The Smart Alec Difrawi

Hi, I’m Alec Difrawi known on this site as The Smart Alec. It’s a term I’m often referred by and not usually as a form of endearment. I hope you enjoy my blog and to borrow a quote from my favorite author (Samuel Clemens):

“Anyone attempting to find a motive in this blog will be prosecuted; anyone attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; anyone attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. By Order of the Author”

Play Time Is Over?

April 24th, 2012 Leighann Carroll
Credit: http://www.playworks.org/blog/whos-recess

Credit: Playworks

Recess is a very happy time for students. It gives them a chance to play with their classmates and forget about school for just a minute; but research has shown that the amount of time students get for recess has steadily decreased since the 1970’s.

Science Daily  explains that since then, “children have lost about 12 hours per week in free time, including a 25 percent decrease in play and a 50 percent decrease in unstructured outdoor activities.” This would help to explain why childhood obesity and lower test scores are on the rise. Read more »

U.S. Secret Service Scandal: What Were They Thinking?

April 23rd, 2012 Caitlin Salovich
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-04-17/news/31357074_1_agents-jay-carney-secret-service

Apparently, what happens in Columbia doesn’t stay in Columbia.

So far, six Secret Service agents, including two supervisors, have either lost their jobs or resigned as a result of an alleged prostitution scandal that blew up media outlets last weekend.

The employees, who were placed in Cartagena, Colombia to prepare for President Obama’s arrival, were sent home after allegations surfaced that they were involved with as many as 21 prostitutes and possibly some illegal drugs at their beachside hotel.

Read more »

Get Involved: Parents In Schools

April 20th, 2012 Leighann Carroll
Leighann Carroll on parent involvement in school credit: NH State PIRC - NCLB and School Accountability

According to the Michigan Department of Education, students whose parents take an active role in their child’s life at school have a higher chance of being academically successful and have less behavioral issues. However, this brings about the question of how to get parents more involved.

The ‘No Child Left Behind Act’ is attempting to promote parental involvement by requiring that schools keep parents informed on how they can get involved. Read more »

Transgender Miss Universe: Is the World Really Ready?

April 16th, 2012 Caitlin Salovich
Source: Strangecosmos.com

23 year old Jenna Talackova, who underwent sexual reassignment surgery at age 19, was recently disqualified from the Miss Universe pageant for stating on her application that she was a natural-born female.

After weeks of controversy and media outburst, it is announced that the Canadian beauty will be the first official transgender allowed to compete in the Miss Universe pageant.

Read more »

The Hunger Games: Entertainment or Tool for Conditioning the Masses?

April 9th, 2012 Caitlin Salovich
Caitlin Salovich post for Alec Difrawi on hunger games credit: movie poster

Apocalyptic type movies have been hitting theaters in full force over the past few years, but none have made an impact like the film, The Hunger Games. The first big movie of the year 2012, this film delivered one strong performance complete with a star studded cast and special effects.

Based on the epic novel by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games was presented by the media as a teen sensation comparable to the popular Harry Potter or Twilight series. But instead of wizardly magic and battles between vampires and werewolves, The Hunger Games offered up something much more realistic to its viewers.

Read more »

The New Orleans Saints’ BountyGate Suspensions: Justifiable or Just Plain Crazy?

April 9th, 2012 Ronnie Smith
Ronnie Smith and Alec Difrawi on New Orleans Saints credit: http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/-Acs34k5z4C/Carolina+Panthers+v+New+Orleans+Saints/r9493gmCdmz/Sean+Payton

By now, almost all NFL fans are aware of the Saints BountyGate scandal. The story is so controversial that mothers, sisters, wives, and yes, even band geeks have heard about the news as well. It seems that the subject touches a nerve with almost anyone discussing it. The story transcends sport. Everyone knows how violent of a sport football can be. Even though violence is expected on the gridiron, the football world was shocked to hear how far the Gregg Williams-led Saints defense had taken it. The story was so off-the-wall that it has even made the national news. Read more »

Google Play is a Step in the Right Direction

April 2nd, 2012 Mary Staggs
Alec Difrawi and Google Play credit: http://www.linoob.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/google_play_feature.png

The amount of entertainment that can be downloaded or streamed digitally continues to grow every day. I haven’t stepped into a physical bookstore since late 2010 and yet, I’m a voracious reader. Thanks to e-books, I can download new reading materials almost instantly. The same goes for music and movies. I rarely buy DVDs and CDs. Because of this, I was intrigued when I saw that Google recently released its newest service, Google Play, an extension and rebranding of the Android Market.

Google Play offers books, movie rentals, music, and games at comparable prices to iTunes and Amazon. The question used to be whether or not to buy digital. Now, it’s less a question of what to buy and more about where to buy. As more online services begin to offer instant downloads of books, music, and movies, consumer allegiances are being tested.  Read more »

Andrew Breitbart’s Death: More Questions than Answers?

March 26th, 2012 Caitlin Salovich
Andrew Breitbart credit: http://uncommonshow.com/

Andrew Breitbart credit: http://uncommonshow.com/

Andrew Breitbart, a conservative blogger and the founder of such websites as BigGovernment.com and BigJournalism.com, died unexpectedly last week due to natural causes.  While many right-wing supporters view this as a tragic loss to the political world, close friends and conservative websites are beginning to question if his death could be more than just mere coincidence.

For those that are unaware of Andrew Breitbart’s influence on the political scene, he was the man responsible for the demise of many Democrats’ political careers. A legendary right-wing powerhouse, Breitbart was someone who would stop at nothing to reveal the truth to his avid group of supporters. His solid determination, one that ultimately gave him his fame, would also bring him to his death.

Read more »

Blue-Bloods or Barely-Knowns: How Do You Like Your March Madness?

March 23rd, 2012 Ronnie Smith
Ronnie Smith on March Madness credit: http://uwelectioneye.seattletimes.com/

Here we are, barely halfway through the 2012 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship, and we can already call this the “year of the upset.” It seems like I hear that title tossed around almost every year, because every year seems to have its fair share of upsets. Every year, there’s a new Gonzaga, VCU, or Butler waiting to bring even more madness to the Madness. But this year, that madness has already been on another level. Before Thursday night, a 15 seed had defeated a 2 seed only 4 times in Tournament history, and the last time it happened was 11 years ago. Thursday night, it happened twice. Norfolk State was able to knock off heavily-favored Missouri, and later on in the day Lehigh took down mighty Duke. Add 13 seed Ohio’s defeat of 4 seed Michigan to the mix, and all of a sudden we had a very different looking round of 32 than we all expected. Read more »

Are Our Electronics Getting Too Hot?

March 22nd, 2012 Mary Staggs
Alec Difrawi and iPad 3 Thermal Imaging credit: http://news.consumerreports.org/assets_c/2012/03/ipad_thermal_images-1-thumb-598xauto-4319.jpg

You’ve probably been warned to be careful with your electronics before. Don’t leave them in extreme temperatures. Clean the vents. Make sure the fans are working properly. Make sure everything is properly ventilated. If you don’t follow these rules, your electronics are likely to see the repair shop sooner rather than later.

New high-powered tablet temperatures are starting to make consumers wonder if their devices are pushing electronic boundaries. Earlier this week, Consumer Reports released the results of new testing that confirms that the new iPad 3 is significantly hotter than the previous versions of the iPad. When playing a game that uses maximum processing power, the iPad 3 is 12 to 13 degrees hotter than the iPad 2. When plugged in, the iPad 3 reaches temperatures of up to 116 degrees.

Read more »

What’s New For Windows 8

March 3rd, 2012 Mary Staggs
Alec Difrawi and Windows credit: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17ewjj12vb3k1jpg/original.jpg

As Microsoft launches a beta release of its newest operating software, Windows 8, you may be wondering, “Why do we need another version of Windows so soon?” Windows 7 was released in late 2009, only three years after Vista. Windows 8 is on track to be released on the same timetable, with a date yet to be set but rumored to be sometime in late 2012.

 

Why, though, should we be excited for a new version of Windows? For starters, this new technology will connect the personal computer, tablets, and phones in a way that they’ve never been connected before.

Read more »

Should We Buy into the NFL Scouting Combine Hype?

March 2nd, 2012 Ronnie Smith
Alec Difrawi and NFL Combine credit: http://www.gatorsportsnation.com/football/gators-at-the-2012-nfl-combine.html

The NFL season of speculation (and mock drafts) has officially begun. Now that the NFL Scouting Combine has officially concluded, we have two whole months until the NFL Draft. We have two whole months to argue over who will be picked by what team. That also gives us two whole months to pray that our favorite team gets it right. Two months is just way too much time between NFL events. That’s a lot of time to rely on playing Madden 2012 to get an NFL fix.  I guess desperate times truly do call for desperate measures.

With the memories of this year’s Scouting Combine still fresh in our minds, there is no denying how popular the event has gotten. Every year, more and more people tune in to see grown men run sprints in tights. During the offseason, armchair quarterbacks turn into armchair generals as they scrutinize every single potential boom or bust that runs a cone drill.

But does it all really matter? Is a Scouting Combine performance a good indicator of a player’s NFL potential? Read more »

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