Things That Stopped Me In My Tracks

                                                         Part 1:

Three Things That Stopped Me In My Tracks:

1. Getting denied from one of my internships.

2. Walking past Dick’s Sporting Goods, sparked my dream from the previous night.            

3.  Seeing a picture of the Empire State Building lit up Giants colors.

            1. On Thursday I received a pretty disappointing email notifying me that I didn’t get accepted into an internship I applied for. At first the feeling of rejection and disappointment made me pause for a while. Opening that email was not what I wanted to hear, especially because I felt like I was qualified. However, it was a top internship and I should’ve expected top competition. I believe whatever’s meant to happen ends up happening so I wasn’t too upset. I applied for a job and still have my night job with a minor league baseball team, so my summer will still go smoothly. On a positive note, I’ll be making money instead of getting slaved through an internship!

             2. I love remembering my dreams! Well, except when they’re nightmares of course. But dreams always seem to help me wake up thinking. It’s an exciting way to start the day. This weekend, I didn’t remember my dream right when I woke up. The dream wasn’t too special, I remember walking through the U.S soccer section of Dick’s Sporting Goods wanting to buy everything! During the weekend I walked past Dick’s Sporting Goods and it sparked my dream. The memories of the dream started to unravel in my head, and that déjà vu definitely made me stop in my tracks! 

            3. Beauty always catches the eye. When the Giants played the 49ers in the NFC championship game, the top of the Empire State Building was lit up blue. It looked gorgeous. The wow factor stopped me in my tracks. I can’t wait to see what they have in mind for the Super Bowl to support the Giants!

                                                                           Part 2:

           

            Sports seems to be involved in every aspect of my life. Whether the connection is obvious or not, sports is there. In the second and third points, sports was at the forefront of the story. In the first point, My job in sports was there for me to fall back on. I guess that’s the life of a sports junkie!

            Besides the sports connection, everything that catches my eye involves me thinking about my past or future. The first point I was thinking ahead to my summer, second point I was recalling last night’s dream and third point I was thinking forward to the Super Bowl. I think there’s something mysterious about the future, and interesting about the past that catches people. I try not to live in my past because you get caught in regrets, but my determination to be successful keeps me thinking ahead to my future. It’s good to be motivated but sometimes I need to remind myself to live in the present, don’t wish valuable time away!

2012 State of The Union

The 2012 State of The Union was important to both America's future and President Obama's reelection. Every time President Obama speaks, people are intrigued by the confidence displayed by his extraordinary public speaking skills. Although I'd consider myself a conservative, Obama's speeches put me on board with his campaign. His speeches tricked me into thinking he would be a hero to this country. His speeches sound so good, so why is our country still struggling? My theories were confirmed while watching Tuesday's State of The Union. 

My friend once told me, "Barack sounds great when he talks, but closely listen to his words. Then tell me what he actually said." When doing so, I've realized he says so much, but doesn't say anything at all. In other words, his statements don't have much behind it. This was mostly what I got out of the State of The Union. For example, it's evident that we have a crisis of work in this country and President Obama proposed nothing in policy changes that will get us to boost the economy or economic growth. Instead, he acted more as a cheerleader to tell everybody to trust in the country and get behind each other. It sounds good, but it doesn't provide any framework for the country going forward. 

Expanding on the economy, Obama stated that a shrinking number of people do real well and more people struggle to get by. He brought to our attention the severity of income inequality and his aspiration to keep the high taxes on the rich. If not, it either adds to the deficit or someone else has to make up for it. Well President Obama, your spending is the reason our debt is so high. Barack is so caught up on income through taxes, when cutting spending seems to be the logical solution. His big government being paid for with higher taxes hasn't worked, and won't work if spending isn't cut. Bigger government and higher taxes will not lead to jobs and growth. Bigger government and higher taxes will instead lead to more people on food stamps and people relying on the government.

The most bold proposal made by Obama was cracking down on insider trading within government. To be honest, this completely shocked me and came out of no where. It seems like a common sense reform and will help restore faith in American government. 

The strongest point, and statement I most agreed with, was dealt with the service of troops. It doesn't matter whether your rich or poor, gay or straight, you look out for the person next to you. You rise and fall as one unit. This was inspirational and completely true. I've always agreed that no matter who you are, if you're willing to put your life on the line for my freedom I respect you. 

The part of Barack's speech he did back up with a plan was during his discussion of bringing home overseas business. Lowering tax rates for companies that stay in America, making companies pay taxes for overseas profits, and providing financial help will all help keep companies in America. It's a reward and punishment system that seemed flawless when he outlined it. 

The part that appealed most to me was his speech on education. Sometimes I worry if my college tuition debt will hang over my head long into my lifetime. It stresses me out, and pressures me to get a high paying job since Sacred Heart is so expensive. I loved how President Obama called out colleges on the rising costs of tuition. But once again, there was no plan behind it in place to take steps for controlling tuition. Therefore, I don't expect anything to get done here. On another note, I do hope he follows through with his proposal that every state requires students to say in school until 18 or graduate. 

Overall, I didn't walk away feeling like I knew enough details of America's future. As I mentioned earlier, Barack once again failed to lay down plans behind his talk. However, it's essential for him to follow through on this State of the Union if he expects to get reelected in November.

USC Football Leaning On Eachother

Lean On Me- USC

It always seems to be the inspirational videos that leave a lasting impression on me. This video dates all the way back to 2009, but still remains a top Youtube video in my eyes. When the University of Southern California's respected football program got together, their head coach began playing Bill Withers' "Lean On Me" to send a message to his team. Coach Pete Carroll has always been known as a "players coach" who really understands upping team morale and chemistry. The next day, he pulled a prank on his team with Bill Withers himself. This video is a mix of humor and unity that shows the brightest side of sports. 

Blogs That Most Interest Me

Based on my investigation of major blogs, each successful blog has a specific message that appeals to a large audience. It must separate itself by being unique or being the most knowledgeable in their topic. Extra footage, such as video, also helps enhance some blogs.

A common feature I’ve found throughout all these blogs is a focused message and clear goal. Some have blogs to spread their opinion, inform or market. My blog will be to express my opinion.

The design definitely is an appealing factor to the reader. I find a simple color scheme works best and doesn’t overwhelm the reader. I want to create an unmistakable identity. Most importantly, I want to incorporate videos and unique articles that appeal to a large group of people. A few examples of blogs I’ve found are listed below.

http://blog.nj.com/horseracing/index.html

Little have I known, I’ve been reading this blog religiously my whole life. Growing up in Albany, I’m a short drive from Saratoga Race Track. I’m not a big gambler, but I do enjoy betting on thoroughbred horse races. The atmosphere, tradition and hope of striking it rich provides for an entertaining, and almost addicting experience.

This blog has serious success due to its appeal to people with hopes in winning. When money is on the line, people tend to do their research. This blog is unique compared to other horse racing blogs because it’s offered for free. This man enjoys horse racing, and doesn’t care about making money off his picks. This blog is an excellent source for small tips on which horses to invest in. He doesn’t rant about the horses, but rather gives an informative few sentences. It’s simple and to the point, making it easy to read.

http://mittromney.com/blogs/mitts-view

Unlike most blogs, this blog’s primary goal isn’t to just simply inform. Mitt Romney uses this blog to market himself. It’s extremely successful due to the popularity of the GOP race. In an age where people are put on a pedestal, it gives the world a closer look at Romney. It’s an excellent technique to keep his fans in the everyday life of Mitt. Romney takes full advantage of the internet marketing, especially Youtube, and is providing serious results in the Republican Primaries. The excellent design, and video footage enhances this blog.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy

http://espn.go.com/espn/blogs is made up of a bunch of bloggers, blogging about many different sports topics. It’s great that you get a bunch of different perspectives and news on every little sport. Andy Katz writes the blog that stands out most to me on ESPN. His blog on college basketball is the premier college basketball blog. The amount of detail, inside information, and the quickness of delivery all help his blog rise to the top. He has no bias towards an individual team. Instead, he tells it like it is. The credibility of ESPN and the resources available also help him to come up with the best information and rumors. 

Lions For Lambs- A Contradicting Argument

As the United States’ occupation of the Middle East seems to be easing, the results of the war will become clearer. As the famous saying goes, hindsight is always 20-20. Yet, throughout the war, opinions varied and people continually took shots at the United States government. The strong opinions and battle with the issue of war morality was expressed in the 2007 film, Lions For Lambs. Using three complimenting scenes, director Robert Redford brought together different perspectives. Looking beyond the topic of war, the film also shows the importance of passion. I agree with freedom of speech. However, I disagree the way some opinions were expressed were in the movie.  

Although I most strongly disagreed with reporter Janine’s liberal views, my least favorite character was the class professor. His views might’ve been more similar to mine, but his personality had its flaws. I respect the professor’s passion for leading others, but he came across as narrow-minded. He might have looked out for others wellbeing, but he didn’t look out for their best interest. Simply put, the safest decision isn’t always the best one. Just because his war experiences weren’t favorable doesn’t mean that the armed forces isn’t someone else’s calling. For every person that suffers from PTSD, there’s a soldier that was built by his service, such as the senator. As long as someone pursues what he or she deems as important, they’re fulfilling their life’s calling. As my blog title states, the purpose of life is to live a life of purpose.  

The Professor’s argument’s showed serious contradiction. In one scene he’s telling his lazy student, “What good is a $90,000 Benz when the streets are decaying.. If things are really as bad as you say they are, than how can you enjoy the good life. Rome is burning son.” In a future scene, he’s telling two aspiring soldiers to rethink their decision to protect “burning Rome” solely based off his less than favorable experiences.

The movie gets its title when the professor describes how a German general wrote acknowledging the bravery of the British in World War I. He recalls, “No where else have I seen such lions led by such lambs.” In other words, he’s describing how it’s not the smartest people leading the war strategy. It’s this lack of trust in the government that could tear a country apart, just as it hurt our home front during the Vietnam War. And if he truly didn’t believe in the brains behind the war, why doesn’t he try to take action in politics, just as he tells the lazy student to? The two aspiring soldiers were right when they responded, “Because it’s going so badly makes it even more important Doc.” This quote directly relates to the previous quote about Rome burning.

In conclusion, my criticism of the professor is in the fact that he tells one person a nation needs to be protected and then attempts to talk enthusiastic citizens who wish to protect us out of it. Also, he preaches to the lazy student to be the change he wishes to see in the world, but then he doesn’t pursue that change himself.

Emotion really sunk in at the end when the two soldiers died. It was a heart-wrenching scene that seemed to provide an anti- war statement by the producers to some. I took it more as a reminder that each decision has a consequence. The benefits and cons of being a soldier are both enormous. There’s a big debate about the morality of war. Everybody agrees, a young adult dying is not a part of anyone’s utopia. Unfortunately, war seems to be a necessary evil in this world we live in. Hopefully, the world continues to move towards peace, but Iran seems to be making that tough. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid of Iran and what I think may come of this clash. Just as in Lions For Lambs, I hope the people that have the passion and drive to protect this land continue to do so under any leader.