New York officials are worried for our kids’ safety, and now it has nothing to do with drugs or obesity.
Be prepared to see No Playing in Playground signs right next to No Smoking soon throughout New York since our officials have deemed sports such as wiffle ball, kickball, dodgeball, and freeze tag unsafe.
I can remember back to my happy-go-lucky childhood days, which are merely in the early 90s, and remember recreational activities such as these played daily in school and at summer camp… and I’m still kicking.
The age of kids using or experimenting with drugs is getting lower every year, and the number of kids doing it is higher. It is becoming harder for kids to be kids and now the state wants to give them more reason to put aside their fun and get into trouble.
A ban such as this seems completely un-American, unless we consider George Orwell somewhat of a Nostradamus, predicting completely unjustifiable rules imposed by our officials. These bans are being implemented because allegedly kids are more “brutal.” Take away the energy outlet of kickball and now where do you think they will express their brutality?
To add to the factor of outrageousness, the state put kickball and tag in the same category as archery and scuba diving, but not sack races or tug-of-war. Kids cannot play a game of mock baseball with air-light balls but can pull a rope as hard as they can until the opposing party falls into a pit of mud.
There is no way that someone who truly thought this rule through could agree with it. It’s not a matter of being “wimpy,” it’s a matter of being irrational. Kids should not be left to the option of sitting, eating, and playing violent video games that fuel their aggression. They need to go outside and play without the restriction of straight jackets.
The new rule also wants to include a requirement for medical assistants to be present at summer camps. That would be fine, if the parents weren’t required to pay $200 for it. Kids need a place to go, more now than ever. By making it more difficult for them to play with peers, the state is only asking for an increase in troubled youth. Perhaps a more productive way to go about this is to have parents individually sign off on whether or not they personally find it endangering to their children to engage in tag, because I know if I were a parent, I would much rather prefer my child playing tag than singing kumbaya.
State officials are asking for a more violent youth by attempting to create a tamer one. I don’t think any of us can imagine a warm summer day at camp where children want to lie on the blacktop and meditate rather than running around with their friends. If that is what our society is coming to, then I can only hope that Nostradamus was right about 2012.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Procrastinators Unite... Tomorrow
17 year old high school student Caroline Trezza of Roslyn High School won second place for her research on procrastination. This topic seems so trivial, but has a huge affect on people everyday.
In her study, she found that stress is “more than just a bad habit” and it could be psychologically stressful. I almost feel that this is so obvious that $35,000 should not have been awarded for it.
There was an accompanying procedure though. A total of 89 juniors and 79 sophomores were surveyed to measure their levels of procrastination involving school work, fear of failure, and drive for perfection. That makes mores sense than just stating that procrastination causes stress.
She found that kids who do have a greater desire for perfection and more confidence for success are less likely to procrastinate which is undeniable. It’s gratification. It’s the idea that you worked hard for what you achieve. Every human being knows that easy come, easy go, and nothing that comes easy is worth having.
Put it this way. If every person who picked up a guitar could play like Slash, then would Slash’s lightning fast fingers and unimaginable chords sound so good? Definitely not. Everything worth having takes hard work. Hard work requires a lot of time. Often, there isn’t enough time in the day to do everything, so one must sort out what is most important, and work with the 24 hours to fill enough time for each.
Trezza’s mother Cathy stated to the newspaper “[students] are so involved in so many things – yearbook deadlines and quarterly exams.” Her daughter is yearbook editor as well as finalist for this competition.
“I don’t know that it’s so much procrastination, as trying to do it all,” her mother explained.
Her daughter admitted that she sometimes struggles to get started on assignments. That is called fatigue due to hard work, and is completely natural. Yes, it is admirable that she is doing research and still being involved. These things are not too much though. People do it every single day. Though it is stressful, it is rewarding and teaches worth and character to individuals looking to improve themselves. The choice to do so many things and do them well is part of her personal character, and not everyone is like that.
I disagree with her mother, that her daughter and her classmates “carry workloads that would stagger adults.” It is all very doable, it just takes a certain type of person to do it.
Trezza’s research is correct. Those who have the motivation and are willing to do the work for the rewarding results know when and how to do it. Those who do not have a firm grasp on the importance of work and don’t covet its payoff will procrastinate and experience more stress when the reality hits that it had no reward.
In her study, she found that stress is “more than just a bad habit” and it could be psychologically stressful. I almost feel that this is so obvious that $35,000 should not have been awarded for it.
There was an accompanying procedure though. A total of 89 juniors and 79 sophomores were surveyed to measure their levels of procrastination involving school work, fear of failure, and drive for perfection. That makes mores sense than just stating that procrastination causes stress.
She found that kids who do have a greater desire for perfection and more confidence for success are less likely to procrastinate which is undeniable. It’s gratification. It’s the idea that you worked hard for what you achieve. Every human being knows that easy come, easy go, and nothing that comes easy is worth having.
Put it this way. If every person who picked up a guitar could play like Slash, then would Slash’s lightning fast fingers and unimaginable chords sound so good? Definitely not. Everything worth having takes hard work. Hard work requires a lot of time. Often, there isn’t enough time in the day to do everything, so one must sort out what is most important, and work with the 24 hours to fill enough time for each.
Trezza’s mother Cathy stated to the newspaper “[students] are so involved in so many things – yearbook deadlines and quarterly exams.” Her daughter is yearbook editor as well as finalist for this competition.
“I don’t know that it’s so much procrastination, as trying to do it all,” her mother explained.
Her daughter admitted that she sometimes struggles to get started on assignments. That is called fatigue due to hard work, and is completely natural. Yes, it is admirable that she is doing research and still being involved. These things are not too much though. People do it every single day. Though it is stressful, it is rewarding and teaches worth and character to individuals looking to improve themselves. The choice to do so many things and do them well is part of her personal character, and not everyone is like that.
I disagree with her mother, that her daughter and her classmates “carry workloads that would stagger adults.” It is all very doable, it just takes a certain type of person to do it.
Trezza’s research is correct. Those who have the motivation and are willing to do the work for the rewarding results know when and how to do it. Those who do not have a firm grasp on the importance of work and don’t covet its payoff will procrastinate and experience more stress when the reality hits that it had no reward.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Switch hitter
No one understands the idea of relocation quite like a baseball player. They, if they have talent, become part of a team where they learn the values of teamwork and of rivalry. Once they know that, they are often uprooted from their club family and forced into a new one.
A prime example is the rivalry between New York and Boston. Johnny Damon was an outfielder at Fenway Park for four years, including the year that broke the Curse of the Bambino. When his contract there was up he said, "There's no way I can go play for the Yankees, but I know they are going to come after me hard."
He ended up at Yankee Stadium the following season with a 5 year contract.
With new turf (and new fans) came a new look. The Yankees clean-cut values required that Damon rid himself of the famous "cave man" look; he cut his trademark long hair and shaved his beard so he may look up to par in his pinstripes.
Though Damon claimed that the "top dollar which the Yankees are going to offer" was not the most important thing, he spent 5 years in the Bronx and earned a ring with the New York emblem on it.
Damon earned praise in Boston's Cathedral, ridicule for joining the rival, a great deal of money.
But where is he now? Replaced.
Damon left Boston, where he and his unruly hair were heralded. Today a Tampa Bay Ray, Damon's name is still spoken at Fenway, but in comparison to Jacoby Ellsbury who they hope to be their star hitter.
Damon is still earning recognition. Especially considering he just recently passed Reggie Jackson on the hit list (Reggie Jackson's record being 2,584 during his career). The intensity of the rivalry and the die-hard Red Sox fans would have, if you ask me as a Yankees fan, made this landmark much more monumental.
Derek Jeter, approaching his 3,000th hit, will be greatly celebrated when he hits it in the pinstripes he's been wearing for his entire career, with his devoted fans in the stands.
 |
| Johnny Damon as Boston's "Caveman." photo credit: Steve Senne, AP |
He ended up at Yankee Stadium the following season with a 5 year contract.
With new turf (and new fans) came a new look. The Yankees clean-cut values required that Damon rid himself of the famous "cave man" look; he cut his trademark long hair and shaved his beard so he may look up to par in his pinstripes.
Though Damon claimed that the "top dollar which the Yankees are going to offer" was not the most important thing, he spent 5 years in the Bronx and earned a ring with the New York emblem on it.
Damon earned praise in Boston's Cathedral, ridicule for joining the rival, a great deal of money.
But where is he now? Replaced.
Damon left Boston, where he and his unruly hair were heralded. Today a Tampa Bay Ray, Damon's name is still spoken at Fenway, but in comparison to Jacoby Ellsbury who they hope to be their star hitter.
Damon is still earning recognition. Especially considering he just recently passed Reggie Jackson on the hit list (Reggie Jackson's record being 2,584 during his career). The intensity of the rivalry and the die-hard Red Sox fans would have, if you ask me as a Yankees fan, made this landmark much more monumental.
Derek Jeter, approaching his 3,000th hit, will be greatly celebrated when he hits it in the pinstripes he's been wearing for his entire career, with his devoted fans in the stands.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Man on the street
A hot topic of our time; Charlie Sheen teaching the world how to be bi-winning. Or is he?
Everything old is new again
I have a pair of sneakers that I refuse to get rid of. I got them when I was a freshman in high school, and four years later they look as though they were worn in battle during Vietnam. Appropriately named "prison sneakers" by the Vans Company itself, they're white sneakers with three velcro straps in place of laces. I find them the most adorable, comfortable, and convenient shoe I own. My mom sees it differently
I have too many pairs of shoes, some that never see the daylight because I'd much rather slip into my Vans. They match everything, and I don't have to be wary of puddles because any dirt or tears because making them worse only makes them better for me. My mom, willing to buy me any new pair of shoes I desire, doesn't understand why I still wear them or why I can't throw them away.
It's simple: the memories. These shoes have been with me through hurried day, lazy days, adventurous days, and lucky days. I guess you can say they've got true character and bring me luck. I've got lucky pennies that I've found on the floor strapped into the third strap. I have holes in them that I only hope get larger so I can compete with the holes in my best friend's pair of Vans.
Coming to college, I brought them with me. There was no way that I'd be able to get to 7:30 AM classes without their quick and convenient help. I know that college being such a big change called for another new change. That's why I sucked it up and got myself a new pair of convenience sneakers: a white pair of low-top Chuck Taylors.
They too go with everything, but there are some days where I just want to know that I've got on my feet something that have trekked with me through some of the best years of my young life. I have both sneakers lying in my door room, waiting for their turn to stomp around campus.
My shoes are staying, both pairs. In with the new, and to the side with the old, but never for long. Sneakers are very personal things. In the long run, I want to either look back on my sneakers and think of all the days I spent in them. Maybe, if one day I make it big writing a novel or reporting for CNN, I'll sell them on eBay like Justin Bieber did for $1,425.
 |
| My torn up, faded, beat Vans prison sneakers. |
It's simple: the memories. These shoes have been with me through hurried day, lazy days, adventurous days, and lucky days. I guess you can say they've got true character and bring me luck. I've got lucky pennies that I've found on the floor strapped into the third strap. I have holes in them that I only hope get larger so I can compete with the holes in my best friend's pair of Vans.
 |
| My brand new All-Star Converse. |
They too go with everything, but there are some days where I just want to know that I've got on my feet something that have trekked with me through some of the best years of my young life. I have both sneakers lying in my door room, waiting for their turn to stomp around campus.
My shoes are staying, both pairs. In with the new, and to the side with the old, but never for long. Sneakers are very personal things. In the long run, I want to either look back on my sneakers and think of all the days I spent in them. Maybe, if one day I make it big writing a novel or reporting for CNN, I'll sell them on eBay like Justin Bieber did for $1,425.
Monday, April 4, 2011
A little bird told me...
The youth of my generation have been enthralled by social networking since Myspace really exploded, and possibly even before with AIM Buddy Profiles (does anyone remember those?). Facebook seems to really have taken center stage and stolen the show.
Does this site really live up to all of the praise? The answer varies from person to person. I think that there would, at the very least, be an overwhelming agreement that whoever has it would have great difficulty parting with it. It has become somewhat of a scrapbook; pictures, posts, and videos from several years can be accessed at ease for a trip down memory lane.
Aside from the the memories and friendships that are preserved, Facebook is just a virtual breeding ground for opinions, gossip, and trouble. There are things posted on Facebook that bring out the ugliness in people we call "friends." Most recently, teen girls from Pennsylvania were tagged in a video of a fight that landed them in court. When CBS reported the story, they cleverly began it with "Be careful what you put on Facebook...in case you hadn't noticed!"
But social networking isn't all mirror shots and indirect attacks on "friends." There's a refuge for people simply looking to learn, share, and connect. That place is Twitter.
I've once saw a tweet in my timeline that said "Facebook makes you hate people you know and Twitter makes you love people you don't know." How very true this has become, especially for me. I have found that people who I thought I needed to stay in contact with from high school, via Facebook, are people I contemplate deleting contact with. I don't have quite an interest in browsing through pages of similar-looking photos with insignificant poses.
Twitter is a different territory. With people to follow like Perez Hilton to dish all the juicy Hollywood details, CNN breaking news to give you real-time news updates as they're released, and Lady Gaga who tweets straight from her personal Blackberry to all her little monster fans, you can't help but to re-tweet and reply to the abundance of great chatter that's "tweeted." Well, at least I can't.
Still, Facebook remains a charming site that everyone wants to waste value homework time on. Personally, I'd rather the little Twitter bird keep me posted with trending topics that sometimes tip me off to new events I would have otherwise missed and follow people that are innocently looking for an audience. I'm still building my own audience up, but rather than friend requesting acquaintances, I'd rather have followers interested in what I tweet.
Does this site really live up to all of the praise? The answer varies from person to person. I think that there would, at the very least, be an overwhelming agreement that whoever has it would have great difficulty parting with it. It has become somewhat of a scrapbook; pictures, posts, and videos from several years can be accessed at ease for a trip down memory lane.
Aside from the the memories and friendships that are preserved, Facebook is just a virtual breeding ground for opinions, gossip, and trouble. There are things posted on Facebook that bring out the ugliness in people we call "friends." Most recently, teen girls from Pennsylvania were tagged in a video of a fight that landed them in court. When CBS reported the story, they cleverly began it with "Be careful what you put on Facebook...in case you hadn't noticed!"
But social networking isn't all mirror shots and indirect attacks on "friends." There's a refuge for people simply looking to learn, share, and connect. That place is Twitter.
 |
| photo credit: chaaps.com |
I've once saw a tweet in my timeline that said "Facebook makes you hate people you know and Twitter makes you love people you don't know." How very true this has become, especially for me. I have found that people who I thought I needed to stay in contact with from high school, via Facebook, are people I contemplate deleting contact with. I don't have quite an interest in browsing through pages of similar-looking photos with insignificant poses.
Twitter is a different territory. With people to follow like Perez Hilton to dish all the juicy Hollywood details, CNN breaking news to give you real-time news updates as they're released, and Lady Gaga who tweets straight from her personal Blackberry to all her little monster fans, you can't help but to re-tweet and reply to the abundance of great chatter that's "tweeted." Well, at least I can't.
Still, Facebook remains a charming site that everyone wants to waste value homework time on. Personally, I'd rather the little Twitter bird keep me posted with trending topics that sometimes tip me off to new events I would have otherwise missed and follow people that are innocently looking for an audience. I'm still building my own audience up, but rather than friend requesting acquaintances, I'd rather have followers interested in what I tweet.
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