Dez Bryant's Past

The Background Check 

The people in the NFL draft take into consideration a lot more than we know.  They weigh in many little factors besides just stats and numbers.  They look at the background of each player and try to understand them.  Players are not simply judged based on how they perform at a college level.  Nor are they simply judged based on how they performed in the combine. On NFL.com they discuss the background checks they go through for players.

When people try to predict the players to be drafted, they are more often than not, dead wrong.  The people making the decisions are looking at every single detail about the players.  Not just combine stats.  Scouts want to draft players that they can trust on their team.  They don’t want players who are known for getting into trouble all the time, or that had a bad rep.  At the same time they are able to see the golden boys for their team.  They see players that grew up from nothing and had to work their way to the top.  People who really are respectable and great players.

Dez Bryant, a wide receiver for the dallas cowboys, is known to be quite the emotional player.  They talked about his background check as one of the worst they had ever seen.  “Bryant was raised by a single, often-absentee mother who spent 18 months in prison for selling crack cocaine. He grew up impoverished and without direction, which explains his “lack of life skills" and ignorance of basic adult responsibilities entering the NFL.” Seeing this really stands out to scouts.  Dez Bryant appeared to have a bad background, but in reality he never got into any trouble himself.  He was a clean cut kid and did well.  Sure he is emotional, but that is probably from his tough life growing up.  It is really amazing that Dez was able to rise to the top from so little.  

BLOG POST #5

SAMSUNG VR AND WHAT APPLE CAN DO?

There is a point in our lives where we look into the technology and the innovations in the past where we really hit the pot of gold. For example, when the first smartphone was developed it created a massive movement and revolution to push the smartphone product to the next level. As a consumer, it brings out a lot of benefits because you get a smartphone that had at least billions of dollars worth of research and all you have to do is pay for 700$ of the hard work. This same scenario mentioned above is Samsung VR where the company is one of the first to ever come into the highly competitive market with a virtual reality platform. This VR is the next level of the market and the companies all around are expecting to develop such of a product like the Samsung VR. But, Apple also performs right behind them, even without the VR platform in their company. Therefore, I am here to research the purpose of having the Samsung VR in our market and does it help Samsung to stay even more competitive and what does Apple do about it.

Besides having the Samsung VR, Samsung has a lot more other products to provide for the consumer. For example, on Samsung’s website Samsung has the Galaxy TabPro S that has one of the few features that Apple doesn’t have. Samsung has a detachable keyboard on the laptop, which in definition the product can be both a laptop and a tablet. Which creates more portability and efficiency while the consumer works on the tablet/laptop. For college students, it;s very crucial to have a laptop that can also be very flexible and portable to use. Apple doesn’t follow the laptop/tablet model but they have developed the MacBook and upgrades the product by making it lighter in weight (MacBook Air), make it more efficient with a consumer’s work (MacBook Pro), and then for those who are looking for a much larger scale and a computer (iMac). Apple has many different laptops that target all sorts of consumers, from the college student, people who work at home, and they consumers that carry a lot of weight all the time.

To continue on, Samsung also has created a new and innovative product that is Samsung VR. VR means virtual reality and it’s certain equipment that the consumer uses with their phone to put themselves in a “separate environment”. Apple hasn’t established their position on VR but according to a statistics website, Samsung reached to sell 5 million units in 2016 and is the leading brand in VR. If a Samsung VR costs about 120$ then Samsung makes 600,000,000 dollars and counting. This creates a lot of pressure on Apple, because they’re losing consumers to the profit of Samsung’s new innovation that barely has any valuable competition against Samsung. The only thriving competitive company is the Oculus and it’s 45% behind the profit of Samsung’s VR.

People with Disabilities Can Help Fix Our Debt

source: https://www.uksmobility.co.uk

Something that is changing quicker than our technology is the acceptance of people with disabilities in the workforce. No longer will we be seeing people with disabilities at Jewel bagging our goods, but now working at large businesses managing the computers of the entire business. There are companies do not realize what kind of unique qualities people with special needs bring to the table. Some people fail to look past the physical differences that some disabled people obtain to see the knowledge that is inside them. Employers “are amazed to find that hiring these individuals amounts to far more than a feel-good gesture. It amounts to a smart business decision with enormous dividends.”

In an article by Carlos Slim Helu, second richest man in the world and billionaire industrialist, and Anthony K. Shriver, founder and chairman of Best Buddies International, called Pledging “I’m In To Hire” Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, tell the readers that “employing people with IDD has the potential to save the U.S government hundreds of billions of dollars on an annual basis.”

Knowing that after a 2012 calculation, “recipients with disabilities incurred the largest average Medicaid payment per person ($16,781) of any group of recipients,”  it has been a goal to get disabled people into the workforce. As people claimed disabled are working, they develop a salary at work, pay taxes, and contribute to the economy, causing a huge decrease in government funding towards these people with Medicaid.

As we continue to try and decrease the debt our country is in, hiring people with special needs certainly would help. Not only are companies hiring these people because they feel it is the right thing to do, but they are “rewarded with loyal employees with resilient work ethics and positive attitudes that are instilled into the entire team.” The ripple effect of these personalities and work ethics are translated across the business which creates happier employees and happier customers.

So, the incentive of these companies is that they now know that the benefits of hiring people with disabilities are endless to themselves, as the company, and in the bigger picture, the United States as a whole. Hiring people with disabilities causes less debt in the economy, more profit to the companies, and happier workers across the country.

 History in the Making: Vegetarianism

           Without history, we wouldn’t know how we got here today or what famous leaders have contributed to the  many successes throughout the world.  That being said, Ted Honderich, author of Vegetarianism, expands on the fascinating history from different sources of how vegetarianism was created and the philosophy behind it. The view that we should avoid eating meat or fish has ancient philosophical roots, and purpose behind it, morality, concern for the human population, and concern for the environment.

 

 

 

 

 

Source: http://sanfrancisco-yoga.com

 

• “In the Hindu Upanishads (about 1000 BC) the doctrine of reincarnation leads to opposition to eating meat. Buddha taught compassion for all sentient creatures.” They expand on the idea that every living thing has a purpose and a reason to be alive and thriving.

 

• “ Buddhist monks were not to kill animals, nor to eat meat, unless they knew that the animal had not been killed for their sake.” In this day in age, things are very different. Animals are killed right and left for our sake without guilt or mercy.

 

• “Interest in vegetarianism revived in the nineteenth century, on grounds of health and humanity towards animals.” Important vegetarian thinkers included the famous poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, Henry Salt (who wrote a pioneering volume entitled Animals' Rights), and George Bernard Shaw. They are all  inspirations and respectfully stand up for what they believe in.

 

• “ Ecological concerns about eating meat arise from the well-documented inefficiency of much animal-raising. This applies especially to intensive farming, in which grain is grown on good agricultural land and fed to animals confined indoors, or in the case of cattle, in crowded feed-lots.”  These practices harm the environment, and mess up the natural state of the land, along with the hormonal chemicals fed to the cattle as well.

 

• “ Much of the nutritional value of the grain is lost in the process, and this form of animal production is also energy-intensive. Hence concern for world hunger, for the land, and for energy conservation provide an ethical basis for a vegetarian diet, or at least one in which meat consumption is minimized.”  This can all be prevented by vegetarianism!

 

 

 

 

This wonderful history is key to the roots of vegetarianism.  As a vegetarian for 5 years, reading into the Hindu beliefs and practices, only enhance my choice to live this meatless life style.

 

 

Do, A Deer, A Female Deer: The Songs of Broadway and Their impact

http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/30500000/Sing-for-me-the-phantom-of-the-opera-30584595-500-291.gif

The one thing that sets musical theatre apart from other art forms is the unique method of storytelling they rely heavily on- music. Many shows are very successful in balancing the right amount and genre of music depending upon the function they serve, as well as the type of show it is being presented in. Professor of theatre in Nashville, Dr. Larry A. Brown, explores the different functions certain types of songs serve to the show as a whole, as well as the effect these choices have on the story and the audience.

https://media.makeameme.org/created/lets-start-at.jpg

The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, Oklahoma, set the standard for the structure of successful musicals back in 1943. This shows was revolutionary in the fact that they used song to advance character and advance the plot, rather than just being filler moments or finales. It also established the different types of songs and the varying functions they serve.

http://www.lpsoncd.com/media/ecom/prodlg/Oklahoma118.jpg

Exposition Songs:

These songs are essential to the storytelling process of shows, as they draw the audience in, giving them the vital first impression that they will carry with them for the rest of the performance. However, the purpose these serve is even more important than making a strong first impression, which is the introduce the characters, allude to possible points of conflict, and invite the audience into the world they get to explore for the next two hours. Songs of this nature include Fiddler on the Roof’s  “Tradition” in which Tevye introduces himself, his family, and the village of Anatevka, all while foreshadowing future conflicts and establishing the values and beliefs of the community- all in a 7 minute song that leaves the audience excited for more.

https://frkasch.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/tradition.jpg?w=584

Additionally, these songs allow the story to set up years worth of events very quickly, as seen in the opening number of Hamilton, “Alexander Hamilton” in which the first two decades of the title character’s life and establishing who he is as a character, as well as his motivations and goals.

https://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2016/03/03/635926406262430908-650442878_200.gif

The I Want Song:

These songs are essential, as according to Stephen Schwartz, every good show has one. This allows for the audience to take a look inside the character’s thoughts, as they reveal their deepest desires and most ambitious goals. We get a very clear view of their goals and what they want, making it easy to distinguish them from other characters .

An excellent example of this includes the belt-anthem “Gimme Gimme” from (one of my very favorites) Thoroughly Modern Millie, in which Millie admits that despite all of the ups and downs, she does crave love because the heartbreak is worth it in the end.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/9d/06/a1/9d06a112f367883b3fed88acf0ec9800.jpg

However, as seen in Hamilton's "Satisfied" the "I want" song can also provide justification for why a character does not chase after something they want. In Angelica's case, she explains that she was in love with Alexander before her sister even met him, but backed off when realizing how deeply her sister cared for him, all because the love she had for her sister was greater than her own selfish ambitions.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/f8/f4/f2/f8f4f25be7f4d0ff60ee2fdae514fa37.jpg

The interesting thing about “I Want” songs is that they often come either just before or directly after an inciting action, often before the climax. This gives the character the depth for the audience to understand what they’re about to do or what they have already done.

Narration Songs

These songs help to tell the stories that don’t unfold onstage, providing us with important context and backstories and allowing us to skip backwards and forwards in the time frame. Ragtime’s tearjerker, “Your Daddy’s Son” tells the story of Sarah’s doomed romance with the father of her child, and the heartbreak he caused that led her to kill her child. This song presents the story with much more emotional depth than any dialogue could do, while also providing the audience the opportunity to decide whether or not Sarah’s actions were justified.

http://www.daebreonpoiema.com/resources/IMG_6940-S%20(1).jpg

Conflict Songs

As the name implies, these songs highlight various conflicts in the story, whether it be internal or external. An example of an external conflict song is “Cabinet Battle” from Hamilton, as Hamilton and Jefferson literally rap battle over important political issues, and “Yorktown” which chronicles the characters trying to win the Battle of Yorktown while escaping with their lives.

https://cookiesandsangria.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/cabinet-battle.jpg

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_o1lmt4qmjM1v2cm5r_frame1.jpg

Internal conflict songs include Into the Woods’ “On the Steps of the Palace” in which Cinderella must decide whether she will run from the prince and return to her dreary, but comfortable life or if she will embrace her life as a fake princess. She eventually decides to run, but leaves a shoe as a clue, giving the prince the tools to come find her, testing his love for her.

http://cdn.hitfix.com/photos/5873297/On-the-Steps-of-the-Palace--Anna-Kendrick.jpg

Other types of songs in musicals include parodies, in which the characters humorously mock pop culture or sometimes, other musicals. For instance, in Something Rotten, there is a song titled, "A Musical" in which the characters who live in the Renaissance, develop the idea of a musical, and they parody around a dozen famous musicals, including Chicago, Annie, The Music Man, Les Mis, and Rent.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/04/23/arts/23TROTTEN/23TROTTEN-master1050.jpg

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NY-DP914A_nyrot_16U_20150603190051.jpg

http://www.nafme.org/wp-content/files/2015/09/Show-Logo.jpg

Another type of songs worth noting are cameos, in which a featured actor is given a song that allows them a brief moment in the spotlight. “A Sentimental Man” from Wicked gave renown actor Joel Gray a moment in the sun, while still furthering the character of the Wizard.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/01/28/2525379D00000578-2930131-image-a-23_1422464865868.jpg

The dawn of social media and online music has opened up many more opportunities for people to hear this music, helping to widen fanbases and expose listeners all across the world to this music. ITunes and Youtube have become a very valuable asset to Broadway, as people don’t even need to have gone to New York to see the show to to contribute to the revenue being accumulated if they buy the soundtrack on iTunes. On itunes, you are even able buy soundtracks from shows that graced the New York stage many decades ago, which has come in handy for Central’s own musical theatre kids as we were able to listen to original soundtrack of Fiddler on the Roof in preparation, as well as the much more obscure Secret Garden soundtrack.

http://www.mtishows.com/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/000036_square.jpg?itok=it1RMwc4

http://strg.stageagent.com/images/show/1435/the-secret-garden-mrahpw0b.n3m.jpg

The success of varying songs on iTunes helps to reveal what people want to listen to outside of seeing the shows, as according to the popularity meters located next to the songs on iTunes, ballads and high energy songs have the highest download success. Therefore, shows with a large number of these songs, such as Hamilton, Hairspray, and Wicked have become very popular, as people are willing to pay large amounts of money to see shows with these very fun or very dramatic songs.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/Hairspray.jpg

These songs and the emotional impact they provide are a huge component of what makes a show worth  paying upwards of a hundred dollars to go see. As discussed in previous posts, audiences want to see shows with relatable premises, exciting worlds, and enthralling music. Obviously, opinions of shows vary from person to person, so the criteria for what specifically makes people want to go see is pretty subjective and difficult to pinpoint. However, a show with the winning combo of heart, wit, energy, and toe-tapping music typically has a pretty good shot.

http://66.media.tumblr.com/a62ce8f20c15540b48bbf8dd0445d0c1/tumblr_o050poBCRx1qb838bo1_500.jpg

The Most Environmentally Damaging Fishing Methods

source: saltydogboatingnews.com

There are a variety of fishing methods that commercial fishermen use in rivers, streams, reefs, and the open ocean such as bottom trawl, gillnetting, dredges, open nets pens, and ranching. Some are sustainable, but more often than not, fisherman are using unsustainable methods to maximize catch. Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the most heavily visited aquariums in the United States, with an annual average of 1.8 million visitors and the mission "to inspire the conservation of oceans". In Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch fishing method guide, many different methods of fishing are described.

A few of the most damaging methods of catch are:

• Bottom Trawl--a type fishing net that’s pulled along the seafloor

-fish that are caught by accident (bycatch) are usually dying or already dead by the time
they’re thrown back

-the heavy weights and equipment being dragged along the ocean floor cause serious damage
to the sensitive organisms living there

• Gillnetting--curtains of netting that are suspended by floats and weights

-the netting is almost invisible to sea creatures so it is easy for animals like turtles and sharks swim right into it and die there along with the other fish

• Dredges--large, metal-framed baskets that are dragged across the seafloor to collect shellfish

-bycatch levels are extremely high

-metal teeth on the edges of the basket rip up the seafloor and destroy the fragile ecosystem

living there

But that isn’t all. A common misconception is that farm-raised fish is much more environmentally responsible, however, this isn’t always true. Depending on the method used, producing farm-raised fish can actually cause more harm to a natural ecosystem than catching them in the wild.  

A few methods of these damaging farm-raising methods are:

• Open Net Pens/Cages--a cage or pen submerged in the open water of a river, stream, freshwater lake, or offshore coastal area; fish can move freely within the pen and the water flows through the openings in the cage

-waste from the caged fish can pass through the openings in the cage and pollute the natural
habitat of the wild fish

-diseases and parasites that may have infected the entire population of caged fish due to a  
mistake on the part of the farmer can spread rapidly to the wild fish

-farmed fish can escape from a break in the cage and breed/compete with the wild population

causing damage to the species

• (Tuna) Ranching--top predator fish (usually tuna) are caught as juveniles and put into an open water pen on a farm and fed and “fattened” until they reach maturity and a good size for harvest

-waste, chemicals, and feed can flow out of the cages into the open water and disturb the

environment

-taking the top predator out of its natural environment can threaten the health of the ecosystem
by allowing its common prey to overpopulate and potentially push other species toward a 
threatened or endangered status through competition

In my next blogpost, I plan to describe some more environmentally responsible fishing methods that fisherman could potentially use to replace the methods listed in this post.

What should people know before joining the military?

Source: http://index.heritage.org 

The Military is nowhere near to being all fun and games. Obviously to join the greatest fighting force on the planet, there are numerous things to consider. This is a reliable source because it was written by a former soldier, who can provide first hand experience on this issue. Before joining the military, one must first know exactly what they are getting themselves into be prepared to completely change their lifestyle.

First and foremost the first thing that you should know is that when you sign up, you can’t quit for a certain amount of years. “When you join, you sign an enlistment contract for a specified number of years. Once you sign the contract and take the oath (it's actually a pretty amazing experience), that's it, you're in”. There is no opting out. This is probably the most important thing to know and you should be 100 percent sure that you are willing to commit yourself to to the government. Another thing to know is to have knowledge on each branch and be completely sure that the one you are signing up for is the one for you. “The benefits are identical for all of them, but each one is unique in what you can expect”. Know that you are no longer a civilian, but government property. “As a member of the US Armed Forces, give your heart to whatever God you believe in, because your ass belongs to Uncle Sam. You will be required to stay in shape, wear your hair according to policy, and obey all standing orders relating to your personal health”. The government owns you and you must follow a very strict code of rules .

Once you enlist, the Constitution no longer applies to you. “Once you enlist, the constitution (the document that gives you your rights as an American) no longer applies to you. While serving, you fall under the jurisdiction of the U.C.M.J. (the Uniform Code of Military Justice)”. Now this isn’t too much of a difference, however there are some rights that you get as a civilian that you don’t get as a service member. “No free speech/press/assembly in the Military You still have freedom of religion, but the availability of religious personnel might not suit your needs. You have no right to privacy (implied or otherwise). You have no right to protection from unreasonable search”. If you are someone who is nitpicky about their rights, then maybe the service isn’t right for you. Now there a countless other things that a different but probably one of the other main one’s are, you are expected to kill, and expected to know that you can be killed. “America has real enemies. Enemies who will kill you if given the chance. They don't care about who you are, or where you're from, all that matters to them is that you are their enemy.” Some of our enemies would stop at nothing to kill you and post it on the internet for the whole world to see. Even if your job isn’t direct combat, if the military needs you to go fight, they will send you to way and there’s nothing you can do about it. “ Whether it's prepping ordinance (bombs) for use in combat, or taking part in small arms gun battles, you're not trying to "wound" your enemy, you are trying to kill him”. If you see yourself on the battlefield, the military expects you to have a certain mindset. Kill, or be killed. Are you prepared to take someone else’s life?