Reflections

"Survival, I know, is to begin again." -Judy Collins

I don't agree with the quote above because I believe that survival is the state of remaining alive and carrying on. So how could beginning once again, have anything to do with the act of surviving? However, it could be argued that this quote is speaking about reincarnation, which is he belief that the soul, upon death of the body, comes back to earth in another body or form. If this is the underlying meaning of the quote, then I do agree with it! I am indecisive.

When Words Fail Me...

This feeling is one of the worst I have ever experienced; The inability to annunciate words or to not speak at all, in times where I have an astounding amount to say. It usually occurs when I have the most significant things to say to the most significant people in my life. People often question why I am such a quiet lad, and some may mistake me for someone who doesn't have much to say overall. This is definitely not so, and I wish I could inform them that I have answers to all of their questions, but as soon as I try to do so...words fail me once again. I ask why this happens to me? But,  of course I can only ask this in my mind.

"When you think of the long and gloom history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion."-C.P Snow

As I watched the test subject violently shake and foam from the mouth, I was simultaneously asked to turn the voltage gauge up two dials to 450 volts. Although my own moral judgement told me to immediately stop and leave the test centre, I still carried out the orders given to me by Dr. Milgram because I had great faith in his intelligence. Also, I knew that I would only be rewarded the money promised if I complied to his every word. This being so, as I turned the dial, I was subjected to every treacherous scream the subject let out.  Dr. Milgram stopped the process, turned to me and said, "Thank you for your time, and here is your money" then he paused and questioned, "Are you generally this obedient to authority figures?". I was absolutely speechless and great feelings of shame and remorse flooded my mind. I was the test subject all along.

The Cruelty Crisis: Bullying Isn't a School Problem, It's a National Pastime

1)Behaviors
2)Vulnerability
3)Compassion
4)Courage
5)Imperfect
6)Cruelty
7)Confrontations
8)Humanity
9)Humility
10)Hostile

1)Behaviors


























  Human behavior is primarily affected by the people and/or objects that surround them. Such emotions as happiness, love, lust, anger, frustration and sadness wouldn't even come to be if not influenced by a humans surroundings. This may not come as a surprise, but it helps us (humans) comprehend why we do the things that we do. In essence, every characteristic a person has, is largely related to things that have occurred in their life and people that have influenced them to gain a particular perspective. I believe that the concept of nurture will always be dominant over the concept of nature. This doesn't mean that nature isn't part of creating the minds of humans, but only that it isn't as significant as nurture, and even then, nature is attributed to the genetics of parents.

For the reasons stated above, this is why we often see people segregated into groups with ideals they would put above their own lives. This is also why when we see people open to new ideas and with different opinions, they are ridiculed and made to feel as if they are different, not their ideals. Although I believe in this concept, I do not condone it and believe it is one of the most mallicious and destructive aspects humans bear. Humans must work together despite their differences, and accept others unless they are creating harm against the greater good of man. A peaceful world will be obtained when we reslove our issues with discussion and respect for life, rather then meaningless violence.

Although the picture I may have painted for you is a perfect utopia and overly-idealistic, if we can focus and put all of our consideration into the topic, perhaps we can recreate current systems for the advancement of humanity as a whole.

http://blogs.chron.com/talkingtolerance/2010/09/buddhist_gay_a_recipe_for_midd.html

Why Do You Think People Engage In Immoral Acts?


This is a very complicated question to answer because people have different ideas of what morality is and people hold different morals in general. For example, some may say that acts such as abortion and/or birth control are very immoral acts well others tolerate these subjects. However, I think it is agreeable on a wide scale that being engaged in acts of extreme violence and putting others in harm without necessity is immoral.

That brings us to the question, if the majority of people agree it is immoral, then why do we still see people involved in such brutality? Is it because of the pressure one faces at the hands on society, or because someone has put enough faith into something to risk the lives of others and their own for, is it because sometimes there is a trigger gauge in your mind and there is something in this world that will inevitably set it off, or is it just human nature? I believe that it is all of these, and they are almost impossible to control.

Although senseless violence is possibly the most immoral actions a being can be involved in, violence with reason is one of the most powerful forces against repression and injustice. Weather you are fighting to overthrow a criminal concealed by false doctrines, power and a Windsor Knot, or you're a victim of abuse, weather it be physical or emotional, it would only be fulfilling your rights as a human to take action. Because survival is key to life.

"I watched my mother and father die. I knew perfectly well that they were starving. But I wanted their bread more than I wanted them to stay alive. And they knew that. That’s what I remember about the blockade (of Leningrad): that feeling that you wanted your parents to die because you wanted their bread."-Russian Soldier during Battle of Leningrad

"If I share with you, an idea, you can't own it until you add to it"/Synthesis


Good and evil, just like the words themselves, are subjects created by man. I believe, the words good and evil have been used to separate both living and non-living things into categories so we have knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. However, there is no such thing as right and wrong, just facts and opinions. 


Reflections on group talk:


-The roots of evil is produced by inaction. 
-Sometimes the nicest people ask us to do the most appalling things and we just accept it because we believe what they are asking is right.


Have you ever been treated badly by a friend/teacher/co-worker?


When I was younger, my grade four teacher would never allow me to drink my water in class and wouldn't allow me to go to the washroom when I requested. After awhile, I began to develop kidney problems and my family doctor wrote a letter to my teacher enforcing that I drink my water during class and am able to go to the washroom, whenever I asked. However, the teacher decided to disobey this note and only allowed me to have my water bottle located in the cubby hall. This meant that every time I would go to drink my water, I would have to leave the class and potentially miss part of the lesson he was teaching. Also, he still didn't allow me to go the washroom during class and would repeat "You should have gone during recess". My kidney problems only worsened and eventually I had to be hospitalized and still do this day I do not have a proper functioning kidney.


If you could write a letter to this person, what would you say?


Dear, 
          Mr. Anonymous


It is because of your actions towards me, that to this day I don't have a proper functioning kidney. However, I do not feel any personal anger towards you, I only pity you for holding a position where rather than helping your students, you use your position of authority to suppress your students. Why do you do this? Perhaps you are insecure and have been treated in the same way you now treat others. Even though, when I am 18, I can legally sue you, I will not do so, because I know you have a problem within yourself, that is far worse than an incompetent kidney.


How do your reflections relate to the short stories you read?


In "The Painted Door", near the end, John is completely speechless due to Ann's affair with Steven and this relates to the reflection "When Words Fail Me"


In "The Lottery", most of the townspeople are obedient to the tradition of brutality and this relates to the reflection on the quote, "When you think of the long and gloom history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion."-C.P Snow


In "And Summer Is Gone" Amy completely ignores David and this relates to the reflection "Have you ever been treated badly by a friend/teacher/co-worker?".


Is there really such thing as pure altruism?


I believe that every action a human takes to help another, in some way, they are also bettering themselves. Weather it be Mother Teresa attempting to heal the people of Calcutta while in the same sense expecting them to cave in to Roman Catholic belief. Or what is seen as the ultimate act of sacrifice, where a person gives their lives away for another being, while simultaneously thinking they may become a hero for doing this, pure altruism does not exist. However, this does not mean selfishness is a terrible thing.


Why are we studying evil?


I believe we study evil because we as humans have a curiosity to want to know the other side of most things. I also believe this curiosity to know evil has existed since good was defined. For example, the Bible was written with two sides, one of what most people define as pure goodness and the other as pure evilness. People want to know what is immoral, to know what is moral. Also, evil is taught so we don't repeat the evil acts that have been engraved into history.


The Importance of National Shame


It is acceptable to be proud of the accomplishments your country has been involved in and to believe in your countries power to change things for the greater good. However you must also remind yourself often of the horrors and inconceivable acts that have also occurred within your borders. To accept history as it is, weather it creates a good or bad reputation for you or your country is one of the first steps of becoming an enlightened and intellectual being. You must own up to the atrocities dealt from your hands, ask for cleansing of guilt from them, while also maintaining nostalgic about the events. Perhaps if you keep this outlook and sense of level-headnesses, people will listen to why you're proud, rather then remaining dis-interested in your beliefs. 


Downtown Eastside-Holocaust


One of the most apparent similarities I pulled out of the talk today and the situation of the Holocaust is the fact that so many people either know what's happening and choose to ignore it or have little to no education on the topic. Also, if you're to walk around downtown Vancouver you may notice that there can be an extremely wealthy area one block away from a poverty stricken place, yet you will feel you are in a completely different place in one or the other. When you go to such places as East Hastings you will notice a vast population of homeless, and or mentally disabled people and it seems quite like the segregation one would face in a camp.


The Book Thief/Phillip Zimbardo's Steps to Evil


It is better to write about nothing, then to not write at all. When you write about nothing, atleast you're engaging your thoughts into something. Perhaps as you write about nothing, an idea will form in your brain and you will have to ability to write about something meaningful. For now, it is okay to continue writing about nothing at all, but soon, i'm sure, the lightbulb will be turned on and the idea train will start it's locomotion. 


Uncritical conformity to group norms. At this time, it was expected of a german citizen to join the Nazi party. If you did not, you wouldn't be given the same opportunities as others are given. So, it is very easy to accept the fate and mindlessly accept the offer.


"We thought, because we had power, we had wisdom" -Stephen Vincent Benet
Power is only a sense of self-entitlement. To have power, you do not have to be intelligent or thoughtful, you only need to draw out the flaws of citizens and strike at them. Then you will have the ultimate authority. Through manipulation and persuasion, not through knowledge and wisdom. 


A great leader is not one who is able to guide it's people into war, or take them out of war. A great leader is one who never has to face this situation in the first place.


"The guilty think all talk is of themselves"-Geoffrey Chaucer


My Own Flaws


-I'm very passive aggressive and I have a bad temper. I like to destroy inanimate objects when I am raging and try to fix them when I am calmed down.
-I make my problems too personal
-I can be very mono-tone
My Own Strengths


I am very thoughtful
I strive for greatness
I am strong-willed
I am intellectual
I am well-spoken

Summary and Response: Are Governments Closing the Net Around Web Freedom?

Are Governments Closing the Net Around Web Freedom? 

Alex Hudson suggests that the "right to a voice online, it seems, is of paramount importance- Not just in Egypt but around the world." Unfortunately it is this exact freedom that people have online that is being jeopardized by Government and Large-scale Corporations. One of the most significant attributes of the internet has always been the ability of people to express themselves on a world wide spectrum. If this exact freedom is being monitored and censored by Government's and corporations alike, we may be losing the sense of democracy we receive from the internet."Hudson reveals that "the top ten websites were responsible for 31% of US page views in 2001, rising to around 75% in most recent estimates." The U.S have recently introduced an internet kill-switch that would give the president power to shut down parts of the internet if there was an attack on important infrastructure. Although this kill-switch would only be implemented in times of certain crisis, the very concept raises much controversy because it would jeopardize the democratic values that the internet holds.Hudson states that "the idea of government or big corporations somehow limiting the scope of people to interact with each other freely is worrying the creator of the world wide web itself, Tim Berners-Lee.

Response:


I agree that as the internet expands, it's democratic values must not be comprised by Governments and Corporations. Ever since the 1960's, internet has been used as an efficient tool to express your views to anyone willing to see them. Many people use the internet for this reason alone and if particular aspects of the on line world are being censored and contained due to the beliefs of Government, then the democratic outlook that empowers the internet, could be endangered by demanding authorities. However, because so many large corporations are being advertised over the internet, websites are allowing these corporations to gain more control over the internet and it's users each and every day.The reason websites are encouraged to promote various companies is because they are able to make money from advertising these corporations. I say this with a brave mind, that if we abolish all forms of currency and reform Government on a global scale, one day we may see democracy in it's truest form. 


In Jasmine's response on the topic,  she states that censorship is sometimes necessary to protect the rights of people and society.


In Rebecca's response on the topic, she states that the internet has become a large part of human society and if we want to defend our right to voice our opinions we must stand up to the Government.

Online Summary - Monday, February 14, 2011- English 11

Step 1: Open the attached file and read the article and short videos. Write a Summary of the story, checking your notes to make sure you remember all the ticky rules. Remember, the length of most summaries is about one quarter the length of the original piece.

Step 2: Write a Personal Response to the story.

Step 3: Create a group of 3 to 4 people. Read each other's summaries. If
you see an error, tell the writer to correct it (gracefully). Record the names of the readers at the bottom of your summary.

Step 4: Taking turns, read your Responses out loud. Discuss.

Step 6: Send your Summary (not your response) to me through Edmodo. Remember to type in your class code and not my name. (C-Block: 335y5p) (D-Block: mfdj0k) Copy and paste the assignment; do not use an attachment.

Marking Criteria:

Technical rules of summary followed: /4

Word choice, grammar, sophistication /4
of language:

Main ideas of summary evident: insignificant /4
details left out:


/12

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9386720.stm

TED Talks

Choose ten TED videos you are interested in watching and record each of the following for each video:
1) Name of presenter.
2)Title of presentation.
3)Topic.
4)Go to the "About this talk"  section. Paraphrase what it says.
5)Go to "About presenter"-Take a few biographical notes on the presenter.
6) What is the main point/thesis the presenter is making about the topic?
7)Why are you excited about this particular TED Talk?
8)How has the presenter changed the way you view his/her topic?
9)What is the one image or idea you will take away from this talk?
10)Choose one single word that best describes this talk.

1)JR.
2)Use art to turn the world inside out
3)How he uses his art to try to change the world
4)A semi-anonymous French street artist,called JR., uses his camera to show the world its true face, by pasting photos of the human face across massive canvases. At TED2011, he makes his audacious TED Prize wish: to use art to turn the world inside out.
5)Semi-anonymous french artist. Uses a 28 mm camera to take portraits of people that match his project concept, blows them up and pastes them on various buildings around a city in which there is an issue surrounding the community.
6)Jr is over-viewing the various projects he has already completed and is asking the audience to help partake in trying to resolve issues among a community. He is also asking people to participate in his Inside-Out project.
7)I am excited about this particular talk because I am a photographer as well and becoming a photo-journalist is one of my aspirations in life. I have also always been fascinated with street artists and their view of the world.
8)He has given me a wider perspective on street art, how powerful it can be and how it can change the world.
9)The inspiration to possibly use my photography to do something similar to JR's work.10)Monumental


1)Charles Limb
2)Your Brain On Improv
3)How the brain works during musical improvisation
4)Charles Kimb put jazz musicians and rappers in an fMRI to find out how their brains work on improvisation. What he and his team found has deep implications for our understanding of creativity of all kinds.
5)On Charles Limb's official website he has two titles: Associate Professor, Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, and Faculty, Peabody Conservatory of Music. With these titles he intertwines his two passions to study the way the brain creates and perceives music. He's a hearing specialist and surgeon at Johns Hopkins who performs cochlear implantations on patients who have lost their hearing. He plays sax, piano and bass too.
6)He's showing his audience his research done on musical improvisation and how the brain perceives things when using improvisation. He also states that music could actually be a language of it's own.
7)I'm excited about this talk because like most people, I absolutely love music. I play bass and guitar and it is ground breaking that music being a language of it's own may be proved. I also am a fan of hip-hop and I like that he included hip-hop artist freestyling and how their brains work while they freestyle.
8)It has given me an even greater appreciation for music and science.
9)One idea that I take away from this talk is that one day people will have the ability to communicate solely through musical instruments.
10)Creativity


1)Julian Assange
2)Why the World Needs Wikileaks
3)Assange talks about Wikileaks, how the site operates and what drives them forward to continue releasing information to the world.
4)Founder Julian Assange, talks to TED's Chris Anderson about how the site operates, what it has accomplished, and why he still continues to pursue it. This talk also includes graphic footage of a recent US air strike in Baghdad.
5)Australian. Studied Physics and Mathematics at the University of Melbourne.Amnesty International recognized him with an International Media Award in 2009.
6)Julian Assange talks about how Wikileaks will continue to release information to the world as-long as they have good reason to do so. 
7)I'm excited about this particular talk because I can see myself doing similar work in the future and bringing controversial information to the people as truthfully as possible.
8)It hasn't, because I have always felt the same way about authorities hiding information from it's citizens. I don't think it's right and I have even more support for this group after viewing this talk.
9)
10)Genuine 

James Nachtway's searing photos of war -I didn't follow criteria for this one.

1)This particular piece is a TED talk by James Nachtway's where he speaks about his career as a photo-journalist and hows he has made impact and would like to continue to do so.
2)This piece is being presented with a speech by James Nachtway and some of his most famous and impacting photos he has taken over the years.
3)This takes on the perspective of a photographer who has dedicated his time and life into his medium and trying to make a difference in the world.
4)I believe it is a very convincing piece and really puts what I want to do with my photography into perspective and motivates me to keep on working towards making a change in the world.
5)Before finding this piece, I had no knowledge of who James Nachtway was and now he has become one of my favorite photographers.
6)It really affected me because it helped me decide what I really want to create with my photography and become from photography.
7)It was very interesting to see all of his personal work and how he had a story for each image. Also just knowing all of the positions he put himself into to capture the truth and share it with other people is truly amazing.
8)In my opinion, yes, it is very worth while, but it really depends on what you are interested in and what you want to do with your time on earth.
9)A solution he gave to show the world what war truly is, was to keep on supporting him in his journies and to continue the subject of photojournalism. " I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated"- James Nachtwey

1)Bart Weejens

2)How I taught rats to sniff out landmines

3)Bart Weejens talks about how he has developed a much more safe way to find landmines by using rats to sniff them out. He also talks about his newest project in which he is using rats to possibly cure tuberculosis

4) Bart Weetjens talks about his extraordinary project: training rats to sniff out land mines. He shows clips of his "hero rats" in action, and previews his work's next phase: teaching them to turn up tuberculosis in the lab.

5)Bart Weetjens works with locals in Morogoro, Tanzania to run a world-class facility that trains rats to sniff out land- mines. 

6)How what most people call a disgusting rodent can be very useful and help solve global issues.

7)I just think it's really interesting and have always been interested in the capability of animals other than humans.

8)I have learnt that rats are insanely awesome!

9)

10)Capabilities 


1)A.J Jacobs
2)Year of Living Biblically 
3)A.J Jacob's shares his experience of living an entire year biblically and how ridiculous it became at some points.
4)A.J. Jacobs talks about the year he spent living biblically . Following the rules in the Bible as literally as possible.
5)Author of "The Know it All" and various other books. He is a author and journalist and often uses himself as a guinea pig to discover things.
6)I believe the main point he was making is that it is almost impossible to live through the bible and some things in the bible are meant to be taken metaphorically rather than literally.
7)I think it is absolutely hilarious what he is doing and through his sense of humour he is also revealing truth.
8)He has helped me prove why I believe the bible is a piece of poetry using metaphors rather than a guideline you should live your live by.
9)

110)Comical

1)Chris Jordan
2)Some shocking stats
3) Shares his artwork that calculates how much of one thing North Americans use or do in a year.
4)Chris Jordan shows us an arresting view of what Western culture looks like. His supersized images picture some almost unimaginable statistics. An example of this would be how many paper cups we use in one year.
5)Photographer Chris Jordan focuses on American consumption. His 2003-05 series "Intolerable Beauty" examines the sheer amount of stuff we make and consume every day: cliffs of baled scrap, small cities of shipping containers, endless grids of mass-produced goods.
His 2005 book In Katrina's Wake: Portraits of Loss from an Unnatural Disaster is a chilling, unflinching look at the toll of the storm. And his latest series of photographs, "Running the Numbers," gives dramatic life to statistics of US consumption.
6)The main point of this talk is to show how much we Westerners waste. He does this through eye-catching art pieces.
7)I'm not really excited about it, but it is very informing and hopefully we can change before it is too late.
8)I have always been enviromentally aware, but this talk has really brought how much as a culture we waste.
9)The image of the plastic cups really stuck to me because it was very artistic and there was an enormous amount of plastic cups being displayed.
10)Numbers

1)Jody Williams
2) A realistic vision for peace
3Jody shares what she believes is a realistic vision of peace and how we need to redefine our security in this world. It is okay to have defense, but not to the point where every country is arming themselves as much as possible.
4)Jody Williams brings tough love to the dream of world peace, with her take on what "peace" really means, and a set of profound stories that zero in on the creative struggle -- and sacrifice -- of those who work for it.
5)Civil-rights and peace activist Jody Williams, received the nobel peace prize in 1997 as the chief strategist of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which established the first global treaty banning antipersonnel mines.
6)That peace can be obtained, not through being a complete pacifist and having a somewhat unrealisitic utopia of what the world should be, but through being reasonable and working together for the better of all earthlings.
7)I'm very excited about this talk because it is one of the first ideas of world peace that may actually work.
8)Democracy is not just having the ability of voting, but also becoming an active citizen. I really liked this view of what democracy should be and I think I should become more involved in my community now.
9)The idea that one day world peace will be obtained
10)Sensible

1)Jonathan Klein
2)Photos that changed the world
3)How one image can help change the world.
4)Photographs can make history. Jonathan Klein of Getty Images shows some of the most iconic photographs, and talks about what happens when a generation sees an image so powerful it can't look away.
5)Getty Images Co-founder.He led it during its aggressive archive acquisition campaign through the '90s and now in the 2000s, adding to its formidable collection of editorial photos, footage and music. He is also the CEO of Getty Images.
6)The main point Jonathan is making is that photographs can and have been known to spark ideas and create change in the world.
7)I am excited about this particular talk because I myself would like to be a photo-journalist and am hoping to one day have an image that creates global change.
8)9)He has made me think more about the fact that one day, if I stay persistent with photography and dedicate myself to capturing the truth, I could be the photographer of one of these images.
10)Inspirational

1)Adam Sadowsky
2)A Viral Music Video
3)Adam speaks about how he and the band OK Go created a Rube Goldberg machine for their music video, "This Too Shall Pass".
4)Adam Sadowsky's team was charged with building the Rube Goldberg machine for the band OK Go. He tells the story of the effort and engineering behind their labyrinthine creation that quickly became a YouTube sensation.
5)President of Synn Labs. He is also the co-founder and vice president of the IBD Foundation providing support to people with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.
6)The difficulty and guidelines of creating this machine
7)I have seen the music video and before this video I didn't have knowledge of all the work that was put into it. It is an amazing music video and is completely awesome.
8)Well I really didn't know of all the work that was put into the project before-hand and after watching the talk, it makes me realize how amazing it actually is.
9)I have the idea of making a Rube Goldberg machine one day.
10)

Summaries and Responses

 Writing a Summary:

Start with a sentence naming the writer and article title and stating the essay's main idea. Then write your summary,  avoiding unimportant details and striving for overall coherence through the appropriate transitions. Put the title of the article in quotation marks.

Be concise in order to compress your ideas. Focus on the most important general ideas put forth by the writer and leave out the supporting details.

Refer to the writer of the article throughout your summary. Ex. James Brown believes that poverty in Canada is caused by unemployment.

Never include your own opinions in a summary.

Conclude with a final statement reflecting the significance of the article-not from your own point of view, but from the writer's.

 Writing a Response:

A response to an article is your own personal opinion about the content of the piece. You can use "I think" and "I believe" in a response. There are no right or wrong answers. You can agree or disagree with the writer. Try some of theses questions if you are stuck:

a) What did you know about the topic?
b)What did you learn about the topic?
c)What else did you want to know about the topic?
d)How does this knowledge connect to your life?
e)How has this knowledge changed how you think?
f)How has this knowledge changed how you will act?
g)Would you recommend this article? Why or why not?
h)What connections can you make to connect your life to this article?

Summary and Response: SPENT

http://mashable.com/2011/02/08/spent-homeless-game/

"Can you make it through the month?"

In the article entitled "New Website Guides You Through the Homeless Experience" by Zachary Sniderman, he reveals, a new online game called Spent with simple point and click and multiple choice questions features is being used to ask the very question stated above. This is a game where you put yourself in the shoes of a homeless person and attempt to survive one month while no finances or employment. Sniderman reveals that like many online games these days, it is integrated into Facebook. Some choices you make in the game will ask you to "ignore the claim, pay it or ask a friend". Spent is a game being used to spread social awareness and educate youth on homelessness and hopefully help them avoid it.

"SPENT definitely subscribes to the “tough-love” mentality, trying to give you a realistic impression of what it’s like to deal with homelessness and poverty. With its snipes, the game also gives a good impression of what it’s like to be leered at."-Zachary Sniderman

Response:

I believe that Spent can help educate the youth about homelessness and hopefully keep them from becoming it. The creator's of  Spent realize that in today's world, the strongest way to connect with the youth is by using technology to do so. However if the topic being presented is not presented in a very serious way, teens may just take the entire message and receive it as a joke. This being said, Spent is still a very innovative spin on bland facts and statements homelessness is usually represented to educate. I connected very well to this article because I have spent time in the Lower Eastside of Vancouver, documenting the lives of homeless people themselves.

The Beautiful Game

For centuries, one simplistic game has captivated nations across the world. This in-complex sport of 11 versus 11 is generally called Football, in European countries, Futebal in Latin countries and Soccer in North American countries. Soccer is arguably the most important and influential recreational activity played in today's age. This is because of it's simplistic, inexpensive appeal, it's international effect on the world and it's ability to pull the world together in times when nothing else is capable.

         A spherical ball in which you kick around the pitch, a field of grass, and two posts to create what is called  a net on each end of the field . This is all that is required to play football. It is this reason alone that makes soccer such a globally appealing sport. It doesn't matter how much  financial power, social class or even athletic capability you hold, if you have access to it's requirements and are able to punt a ball, you, the probability of you being able to play soccer is very high. A soccer ball can range in price from 10 dollars to 200 dollars (If you're willing to spend), anything can be used to make two goal posts and an empty field is the most accessible prerequisite. Also, the actual guidelines to soccer are easy to comprehend. So uncomplicated that even in professional Futebal, there are only 17 laws in the handbook. This being so, it is inevitable that so many different cultures, regardless of education and social class become so involved and passionate about Football.

Due to it's intelligible nature and conservative expenses, Futebal when first designed, was almost assured of it's greatness on the international stage. And it is on that international stage where Footy proves it's dominance over other sports and almost never fails to make a withstanding impact on a global scale. From the Fifa World Cup that comes once every four years and is always hosted by different nations, to the UEFA Champions League where Football clubs across the map partake, these are just two great competitions brought to the world by the beautiful game. These various competitions are the driving force between linking professional footballers to the common man and creating more fans each and every day. These fans are what make soccer more than a sport, they make it a cultural experience.

An equation of being very accessible and the most international sport is undoubtedly equal to it's power to pull countries together time after time. A prime example of this sense of unity footy has brought to the world would be the 2010 Fifa World Cup hosted in South Africa. A country still divided by the lasting effect of apartheid was able to put it's cultural differences aside and bring it's people together to show the world the beauty South Africa beholds. From the unforgettable vuvuzelas that were heard around the world, to the traditional dress ware wore at each game, shows the pride that was gained by South Africa by one of the most global events hosted in history.

Soccer, Football, Futebal, or however you may refer to it, it is fact that is the most significant and influential sport played on every continent. It's universal effect, straightforwardness and economical nature and it's capability to bring change are just three reasons of why it is the best sport that's been created.

 

 

“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson