Life, The Universe and Everything: Ridiculous Surprises

This entire book so far can be considered surprising, and it is largely due to the Douglas Adams’ writing style. His writing is so ridiculous and humor-based that anything he can imagine, he can write. For instance, the most recent ridiculous occurrence has to do with Marvin, the depressed robot, and a remote planet that grows living mattresses on trees. The mattresses are inherently good-natured and amiable, while Marvin is the opposite. Marvin gets into a conversation with one of these mattresses, and he tells it how he is walking in a circle for millions of years simply to pass the time. This is obviously surprising for the simple reason that is absolutely ridiculous. A depressed robot walking in circles for millions of years having a conversation with a friendly mattress…

Amir's Atonement

Amir has a lot to atone for. He has completely torn Hassan and Ali away from his family for the most selfish of reasons. He framed Hassan for theft and then let him take the blame. He watched Hassan get raped for a stupid blue kite, and then pretended it never happened. He isolated Hassan for no reason, and was jealous of the attention Baba sometimes gave to Hassan.

For all of these things, Amir clearly feels guilty. However, he felt guilty while he was doing these things as well. As he was framing Hassan, he "wondered how and when I'd become capable of causing this kind of pain." (pg 105) While he was doing these awful things, Amir knew that it was wrong. Because of this, atonement would be very difficult (if even possible) for him to reach.

A Preview to Life, The Universe and Everything

The Front Cover

• Life, the Universe, and Everything - Douglas Adams
• There is a comical picture of a planet in a solar system
• It's hard to say what the book is about based on the title. The title describes the broadest possible topics in existence.
  
• Will this book finally provide the question to Life, the Universe and Everything (to which the answer is 42)?
  
• Even though this is the third book in the trilogy, there are still two more sequels. What is left open-ended?

The Back Cover

• No synopsis
• The reviews all talk about how unique and hilarious this book is. It fits with my impressions of Adams' other books
• The back cover only mentions one character, Arthur Dent.

Inside the Book

• Copyright - 1982
• For Sally
• No table of contents, chapters go by number
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
• Adams' writing style is very humorous and spontaneous.
  

Overall Impression
Overall, based on my preview, I think I'm really going to like this book. The humorous writing style that I've seen in Hitchhiker's Guide, and its sequel is obviously present in this book as well. I think the characters will remain the same with a few new minor characters introduced throughout the book. I think a good understanding of the first two books in the trilogy will be useful (but not necessary) in understanding and appreciating this book. By the end of the story, I'd like to know the question to life, the universe, and everything. I'd also like to know if Arthur Dent will ever find a true home, and if Trillian will settle down with Arthur like she should.

Run, Bugsy, Run!

Stationed on the edge of the Amazon Jungle, there wasn't much to keep Private Bugsy entertained. Ever since leaving home three months earlier, he had submitted himself to the quiet life of a lowly Army base maintenance specialist. Fixing sinks, clearing gutters, and, if he was lucky, cleaning off a tank were the only activities available to keep Bugsy's mind off of the swarming mosquitoes and sweltering heat.

Then, one day, Bugsy's opportunity to both keep himself entertained and maybe even shorten his time away from home presented itself in the form of a broken toilet.

"Bugsy!" Commander Jones had yelled, "Fix that damned toiled! I've gotta do my business and I've gotta do it now!"

Bugsy knew what he had to do. Tired of being pushed around, sick of the tropical misery, and fed up with his mind-shattering boredom, Bugsy McBoom-Boom decided to take action.

30 minutes later, Commander Jones emerged from the latrine covered in what looked like melted chocolate, but was undoubtedly something much more digested and much less delicious. With water flowing at his feet and fists held clenched, Commander Jones searched for his new mortal enemy. He was unaware, however, that Private Bugsy was already jogging away from the base and into the jungle, quietly chuckling to himself along the way.

Apathy is the World's End

I have always agreed with the ideas represented in the quote: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing." The quote basically tells us that apathy and inactivity can be just as damaging as direct negative action. This, I believe, is completely true and has been shown time and time again throughout history.

The most obvious example that comes to mind is the Holocaust. The "evil" of Adolf Hitler's plan to create a racially pure Germany would never have succeeded if those who weren't being persecuted had stood up for those who were. But, thanks to apathy and dormancy, millions of innocent people were killed. The good people became part of an evil act simply by doing nothing to stop it.

Without good people in our world, evil would undoubtedly become the standard way of life. What defines good and evil is a whole different blog post, but I think that the overall statement is a sound and logical prediction.

Decisions, Decisions....

Decisions are cliched. The whole topic is cliched (in my opinion anyway). The best way to make a decision is to use logic and reasoning. To use a cliche (to describe this cliched topic...), you can't let emotions cloud your judgment.

When I have a decision to make, I try to use logic. For example, I recently decided which college I will be going to next year. That was a really hard decision. I had to decide where I would spend the next 4 years of my life, what school would give me the best education, where I would be happy, and how much debt I was willing to put myself in, all based on a few campus tours and information pamphlets. So, rather than let my fear and uncertainty cloud my judgment, I used logic to find my best option. RIT ended up being very close to my final choice, but I saw that it was emotions tying me to that school, and Penn State was a better option.

My decisions impact those around me in many ways. For instance, by deciding what college I am going to I am telling my parents that I will be a 3 hour drive from any direct family contact at all times (not necessarily a bad thing from my perspective...). Minor decisions like how I behave also affects my family's feelings and attitudes towards me.

Afghanistan for 33 million

You Will Need:

• 3 cups desert (for texture)
  
• 4 tablespoons religion (for that classic and homey feel)
  
• 3 tablespoons revolution (to counterbalance the religion)
• 2 cups foreign intervention (for structure)
• 1 pinch Taliban (because it's just not Afghanistan without it)

Instructions:
Mash it all together, and mix well. No particular order or technique is required. Bake on 350 for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Another Break Gone to College (last one ever!!)

So most of my break was spent visiting and deliberating my college choices. Honestly, I'm sick of college already and I haven't even gotten there yet. At least some of every break since the beginning of Junior year has been spent looking for the right college. I am going into engineering, and I am looking for a technically oriented, suburban, small, quiet school. At this point, I'm 90% sure I'm going to Penn State (which is not at all small or quiet (but does have a very highly ranked engineering program)).

Aside from college visits I spent time relaxing, visiting family, and celebrating passover. Of all the Jewish holidays, passover is easily my least favorite. I'm not allowed to eat bread. It sucks. What sucks even more is that my birthday is April 21st, and sometimes falls during passover.

So, to put it mathematically: Passover + Birthday = NoCake.

To further expand: Birthday - Cake = Awful

I hope that helps explain my dislike of Passover. But seeing my family was still nice...

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Excellent Random Title (prompt 18)

The title, "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe," is an excellent title. In order to match the book's tone, it had to be something funny and relatively ridiculous. It also catches the reader's attention very effectively, and turns out to be a rather large part of the story itself.

The real restaurant at the end of the universe is a restaurant contained in a time and matter protective shield that exists at the very end of the universe (think apocalypse). Patrons must travel through time to the very last moments of existence to eat at this restaurant, and while eating enjoy the show the universe puts on as it is brought to an end. Arthur, Zaphod, Trillian, and Ford are brought to this restaurant when Zaphod tells the computer to bring them to the closest place to eat. The computer then jumps through time to the restaurant at the end of the universe (which happens to exist in that very location millions (and millions and millions) of years later. While there, the group sees a turning point in their trip. They abandon their starship and begin traveling to their final destinations (for this book anyway). For this reason, the title is very well planned.

If I were to rename this book, I would frankly have a very hard time. I would try to match Adams' sense of humor while still keeping the title relevant to the story. The best I can come up with is, "Who's the Nutter In Charge Here??" My title isn't as good as Adams', but I think it has potential. The true ruler of the universe turns out to be a mentally ill man kept locked away in a shack on a remote planet protected by a massive improbability field. This title also conveys the sense of aimlessness and confusion often felt by the characters throughout the book.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Misleading Motives (prompt 7)

My predictions from prompt 6 were pretty far off. I predicted that the book would be an adventure story of the group trying to find the true ruler of the universe. It ended up being the opposite. 

Rather than try to find the true ruler of the universe, Zaphod tried to run away. The book ended up being an adventure story of the group trying to avoid finding the ruler of the universe. Although in the end they fail (and successfully find the true ruler of the universe), the vast majority of the book seemed to be random wanderings around the universe (which I was very okay with). 

My predictions were wrong because I put too much faith into Zaphod's determination, and not enough into his lazy and self-serving attitude. A responsible and curious person would have searched for the one true ruler of the universe as he was supposed to, but that didn't adequately entertain Zaphod. I should have seen those aspects of Zaphod's personality and adjusted my predictions accordingly.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Confusing Improbability (prompt 2)(chapter 27)

In this one page chapter, Zaphod and Trillian rematerialize in a completely random place in the universe after jumping into an unprogrammed teleporter to avoid certain death. Against all odds, they end up on the starship Heart of Gold. They had previously abandoned this ship, and it is now in the possession of the man trying to force Zaphod to find the one true ruler of the universe. 

So, I have to wonder, how did they end up back on the ship? The starship Heart of Gold has a one-of-a-kind improbability drive that causes the most improbable things to happen when engaged. However, this was not mentioned. All that is said is Zaphod and Trillian happen to reappear on the ship. The occupant of the ship never engaged the drive, so I don't understand what is going on. This is probably the only down side to Adams' writing style. I think he sometimes uses his humor and this improbability drive to make ridiculously impossible things happen to move the plot along, and here I think he overdid it.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Loner Hitchhikers (prompt 3)(chapter 26)

In chapter 26, Arthur and Ford find themselves stuck on a ship full of millions of useless members of society that is heading for a pre-programmed crash landing on a remote planet. While on the ship and after crashing, Ford and Arthur remain isolated. Instead of helping the crew unload the millions of frozen people from the ship, they start to look around. And, as soon as they can, they leave to try to find a way off the planet.

This suggests to me that Ford and Arthur see themselves as either better than or completely separate from these people. Since they aren't from the same planet, Ford and Arthur feel no obligation to help save the lives of millions of frozen people. (Eventually, the ship sinks into a swamp with millions still frozen on board.) Perhaps as a result of their travels, Ford and Arthur feel as if they belong to a class of their own. 

For Arthur, this is a little more understandable. His planet is destroyed and he still hasn't gotten used to the galactic new world he now lives in. He clearly feels isolated from and ignorant of his surroundings throughout the story, and it is very clearly showing itself here.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Sacrifice Story for Funny (prompt 12)(chapter 22)

“On Earth – when there had been an Earth, before it was demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass – the problem had been with cars. The disadvantages involved in pulling lots of black sticky slime from out of the ground where it had been safely hidden out of harm’s way, turning it into tar to cover the land with, smoke to fill the air with and pouring the rest into the sea, all seemed to outweigh the advantages of being able to get more quickly from one place to another – particularly when the place you arrived at had probably become, as a result of this, very similar to the place you had left, i.e., covered with tar, full of smoke and short of fish.” – (page 168)

Douglas Adams wrote this nice piece of commentary into the beginning of chapter 22. He seems to do that a lot. Rather than continue the story or describe the setting, he gives the reader a laugh. In this chapter, two of the main characters have been randomly transported to an unknown location that could be anywhere within a few lightyears of nowhere. So, where most authors would launch into a long and (in my opinion) boring description of the new setting, Adams comments on modes of transportation. After he finishes criticizing cars, Adams shows the reader some popular protest songs against teleportation (which are all very entertaining).

I think Adams decides to include more humorous than pertinent information sometimes because it is simply his writing style. Readers like myself enjoy reading this kind of book because we don’t have to sit through long-winded descriptions just to prove an author’s eloquence. Rather, we have fun laughing and get something more from the book than just the story.

Below is an excellent example of how I feel when writers (or characters) go on and ramble about themselves or the setting or their thoughts or anything else really that isn't interesting. I think this book does an excellent job of keeping the reader interested, unlike some other books (**cough cough** invisible man **cough** crime and punishment **cough cough**) that we have read in the past.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: The Depressed Robot Holds the Key (prompt 4)(chapter 20)

In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, it is revealed that the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything is 42. The question, however, must be figured out by the giant organic super-computer that is earth. Unfortunately, as we find out in the next book, Earth was destroyed by psychologists so they could preserve their business and retain their clients just before the question was found.

Now, Arthur Dent holds the question to the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything. The only question remaining is how do Zaphod and the crew get it out of Arthur? Nobody knows. At least that was how it seemed. In this chapter, Marvin makes a startling announcement. Marvin, a manic depressive robot, hears the crew discussing how to find the question and announce that he can see it stamped on Arthur's brain waves. When asked why he hadn't said anything sooner, he replies, "You didn't ask."

This obviously surprised me. As a reader and an analyst, this is not what I was expecting. As a reader, I see Marvin as a sad little robot with funny remarks who doesn't really do anything. As an analyst, I see Marvin as a minor character used primarily for comic relief. Either way, I did not expect him to be able to find the question to the ultimate answer of life, the universe, and everything.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Silly Zaphod... (prompt 13)(chapter 18)

In this chapter, Zaphod and the group are dining at the restaurant at the end of the universe (where the main attraction is the end of space and time itself). Rather than stay and watch the show, however, Zaphod decides to go down to the parking lot. While there, him and Ford admire the fancy cars and space-craft. One such vehicle catches their eye in particular. This vehicle is so black, that it can barely be seen. It's surface is completely frictionless and can therefore not be touched. Consequently, Zaphod and Ford decide to steal the car.

I think this is a very stupid thing to do. Given the fact that they have a one-of-a-kind improbability drive ship waiting for them some five hundred and seventy-six thousand million, three thousand five hundred and seventy nine years years in the past, why would they steal someone else's car? The improbability drive provided a useful way of escaping pursuit and making a good story. Now, they just have a really black car.

If I could give Zaphod and Ford some advice, I would say stick with what you have. You're making a very rich being very angry by stealing their car, and the last thing you need right now is more enemies.

The Restaraunt at the End of the Universe: Finally, a sarcasm to match my own (prompt 11)(chapter 17)

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy notes that Disaster Area, a plutonium rock band from the Gagrakacka Mind Zones, are generally held to be not only the loudest rock band in the Galaxy, but in fact the loudest noise of any kind at all. Regular concert goers judge that the best sound balance is usually to be heard from within a heavily insulated spaceship which stays in orbit around the planet--or more frequently around a completely different planet." --(page 114)

Douglas Adams has an amazing sense of humor, and it shows in his writing style. Very often, chapters begin with random tidbits of knowledge such as the above paragraph. These tidbits are always phrased to sound factual, but are at the same time completely ridiculous. Adams' use of sarcasm and humor in his writing greatly adds to my enjoyment of this book. As a fairly sarcastic person myself, reading is made much more enjoyable when I can laugh with the author.

Adams also uses fantastic action words when writing. He often treats inanimate objects as people in this respect (a drink machine "gurgles sweetly"). Little details such as this add to the humor in Adams' style and voice that really draws me to his writing.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Zaphod - the idiot, the president, the mysterious potential. (prompt 6)

"I don't know what this great thing I'm meant to be doing is, and it looks to me as if I was supposed not to know. And I resent that, right? The old me knew, The old me cared. Fine, so far so good. Except that the old me cared so much that he actually got inside his own brain - my own brain - and locked off the bits that knew and cared, because if I knew and cared I wouldn't be able to do it." ... "Well, I don't want to know" ... "That's my choice. I'm not going to be anybody's puppet, particularly not my own." (page 26)

Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ex-president of the galaxy, clearly has some issues. We find out soon after this quote that Zaphod only became president to find out who actually runs the galaxy (because the president has virtually no power in actuality). However, should he have gone through the mandatory head-screening process before becoming president with this motive in mind, then he would have been thrown out immediately. So, he locked away what he wanted to do so that even he didn't know it anymore. Now, it's coming back.

So, I predict that by the end of this book we will know who (or what) truly controls the galaxy. I think the rest of the story will be almost like an adventure while Zaphod and the rest of the characters run around the universe trying to unlock the clues in Zaphod's head. If not, then I really have no idea where this book is going, but I still like how it's getting there.

The following video is a pretty good visual representation of Zaphod's character from the movie, "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".

Who did Che want to become? Thesis

Che's genuine care and compassion for the underdogs of society led to his tendency to lose sight of what was truly best for nations as a whole while revolutionizing whatever countries he could.

Write me a story

Che spent a lot of time describing the history and people of Cuzco. Many other stories (books, movies, fables, etc) also focus on Cuzco. Using whatever random history or legend of Cuzco you may know (or find), write a short story with Cuzco as the setting.

I chose this as my Do Now because Cuzco is an interesting place with many legends within its history. Che explored Cuzco from a very factual and historical perspective, so I thought it would be interesting to think about some of the more legendary aspects of this city.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Humorous Hooker (prompt 1)(chapter 2)

"Listen, you machine," he said, "you claim you can synthesize any drink in existence, so why do you keep giving me the same undrinkable stuff?"

"Nutrition and pleasurable sense data," burbled the machine. "Share and Enjoy."

"It tastes filthy!"

"If you have enjoyed the experience of this drink," continued the machine, "why not share it with your friends?"

"Because," said Arthur tartly, "I want keep them. Will you try to comprehend what I'm telling you? That drink..."

"That drink," said the machine sweetly, "was individually tailored to meet your personal requirements for nutrition and pleasure."

"Ah," said Arthur, "so I'm a masochist on a diet am I?"

"Share and Enjoy."

"Oh, shut up."

Arthur decided to give up.

This argument between Arthur Dent (one of two remaining humans in the universe) and a commercial beverage machine which supposedly makes a drink specifically designed for whoever is using the machine occurs in the second chapter of my independent reading book, Douglas Adams' The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. By far, my favorite aspect of Adams' writing is his humor. It is what drew me to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and it is what drew me to this book. Since I don't particularly enjoy reading for symbolism or deeper meaning (sorry English teachers), I need this kind of humorous motivation to get me to read a book. I really enjoy this kind of reading, and it seems like it's really not a school assignment.

The Beginnings of a Revolutionary

Che's encounter with the asthmatic old lady seemed to prompt the first political rant we get to hear out of Che. His feelings of social injustice in respect to those such as the old lady who can no longer work are first shown here by this quotation. As he says...

"Individuals in poor families who can't pay their way become surrounded by an atmosphere of barely disguised acrimony' they stop being father, mother, sister or brother and become a purely negative factor in the struggle for life and, consequently, a source of bitterness for the healthy members of the community who resent their illness as if it were a personal insult to those who have to support them." (pg 70)

This event obviously influenced Che to start thinking with a communist/socialist frame of mind. Given what we know about Che's future as a socialist reformer, we can safely say that this event accurately shows his future views. This is, perhaps, the beginning of the transformation from the wandering doctor Che to the socialist reformer Che that now plasters counter-culture propaganda across the world.

America in Six Words

"This works adequately, So should you."

Broadness in Ideals

I believe that not all ideals have to be predefined. For example, if someone were to ask me my feelings on the insanity plea, I would have to think and most likely discuss for a while. I would try to gather facts and make an informed decision. I think that people run into problems when they circumvent this process and try to come up with their own opinions just to have an opinion. They often make the wrong decisions due to ignorance.
However, I also believe that a firm set of guiding principals is necessary for every person to have. These principals can come from religion, family, society, yourself, or any mix of the above. Once these principals are decided and ingrained in your thoughts, then your ideology is much more likely to have deeper meaning.

Personally, I draw much of my ideology from Judaism. While I am far from strict in my belief, I do see a lot of sense and reasoning in Jewish teachings. For example, I do not believe that there is an old man with a long white beard staring down at us from the clouds named God. Nor do I believe that eating a ham and cheese sandwich is wrong. However, I do agree with Judaism's teachings of tolerance, peace, and love. I firmly believe that one human being should not hate another just because of where he was born, and that war accomplishes very little in the long run. It is these guiding principals that I use to form my ideals.

So, to put it simply, rather than pretend to know everything, I prefer to form my ideals based on facts and my strong opinions (such as those described above).

Che and America Are NOT the Same

I think these two operations are almost complete opposites. What Che was trying to do in Bolivia was upset established governments by training guerilla warriors. What America and Pakistan are doing together is strengthening the Pakistani army and government in the fight against terrorist insurgents like Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Che’s aim was to topple established governments and begin revolutions, while America and Pakistan are trying to maintain order.
The operations do have some similarities, however. Both sides of every conflict believes that they are doing the right thing. Che thought that by reconstructing some Latin American governments, he could improve the quality of life for the people. And, the Americans and Pakistanis believe the same thing now. Overall, intentions tend to be good.

It was the Bolivians.... in the jungle.... with the gun

I think the Bolivian’s killed Che. He was a prisoner, a high officer was sent to see him, and he died. I think it’s pretty clear what happened. The Bolivian’s probably did it because of what Che had done and what he was planning to do. He was using their country as a training ground for rebels to overthrow the governments of Bolivia and other Latin American Nations. A person like that, from their perspective, is simply too dangerous to be left alive.

There is Nothing Lonelier Than Adventure

There is nothing lonelier than adventure

Not the abandoning presence of wonder
Not the unnerving silence of power
Nor the gut-wrenching, heart-throbbing, mind-bending, nothingness of death.

No,
There is nothing lonelier than adventure.

What Grinds Che's Gears

Since I missed a day of the documentary, I feel like I’ve missed some crucial turning points in Che’s life story. Based on what I do know, however, I think Che’s philosophy would consider the working class and common welfare top priorities. He would categorically denounce elite wealthy treatment. I think this because of his blatant refusal of special treatment due to his government status. I especially think of how he insisted on having illiterate peasants as bodyguards and teaching them to read. Other than that, I think Che’s mission statement would try to achieve the true socialist goal of total and utopian equality.

Documenting a Martial Art of Peace

If I were to make a documentary, I would make it on Aikido. Aikido is a Japanese martial art created around the WWII era that focuses on using an attacker's energy against them. The techniques used in Aikido are designed to keep the attacker and defender safe, rather than trading well aimed and practiced kicks, punches, and blocks.

I think this documentary would be interesting because Aikido is such a unique martial art in theory and visually. It's something that is hard to explain in words, but is very interesting to see and feel.

The Documentary (worthy?) Man

Is Che worthy of a documentary? I think he is. Whether or not he did good or bad things, Che definitely seemed to have made an impact on our world. If I were to be making a documentary on Che, I would focus on his political agendas. Obviously, he was a revolutionary, but what did he do to earn that title?

I would ask questions relating to his motives. I highly doubt that Che did the things he did to be evil, so why did he do them? What was his vision for the future, and why do people now see that as so controversial?

The Middle of Nowhere

The closest thing I’ve ever had to a real road trip is riding a train home from Florida. My family normally flies anywhere that would take too much driving to get to, so this was unusual. We flew down to Florida but thanks to a ruptured ear-drum on my part, we were grounded for the trip home.
I really enjoyed the train ride home. Even though it wasn’t the same as riding in a car, I thought it was fun. We could get up and walk around, have meals, and sleep pretty comfortably. The scenery that we saw on the train was much better than the highways we would’ve seen in a car. We must’ve passed through the middle of nowhere at least 6 times. I remember seeing dirt road towns and really old cars, and I also remember feeling like we were in an unsettled country entirely. It was surprising how much of America is still not modernized and city-like.

Motorcycle Diaries Preview

This book sounds like it might just be my favorite one so far. It sounds like the author, even if he is controversial, writes with passion and humor. I don’t think he’s trying to analyze societies problems in such a deep way like the other books, but he is obviously providing at least a little social commentary.

I Love Judging Books by Their Covers (...maybe that's why I don't read more...)

Certain books can catch my attention just because of their reputation (from authors or series). For example, the last Harry Potter book caught my attention as soon as it came out just because I had read the previous books. Other than that, books that contain pictures (like motorcycle diaries) catch my attention. Other factors such as genre, author, and awards/achievements listed on the cover catch my attention. Often, the cover is enough to catch my attention.

Disturbing Ignorance

I can’t help but agree with Beck’s claims. He seems to have substantial proof of what he is saying, and I have absolutely no background knowledge on the subject on which I could base any disagreements. Beck says that Che is not the hero he is made out to be, but a communistic killer instead. I’ve never really heard of Che before, so I have to take this argument as true. If it is true, I think it is disturbing how easily we are convinced to buy into a fake hero.
Beck is very convincing because of how he speaks and what he says. He uses facts and statistics to back up his opinions and even has a reputable outside source provide more facts and statistics. He also uses a very convincing style and voice. He uses animated hand gestures and passionate speaking tones to convey his message, and it is very effective.

First Post

This is my first post! I don't really have anything to say... but the blog works.

Enjoy!