Rami Ungar The Writer

The Pulse: A New Oppurtunity

Posted: March 6, 2012 in Journalism, Politics and Leadership, Progress Report
Tags: activism, college life, journalism, online magazine, writing

Good news, ladies and gents: today, just barely two hours ago, I met with the Pulse, a social action magazine for students here on campus. According to their website, the Pulse “gives a voice to Ohio State Progressives, enhancing the intellectual and political consciousness of Ohio State students, and changing the culture from one of apathy to one of activism. With accurate coverage of current events in news and politics, as well as campus life, The Pulse will provide thoughtful analysis of important contemporary issues. We, the youth, speak for ourselves.” Yes, that is a long statement, but it gets me pumped just reading about it!

I learned about the Pulse through an email from the English department, where the Pulse was asking if anyone was interested in doing some writing for them. I thought to myself, “Why not? It sounds like the kind of stuff I’d be into, and besides, it’d be something I could add to my resume of publications.” I sent a reply listing what little I’ve already written, and got an email back. Today we met at the Union and discussed the section I’d be working in, The_______Generation, which is meant to talk about the many facets of the generation of today.

I’m super-excited to be working with the Pulse, and I hope to have an article out soon. I’m hoping to do something involving social media, it is pretty pervasive in our society today. I’ll write a new post soon when I get my first article out.

To visit the Pulse’s website, follow the link below.

http://thepulse-mag.org/

All for now. See ya next time!

Review: Lindsay Lohan on Saturday Night Live

Posted: March 4, 2012 in Review
Tags: Lindsay Lohan, review, Saturday Night Live

I love Saturday Night Live. Every time there’s a new episodes, you can know that’s how I spend my Saturday nights. I love that show…when they’re funny. Sometimes they miss the mark on that. Last night on SNL, well…first, I was really surprised that Lindsay Lohan, who somehow got to be host last night, was not drunk or high or anything else while on stage. It’s almost disappointing. There were funny moments though, such as the Mysterious Phone Calls skit, the Real Housewives of Disney skit (by the way, none of those shows have real housewives), and of course, the Weekend Update.

However on other skits it could be better. The skit that parodied 50’s rebel films just seemed like Fred Armisen getting hit by cars repeatedly while wearing drag, and the MacIntosh skit–usually funny as hell–was undermined by Lohan’s inability to show emotion. And the early morning radio skit just didn’t reach my funny bone.

Still, the show’s funny parts are always well worth it. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give this episode a 3.4.

Tune in next week, when Jonah Hill of Superbad fame hosts, with musical guest the Shins (I have no idea who they are either).

Update: The Birth Control Debate

Posted: March 1, 2012 in Politics and Leadership
Tags: birth control, government, proper decisions, religious organizations

Just saw on AOL News that the Blunt Amendment, which would’ve allowed institutions or their insurers the rights to not cover any form of health-care due to “moral reasons”, failed in the Senate by a close vote. Can’t say I’m sad it didn’t pass; not only is the amendment really just an effort to ghet rid of Obama’s birth control policy, it just sounds like it’s giving too much power to religious organizations over their employees. It would be bad if you worked for a Christian Scientist organization and you weren’t a Christian Scientist.

And I’m glad women still have access to birth control. Not only does it stop women from getting pregnant when it’d be difficult or unfeasible for them to have children, birth control has other benefits, including stopping ovarian cysts and other reproductive problems in women. Perhaps religious institutions–some of which can be very patriarchal in nature, and therefore unable to make proper decisions when it comes to matters related to the females of their group–should consider that!

Oh, and Mr. Limbaugh, you are not funny! Calling women sluts, saying that Georgetown students want birth control just to have sex, and then using the aspirin bit?! Where do you get off saying all that on the radio?! Shame on you!

Reborn City Update 2-27-12

Posted: February 28, 2012 in Novel, Progress Report
Tags: Academy Awards, editing, The Help, writing

Sound the trumpets, I’m officially a third of the way through editing Reborn City. I just finished Chapter Eight, and although it’s a short chapter, it’s what I’d call a transitional chapter. With this chapter we really start to get into the thick of the plot and to the events that lead to the climax of the novel. I’m looking forward to seeing where I go from here in terms of editing. A lot in the first eight or so chapters has really changed from even the draft before it, so I wonder how much more will change.

Hope to have more for you soon.

Oh, and a huge congratulations to Octavia Spencer for winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in her role of Minny Jackson in The Help. Honestly, you brought the character to life, and endeared her so much to me. I wish you continued success in your future and perhaps, if God blesses me and I’m lucky enough, we could work together sometime (there’s a character in a series I plan to write someday that’s even more cantankerous-yet-hilarious than Minny, and I can’t imagine anyone but Ms. Spencer playing her).

The Birth Control Debate: Why Are Men Dominating The Talk?

Posted: February 23, 2012 in Politics and Leadership
Tags: birth control, Catholicism, WWII/Holocaust

Okay, I’m a little confused. Why, in the name of God, are men the ones who seem to be the only ones we’re listening to on television about this? Men?! Just a reminder folks, men can’t have babies. I know it’s hard to believe, but men can’t have babies. So should they really be telling women how they should use their bodies or whether or not they can prevent themselves from getting pregnant? My answer: no! (And I’m saying all this as a guy. Then again, I’m a feminist and I grew up in a house full of women and girls, so I guess I’m an exception).

Also, the Catholic Church is making a huge fuss about the birth control option in Obama’s policy. Once again, the people getting upset are the male policy-makers of the Catholic Church, who cannot get pregnant, even if they wear gowns while praying at the altar. And apparently ninety-eight percent of Catholic women use birth control and feel guilty about it. Ladies, don’t feel guilty; feel enraged! I mean, you can’t get birth control but apparently guys can get Viagra. There’s something wrong about all that!

And to all those religious institutions who feel threatened by the birth control policy of the Obama administration, please stop using Nazi Germany references for your plight. The Obama administration is not preventing you from going to school, to public areas, taking away your property or forcing you to wear humiliating yellow patches on your clothes. They’re requiring your insurers to pay for birth control. When all the other stuff I listed starts happening, then you can start complaining about the government barring your religious liberties in a fashion similar to Hitler! The people who should really be complaining about having their religious liberties barred in front of Congress are the Muslims living in France. Have you seen the situation over there?!

Finally, I’d just like to mention that although you object to paying for women’s birth control, you should know that when you pay your employees, they can use that money for whatever they want, even condoms or strip clubs or stuff you guys find abhorrent. Just something to think about.

That’s it for my rant, talk to you later.

Prediction: Alcatraz

Posted: February 21, 2012 in Predictions

I haven’t seen the latest two episodes, but I am totally hooked on the new FOX show Alcatraz. I love the concept, its X-Files-meets-crime-drama feel, and the characters are so much fun. And let me tell you, I’ve had a ball trying to predict where this show is going to go. I’d like to give you my predictions for who originally took the ’63s, if nobody objects.

(silence around the computer. the sound of typing resumes.)

So, we know (or at least I know; you may know more if you’ve watched the latest two episodes) that the ’63s are coming back at various rates, all as young as the day they disappeared, and all with what appears to be memory modification. This argues either for a temporal rift in the space-time continuum, or some form of suspended animation (I think it’s more likely the latter). Also, some of these 63s have been given missions, though they can’t remember who has given them these missions. This rules out government conspiracy, as there’s no self-respecting government in the world that’ll let former-convicts-turned-operatives out of their sight to cause havoc, they prefer to control their operatives. So maybe aliens took them; however aliens would also give all the 63s missions pertaining to some ultimate goal, not just a few. So who does that leave? Someone or something that doesn’t mind letting loose all the 63s to cause a little chaos before moving onto the big plan.

I’m thinking demons and devils. They’re using the 63s in order to prepare for a non-Mayan end of the world, and the 63s are some kind of scout group. That would be why the 63s are being left mostly to their own devices (oh, you horrible devils!). We can also back up this idea with references from Detective Madsen’s grandfather about something below Alcatraz, and a shot from a previous episode involving an underground door with a “subterranean visitant”. It may also explain why the medical doctor and the psychologist were returned earlier than the other 63s.

Anyway, I can’t wait to see if I’m right.

Well, I’m done ranting. How about we close up this entry, huh? Okay then, see you later.

Oh, before I forget, still doing another edit of Reborn City, but it’s taking a heck of a time, seeing as I’ve still got homework and classes and whatever. I’ll get it done eventually, though!

Review: Tangled

Posted: February 14, 2012 in Review
Tags: college life, films, holidays, review

Well, for all you Valentine’s Day lovers, here’s a post about a heartwarming story: Disney’s 50th animated feature film (no seriously, it is their 50th. I know, I thought it’d be higher than that!), Tangled. Now I know I’m more of a traditional animated-by-hand kind of guy, I don’t know any anime nut who isn’t, but I still thought it was a nice story, even though the scene where the ruffians in the oddly-named tavern sing a honky-tonk song seemed a little strange. Maybe I’m just too used to the way ruffians in a bar usually act, with fists and whatever.

Anyway, I was watching the film because it’s Valentine’s Day this week and all week my residence hall is doing Valentine’s-related activitiies. Tonight was movie night, and because no normal guy would want to watch your regular collection of chick flicks like The Notebook or Dear John, the activity board chose the movie being reviewed. I was a little skeptical about the film, for my own reasons, but my sisters loved it, so I thought I’d give it a try. Turns out, I was actually touched, and even was held in suspense near the end. Disney, you did yourself a fine job with this film.

Now I’d like to introduce the rating system that I’ll be using from now on when I do reviews. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give Tangled a 4.5.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.

Winter Quarter Half-Time Report

Posted: February 7, 2012 in Living and Life, Progress Report, Uncategorized
Tags: college life, editing, midterms, Super Bowl

No, the title of this post is not a reference to the Super Bowl. You’ll probably be disappointed to know that I am not a fan of sports and only watched a small part of the Super Bowl just so I could be social with the other tenants of my building.

Anyway, to the point of the post: I just got out of the last of my midterms, so the quarter is officially halfway done. Another four weeks and I’ll be worrying about finals! Yippee! My tests were okay, I think I did especially well on my History exam. The English exam was difficult though because it involved a lot of poetry and as you probably realized, I’m mostly a fiction kind of guy. Anyway, I’ll keep working hard.

Oh, and speaking of fiction, I’m still giving Reborn City another edit, but what I’ve done so far is pretty good. I think that maybe after this edit I’ll be ready to find an agent. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best, okay?

In the meantime, I’ll try and get some editing done after this post. Bye!

A Novel Idea: EUGO’s workshop for tomorrow’s novelists

Posted: January 26, 2012 in ideas, Novel, Progress Report

On Monday I went to a meeting held by the English Undergraduate Organization, or EUGO. The meeting was for those who wanted to write novels, who were writing novels, or had written novels and were unsure of what to do next (I think I fit into all of these categories, what do you think?). Two staff members from the English department, each with a couple of novels under their belts, were there to talk about their experiences and give feedback and answer questions for those of us who wanted to write novels.

That meeting was very informative and I learned several things: one was that the standard route was no longer publishing short stories before publishing novels, especially in the age of the Internet, although it does help to have a foundation so that agents and publishers can at least tell that you aren’t just some obscure wannabe. I also had an idea for Reborn City: for a while I’d been bugged by my heroine’s motivation in joining a gang, about how it just didn’t seem a realistic reason to join. However I had an epiphany at the meeting and decided to change her motive for joining the gang. Just like that the story seems so much better, and I’ve only edited a single chapter so far!

Anyway, I think after this draft Reborn City will seem that much cooler. Perhaps I might even be able to find an interested agent. I’ll let you know.

If you happen to go to my university and are interested in EUGO (and you should be, even if you just minor in English), go to their website at https://english.osu.edu/undergrad-studies/organizations-activities/eugo

All for now. Bye

SOPA & PIPA Bills: My Own Opinion

Posted: January 20, 2012 in Politics and Leadership

As far as I know, I’m the only person around who actally thinks the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act are good bills. Whenever it’s brought up (and it’s brought up in the strangest places, such as my British literature class), people look at me like I’m crazy. Am I crazy, or are the bills just misunderstood?

Both bills aim to curb the amount of illegal downloading and trafficking of copyrighted propety, particularly that of foreign websites. However, opponents fear that the bills, if made into law, will give the State Department too much power and lead to the censoring of online speech. If you actually look at the text of the bills though, the State Department only has the power to handle websites that facilitate illegal downloads and the like. So as long as you aren’t infringing on copyright laws on the Internet, I’m sure you’ll be fine.

PS I sent off “The Street Urchin’s Gift” yesterday. Let’s hope it finds a good home at a nice magazine.