Missy Franklin really stood out at
the 2012 Olympics for accomplishing so much at the age of 17. She took home
five medals (four gold) and set an individual world record in the 200-meter
backstroke. She not only set the record, she was the first American to even win
the race in 40 years. Later, Franklin was later part of the 4x100-meter
medley relay squad that also set a new world record. Consequently,
Franklin has been the second most talked about swimmer after Michael Phelps!
Because of her efforts, the United States eventually beat out China and 202
other countries to win the overall medal count in the 2012 Olympic Games. In celebration of her success at the Olympics,
Frankin got a hip tattoo of
the Olympic rings! She said this would be her one and only tattoo,
emphasizing the importance this event has had in her life. These accomplishments weren’t possible if Franklin hadn’t
been motivated from a young age. Since Franklin was 6 months old, she’s loved
swimming. Franklin stated in an interview, “All I remember, is I just loved swimming more than anything.
I loved being in the water more than on land because I was so comfortable in
it.” It’s very inspiring to see that she’s
had these dreams to be a great summer from such a young age. But, I also think
great genes played a role because her 6’1 ft height and size 13 feet help her
swim faster. Furthermore, I found the advice six-time
gold medalist Amy Van Dyken told her very inspiring, because I can relate this
to my own life as I make my way through college. Dyken told her, "Race
your race and not the 'names' that may be next to you…Everyone is in the same
boat at this meet. So just remember that, no matter what you see or hear, have
a blast!” Something humorous I found out about Missy Franklin was that
shade a deal with her coach Todd Schmitz prior to the 2011 FINA World
Championships that he would have to shave off his moustache and goatee that he
had sported for several years if she won the three events she was competing in;
and she did! In addition, I found out
Missy loves The Hunger Games book
series, which is my favorite book! I’m coincidently doing my third assignment
on the movie based off of it too. Furthermore, she loves Tangled and Despicable Me,
which are both my favorite movies. Thus, she has my vote as one of my favorite
American athletes at the 2012 Olympics, on top of all her accomplishments. After
all this newfound success, Miss Franklin has been entertaining her fans like me
by appearing on an episode of Pretty
Little Liars and the MTV Video Music Awards. More recently, Missy
was accepted to UCLA on an athletic scholarship where she intends to study broadcast journalism or marine biology and
pursue a professional swimming career. I’m sure her career will only go up from here!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Restaurant Review
Olive Garden
7700 Transit Road Williamsville, NY 14221
(716) 565-5423
Olive Garden is a great Italian restaurant
for the family, without excellent service. When we arrived for dinner last
Saturday, there was a 40-minute wait time, with only a few families ahead of us.
Luckily, my family and I received a table for six within 20 minutes! The aesthetics
of the restaurant remind me of an Italian style home. Even the cobble stone
walls and unique rooftop are reminiscent of Italy. Inside, the wooden chairs
and tables, the well lit rooms, and the mustard yellow walls give off a comfortable
and cheerful atmosphere. All the tables were well spaced out, so that there was
enough room to move around and no one else could over hear your conversations. The
restaurant is overflowing with rich smell of seafood and pasta sauce.
After finding our seats, our server
welcomed us and introduced us too all the dinner specials and new entrees with
a good amount of detail. She quickly brought out our drinks and complimentary bread
sticks, which were hot to the touch. The menu offered a variety of foods like
pastas, pizzas, seafood, soups, salads, and appetizers. There weren’t so many
dishes that you were overwhelmed or too few dishes listed. They even had healthier
options for my dad who is watching out for his diet place since his heart
attack. Overall the price ranges for main dishes were $15-20 with appetizers
starting at ten dollars. I had ordered a new dish to the menu, Lobster
Cannelloni with Shrimp. The rest of my family ordered Ravioli di Portobello, Cheese
Ravioli, Herb Grilled Salmon, and Seafood Alfredo.
We received our salads and soups that
came with the entrees, within a few minutes after ordering. The wait for our
main entrees came fifteen minutes later. The wait wasn’t too long and our
server considerately checked on us three times. When our food arrived, I was
surprised the Lobster Cannelloni with Shrimp was smaller in quantity than I
expected, especially since it was served on such a large plate. For a $20 dish,
I wasn’t pleased with the price, since there was so little on my plate. My
mother was also dissatisfied because her Seafood Alfredo was served a bit cold.
The server immediately took care of her problem by bringing out a fresh, new dish.
She apologized to my mom because her dish became cold, as it was the first dish
prepared. The server informed us that the manager would not charge us for that
meal, which was very gracious of them.. However, the rest of my family enjoyed their
meals, which were all beautifully presented and garnished. We were very satisfied
with the rich taste. Throughout the meal, the server continued to ask us if we
needed anything, which was very helpful.
Upon finishing up, we were offered to
try out some dessert, which we decline. Then, we were given the bill promptly,
and our server offered to pack our leftover food too. We were overall satisfied
with our experience as Olive Garden offered delicious food, a great environment,
and excellent service. We will be sure to come again.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Plagiarism
Unintentional plagiarism is a
serious issue because it reflects on our academic integrity. For every course
here at UB, there is a section dedicated in the class’s syllabus regarding
academic dishonesty. The issue of unintentional plagiarism comes up in every
aspect of our lives in regards to music, art, college papers, technology, etc. There
can even be lawsuits for serious offenses. You will even immediately fail the
course your taking for the very first instance of plagiarism. When I was taking
my honors seminar UGC 112, with Dr. Mcguire, he asked us to e-mail him common
English mistakes students make when writing. For example, saying “Frank gave
the bag to Ryan and I” when it should be “Frank gave the bag to Ryan and me.” A
few students actually copied exact examples from various websites and emailed
it to him. While it seems harmless to just copy facts on grammar mistakes
simply because you’re lazy or find it trivial, it seriously reflected on the
students because they were honors students. During class, Dr. Mcguire passed
out the list of common mistakes with those examples plagiarized in their own column.
Thus, the best way to avoid
unintentional dishonesty is just to cite, cite, and cite everything! Even if
you have background knowledge on a topic, it’s best to give credit by
mentioning it in the footnotes. I actually made this same mistake in my paper
for Assignment 1 so it’s best to cite whatever you can. Another way to avoid
plagiarism is to simply avoid “googling” ideas from sites like Sparknotes.
Formulate your own opinion, rather than trying to find other ideas out through
the Internet. It’s more than likely that every student in your class has already
looked at Sparknotes too. Some may have copied directly from the website or
just based an idea off of what they said. Even if you unintentionally tried to
make a claim your own, just credit where credit is due.
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