The perfect stride
Runners, from what I've observed, seem to be the craziest athletes alive. I use alive lightly as the slightest shove can shatter, crush, or vaporize their bones. Their dedication can be quite alienating because it is so extreme. American culture tends to look down upon obsession if someone runs every day even in the winter people comment that they are crazy. Our culture seems to be full of people not trying their best because social stigmas have caused them to grow up thinking putting your heart into something is a bad idea. These guys have been running since they were born and they will give anything to be the best, why can't society try its best I'm sure if everyone was as dedicated as these men are life standards would be better. The coach in this article has hardly ever missed a day and his push has made him content with himself.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
2 in 1
A piece of their mind
Twins often times claim they can read each others thoughts however none could claim to share the same brain. These girls are going to have a hard life trying to cope with and accept their attachment. Their mom didn't abort them even knowing that they will be born like they were. I think this shows that a mother has a huge amount of love for their children regardless of any negative aspects. I wonder if they have the ability to become super smart because when they learn something they are processing it together giving them two views and making it easier to figure problems out. This article has made me wonder is it better to have a few close friends or one friend that knows everything. How these girls will think is fascinating will they try to please their parents in the same ways? This article rases a lot of questions but can't really provide any answers, the future of these girls is going to be very interesting.
Twins often times claim they can read each others thoughts however none could claim to share the same brain. These girls are going to have a hard life trying to cope with and accept their attachment. Their mom didn't abort them even knowing that they will be born like they were. I think this shows that a mother has a huge amount of love for their children regardless of any negative aspects. I wonder if they have the ability to become super smart because when they learn something they are processing it together giving them two views and making it easier to figure problems out. This article has made me wonder is it better to have a few close friends or one friend that knows everything. How these girls will think is fascinating will they try to please their parents in the same ways? This article rases a lot of questions but can't really provide any answers, the future of these girls is going to be very interesting.
One Annoying Author
Why I love my job
The author of this article is obnoxious he harbors resentment from his college teacher for suggesting he could do something else with his life and he can't seem to give that up. This article has taught me that people who see the world so simply also tend to act like idiots. He claims that sports are fair and true well what about the cheating going on all the time, what about the baseball teams that have won world series using steroids? He also complains there is no clear winner in the arts, well that's because its art! why must there be a winner? He mentions if two ballerinas dance neither win, that's because they aren't competing its not a competition its art. He tries to turn the world into black and white but its not, nothing is not even sports. He also mentions that family means nothing in sports, well explain the Manning family. Sports is just as convoluted as everything else in this world but this author just refuses to accept that because of his very basic views. His college professor was wrong though he should just stick to sports at least he wont have to use his brain to describe a local high school football game.
The author of this article is obnoxious he harbors resentment from his college teacher for suggesting he could do something else with his life and he can't seem to give that up. This article has taught me that people who see the world so simply also tend to act like idiots. He claims that sports are fair and true well what about the cheating going on all the time, what about the baseball teams that have won world series using steroids? He also complains there is no clear winner in the arts, well that's because its art! why must there be a winner? He mentions if two ballerinas dance neither win, that's because they aren't competing its not a competition its art. He tries to turn the world into black and white but its not, nothing is not even sports. He also mentions that family means nothing in sports, well explain the Manning family. Sports is just as convoluted as everything else in this world but this author just refuses to accept that because of his very basic views. His college professor was wrong though he should just stick to sports at least he wont have to use his brain to describe a local high school football game.
Cincinnati Reds
George and Sparky
Starting from childhood people are motivated to please. Children compete for their parent's attention. Ghandi said something on the lines of a child's goal is to care for a please their parents. Kids seek out praise so they do whatever their parents ask of them. The Reds looked at Sparky as this father figure who they yearned to make happy. Sparky lead the team by setting standards that seemed almost impossible to reach but his players would reach those goals because he would push them and they wanted to prove themselves to him. Trying to achieve a goal is common in every activity. Sparky's way of coaching was very agressive and he alienated a few people but even the players that didn't like him said they played their best under his coaching. Kids who are coached by their fathers who are like Sparky seem to excel in school and athletics but they also seem to get overly stressed about things. Kids whose parents push them but never stop pushing them seem to be under extra stress trying to prove themselves to their parents which can be unhealthy. I think humans are ment to be pushed and that is how we achieve our best, we just need to recognize the limit and not go overboard.
Starting from childhood people are motivated to please. Children compete for their parent's attention. Ghandi said something on the lines of a child's goal is to care for a please their parents. Kids seek out praise so they do whatever their parents ask of them. The Reds looked at Sparky as this father figure who they yearned to make happy. Sparky lead the team by setting standards that seemed almost impossible to reach but his players would reach those goals because he would push them and they wanted to prove themselves to him. Trying to achieve a goal is common in every activity. Sparky's way of coaching was very agressive and he alienated a few people but even the players that didn't like him said they played their best under his coaching. Kids who are coached by their fathers who are like Sparky seem to excel in school and athletics but they also seem to get overly stressed about things. Kids whose parents push them but never stop pushing them seem to be under extra stress trying to prove themselves to their parents which can be unhealthy. I think humans are ment to be pushed and that is how we achieve our best, we just need to recognize the limit and not go overboard.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
For the love of Vacation
For love of the game
In this article a new inner city softball team from Marshall faced a strong team from Roncalli and got slaughtered. 50 - 0 is what could have happened instead Roncalli forfeited and gave an easy win to the new team from Marshall. The Roncalli girls gave up in order to spend the time they were supposed to be playing to help the Marshall girls instead, giving them tips and badly needed equipment. The author mentions how if one girl was to baby another through their teaching or if one girl didn't want to help out the scene could have turned pretty ugly. I know what he means by this because of my time on the swim team. People don't like being talked down to, from sophomore to junior year I was talked down to by the girls captain and I had no respect for her. I see kids approach things with a negative attitude and it puts people off which can ruin a fun time. These girls helped out others in need if we could just get everyone to be as charitable and kind as these girls we could help places like this.
In this article a new inner city softball team from Marshall faced a strong team from Roncalli and got slaughtered. 50 - 0 is what could have happened instead Roncalli forfeited and gave an easy win to the new team from Marshall. The Roncalli girls gave up in order to spend the time they were supposed to be playing to help the Marshall girls instead, giving them tips and badly needed equipment. The author mentions how if one girl was to baby another through their teaching or if one girl didn't want to help out the scene could have turned pretty ugly. I know what he means by this because of my time on the swim team. People don't like being talked down to, from sophomore to junior year I was talked down to by the girls captain and I had no respect for her. I see kids approach things with a negative attitude and it puts people off which can ruin a fun time. These girls helped out others in need if we could just get everyone to be as charitable and kind as these girls we could help places like this.
Table Tennis
Smash
The article smash talks about old tennis legend Marty Reisman who has watched a sport he used to dominate at change around him into something quite different. He strives to be the best and despite his age believes he can win a national tournament. He seems to have a great drive however it stems from his narcissism in the game of ping pong. He is the Harry Flavel of Ping pong, arrogant and very confident that he is always right. His confidence in himself drives him and you never see him truly give up. People who are arrogant tend to work hard because they need to prove themselves to confirm their confidence. They also seem to suffer the most when they fail. Being confident and being arrogant are two different mindsets. Arrogance is for the weak who are insecure about their abilities and who can't accept their true abilities they would rather believe they are better than they are. Confidence is when a person understands themselves and knows their ability but wont over exaggerate themselves. I believe Reisman is mostly arrogance but only because he was once the best but now the game has changed and he was left in the dust not willing to give up he became arrogant.
The article smash talks about old tennis legend Marty Reisman who has watched a sport he used to dominate at change around him into something quite different. He strives to be the best and despite his age believes he can win a national tournament. He seems to have a great drive however it stems from his narcissism in the game of ping pong. He is the Harry Flavel of Ping pong, arrogant and very confident that he is always right. His confidence in himself drives him and you never see him truly give up. People who are arrogant tend to work hard because they need to prove themselves to confirm their confidence. They also seem to suffer the most when they fail. Being confident and being arrogant are two different mindsets. Arrogance is for the weak who are insecure about their abilities and who can't accept their true abilities they would rather believe they are better than they are. Confidence is when a person understands themselves and knows their ability but wont over exaggerate themselves. I believe Reisman is mostly arrogance but only because he was once the best but now the game has changed and he was left in the dust not willing to give up he became arrogant.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Food Prude
Divided We Eat
The author of this article is as she labels herself a food snob. She eats only organically and is very particular about what she eats. The article is about how people with lower incomes who are on food stamps can't afford healthy food because it is too expensive so they eat junk food. One example was of a man living with his mother; he cooks as healthy as possible on $75 a week. The main reason he seems to be doing a good job at staying healthy is because he doesn't have kids. Cooking for the family is harder when kids are coming and going for different activities its much easier to get takeout. Even harder is for a single mom living in the city working 40 hour weeks to get home and feed her kids healthy food. Kids in the city have it tough growing up with unhealthy food and crime. Life in the city can be difficult and more help needs to be given to those who need it.
The author of this article is as she labels herself a food snob. She eats only organically and is very particular about what she eats. The article is about how people with lower incomes who are on food stamps can't afford healthy food because it is too expensive so they eat junk food. One example was of a man living with his mother; he cooks as healthy as possible on $75 a week. The main reason he seems to be doing a good job at staying healthy is because he doesn't have kids. Cooking for the family is harder when kids are coming and going for different activities its much easier to get takeout. Even harder is for a single mom living in the city working 40 hour weeks to get home and feed her kids healthy food. Kids in the city have it tough growing up with unhealthy food and crime. Life in the city can be difficult and more help needs to be given to those who need it.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Little Kids
Second graders are loud, even in the library. Our trip to the second graders was a fun experience I still remember my reading buddy from when I was little. I didn't really like him because he was weird and didn't ever read to me but none the less I remember him. The little kids were very charming they were excited to be at school and to be read to which is a breath of fresh air compared to the never-do-anything attitude of high schoolers. The kids reminded me of my elementary years when I would ignore the teachers and read a book under my desk all class, back when I could read proficiently. I guess these kids taught me that I used to love to read and that I should slow down and read a book because you grow up fast and may not have time to read latter in a more busy time. Learning was more exciting when I was younger and I imagine if I pursued education now as much as I did then I could be a math master.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
First Family of Astoria
First Family of Astoria by Calvin Trillin is a story about town drama. The small town of Astoria is very involved in the rumors surrounding the biggest family living there the Flavels. The story starts off talking about the small town and how it is dying because there are no tourists and its out of the way. The Flavels own a large amount of the town because when Astonia used to be a port city the Flavels made a lot of money from shipping. The last generation of Flavels have been getting into some trouble however. The family is known for its sporadic and odd behavior so when Harry Flavel stabs a man it is of no surprise to the town. Court for the case has to be held out of the town because everyone is already so opinionated on the subject. He ends up fleeing justice and for more than 7 years he gets caught and tried and he sends out appeals. This story reminds me of the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil which is also about a prominent member of society in a town that loves to gossip. Savannah much like Astonia lived off the drama and in that murder case the jury needed to be taken from out of town because of the extreme prejudice of the locals. This article has taught me that people love drama and interesting stories because it spices up their lives and if people want to make themselves look slightly crazy for attention then others will pay attention.
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Monday, December 13, 2010
Teaching a 2nd Grader
I don't remember second grade at all, only who my teacher was and that we would take a stuffed bear home when it was our turn. I imagine the basic moral lessons I learned at that time have stuck with me through the years but only sub consciously. These types of lessons are the ones repeated over and over again. certain memories have effected me from my childhood to now but those are memories of actions I've taken not wisdom a person has tried to impart upon me. I would try to teach a 2nd grader a moral lesson that they may have heard already but is important to me because the more something is repeated to more likely they are to remember it. I would want to teach a kid to express themselves regardless of what others will think as long as it makes them happy.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Don't go to School
The Shadow Scholar
This article was very interesting. I never knew there were places kids can go to get papers written, even a graduate thesis. I feel that shady dealings like these have gone on for some time, someone just finally got mad and wrote about it. People will cheat but I was glad to hear that only the incompetent and the rich went seeking a writer because that makes me believe that the average college student is doing their work and we continue to have a smart population of normal people. The rich kids idea makes me upset because those kids are taking over companies for their dads and messing them up loosing jobs for other people. The foreign kids need to be adressed differently because clearly there is a problem where they have no other options only fail or cheat. I hope to never resort to that kind of cheating ever, morally I wouldn't be able to handle cheating on my graduate thesis and a person who is hired to a job is expected to know their degree and as he mentioned one who doesn't know their stuff wont ever be promoted. The big problems in education seem to be in high school's expecially in inner city schools like Chicago and Detroit and that is where our focus should be, kids who are cheating on papers are just dooming themselves.
This article was very interesting. I never knew there were places kids can go to get papers written, even a graduate thesis. I feel that shady dealings like these have gone on for some time, someone just finally got mad and wrote about it. People will cheat but I was glad to hear that only the incompetent and the rich went seeking a writer because that makes me believe that the average college student is doing their work and we continue to have a smart population of normal people. The rich kids idea makes me upset because those kids are taking over companies for their dads and messing them up loosing jobs for other people. The foreign kids need to be adressed differently because clearly there is a problem where they have no other options only fail or cheat. I hope to never resort to that kind of cheating ever, morally I wouldn't be able to handle cheating on my graduate thesis and a person who is hired to a job is expected to know their degree and as he mentioned one who doesn't know their stuff wont ever be promoted. The big problems in education seem to be in high school's expecially in inner city schools like Chicago and Detroit and that is where our focus should be, kids who are cheating on papers are just dooming themselves.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Math!
Teen Mathletes Do Battle
After reading all of these articles about the terrible conditions of American cities it is good to read about a few American geniuses. The problems with education seem to be inner city schools. The people in this article have humbled me, I never thought I was really smart but I know I could never be as smart as them. The USA may not rank very high over all but if we have these super minds we can remain commercially strong as long as we keep them here. In the competition Wu fails to win and places below expected, his team however wins because they are all very smart. I can relate to this through swim. My freshman year I was the fastest on the team but we only had four of us and we couldn't compete against the bigger teams. Jump to junior year I'm about tied for fastest swimmer with a freshman named Arthur Conover however this time we have a lot more swimmers and we take second place at KVAC which was unheard of a year ago. Teams don't rely on one star player it's about everyone working together as a whole.
After reading all of these articles about the terrible conditions of American cities it is good to read about a few American geniuses. The problems with education seem to be inner city schools. The people in this article have humbled me, I never thought I was really smart but I know I could never be as smart as them. The USA may not rank very high over all but if we have these super minds we can remain commercially strong as long as we keep them here. In the competition Wu fails to win and places below expected, his team however wins because they are all very smart. I can relate to this through swim. My freshman year I was the fastest on the team but we only had four of us and we couldn't compete against the bigger teams. Jump to junior year I'm about tied for fastest swimmer with a freshman named Arthur Conover however this time we have a lot more swimmers and we take second place at KVAC which was unheard of a year ago. Teams don't rely on one star player it's about everyone working together as a whole.
My Favorite competitor
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Don't go to Chicago
Chicago's Real Crime Story
I've considered changing the name of this blog to Matt's places you shouldn't visit. Before I read this article along with the one about Detroit I wasn't aware of how bad some of our cities truly are. The conditions the kids live in are appalling, never in America should a five year old be thrown out of a 13 story building for not stealing candy. The article talks about how money is going towards the wrong programs and that the real problem is split families. Growing up with a father and a mother gives kids a huge advantage over single parent families because it teaches them to be responsible and not just go off making babies and leaving. The USA needs to gain some of its moral standards back because without two parent families whole cities fall apart. Children living in a city like Chicago with no father seek out someone to look up to, gang members tend to be the only ones around willing to give them time and guidance. Gang members fight and die, the little kid grows up into one of them and the whole cycle begins again.
I've considered changing the name of this blog to Matt's places you shouldn't visit. Before I read this article along with the one about Detroit I wasn't aware of how bad some of our cities truly are. The conditions the kids live in are appalling, never in America should a five year old be thrown out of a 13 story building for not stealing candy. The article talks about how money is going towards the wrong programs and that the real problem is split families. Growing up with a father and a mother gives kids a huge advantage over single parent families because it teaches them to be responsible and not just go off making babies and leaving. The USA needs to gain some of its moral standards back because without two parent families whole cities fall apart. Children living in a city like Chicago with no father seek out someone to look up to, gang members tend to be the only ones around willing to give them time and guidance. Gang members fight and die, the little kid grows up into one of them and the whole cycle begins again.
The ghetto of Chicago
Monday, December 6, 2010
Winter Time!
As Freezing Persons Recollect the Snow
Always be prepared for the cold. A person can die very easily of hypothermia during a harsh Maine winter and it is very important to have respect for the elements. This article reminds me of skiing at Sugarloaf and if you are not dressed right the cold can do some real damage. When you get on the chairlift after a tiring run the cold is much worse because your sweat causes the cold to intensify. I have always kept a jacket and gloves in my car during winter just in case anything was to happen and also for sledding after swim practice. In the article the man in the story never uses his cell phone which makes sense because the article was written in 1997 way before cellphones could get reception in the mountains. Modern technology like cell phones could have saved that person, so always have a cellphone wether its just in the car or your bag that you carry around. Also tell people where you are going before you go for example his friends knew he was coming and they went out looking for him without them he would have died. Have respect for the elements and always have a means of communication with you just in case.
Always be prepared for the cold. A person can die very easily of hypothermia during a harsh Maine winter and it is very important to have respect for the elements. This article reminds me of skiing at Sugarloaf and if you are not dressed right the cold can do some real damage. When you get on the chairlift after a tiring run the cold is much worse because your sweat causes the cold to intensify. I have always kept a jacket and gloves in my car during winter just in case anything was to happen and also for sledding after swim practice. In the article the man in the story never uses his cell phone which makes sense because the article was written in 1997 way before cellphones could get reception in the mountains. Modern technology like cell phones could have saved that person, so always have a cellphone wether its just in the car or your bag that you carry around. Also tell people where you are going before you go for example his friends knew he was coming and they went out looking for him without them he would have died. Have respect for the elements and always have a means of communication with you just in case.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Don't go to Detroit
What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones
Maine may be uneducated and cold but at least it isn't Detroit. In the article "What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones" The author Charlie LeDuff adressess the many problems facing Detroit right now. The police force is brutal, the government is corrupt, and the city is dying. The people of detroit live in fear every day, they can't go outside without fears of being shot. The dropout rates are around 70% for high schools and even then those who made it through didn't have very promising futures, the example the author gave a kid died right before prom and graduation. This reading has reminded me of the conditions found in South Africa in the movie Invictus. The police in both places were overly violent and rash.
The article has convinced me that there are so many people who need help and I am very well off comparatively. I should not complain about living in a place like Maine because there is so much worse. Excessive complaining is a bad way to live life because the negative is always the focus of attention and a person can't really live a happy life. Be happy of where you live and don't get caught up in complaining about problems unless you are willing to get up and solve them.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
What are ways we can help kids get exercise?
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America is obese, at least that's what I've been told. I believe America isn't obese just overweight and I think we could fix this starting with the kids. Kids who exercise are healthier than kids who don't so it would make sense that for kids to live a healthier lifestyle and to avoid becoming overweight we get them to exercise. Exercise comes in many forms; in high school it is most common through sports.
Teams have cuts taking away some kids opportunities to exercise. Middle school had inter mural basketball all through the winter for kids who couldn't make it on the team or just didn't have the time to commit to the sport. I propose that we bring inter mural basketball and other inter mural sports to the high school. Practice for basketball and cheerleading take place all the time and there is no time for inter mural sports, what needs to be done is a new gym should be built. A gym as a separate building positioned at the end of the student parking lot which is never used anyways because we don't have the amount of cars needed to fill the lot. In this new gym there would be a pool on the ground floor and a gym on the top, this way practices can get done sooner because of the two gyms and inter mural sports would get more kids exercising and staying healthy. Sport practices would also benefit as they have two gyms to utilize, earlier practices gives kids more time to go home and get homework done rather than be distracted by their friends. The pool would be a great idea because the school already pays the YMCA a large amount to swim in their pool for the season and we get the short end of the stick. Practices at 8:15 to 9:00 are ridiculous, if we had our own pool we could have prime practice time and we could charge Waterville and Winslow to use the pool which they would love to do rather than swim at late times. The lifeguard on duty would be employed by the parks and recreation and we would have an hour of open swim every day for kids who may not want to swim on the team but do laps every once in a while, just opening up possibilities for kids to get exercise. Previous years the school has hosted inter mural sports during the spring and fall with ultimate frisbee and softball, last year and so far this year there have been no inter mural sports. The want is out there for inter mural sports, a group of kids started an ultimate frisbee federation over the summer to play and it went rather successfully.
A new gym at the end of the parking lot would open opportunities for kids to get exercise. A place to play basketball would also keep kids out of trouble because they wouldn't have time to do bad things. The 1st floor pool would be great because the surrounding high schools would have a reasonable time to practice, there could be inter mural waterpolo and many other possibilities including lap swim for those who don't feel like running some days.
Invictus (1st half of the Movie)
The challenges for the characters in the movie Invictus are all about understanding. The whites have to learn to accept the fact that black people are equal to them. They are being asked to change their views that have been imparted upon them ever since they were little children and that is very hard to do with any idea especially one so radical. The challenges for the black community and Nelson Mandela are all about forgiveness because if they were to apply the same type of rule the whites did to them, the white people would hate them as much as the black's hate the whites. In order for them to live in unity the black community must forgive and be the bigger race, they are asked to put aside years of prejudice and attacks and there is no way that is an easy feat to accomplish. The security guards is a perfect example, the black guards have to work with men who used to work on a task force that tracked black people down. The white men have extreme prejudice programmed into their brains and they have to forget that and work with the blacks, which they are probably ridiculed for in the white community.
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