Post #14 5/12/09 Picking Out the Bad Fruit

Darryl Strawberry was one of the most popular players in baseball during his career, which began in 1983 and ended in 1999. Drafted as the first overall pick in 1980, his future in the sport seemed bright. Three years later he went on to earn National League's Rookie of the Year award, and after that he was voted to the all-star team eight consecutive times. He also helped the New York Mets and the New York Yankees to win the World Series, which earned him four rings As his career blossomed, he became one of the most intimidating hitters and his swing was often compared to that of Ted Williams, arguably one of the greatest hitters of the game. However, unlike the success he had on the field, he had some failures off of it.

Unlike the controversy of steroids surrounding baseball today, Strawberry suffered from substance abuse. As a result he spent time in prison. Along with that he even had a battle with cancer. But after all is said and done, he does not regret any of the decisions he has made.

Like he said, “I'm not ashamed of who I am. Of course I'm ashamed of the things that have happened. But with life experiences, you're able to give back and help others.”

By making bad decisions we are given the oppurtunity to learn what we did wrong, and able to evaluate the whole situation so that we know what we should do when another scenario of the sort occurs again. Sure some of us would want to go back in time and do what he had done on the contrary, but we would not have the knowledge of what to do under situations like that.

By going to jail Strawberry had plenty of time to recuperate, and analyze the chioces he made during his life. When he finally got out he was able to clean himself up and was able to "find his way."

In his book "Finding My Way" he discusses the family conflicts he had at a young age that lead him to drugs and alcohol. Then through a long process of thought he tells readers how he was able to clean himself upand overcome his past. Through his mistakes he was able to learn about what his true identity was. After his epiphany he has started a few organizations willing to help others such as The Darryl Strawberry Foundation.

Like Strawberry, we should not avoid our pst decisions that were bad, but welcome them as life teachings. We need to realize that not only what we did was wrong, but to also find away how we can make it right the next time. This way we can make the right choice and help others to avoid making the extremely bad chioces.


Here is some more information about The Straw Man.
http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Strawberry_Darryl.html

Post #13 5/5/09 Life Commencements

As far as it may seem, the end of the school year is approaching and graduation is just around the corner for this year's senior classes. Before we know it we will be in their position, sitting down in our caps and gowns listening to someone give a commencement speech. No matter what, as we continue to move on to new chapters, we are constantly learning not only from the past but how we should lead our lives.

One of the most inspiring commencement addresses to me was that of Steve Jobs. As most of you may know Steve Jobs is the CEO of Apple. However, in his commencement speech he revealed much information that many of us did not know and probably would have never guessed. Put up for adoption, not attending college, and being diagnosed with a rare type of Pancreatic cancer, were several things he spoke about. Linking them to the importance of "finding what you love" he wanted to leave the new grads with the curiosity to simply to what they love and if they do not know what their love is, to find it. In his very own life Steve Jobs followed his own heart. It was his choice to drop out of college, yet by following his heart he provided himself with the confidence to do what he desired and overall, it was by far the best decision he has ever made. After finding Apple in his parents garage at the age of twenty he was actually fired since the company sided with the other co-founder. But that did not stop him nor the love he had for his job and what he did.

He would later find a company called NeXT, and help find the company Pixar which would both blow up. Apple would eventually buy NeXT, and Pixar would grow into animation's finest company.

If he would have stayed in college, Apple may have never been founded. If he never stayed compassionate for his job, maybe Apple would not be what it is now. But that was not the point of his speech. The point was to show these Stanford grads how integral it is to find what you love, no matter how difficult it is, and to do it.

Like Steve Jobs said,

"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Not only was his speech very inspiring but very true. By failing to do something you do not love and choosing to live someone else's life you lose a sense of who you are and live a life full of regrets. Do your own thing even if it requires you to continue searching for what yo want to do. Just do not give up searching, because only time will tell you when you know what you want to do. Just be open and continue to learn.

Here is his complete commencement address.


Here is a list of other notable college commencement addresses that hopefully you will learn something from.
http://www.humanity.org/voices/commencements/

Post #12 4/28/09 "Earth" is a Scary Place

Recently released to theaters on Earth Day was Disneynature's first documentary "Earth." Showcasing the one year journeys of several animal families, namely the African Elephants, Polar Bears, and Humpback Whales, "Earth" gives an in depth analysis of different types of events that these animals face every day while capturing the beauty and essence of nature. So long these details sound peachy keen, and if you have seen the trailerthe scenes are stunning and adorable. However, there are some unfortunate events in nature that take place but are necessary to be filmed. In making this particular type documentary the director must include all of the realities of nature even if it requires shooting a caribou calf being killed and eaten by a wolf or a baby elephant wandering farther and farther away from its mother until it is lost.

Although "Earth" seems to capture some of our planet's most intimate moments and appears as a family friendly film, it drops the ball with a proper rating. According to Jsse Ellison in "Newsweek" he witnessed a child frightened by the scene of a wolf preying on a calf. I myself have not yet watched the movie but for a scene of that nature even giving some of the adults in the theater goosebumps, this docementary should not have been rated G. Sure this documentary may only have a very few scenes like the one just described but one bad scene can easily terrify a child. Just imagine a second grade class going to watch this movie as a field trip. Since the movie is rated G none of the adults would assume that there would be any graphic images. Most likely, only two teachers and a few parents would chaperone, so when that one scary part arrives the majority of the children would not have anyone to comfort them when they are overcame by fear.

In the words of University of Illinois professor, Barbara J. Wilson, states, "As many parents have learned, younger children were more likely to focus on the Tviolent behavior which is concrete and easy to see." With that said, children will be vulnerable and open during this violent scene and will most likely turn away a few seconds later instead of turning away so that they will miss the scene. To be safe, this movie should at least be rated PG. This way a situation like that would never occur, and parents would have to accompany their child to this movie and thus able to be there for their child during frightening scenes and to explain to them the reality of what they just observed. Although the directors meant no harm, there is no such thing as being too safe.

Here is more information on Professor Wilson's article on "Wrong Ratings."
http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article97.html

As for everything else, there seems to be no problem with the movie in general. It looks very interesting and must be spectacular.

Post #11 4/21/09 "Up" with the 3D?

Like the creative genius, Walt Disney, said himself, "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths," I feel that 3D in movies is a useful technique for cinema's path of curiosity. With the recent release of "Monsters Vs. Aliens" and the upcoming and anticipated release of Disney and Pixar's new movie "Up" 3D has popped up into mainstream once again.

By enhancing the vision of the audience and offering an in depth view of the movie, 3D in movies is one step closer to connecting with the audience. However, some claim that 3D is one of the "Top 10 Movie Gimmicks." They feel that it is another way to boost ticket prices, and complain that all it does is give people headaches.

Aside from these 3D haters are those who claim 3D to be the next big thing. Namely Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of Dreamworks, said that "3-D is the future, but digital cinemas have to be in place first. " Although it is a plus that no one will be able to pirate any movies.

In my opinion, I feel that 3d is not the future of cinema, but a useful device to draw audiences into the movie. I can say that 3D is not going to be equivalent to the innovation of color in films. Its effects increase some of the audience's appeal depending on the movie, but the revival of this century year old practice just takes away your attention from the animation. It draws you away from the improvements in movements and caricatures, and one of its prime uses is to make the movie seem realistic. In addition, 3D is only useful in certain movies. For one thing, the purpose of animation is to make things seem magical and outlandish. If I wanted to see something realistic I would watch a regular movie with live people acting.

However, if the improvements in 3D technology help tell the story instead of showing several scenes in which portray the 3D effect, then it serves no purpose. In the case of "Up" I have had the opportunity to watch the first 45 minutes of "Up" and can say that 3D would definitely enhance the story and draw the audience even closer. In a film like this that is filled with action and the beautiful surroundings of an unknown environment you can feel the depth and the majesty of the scene. It also provides the audience with the chance to look through the eyes of the main character in emotional scenes. In addition the director Pete Docter, director of "Monsters' Inc.", was there to elaborate on the use of 3D and how it truly captures the essence of a film like "Up." I do not want to spoil anything so far but the majority of the scenes would benefit from 3D since they deal with flight and the outdoors.

Anyway I am all for 3D. It has is some defaults, but when it is used properly it definitely adds to some flare to the story. I'll just have to watch animated movies twice so I can admire the animation without the 3D too.

On a side note, so far "Up" is probably one of Disney/Pixar's funniest movies yet and will not disappoint anyone, and is a must see. Just be ready to shed some tears in the beginning. Here are some videos.









Up Exclusive Featurette

Forum Post #5 4/7/09 Cultureless Assumptions

A common misconception that the Chinese who live in a metropolitan area make about the Sichuanese migrants is that they are uncultured. Yet again, like Peter said, this is the usual assumption that people make about anyone who works in a rural area. Although people formulate bitter assumptions Peter goes on saying how the Sichuanese could care less about what others think of them, and how they just focus on the work that needs to be done or the work they can find. This way they can focus on making enough money to make ends meet. It is interesting to think how ignorant the urban population can be in assuming how those working in rural China are uncultured, since China itself and the majority of other countries have been built up from a agriculturally and rural location into a thriving world power. Sichuan itself used to be the most populous province in China and was home to more than 120 million people until it was split into two. The urban society forgets their own roots and are actually the ones who are more cultureless than those in Sichuan. Accustomed to a new age, urban citizens are not familiar with traditional Chinese styles of living that the Sichuan migrants continue to live with. The Sichuanese area is is developing very slowly compared ot other areas, but being in a rural area it holds some of the cultural customs that helped build China into what it is today.

Post #10 3/31/09 Steatlh Health

With numerous of different fast food restaurants just around the corner, along with the variety of sugar filled snacks in the cabinet, junk food is seems to be everywhere. More appealing than a juicy apple or any other fruit or vegetable, stealth health is an academic field that studies how certain methods yield a child to make a healthy or unhealthy decision at the lunch line. Instead of banning junk food the field of stealth health focuses on ways of tricking a child to eat healthy without realizing it. By giving meals creative names, asking every child if they want fruit, or even providing easy access to healthier foods in the "grab and go" section, researchers claim that these methods provide plentiful opportunity for making the health foods more appealing.

In my opinion, tricking a child into eating healthier food is insufficient and fails to provide long term solutions for bad eating habits of children. When children leave the elementary school lunch lines and grow up, there is not going to be somebody at McDonald's asking if they want fresh medley apples with their Big Mac. The foundation of good eating habits should start at home where parents encourage there children why eating healthy is best and what the consequences are for not doing so. This way children learn how to be disciplined and begin to be accustomed to making healthier decisions.

Like WebMD says, http://children.webmd.com/guide/kids-healthy-eating-habits

"By teaching your children healthy eating habits, you can keep them at a healthy weight . Also, the eating habits your children pick up when they are young will help them maintain a healthy lifestyle when they are adults."

Sure telling kindergartners that carrots give you x-ray vision may get them to eat them. However, after a few days they will figure it out and will not buy that "this week's celery will make you fly.

Eating healthy is a decision we all have to make. Yes, schools should provide healthier foods instead of junk food for lunch but having to trick someone into eating healthy is only a short term solution. Before they know it previous bad eating habits will return, and cakes and pies will be desired once more.

Post #9 3/24/09 Rumors: Volume Jon Minus Kate Plus 8

As a fan of the TLC reality show Jon and Kate Plus 8 I am quite confused and dissapointed with the recent occurrences in the news. In relation to the Newsweek article about the Duggar family of 18 children and LeAnn Rimes' incident in which she was caught making out with her costar even though she and him are married, there are rumors of a big disruption in the relationship between John and Kate. Various sources such as In Touch Magazine claimed that Jon was living with his mom and spending time away from home going to bars and hanging out with college girls. Supposedly girls from Juniata College say that Jon said he may get a divorce. According to other witnesses hew was playing beer pong with a women's volleyball team and dancing. There is even a picture of him with two girls that the media claim as evidence.

However, a TLC representing Jon said,

“It is certainly hurtful for people to spread rumors and lies about us. It certainly makes me reluctant to live my life like the average person would. This has made it very clear that the simplest innocent gesture–such as taking a picture with a fan, can be taken out of context. As you can see on the show, I am not perfect, but I am a part of a loving family and couple.”

Also, Jon said that he did live with his mother for eight days because she had a broken foot and that the alleged picture was just with two fans.

Yet, the media continued to widen the gap by making assumptions that their romance is gone and that she is tough on him. They are so outlandish that they pinpoint little things like how close they are during interviews or how Jon's tone is. They even assumed that when Jon went on a father daughter ski trip with Cara ski, that he just wanted to get away from Kate.

Some of the paparazzis information seems true, but a part of me thinks that these rumors are completely redonkulous and that they are miscontruing the whole situation. Once again, as a fan I believe John and hope that the rumors are completely false.

Hopefully things won't turn out like this.


http://www.bittenandbound.com/2009/03/17/jon-kate-plus-8-finale-marital-problems-video/

The rumors about the Gosselins just goes to show how the media spreads many unpleasant rumors that are aimed for the downfall of stars. Whether rumors are true are not, dealing with these remarks is the difficult part. Whether rumors are about celebrities or just regular people, rumors are hard to cope with. "They make it hard to be at peace." Not only do they tear the person they are about, but they disrupt the mutal trust in the relationships they have with other people. The keys to dealing with rumors is to

• First, some mechanism is needed for determining what rumors are actually circulating.
• Second, an effective strategy is needed for determining which rumors are true, and which are false.
• Finally, mechanisms are needed for correcting inaccurate rumors and replacing them with reliable information.

When we recognize what is being said, then labeling the true from the false, and then provide the correct statistics we will be able to deal with the rumors. Although the whole situation may not be fixed, knowing that you are correct and attempted to state your case is all one needs to be at peace. Then again we can simply just stop spreading rumors.

Here's a link for an in depth analysis of rumor control.
http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/rumor_control/