There are multiple natural disasters that occur around the world every year. Hurricanes/typhoons, earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and floods devastate thousands of people and communities. They are all feared by the citizens they threaten in the regions in which they reign supreme. They're specific territories may sometimes interweave, but with the exception of one, they mainly just terrorize their own domains. When one of these miraculous terrors unleashes its power on sometimes unsuspecting citizens, there are people there that will help you and make sure that the thing and people you care about the most are protected and taken care of.
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is in place to help with these disasters and to make sure that things do not get too chaotic.The American Red Cross provides places to live, warm meals, water and a place for you to register so if someone is trying to find you all they have to do is go to the website, type in your name and they can make sure you're safe and find a way they'll get a hold you.
In order for these two companies to work thoroughly and efficiently however, there needs to be proper lines of communication. Sometimes, this isn't the case and mass chaos is unavoidable.
Such was the case when Hurricane Katrina struck the southern coast of the United States of America in August of 2005. It is said to have been the most destructive hurricane every to strike the coast of the USA. More than 1,800 people lost their lives to that storm and more than $81 worth of damages were accumulated. The reason those numbers are so high is because the levies broke which released all of the water that was being contained behind them. They did not suspect the storm had that kind of power or capabilities and therefore they did not communicate any back-up plans or make any preperations for if something major did happen. The city also did not evacuate people soon enough so not as many members of the city were able to evacuate as should've been able to. They could've saved many lives and many homes and businesses if they had planned for the worst instead of just hoping for the best.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
So, I'm watching the Twins 3rd game of the new season (which started on Monday) against the Seattle Mariners and it got me thinking. How much do professional athletic leagues and associations spend on PR for their players and teams a year? Whether it's promoting their games and their teams or "covering up" scandals and screw-ups stirred up and made by players.
I found an article in The Herald by Cornerstone University. The title intrigued me. "Pro-athletes Are Poor Examples When It Comes To Laws." That's EXACTLY what I was looking for! It starts out immediately by questioning why pro-athletes always seem to receive a "get-out-of-jail-free-card" when, if a "regular person" commits the infractions they commit, we either: go to jail, pay an outlandish fine and go to jail, just pay a fine, or get an extreme amount of community service. Now, does that seem fair? It's always been something that gets on my nerves when it's in the news seemingly all the time. They receive a slap on the wrist, maybe pay a small fine, and are back playing their given sport within a week or two. They drive drunk, they assault people, they carry around illegal weapons, they take steroids and illegal drugs, they abuse animal, they steal, they've been called on domestic violence, and a few have even been involved in or committed murder. Many pro-athletes admit that they carry concealed weapons while in public. They claim that they are at more of a risk of an attack than the average person. I personally think that's just a mouthful because every person is at risk at all times of being attacked. Whether it's a mugging, a kidnapping, a rape, an assault, whatever it may be, we're all always at risk. We all have a right to be protected but that doesn't mean that every Average Joe should walk around with a concealed weapon. Do you have any idea how many more deaths would come from conflicts if guns were involved in every one?
Here are the top 10 pro-athlete arrests of all time.
1. Eddie Belfour, goalie, Dallas Stars, 3-21-2000
2. Eugene Robinson, safety, Atlanta Falcons, 1-30-1999
3. Dick Williams, former Oakland A's and Seattle Mariners manager, 1-17-2000
4. Pedro Guerrero, former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman, 6-7-2000
5. Michael Irvin, wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys, 8-8-2000
6. Kevin Mitchell, former Major League outfielder, 8-31-1999
7. Mark Ingram, wide receiver, Miami Dolphins, 1-23-2001
8. Ruben Patterson, forward, Seattle Supersonics, 9-20-2000
9. Rasheed Wallace and Damon Stoudamire, co-captains, Portland Trail Blazers, 11-22-02
10. Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, former LA Lakers center, 7-18-2000
I found an article in The Herald by Cornerstone University. The title intrigued me. "Pro-athletes Are Poor Examples When It Comes To Laws." That's EXACTLY what I was looking for! It starts out immediately by questioning why pro-athletes always seem to receive a "get-out-of-jail-free-card" when, if a "regular person" commits the infractions they commit, we either: go to jail, pay an outlandish fine and go to jail, just pay a fine, or get an extreme amount of community service. Now, does that seem fair? It's always been something that gets on my nerves when it's in the news seemingly all the time. They receive a slap on the wrist, maybe pay a small fine, and are back playing their given sport within a week or two. They drive drunk, they assault people, they carry around illegal weapons, they take steroids and illegal drugs, they abuse animal, they steal, they've been called on domestic violence, and a few have even been involved in or committed murder. Many pro-athletes admit that they carry concealed weapons while in public. They claim that they are at more of a risk of an attack than the average person. I personally think that's just a mouthful because every person is at risk at all times of being attacked. Whether it's a mugging, a kidnapping, a rape, an assault, whatever it may be, we're all always at risk. We all have a right to be protected but that doesn't mean that every Average Joe should walk around with a concealed weapon. Do you have any idea how many more deaths would come from conflicts if guns were involved in every one?
Here are the top 10 pro-athlete arrests of all time.
1. Eddie Belfour, goalie, Dallas Stars, 3-21-2000
2. Eugene Robinson, safety, Atlanta Falcons, 1-30-1999
3. Dick Williams, former Oakland A's and Seattle Mariners manager, 1-17-2000
4. Pedro Guerrero, former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman, 6-7-2000
5. Michael Irvin, wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys, 8-8-2000
6. Kevin Mitchell, former Major League outfielder, 8-31-1999
7. Mark Ingram, wide receiver, Miami Dolphins, 1-23-2001
8. Ruben Patterson, forward, Seattle Supersonics, 9-20-2000
9. Rasheed Wallace and Damon Stoudamire, co-captains, Portland Trail Blazers, 11-22-02
10. Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, former LA Lakers center, 7-18-2000
Thursday, April 2, 2009
News From The White House
I wasn't quite sure what to write about for my blog this week so I was just looking through random articles online when I came across an post from The White House Blog. I was intrigued and decided that that would become my topic for the week: a press release from The White House.
The particular article I found covered the topic of "A Turning Point" (the article's title) in the global economy crisis. The article was released on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 after the President held a press conference in which he discussed the results of the intense meetings of the recent G-20 Summit that was held in London, England. At the conference global leaders "agreed on a series of unprecedented steps to restore growth and prevent a crisis like this from happening again." The President also stated that the nations that had attended would be creating a strong united front that would help stimulate job creation and the global economy. It would also help those growing economies stay above water and encourage international trade that would prove beneficial to all parties involved. After this, he went on to discuss the main topic of the G-20 Summit meeting: the reform of the worlds' financial regulatory systems.
This reform is both fundamental and must be coordinated to a T if it is going to be successful. The reform that they decided upon was clearly outlined with the President's following quote. He said, "To prevent future crises, we agreed to increase transparency and capital protections for financial institutions. We're extending supervision to all systematically important institutions, markets and products, including hedge funds. We'll identify jurisdictions that fail to cooperate, including tax havens, and take action to defend our financial system. We will reestablish the Financial Stability Forum with a stronger mandate. And we will reform and expand the IMF and World Bank so they are more efficient, effective and representative."
I believe that they hit the major problem points with this reform plan and I have every confidence in today's global and economic leaders to make this plan effective.
The particular article I found covered the topic of "A Turning Point" (the article's title) in the global economy crisis. The article was released on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 after the President held a press conference in which he discussed the results of the intense meetings of the recent G-20 Summit that was held in London, England. At the conference global leaders "agreed on a series of unprecedented steps to restore growth and prevent a crisis like this from happening again." The President also stated that the nations that had attended would be creating a strong united front that would help stimulate job creation and the global economy. It would also help those growing economies stay above water and encourage international trade that would prove beneficial to all parties involved. After this, he went on to discuss the main topic of the G-20 Summit meeting: the reform of the worlds' financial regulatory systems.
This reform is both fundamental and must be coordinated to a T if it is going to be successful. The reform that they decided upon was clearly outlined with the President's following quote. He said, "To prevent future crises, we agreed to increase transparency and capital protections for financial institutions. We're extending supervision to all systematically important institutions, markets and products, including hedge funds. We'll identify jurisdictions that fail to cooperate, including tax havens, and take action to defend our financial system. We will reestablish the Financial Stability Forum with a stronger mandate. And we will reform and expand the IMF and World Bank so they are more efficient, effective and representative."
I believe that they hit the major problem points with this reform plan and I have every confidence in today's global and economic leaders to make this plan effective.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
North Dakota: Natural Disaster Zone
While I would've loved to write about effective and ineffective advertisements, I believe that my attention this week should be focused on the wonderful weather we have here in our beloved state of North Dakota.
As we all know, there are massive amounts of water and snow accumulation around the state but especially in the Western half. Fargo and the surrounding smaller communities are in the most trouble but all up and down the Red River Valley and the Sheyenne River communities are in grave danger.
The crest of flood waters in Fargo is expected to be between 39 and 41 feet by Friday night. Most of the damns are being built to a height of 42 feet. Even at the height, there are worries about the strength and stability of the barriers.
President Obama has declared North Dakota a federal disaster area. This means that the federal government will cover 75% of the state and local government costs that will go towards fighting the flooding throughout the state. National Guard units around the state have been activated and called to Fargo and other communities to pitch in with filling sandbags and building the dikes and dams to keep the flood waters at bay.
Oxbow is evacuating people because they have been unable to keep up with surging flow of the river. Ice chunks have built up in the rivers as well causing back up and making it an inevitable that there be major flooding once those chunks give way and everything that is building behind them is released.
I have been helping sandbag in Valley City for the past two days. With the number of sandbags and helpers needed in our reasonably small community, it is unimaginable to think about the numbers in Fargo/Moorhead and also all of the other communities in North Dakota. Every town in the western portion of the state is being sandbagged and preparing for the water that is surely going to ravage each location...whether protected or not.
As we all know, there are massive amounts of water and snow accumulation around the state but especially in the Western half. Fargo and the surrounding smaller communities are in the most trouble but all up and down the Red River Valley and the Sheyenne River communities are in grave danger.
The crest of flood waters in Fargo is expected to be between 39 and 41 feet by Friday night. Most of the damns are being built to a height of 42 feet. Even at the height, there are worries about the strength and stability of the barriers.
President Obama has declared North Dakota a federal disaster area. This means that the federal government will cover 75% of the state and local government costs that will go towards fighting the flooding throughout the state. National Guard units around the state have been activated and called to Fargo and other communities to pitch in with filling sandbags and building the dikes and dams to keep the flood waters at bay.
Oxbow is evacuating people because they have been unable to keep up with surging flow of the river. Ice chunks have built up in the rivers as well causing back up and making it an inevitable that there be major flooding once those chunks give way and everything that is building behind them is released.
I have been helping sandbag in Valley City for the past two days. With the number of sandbags and helpers needed in our reasonably small community, it is unimaginable to think about the numbers in Fargo/Moorhead and also all of the other communities in North Dakota. Every town in the western portion of the state is being sandbagged and preparing for the water that is surely going to ravage each location...whether protected or not.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Relay for Life
Relay for Life is a cause and event that is very near and dear to my heart. I lost my grandma to cancer when I was in 5th grade and Stephen just recently lost his grandpa to cancer as well. Cancer runs in my family so I feel very strongly about cancer research, treatment, cures, and prevention. It could save a friend, family member, or even me.
There are over 200 different types of cancer. You can develop one or more type(s) of cancer in ANY organ or part of your body. Despite the numerous different types, cancers can be broadly grouped into types depending on the tissues they develop from/in. Here are the groups:
Carcinomas, the most common types of cancer, arise from the cells that cover external and internal body surfaces. Lung, breast, and colon are the most frequent cancers of this type.
Sarcomas are cancers arising from cells found in the supporting tissues of the body such as bone, cartilage, fat, connective tissue and muscle.
Lymphomas are cancers that arise in the lymph nodes and tissues of the body's immune system.
Leukaemias are cancers of the immature blood cells that grow in the bone marrow and tend to accumulate in large numbers in the bloodstream.
Adenomas are tumours that come from glandular tissue like the thyroid, the pituitary gland the adrenal gland. They are often benign.
There are often prefixs to those tissue groups that describe the exact type of cell the cancer origionates from. Some of the prefixs include:
Adeno- = gland
Chondro- = cartilage
Erythro- = red blood cell
Haemangio- = blood vessels
Hepato- = liver
Lipo- = fat
Lympho- = white blood cell
Melano- = pigment cell
Myelo- = bone marrow
Myo- = muscle
Osteo- = bone
My favorite fundraiser is Relay for Life. The country is divided into 13 different regions and each region has their base offices. Those offices decide where and when events are going to be held and they provide information and supplies and they are always available to aid with problems or questions. I have participated in five Relay for Life events throughout my lifetime and have loved every second of the fundraising, preperation, and the event in itself.
There are over 200 different types of cancer. You can develop one or more type(s) of cancer in ANY organ or part of your body. Despite the numerous different types, cancers can be broadly grouped into types depending on the tissues they develop from/in. Here are the groups:
Carcinomas, the most common types of cancer, arise from the cells that cover external and internal body surfaces. Lung, breast, and colon are the most frequent cancers of this type.
Sarcomas are cancers arising from cells found in the supporting tissues of the body such as bone, cartilage, fat, connective tissue and muscle.
Lymphomas are cancers that arise in the lymph nodes and tissues of the body's immune system.
Leukaemias are cancers of the immature blood cells that grow in the bone marrow and tend to accumulate in large numbers in the bloodstream.
Adenomas are tumours that come from glandular tissue like the thyroid, the pituitary gland the adrenal gland. They are often benign.
There are often prefixs to those tissue groups that describe the exact type of cell the cancer origionates from. Some of the prefixs include:
Adeno- = gland
Chondro- = cartilage
Erythro- = red blood cell
Haemangio- = blood vessels
Hepato- = liver
Lipo- = fat
Lympho- = white blood cell
Melano- = pigment cell
Myelo- = bone marrow
Myo- = muscle
Osteo- = bone
My favorite fundraiser is Relay for Life. The country is divided into 13 different regions and each region has their base offices. Those offices decide where and when events are going to be held and they provide information and supplies and they are always available to aid with problems or questions. I have participated in five Relay for Life events throughout my lifetime and have loved every second of the fundraising, preperation, and the event in itself.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
"America's FIRST African American President: Barack Obama!!!"
Our nation, for the first time in history, voted 365 to 173 to elect Barack Obama our 2009-2013 president. He is the first African American President of The United States of America. The entire nation sat on the edge of their seats waiting to see if Barack Obama would beat out John McCain and if our nation would "finally" (for lack of a more substantial word) see an African American citizen elected into the historic position of our past leaders. Once Obama passed the 270 mark, you could feel the release of accumulated breaths. The happiness, and anger, were tangible. America had chosen, and what Obama brought to the table, pleased more than it upset. I am personally psyched beyond belief that Barack Obama is our new president. Some of you are not, which I respect. For as Voltaire said it best, "I disagree with what you are saying, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it." I believe in every word of what Voltaire said. Some of you are strongly against President Obama, and that is your choice, but what he said, and is saying, is true and he has passion, drive, and charisma and, in my opinion, the Republicans have lost those key elements and are in lust for the power and money that come with being on top. It's always about a power and wealth struggle when it should be about the American people. I believe President Obama is going to fight to bring our nation back to where we belong: looking out for one another and not worrying about who has control of the power and money but what good they're doing with it.
The presidents first 50 days have been under intense pressure and pressing crowds of this nations citizens waiting on the edge of their seats and hanging by threads to see what his next move will be and in which direction he is leading this country.
President Obama's stimulus plan for our failing economy is seen as ingenious by some and idiotic by others. Me, I'm on the fence. The reasoning and ideas behind it are patriotic and noble, but the idea of putting money we don't have into an economy suffering from the money we already lack, just seems to me that it would add up to more money we don't have. The stimulus is designed to take us out of debt while the way I understand it, it increases the national debt to other countries but depletes it within our nation...or, something along those lines. So far, our president has been fantastic and I am so excited to be involved in this journey through history with a man that I think is going to fix America and get our beloved country back to where we can be proud to call her ours.
The presidents first 50 days have been under intense pressure and pressing crowds of this nations citizens waiting on the edge of their seats and hanging by threads to see what his next move will be and in which direction he is leading this country.
President Obama's stimulus plan for our failing economy is seen as ingenious by some and idiotic by others. Me, I'm on the fence. The reasoning and ideas behind it are patriotic and noble, but the idea of putting money we don't have into an economy suffering from the money we already lack, just seems to me that it would add up to more money we don't have. The stimulus is designed to take us out of debt while the way I understand it, it increases the national debt to other countries but depletes it within our nation...or, something along those lines. So far, our president has been fantastic and I am so excited to be involved in this journey through history with a man that I think is going to fix America and get our beloved country back to where we can be proud to call her ours.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
What is a film without the set?!...Nothing But Dialog...'Yippee'
If you were once as naive as me, you would've thought that all movies were filmed "on-location." (Which in the movie business, is where it is a natural, actual, place rather than a constructed background in a studio stage.) Sadly, this is NOT the case. It is far too expensive, especially with the world's economy crumbling how it is. Also, it is incredibly difficult to get filming rights for "on-location" shooting (filming). You need permits, and to pay "fees", and sign contracts, make promises, and adhere to strict codes. Each location varying DRASTICALLY from the next. I do believe however, that when movies are shot in a natural location that if appears more real and makes the film more beautiful and realistic to the viewers.
Every movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy was filmed partially in the Caribbean. In the 2 and 3 films, (Dead Man's Chest and At World's End) were filmed partly on Dominica. This gorgeous Caribbean island is not only one of the least disturbed island in the eastern section of those rippling blue waters, but it was actually home to many a real-life pirates famous treasures. The Spanish treasure fleets declared the northwest shore, now Portsmouth, as their stopping and stashing point on the way into the Caribbean from Europe in 1535.Because of it's forests, hot springs and fresh water, it was a great place to recuperate and find hiding places for their goods. After recovering and stashing the treasure, the fleets would split up. Half of the ships sailed to Panama and Cartaghena and the other to Mexico.
The crescent shaped bay in which the first film, The Curse of The Black Pearl, "on-location shooting" took place was St. Vincent. They chose St. Vincent because of the crescent shaped bay and that it was the only one without an over-zealous fancy hotel/resort for the upwardly mobile. They made-over a few of the buildings in the bay area, constructed more and added and extended piers. They brought in 3 ships, 2 of which they constructed over steel barges and one which they remodled to the codes of the time period. 99% of all the props were constructed in Long Beach and then flew into St. Lucia then shipped everything over. There were 400 crew members brought in and several hundred members of St. Vincent's population was hired as well. They bought for the filming time, almost every hotel room on the island. The cave of the "Cursed Treasue of Cortez's cursed Aztec gold coins" were the infamous Captain Barbossa's crew stored their loot, took over 5 months to build with over 100 craftsman. It was construced partially of foam and the rest from wood and plaster. It was based partially off of the Disney World theme park ride for it's appearance and contents. They filled a majority of the cave with water which made it difficult to shoot but they didn't have one giltch when it came to that aspect.
Every movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy was filmed partially in the Caribbean. In the 2 and 3 films, (Dead Man's Chest and At World's End) were filmed partly on Dominica. This gorgeous Caribbean island is not only one of the least disturbed island in the eastern section of those rippling blue waters, but it was actually home to many a real-life pirates famous treasures. The Spanish treasure fleets declared the northwest shore, now Portsmouth, as their stopping and stashing point on the way into the Caribbean from Europe in 1535.Because of it's forests, hot springs and fresh water, it was a great place to recuperate and find hiding places for their goods. After recovering and stashing the treasure, the fleets would split up. Half of the ships sailed to Panama and Cartaghena and the other to Mexico.
The crescent shaped bay in which the first film, The Curse of The Black Pearl, "on-location shooting" took place was St. Vincent. They chose St. Vincent because of the crescent shaped bay and that it was the only one without an over-zealous fancy hotel/resort for the upwardly mobile. They made-over a few of the buildings in the bay area, constructed more and added and extended piers. They brought in 3 ships, 2 of which they constructed over steel barges and one which they remodled to the codes of the time period. 99% of all the props were constructed in Long Beach and then flew into St. Lucia then shipped everything over. There were 400 crew members brought in and several hundred members of St. Vincent's population was hired as well. They bought for the filming time, almost every hotel room on the island. The cave of the "Cursed Treasue of Cortez's cursed Aztec gold coins" were the infamous Captain Barbossa's crew stored their loot, took over 5 months to build with over 100 craftsman. It was construced partially of foam and the rest from wood and plaster. It was based partially off of the Disney World theme park ride for it's appearance and contents. They filled a majority of the cave with water which made it difficult to shoot but they didn't have one giltch when it came to that aspect.
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