A Fine To Dine?

A New York state lawmaker is proposing a new law for eating on the subway in response to apparent complaints and two crazy Youtube videos. One of the videos showed two women in fistacuffs over eating food on the subway while the other showed a live rat crawling up a man's sleeve while taking a ride on the subway. The law would dish out a $250 fine if you were caught eating on the subway. The lawmaker said he's trying to address the subway system's obvious rat problems with the new law.

Okay, I understand what he's trying to do here but, $250? I mean, that's just flat out ridiculous! And let's not forget that the subways are below ground so I don't know if cutting down on eating and trash will get rid of the rat problems entirely. Also, how are they going to enforce such a law? Are they going to have some food eating watchdog at every one of the city's 461 stations? Seems like a waste of time to me!

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Review: Main Street

Remember back a few years ago when Durham was filled with camera crews and stars shooting the film Main Street? I remember it well and was so excited to see a movie that was filmed right in my own backyard. But as time passed and nothing ever happened with the movie, I was pretty disappointed.

I mean, the film had an all-star cast and crew, it surely would be picked up for distribution, right? Well, after appearing in many film festivals (including a brief stint at Cannes) it was picked up for distribution in some theaters and DVD. I finally got the movie and watched it. Unfortunately, I now know why this happened the way it did.

What To Know

Stars: Colin Firth, Ellen Burnstyn, Patricia Clarkson, Orlando Bloom, and Amber Tamblyn

Director: John Doyle

Writer: Horton Foote (To Kill A Mockingbird) 

Rating: PG for mild thematic elements, brief language, and smoking. Parents Guide

Plot: The film is based in a dying Southern town (Durham, NC) where tobacco reigned supreme. Then a businessman, Gus Leroy (Colin Firth) comes to town and rents out an old warehouse owned by Georgiana Carr (Ellen Burnstyn). It turns out that Leroy is in a controversial business which treats hazardous waste and makes it "safe" for storage. He plans to revive the town with his business but one event alters his plans.

My Review: Like I said, I was excited about seeing this movie, but I was disappointed. The script just doesn't really go anywhere and the movie has a very predictable plot. The "best part" comes near the end when (SPOILER ALERT!!!!) some of Leroy's trucks carrying the hazardous waste crash near the town on a rainy night, forcing him to resign from the company. The movie feels rushed and it seems almost like the actors just blew by the script and really didn't put any effort into it.

Family Friendly? Not really. The plot deals with concepts that many kids wouldn't understand and would, more than likely, be uninterested in.

Should You See It? With an unenthusiastic plot, lackluster acting, and a pretty anticlimactic ending, I wouldn't really waste the time. The only reason I would probably recommend it is if you're from the Bull City and you want to see your town (but then again).

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The Tipsy Wheel

I had my mind set on this week's Oops Award, until I came across this. In an interview on an ESPN 2 show, "Wheel of Fortune" host, Pat Sajak, confessed that both he and letter turner, Vanna White, did some show tapings drunk. Sajak claimed they would have anywhere from two to six drinks during a two-and-a-half hour dinner break, then go and tape the remainder of the shows that day "having trouble recognizing the alphabet." The popular gameshow host said this happened when the show was first on air and both were much younger and could "tolerate it." He said that he personally could not do something like that now.

I'm not trying to be an old geezer here but I'm not very happy over this. It's not so much the drinking thing because that's their personal freedom. The whole point of basically drinking on the job is what ticks me off. True, they were on "break" but they went back to their job either tipsy or completely drunk. What really upset me was Sajak blew the whole thing off like it wasn't such a big deal in the interview. Let me tell you, it is a big deal. Let's just say that an everyday worker went to a bar on his/her lunch break, had a beer or two, and then came back to work. Do you think that person would have a job the next day? Sajak and White were never reprimanded (as we know) over this but their revelation could come back to bite them in the future.

You can read the full story here.

UPDATE: Now, Sajak is saying that he "exaggerated" his story that he first told on ESPN. Why would you "joke" or "exaggerate" about this? This only adds to the Oops Award and the mystery of it all!

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Bridging The Gap

Librado Romero/The New York Times

Continuing with a series of blog posts for my Technology in History class, here's another cool story about how technology is changing our world today. 

In a quiet first grade classroom, 7-year-old student, Edward Muñoz, sits with a tutor and sounds out words. He soon finds himself going through an entire book with his tutor, all the while getting better at reading. The only thing is, his tutor is not there with him. No, the tutor is sitting at a computer, just like Muñoz, and going through the lesson with him. So, why is the tutor not in the classroom? Well, when the school is a 20-minute walk from the nearest subway stop in a crime-plagued neighborhood, it's pretty hard to find tutors who will volunteer to meet in person. With this new technology, however, tutors are able to help students like Edward Muñoz become more prepared for the future.

I thought this was a very interesting article and it shows how technology can be used to equip our students for future endeavors. The software, sponsored by JPMorgan Chase, is only being tested in Muñoz's school, P.S. 55 in the South Bronx, but the company is encouraging its employees to use this software to interact and tutor kids. This story really coincides with the theme of "Technology and the World" because we see how a school was struggling to find tutors based off the fact it was in a high-crime neighborhood but found a technology that can still help its students. This means that those students who need additional help will not be left out and will succeed in school. It truly is amazing what technology can do!

Read the full story here

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The State Of The Union

Courtesy: Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images

Over the past several years, I have been paying really close attention to the President's State Of The Union address. Yes, that even means President Bush's back in the day. I don't know if it's the journalist in me or what but I've even been taking some notes while watching.

This is especially true for this year and, overall, I liked what President Obama had to say. No, I'm not just saying that because I'm a Democrat, but also because I want change to our country. Here are some key points presented in his speech...

The Economy

• The President really harped on the fact that consumers need to be protected and everyone needs to play by the rules
• "America is a greater nation if everyone plays by the rules"

• He said it "makes no sense" to give tax breaks to those who ship jobs out of the country
• The President also complimented the car industry for its efforts to get back on track
• Mentioned how there are numerous jobs emerging in science/technology sector but not enough people with the skill sets to fill them
• Wants to train Americans for skills that will lead to jobs
• Turn "unemployment" to "reemployment"

Education

• Commented on how other countries are "doubling down" on education, America is laying off teachers
• Wants to give resources to schools so they can keep teachers and reward those who do well
• Wants to create incentives for every state to require high school students to stay in school and not drop out until they graduate or turn 18
• For college the President wants to increase student aid and make college more affordable
• He gave a stern warning to colleges/universities that if they can't find a way to keep tuition from going up, tax payer support (i.e. dollars) will decrease

Immigration

• Challenged Congress to get comprehensive immigration reform passed now
• Said we should give a way for people who are not citizens (brought in by family at young age) but who want to invest, work, or fight for our country a way to earn citizenship

Energy

• The President said his administration has opened 75% of American offshore oil/natural gas reserves
• He wants to "develop every available source" of American energy
• The President also said that a cleaner, cheaper energy industry will add about 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade

Infrastructure

• Pres. Obama said he signed an Executive Order that cuts through the red tape that's delaying construction work
• Challenged Congress to use part of the money spent on the war in Iraq and give towards our infrastructure building in America

Challenges To Congress

• Congress didn't get off easy. They were basically lectured to about not getting the job done in Washington
• The President compared the divide between Washington and the rest of the country to the  divide between Wall St. and Main St.
• The President did blame both parties and urged them to fix their problems

I know it's long but those are some of the key points from Pres. Obama's speech. There was a Republican response. The one thing I found in that was the speaker said that "Steve Jobs created more jobsin America than the President's stimulus packages." God rest his soul but I learned in class just today that most Apple jobs (like phone manufacturing, etc.) are in China and Pres. Obama even asked Jobs how he could get more Apple jobs back in America.

Overall, it was a very good speech and I hope that Congress will take what the President called them out on to heart!

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No Show

This week, Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins gets my Oops Award. Why? The 2011 Stanley Cup champs were honored by President Obama at the White House today and Thomas was a no show. He said the reason was he had, according to a Yahoo! Sports article, "political and ideological differences with the Obama administration."

I don't know how many times I have to use this example but, everyone knows that I disliked Pres. Bush when he was president. Sure, I had many "political and ideological differences" with him but, if I'd gotten the opportunity to meet him, I would've taken it without any hesitation. I mean, it's the President of the United States! It all goes back to having respect for a person (or, in this case, a president). Plus, it's not like Pres. Obama would force his political agenda down your throat while you visited. The whole purpose was to honor the achivements of the Bruins team. Don't get me wrong, I applaud Thomas on exercising his freedom but I thought it was a pretty selfish move on his part.

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Joe Paterno

The name has been a mainstay for many years. Now, the most successful coach in all of college football has passed and he gets my Weekly Salute. You know, I may not be very close to the situation at Penn State, but I believe the school jumped to conclusions when they chose to fire Joe Pa. They did that to him and basically gave a slap on the wrist to the person who saw the alledged events occur.

I know life's not fair but this was flat out wrong. Of course, Penn State's firing didn't directly cause Paterno's death but it, without a doubt, added to the stress he was going through. Who knows how long Joe Pa had been sick but, regardless of that, Penn State officials should be ashamed by how they handled everything. And it'll be interesting to see if they immortalize him even though they couldn't wait to get rid of him a few months ago. My prayers go out to the Paterno family!

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Review: The Artist

I've already done this a few times kind of informally but I may start writing more movie reviews on my blog. Here's my first official one...

Silent films have been considered a past art form by many. That is, until the French film, The Artist, came around. This film is definitely a breath of fresh air from the "normal" movies of today. It was also a nice change to see the film in Durham's Carolina Theatre, which I haven't been in since probably elementary school!

What To Know

Stars: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, and John Goodman 

Writer/Director: Michel Hazanavicius

Rating: PG-13 for some disturbing images and profanity. Parents Guide

Plot: The film is set in 1927 Hollywood; where we find George Valentin, a famous actor who worries that the arrival of "talkies" (or talking movies) will be the end of his career. He then meets a young dancer, Peppy Miller, who is destined for greatness in the film industry.

My Review: I had never seen a full silent film before The Artist (just parts of them). Seeing this has given me a greater idea and respect for silent films. Some of you may think that you'd be bored but you won't be! It literally kept me on the edge of my seat. And, yes, even though it's a "French film" the entire dialogue is in English. It's already won many awards, including three Golden Globes, so I wouldn't be surprised if it takes home a few Oscars as well!

Family Friendly? Maybe. Near the beginning, a woman gives a man the finger (really brief). You can also read the lips of some characters using profane language. There are multiple scenes of cigarette and liquor use as well as a few intense scenes which may scare younger children.

Should You See It? YES! It's definitely worth checking out. I won't give too much away but it will have you applauding at the end!

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Seriously?

When you think of a typical blowout in college basketball, you probably think of a 20+ point victory. Well, have you ever heard of a team winning by 102? Yep that's right! This happened Tuesday night when Western Carolina put the smackdown on Toccoa Falls, winning 141-39. Here's the story:

The Catamounts, having come into the game on a two-game losing streak easily erased that with a very convincing victory to say the least. The worst part is this broke their previous points record of 133 playing, yes, the same Toccoa Falls team back in 2001! As if that wasn't enough, the Catamounts also broke a record scoring 72 points in the first half alone. A total of nine Catamounts scored in double figures. WCU also led in rebounding, 62-16.

Okay, I don't think I've ever heard of such a score in college basketball! I mean, I've heard of (and seen) some blowouts before but nothing like this. Given that WCU's highest point totals in school history have come from playing the same team, I think Toccoa Falls needs to learn a lesson not to put the Catamounts on their schedule again!

Full story from the Washington Post

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Reviving Technology

As part of my HI 341 class (History in Technology) I have to submit five blog entries on the course website where we take technology (either online or in movies) and connect them to themes we've talked about in class. I decided to repost my first one here as I revisit one of my favorite movies, Super 8, and how J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg revive a seemingly outdated technology. Enjoy!

Over the summer, I saw the J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg film Super 8 which is a Sci-Fi thriller based in a 1979 town. The premise of the film is how a group of friends witness a horrific train crash; and investigate many unexplained events that happen after.

However, I want to dive deeper into the very title of the film. In case you didn't know, Super 8 is a term used to describe a type of motion picture film originally released in 1965. It gets its name from the width of the film itself, which is 8mm. In the digital age, we hardly ever hear of filming in this format. There are so many more enhanced (and arguably) better ways to record films. Despite this, Abrams and Spielberg wanted to revive an arguably outdated practice and bring it to light in 2011. That is exactly what they did.

In the film, we see the main characters using a Super 8 film camera multiple times as the friends in the movie work on a short film for a festival. Their work led them to the train station which is where they witnessed the train crash. In addition to the short film, the entire train crash was captured on the Super 8 film, which becomes vital to figuring out what is going on in the town. Abrams even went as far as filming portions of the movie using actual Pro8mm stock and cameras.

So, what does this all mean? The release of the film created a buzz in our popular culture. For instance, contestants on the singing competition "American Idol" were given Super 8 film cameras to capture special moments while on the show. There was even a Super 8 app created which allowed users to film actual events in this format using their smartphones. With the film, Super 8, Abrams and Spielberg fused two worlds, over thirty years apart, together. The duo also show how a "dead" technology can be revived and used again in today's world.

Info Gathered From
Super 8mm Film. (2012, January 16). Retrieved January 17, 2012, from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_8_mm_film

Super 8 (2011). (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2012, from IMDb:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1650062/

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Enough Is Enough

You knew I would be writing about Carolina's demise down in Tallahassee sooner or later, so here it is. First off, I'll agree with anyone out there, the Heels got destroyed by FSU. I honestly don't know what Carolina team showed up because it certainly was not the same team I've seen. Maybe the team had jet lag or something from traveling, who knows. Bottom line, UNC played like crap and FSU came to win, period. The Seminoles were better than the Heels in all aspects of the game and that's why they won like they did.

Now, on to the part that caused me to title this post "Enough Is Enough." Everyone has been giving Coach Williams heck when he decided to leave his walk-ons to finish up the game. Let's get it straight, UNC had to have players on the court. If not, they would've had to forfeit (even though the game was over anyway). Secondly, the assistant coaches and strength/conditioning coach remained with the players until the end of the game. Finally, it was a mutually agreed upon move by both Roy Williams and Leonard Hamilton. In fact, According to USA Today, it was Hamilton's idea for Roy to clear his bench and leave the remaining players on the court. Since the debacle, Roy apologized to those players he left.

Sure, I think it could've been handled with a little less confusion and all but, my bottom line is this: it's over! There's really no point in talking about it anymore. What this boils down to is a team had to play the final seconds of the game and the walk-ons were the ones who did. Human judgement is not always perfect so just move on!

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Dream Big

This week's Salute is to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for his passion and perserverance to change our country for the better. King always had a dream for equality and success for all people, regardless of race. He wanted America to be a great nation, with freedom and justice for everyone. Although his life was tragically cut short, his legacy still lives on.

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Recess Ruckus

By now, I'm sure you've heard of the debacle over Pres. Obama's recess appointments in which Senate Republicans have argued Congress was not in a recess. The talk has died down a bit but when my "favorite" news network, FOX News, brought the issue up again I had to give my opinion.

Okay, first off, who cares? The appointments were to the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as well as the National Labor Relations Board. I mean, isn't it a good thing to have the new consumer protection bureau? Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, said that Obama had "arrogantly circumvented the American people" with the appointment. I mean, I don't feel deceived or tricked by Obama doing this. Firing back, the Department of Justice released a 23-page memo regarding the appointments, saying the appointments were constitutional because recent pro forma sessions held by the Senate "didn’t constitute legitimate sessions that could block such appointments."

So, Mitch and other Senate Republicans, why don't you stop ridiculing Pres. Obama for everything he does and get some real work done!

Read the full story here.

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Signs You're Having A Bad Year

David Letterman always has some funny "Top Ten" lists on his show, so I decided to post one here on the blog. However, my #1 is a little bit different than his. Just watch the video...

*Videos courtesy of "The Late Show With David Letterman" and Youtube

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Back On The Ice

My first Weekly Salute of 2012 is a good one. WRAL had this story about a veteran, named Pat McIlvain, who loved hockey. He played at the collegiate level for University of Pennsylvania-California (Cal-U) but surprised his family by joining the Army.

While in the Army, he was deployed to Afghanistan, where he was shot in the head; critically injuring him. Now, as part of his recovery, he's going back to hockey and is playing in a very special way, thanks to the help of others. Check out the video below for the full story...

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Synch It Up

After a lot of talk about the Wisconsin/Michigan State basketball game, I decided to give out yet another Oops Award. If you didn't see what happened, take a look...

 

Yeah, the scorboard and goal clocks were not synched up. I have never seen something like this happen before. I mean, how can you not synch up clocks? In case you didn't know, the shot/goal clock is the "official" clock so the three-pointer didn't count. I tell you, I'm sure someone got an earful after that game!

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Need A Torch?

Only in North Carolina can you find a story where a man was arrested for trying to sell a stolen Olympic torch. Yes, you read that right. The torch was apparently stolen from the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta and is worth around $15,000. The man tried to sell it at a pawnshop for $200. He was arrested and charged with felony larceny and obtaining property by false pretense.

I mean, seriously? Why would you try to sell a stolen Olympic torch and expect for no one to say anything. In fact, who would actually buy something like that? I bet the guy's bail is a lot more than that torch will ever cost!

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New Staff

I'll start off my first post of 2012 by saying that, if my blog template looks kind of weird, I apologize. I don't know what's happen. My blog template was fine yesterday but, today, I saw that it was messed up (at least on my computer). If it's not for you, then disregard this message.

Now, on to what this post is about. UNC head coach, Larry Fedora, will officially unveil his new coaching staff today in Chapel Hill. This comes as basically the names of his entire new staff have been leaked to multiple sources. Fedora will be joined by six coaches from his Southern Miss. team. According to WRALSportsFan.com, defensive line coach Deke Adams, co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Dan Disch, as well as offensive line coach and run-game coordinator Chris Kapilovic gained NCAA approval to start recruiting on behalf of UNC. Golden Eagles offensive coordinator Blake Anderson, co-defensive coordinator Dave Duggan and tight ends coach Walt Bell have since been added to round out the Southern Miss inclusions on Fedora’s staff.

In addition to the Southern Miss. crew, Fedora will add two big names to his staff: Illinois' Vic Koenning and Mississippi’s Gunter Brewer. Koenning turned down an offer from the Illini to stay under their new head coach and Brewer coached with Fedora at Oklahoma St. Brewer also knows Chapel Hill well as he coached the likes of Sam Aiken, Chesley Borders and Jaworski Pollock while at Carolina from 2000-2004. According to WRAL, the final spot to fill will be the position of running backs coach where multiple sources have reported that the front-runner is former UNC back and NC native Randy Jordan. Jordan has four combined years of Big 12 coaching experience at Nebraska and more recently at Texas A&M.

Tom Myslinski, the strength and conditioning coach, is the lone name being held over. That means long time coach, Ken Browning, will not be returning to the Heels. As you may or may not know, Browning was head coach of the Northern High School football team in Durham before moving to Carolina, where he coached for eighteen seasons under five different coaches. According to the Herald-Sun, Fedora made the decision to basically "clean house" after the program was tainted with NCAA violations. The article goes on to say that Fedora is rewarding his staff at Southern Miss. by giving them positions at UNC.

In a way, I don't blame Larry Fedora for what he did. On the other hand, I feel kind of bad for Ken Browning because he, as far as we know, didn't contribute to Butch Davis' scandal. When I read the article it seemed, to me, that Fedora was almost "punishing" Browning for something that he was more than likely not a part of. The wording made me feel like Fedora thinks every coach on Butch Davis' UNC staff contributed to the scandal in some way.  I may be over thinking this but, if that's what he believes, it may take me a while to support him and his Carolina team.  

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