Pro Bowl Move

The 2010 Pro Bowl was moved to Miami from Honolulu, Hawaii, where it has been played every year since 1980. The game was held in Dolphin stadium, where the Super Bowl will be held next sunday. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had the following rationale for the move, "We are looking at alternatives to strengthen the Pro Bowl." I appreciate the NFL's attempt to strengten the Pro Bowl, historically it doesn't get any attention following the Super Bowl. But, questioning the success of this alternative, I don't think holding the Pro Bowl prior to the Super Bowl truly strengthened it. Infact, it may have weakened it. A pro bowl game is played by the best players in the NFL, and is supposed to be a game that fans should long to watch for, as superstars are featured at all positions for both teams. Holding the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl, limits the ability for players on a Super bowl team to participate in the Pro Bowl. Take Peyton Manning for example. Arguably the best Quarterback in the NFL, and undoubtedly a superstar, he won't be playing in the Pro Bowl which is supposed to feature the NFL's greatest players. Imagine an NBA All-Star game without Kobe Bryant, or Lebron James. It's simply unnattractive to a football fan. The move was also meant to build hype the weekend before the Super Bowl. "Moving the Pro Bowl to the Sunday prior to the Super Bowl can add even more excitement to Super Bowl week, one of the most anticipated weeks of the year," said Frank Supovitz, the NFL’s senior vice president of events. I personally didn't tune in to this year's Pro Bowl, so I turned on ESPN tonight to try and catch some highlights. I know the game couldn't have been too exciting, as the reporters first recapped NBA action, and then moved onto bowling coverage.

Osama to Obama

In an audio message released Sunday to the Al-Jazeera news channel, Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden explained, "If our messages had been able to reach you through words we wouldn't have been delivering them through planes." What's the big deal, bin Laden has been hiding in some cave in Afghanistan for the past decade, he's powerless now! Well, that's definitely not what bin Laden wants us to believe. bin Laden, allegedly endorsed the failed attacks of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on Christmas day. Spokesman P.J. Crowley said, "He's trying to continue to appear relevant" by holding himself accountable for the attack. bin Laden went on to say that Americans don't deserve to live in a secure and peaceful nation, and that "God willing, our raids on you will continue as long as your support for the Israelis continues," bin Laden said in his message. bin Laden said that the "heroic warrior", Abdulmutallab's attack was intended to confirm previous messages meant to be interpreted after the September 11th attacks of 2001. Nearly 3,000 lives lost, I'm having trouble understanding what additional messages he wanted to confirm. Since, Abdulmutallab's attack failed, is there another attack on the horizon that we should be weary of?

Check out this link to listen to  audio tape released to Al-Jazeera news channel, Sunday, January 24th. (It's translated, don't worry).

Favorite Blog: 2nd Quarter

       My best post for this second quarter was "Shhh! It's Supposed to be a Secret!". Apart from being a mandated blog that our teachers wanted us to write as an assignment, I captivated a good analyzation, displayed my bias, in a well crafted humorous post. After closing in on our first semester of American Studies, blogging has truly another form of writing for me. There are essays, poems, and blogs in my mind, all distinct forms of literature. This blog assignment inspired me to dissect a story that was read to me close to a hundred times as a child. Some may say this was an easier blog to write, since the scope was predetermined, but I couldn't disagree more. Yes, we knew it had to be about secret messages in childhood stories, but the boundaries were endless, and I showcased my creativity in the content of the blog, and its presentation was applied carefully.

My blogging process was different than last quarter. This quarter I began by finding an interesting topic, usually odd news I wanted to discuss. Last quarter, I generally found all my sources online, but I promise you, I looked through the Tribune with blogging in mind on multiple occasions this past quarter. Another thing I did differently was writing my blogs in word documents, and uploading them to my Blogger at a later date. This eliminated the rushed feeling of blogging I get while typing right into my "New Post" box on blogger.com.

I think blogging this quarter has established itself as an insightful way for students to participate and communicate with each other outside of class.

After reading Mr. O'connor's last blog post, "Kid Stuff" I was interested with some of the comments classmates, or blogmates were writing about the post. Somehow, Mr. O'connor's post was tangentially connected to something quite interesting;  how in horror films children are used to "sing rhymes and give a creepy effect." Criticize me for blogging about a comment, but it deserved a post of its own. A young child singing a nursery rhyme. Right? What's so scary about that? My response mentioned a horror flick that uses this technique to scare the audience in my response. I hate to quote myself, but this was the heart of my argument, "One particular horror flick, "Nightmare On Elm Street", starring Johnny Depp, utilizes this technique to leave the audience with nightmares of their own for days to come. In the movie, Freddy Krueger kills those that are asleep

...the children, who sing the following version of in hopes of protecting themselves from the killer. "One, two, Freddy's coming for you. Three, four, better lock your door. Five, six, grab your crucifix. Seven, eight, better stay up late. Nine, ten, never sleep again. The unusual mixture of children and their singing voices, which suggest innocence, and peace, is juxtaposed by the lyrics in which they sing. These lyrics convey a theme of death, and evil. Its especially effective as the children's song is an altered version of the famous nursery rhyme "1, 2, Buckle My Shoe".

Sticking to the theme of horror flicks, why do audiences scream for mercy when a girl doll's eyes roll? Is the notion of something be possessed, that frightening, or is the doll- a small figurine of a young girl (a child), impacting our perception of something we otherwise wouldn't conceive as being so scary. Could it be that because the doll is symbolic of a child, and knowing that it is lifeless, the eyes moving suggests its controlled by an evil spirit? It seems silly to think about, as there really isn't anything too scary about a doll moving its eyes. Yeah, its kinda freaky, but its just a doll, not scream! 

Why do you think directors use the doll to scare their audiences? What secret messages are conveyed by using objects other than children and dolls in film?

Shhh! It's Supposed to be a Secret!

Originally Posted January 7th, re-posted:

     When I grew sick and tired of Dr. Seuss books, my Mom picked up a copy of Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree”. At first look, I was startled by the scene portrayed on the book’s cover; a tree that seemed to be handing an apple to a young boy. When I was this young, before any training in American Studies course, and before being introduced to the “See, Think, Wonder” process, I never tried to derive any significance from the image. I never questioned Silverstein’s intention to perhaps, convey a deeper underlying message through symbolism.

     Dusting off our family copy, I reread the story. Now, if you never read this picture book, you parents didn’t raise you properly, so go to your nearest Barnes and Noble and get yourself a copy! If you don’t live near a Barnes and Noble, here is a quick summary for you: There is a tree that loves a little boy. The boy would come everyday to play and eat the tree’s apples. As the boy grows older the tree is often alone, without the boy. When he does come, the tree asks him to play, but the boys says he is too old to play. He needs money to start a life of his own. The tree gives the boy her apples to sell in the city, branches to make a house, and trunk to build a house. Silverstein should re-name his story, "The Taking Boy." At last, the boy (now an old man) visits the tree and asks for a place to rest. She offers him her stump, and he sits. The tree is happy again.

     Unconditional love is love one has for another regardless of the other's actions or beliefs It defines the story. Through referring to the tree as a female, Silverstein signifies the tree's mother-like role she plays with the boy. This is the type of love a parent shares with their child. If unconditional love is a love that definitively can't be destroyed by ones actions, then how legitimate is this love? Truthfully she can't be happy without any of her apples, branches, leaves, trunk and most importantly the absence of the boy. When the boy cuts down her trunk to use to make a boat near the end of the story, just after the boy left with her trunk to make the wood, the narrator says "And the tree was happy...but not really.” Ultimately the message Silverstein is sending here is that unconditional love can coincide with an authentic and passionate relationship, but as a child develops and eventually moves out on his own, he must not let his relationship with his parents deteriorate. Maybe he can no longer play, but he can still love. Silverstein ingeniously relays this message that he is trying to convey between the parent reading this story, and the young child listening to the story, in hopes they can maintain their genuine love for one another, to last a lifetime.

Shel Silverstein narrates his compelling "children's story" 

The tree, willingly sacrifices for the boy, who accepts everything from her without thanking her. Can you relate to instances where you parents have willingly gone out of their way to make you happy, and despite their success you failed to thank them. They continue to love you though, and will continue to strive to make you happy, since you are their kid. Let’s hear your story. Comment!

I wouldn't say I like the book quite as much as this guy. Giving Tree tattoos, really?

Boy Robs Store

In class recently, Mr. Bolos showed us a clip from the movie "Minority Report" which depicted futuristic technological advancements that we may be coming into contact with soon. Becoming more and more intertwined with technology, kids develop dependent on their gadgets, something very new to our society. I recently blogged about a boy who rang up a bill of close to $20,000 with his cell phone, and when the story made national news headlines, Verizon Wireless didn't ask for the money.

  Kids these days don't seem to receive the discipline they need to grow to be wise, decision-making individuals that they need to be, as parental teachings are replaced by the influences and exposure kids receive everyday from various sources of technology; radios, iPods, TVs, Phones, and Xboxs. 

Although this particular story at Yahoo isn't related to technology, it lets the reader know what this last generation of kids is up to. A twelve year-old boy was arrested for using a toy gun to rob a convenience store in Florida. The boy pointed a wood barreled gun at the clerk, and after demanding money from the register, the clerk handed over and undisclosed wad of cash. The boy was later found walking on a highway. I've driven on plenty of highways in my lifetime, and have never seen anybody walking on one.  Shows how bold this kid must be, to stick up a clerk, and then walk on a highway with his toy gun and cash in hand. Reportedly the boy tried to run before being arrested by Police. Another, gesture of his courageous character, this boy seemed fearless. Where were the parents? They were never mentioned in the article, and it startles me that anybody could lack enough discipline, to do what this boy did. I'm not gonna go ahead and say that this boy must have been influenced by a violent video game to do this, but i will say that most likely a combination of influence from a variety of modern technology led to this boy's confusion and eventual wrongdoings. He seemed to simply not understand any better, as strange as that may sound. Parents should be unplugging those iPod headphones, shutting down the video games and disciplining their children.

For some reason, I don't think I would be as intimidated by a toy gun, as this store clerk was.

Warner to Retire?

As huge sports fan myself, looking through my  blog posts, I have come to a sad realization; I haven't blogged about football. Determined to relieve my sports writing crave, I found the following headlines over at ESPN. I idolized Kurt Warner for his iconic attitude on an off the field, his leadership, and success with both the St. Louis Rams, and the Arizona Cardinals. Completing over 100 touchdown passes with both franchises, Warner is a destined 1st ballot hall of famer. I am deeply saddened by the recent news that sources close to Warner say his next loss may be his last as an NFL Quarterback. The Cardinals are a playoff contender, fending off the Green Bay Packers today, in an offensive showdown today.  The Cardinals won 51-45,  in a career game for the 38-year-old. He threw for 379 yards, five touchdowns passes, and no interceptions.  I have heard of great players wanting to retire at the top, as opposed to sticking around the league for years, and waiting for their skill to regress to the point where they can no longer compete like the superstar that athlete used to be. Walking out on the game early,when playing at a superstar level, leaves the player feeling satisfied. That may be Warner's mind set, but this game against the Packers showcased as good of a Warner as we have ever seen. Warner just led his Cardinals to the Super Bowl last season where they lost to the Steelers. He is simply not playing like a Quarterback that needs to face the end of his career. Earlier on this season Warner suffered a concussion that may have first made Warner question whether he should play another season. Do you think if the Cardinals don't win the Super Bowl this season Warner should change his mind and stick around for next season? Even if they do win it all, is he really ready to go?

See Secret!

Due to a few technical errors, I have re-posted this blogpost on 

Monday, January 11th.

Here is a link to the updated post.

Cell Phone Radiation bad for you, no?

Results from a study released on January 7th, counters the belief that the electromagnetic radiation being absorbed by the human brain having a negative impact on brain functioning.
The study was conducted on 96 mice, all of hwich were genetically modified, so that they would develop a sort of memory problem mean to mimic the traits characterizing Alzheimer's disease. A sticky brain plaque known as beta-amyloid produced by a harmful protein that is a hallmark of the disease. Post radiation exposure many mice were left non-demented- concluding that the electromagnetic celll phone radiation may not be so bad after all.

What's the point of government?

As we all know by now, Nigerian man Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was accused of trying to blow up a Detroit-bound airplane on Christmas day. What could have been a Christmas Day massacre failed as Abdulmutallab failed to ignite his bomb. What troubles me, is that the U.S. had received information from the U.K. that Abdulmutallab had previous connections with extremist organizations. According to Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman, Simon Lewis, Abdulmutallab's name had been included in record of people who communicated with known extremists in the U.K. Officials had believe he was radicalized after leaving the country in early 2008. The point of government in our society is to provide protection for the people, and structure in our society, so that citizens can live their lives accordingly and pursue their wishes, living safely in the privacy of their own homes. Ideally, Government rids crime from our society. Realistically, government tries to rid crime from our society but has continuously failed to do so. This past Christmas Day the Obama administration caught a huge break, had the bomb ignited correctly, hundreds would have died and who would be to blame? Since reportedly the U.S. had every bit of information that suggested this man had extremist ties, why was he allowed to fly? Although he was not personally singled out as a known terrorist he had confirmed ties with extremists in the U.K. less than 4 years ago!