated a whopping 219 yards of rushing while the Knights offense racked-up a total of 475 yards. The Knights now have a bye-week and will have the opportunity to get some much needed rest and recovery before taking-on the #17 Miami Hurricanes at home. The game is sold-out. The UCF CON/COHPA Tailgate Party will be held in Memory Mall (right next to Fairwinds Alumni Center). The time is TBA. GO KNIGHTS!!! BEAT THE ‘CANES!!!
UCF suffered a major setback to their season on Saturday in their 19-14 loss to ECU. The Knights doomed themselves with failed executions, missed tackles, and missed field goals. Quarterback Brett Hodges made their work even harder handing the Pirates 4 interceptions, one of which came in the final 1:30 after the Knights scored and recovered an onside kick near the 50 yard line. Penalties were also costly for the Knights; a false start set that onside kick starting field position back 10 yards. The Knights (2-2, 0-2 CUSA) now have 2 losses in CUSA and are virtually shut-out of the chance to fight for the conference championship. UCF should now focus on winning at least 5 of their remaining games and making a post-season bowl game appearance. They’ll get their start this Saturday as they return home to take on the Memphis Tigers. Kickoff is set for 3:30pm. The CON/COHPA Tailgating Party will begin @ 10:00am in Lot E-6 right in-front of BHNS.
Media scientists have been researching the bias of Fox/Faux News Channel for a few years now. Look at the research conducted by Harvard University’s Communication and Media studies department, follow the watchdog group Media Matters, or watch the documentary OutFoxed if you’d like to see some of the scientific analyses. But their biased and laughable coverage hit a pinnacle last week when a producer was actually caught coaching the right wingnut protesters at a 9/12 “protest” to begin cheering loudly and acting angry during filming! Click the URL below to watch both the video of the producer instructing the crowd to escalate their “protest” and how it appeared on Fox/Faux News Channel. PATHETIC! Anyone who thinks this channel is “fair and balanced” should see a psychiatrist! Fox/Faux News Channel is about fabricating stories, skewing statistics, and providing a platform for the moronic right. The good news is that it continues to rate as the least watched 24-hour news channel in the United States. The sad news is that some people actually think it is honest and truly covers the news. 
Robert Vendetti, an alumni from the University of Central Florida’s College of Graduate Studies, sees the release of the motion picture based on his graphic novel on comic book series Surrogates released this Friday in movie theaters nationwide. Entertainment Weekly called this tale of people who live vicarious lives through their artificial (and artificially gorgeous) “surrogates” “a resplendently grimy commentary” on our times. “The minute I heard Bruce Willis was cast was the first moment I allowed myself to hope that this might actually get turned into a movie,” Venditti says with a laugh. “A producer who had just hung out his shingle called me up [Max Handelman]. He shopped it around, ran into a studio guy who had just seen Sin City and wanted ‘something edgy, comic-booky’ like that. So Mandeville Films got involved, then Jonathan Mostow [director of U-571, Terminator 3], with screenwriters from Terminator 3. “I’ve been involved, at least in the loop,” he says. “I looked at it from the perspective that these other people were creative minds in their own right. If they’re inspired by something I did to bring their own creativity to it, I’m taking that as a compliment and letting them do what they want. They were staying true to the themes and adding their own ideas and plot lines and characters. You know they’re going to add explosions. That’s Hollywood.” Surrogates releases Friday from Touchstone Pictures. To visit the ridiculously cool official Site for Surrogates: 
