I'm actually going to talk about a novel I read for this one. The novel is called "I Heard You Paint Houses", as I don't read fiction this story actually turned out to be not only very interesting, but chilling as well.
It's a story told by one of Jimmy Hoffa's closest friends--and presumably the man who killed Jimmy Hoffa.
The story itself is basically this man telling of his life as Jimmy Hoffa's right hand man. He tells of what he did, what he was ordered to do, and everything in between.
I would be hard-pressed to say that there was a theme to this book, rather than the brutality of mob-life and the unspeakable acts that they would carry out.
I would, however recommend this book to anyone who is any kind of interested in the Mafia or mob history, which I myself find to be among the most interesting history around.
Ultimately in the book, the man tells how he was actually the man who killed Jimmy Hoffa, although his remains to this day are still not found.
Just putting myself in his shoes sends chills down my spine. This man was supposedly Jimmy Hoffa's closest friends, but his obligation to the mob left him no choice but to dispose of him.
I find it incredibly interesting how mob life works, and the unwritten rules it has, but if you are at all interested in that type of history I would recommend this book to you without hesitation.
A great read! Disturbing...but interesting nonetheless.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Final-Banner
This semester was actually pretty amazing for me.
I had so much fun in the class, learning about the proper way to write, making new friends, and getting to do what I love the most--write.
The article I am most proud of was that of the Widows in Iraq. I love writing sports more than anything, but this particular subject was really interesting and special to me.
I was lucky enough to bring a subject to light that not many people get to hear about and reflect on. People think that their wars only effect those who are involved in it, but noone gave a second though to the women who lost their husbands. The women who have kids at home to take care of, but no way to take care of them because they cannot produce a substantial income. In Iraq, women aren't looked at as equals unlike America. They are rarely, if ever, allowed to get jobs to support their families let alone themselves.
I hope that more light will be brought to this issue, and that somehow it can be addressed in Iraq. People need to live, and they need to be able to have the opportunity to provide the lives that they deserve, whether they are male, female, or anything else.
The bottom line is that life is life, how you live that life or produce for it should be illegitimate as long as no laws are broken.
I sincerely hope that people will bring more attention to this and take strides to make this a better situation.
I had so much fun in the class, learning about the proper way to write, making new friends, and getting to do what I love the most--write.
The article I am most proud of was that of the Widows in Iraq. I love writing sports more than anything, but this particular subject was really interesting and special to me.
I was lucky enough to bring a subject to light that not many people get to hear about and reflect on. People think that their wars only effect those who are involved in it, but noone gave a second though to the women who lost their husbands. The women who have kids at home to take care of, but no way to take care of them because they cannot produce a substantial income. In Iraq, women aren't looked at as equals unlike America. They are rarely, if ever, allowed to get jobs to support their families let alone themselves.
I hope that more light will be brought to this issue, and that somehow it can be addressed in Iraq. People need to live, and they need to be able to have the opportunity to provide the lives that they deserve, whether they are male, female, or anything else.
The bottom line is that life is life, how you live that life or produce for it should be illegitimate as long as no laws are broken.
I sincerely hope that people will bring more attention to this and take strides to make this a better situation.
Monday, March 2, 2009
When will it stop? (Banner Midterm)
I’m actually going to talk about something very important and newsworthy to me. It hits really close to home, and was actually one of my biggest fears growing up, so maybe I will be able to offer a different perspective to some people.
In Vancouver there was only one thing that ever really scared me when I was little, and even now when I go back to visit my old home and friends and family.
Gang violence is really something that has been around Vancouver (as well as many other places in Canada/US and many other places) for as long as I can remember. My mom tried to shield me from it when I was super young and a girl was killed as a result of gang violence at the school across the street, but I knew what was going. I remember having to be careful which way I came home, because I didn’t want to run into anyone affiliated with any kind of that stuff.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Vancouver, and it will always be home to me. There are so many beautiful places, so many friendly people, and there is no place in the world I love being more than that city, but the senseless violence HAS to stop. I remember not too long ago a cousin of mine got in an argument with someone at a mall. He didn’t know who the person was, he just didn’t appreciate the rudeness shown towards him and his girlfriend. Well, they went in to watch a movie, and when they came out the guy was waiting for him with his gang. They stabbed my cousin AND his girlfriend and for what? My cousin made it through, but his girlfriend didn’t. She lost her life because her boyfriend stood up for her, how does that make any sense at all?
In the past month in the city of Vancouver alone there have been 18 gang related shootings. That’s not anything at all that I want my friends and family to be around. That’s not what I want to have to worry about when I go back to see them.
And while I don’t like him, or agree with many of the things he says or does, I completely back the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper with the unveiling of his new anti-gang legislation. Under the legislation ANY gang-related murder becomes automatically a first-degree murder charge, any drive-by shooting (resulting in injury or not) results in a MINIMUM of a 4 year sentence, and any assault with a weapon, or assault causing bodily harm would potentially hold a 10 year sentence.
We can’t just magically eliminate all of the sick people, who somehow think it’s okay to physically harm another human being, but we can at least impose stiffer penalties, taking them off the streets when they do, and hopefully deter them from doing such thoughtless and selfish acts with stiffer penalties.
Go to this site, if you get a chance: http://www.cbc.ca/bc/features/homicide/2009.html
It’s an interactive map of the homicides in the Metro Vancouver & Fraser Valley areas alone, and it’s only for the 2 months of 2009. It has the names, and the manners of death, for each and every victim to this point. Some of them are by my old house, some by my grandparents’, one practically in my aunt’s back yard.
I love the city, and I love the people more than I can even begin to express, but something needs to happen to make this stop.
In Vancouver there was only one thing that ever really scared me when I was little, and even now when I go back to visit my old home and friends and family.
Gang violence is really something that has been around Vancouver (as well as many other places in Canada/US and many other places) for as long as I can remember. My mom tried to shield me from it when I was super young and a girl was killed as a result of gang violence at the school across the street, but I knew what was going. I remember having to be careful which way I came home, because I didn’t want to run into anyone affiliated with any kind of that stuff.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Vancouver, and it will always be home to me. There are so many beautiful places, so many friendly people, and there is no place in the world I love being more than that city, but the senseless violence HAS to stop. I remember not too long ago a cousin of mine got in an argument with someone at a mall. He didn’t know who the person was, he just didn’t appreciate the rudeness shown towards him and his girlfriend. Well, they went in to watch a movie, and when they came out the guy was waiting for him with his gang. They stabbed my cousin AND his girlfriend and for what? My cousin made it through, but his girlfriend didn’t. She lost her life because her boyfriend stood up for her, how does that make any sense at all?
In the past month in the city of Vancouver alone there have been 18 gang related shootings. That’s not anything at all that I want my friends and family to be around. That’s not what I want to have to worry about when I go back to see them.
And while I don’t like him, or agree with many of the things he says or does, I completely back the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper with the unveiling of his new anti-gang legislation. Under the legislation ANY gang-related murder becomes automatically a first-degree murder charge, any drive-by shooting (resulting in injury or not) results in a MINIMUM of a 4 year sentence, and any assault with a weapon, or assault causing bodily harm would potentially hold a 10 year sentence.
We can’t just magically eliminate all of the sick people, who somehow think it’s okay to physically harm another human being, but we can at least impose stiffer penalties, taking them off the streets when they do, and hopefully deter them from doing such thoughtless and selfish acts with stiffer penalties.
Go to this site, if you get a chance: http://www.cbc.ca/bc/features/homicide/2009.html
It’s an interactive map of the homicides in the Metro Vancouver & Fraser Valley areas alone, and it’s only for the 2 months of 2009. It has the names, and the manners of death, for each and every victim to this point. Some of them are by my old house, some by my grandparents’, one practically in my aunt’s back yard.
I love the city, and I love the people more than I can even begin to express, but something needs to happen to make this stop.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Hockey Anyone? (Angelos Midterm)
Well, being from Vancouver, and since NHL playoffs are almost among us, and being that I have a pretty one-track mind (obviously) I think it’s only fitting that I write a “how to” article pertaining to hockey. So here’s my how to build a championship calibre hockey team. (Go Canucks!!!!!)
Okay, first and foremost championships are won in goal. All around hockey, you’ll hear the saying “championship teams are built from the goal out.” So we’ll start there and work our way out.
Yes, each and every position is important, but goaltending is where championships are won and lost. A superstar isn’t necessary, but they need to be able to keep their cool in every situation, they need to be solid, flexible, and all the while they need to be durable and technically sound, it takes a special kind of athlete to combine all of those traits.
Moving out from goaltender, defence is secondary to a championship callibre team. Why? Because it’s the defence that is directly responsible for how hard a goaltender will have to work on any given night. One or two good defenders won’t do the job though, although it’s very beneficial to have a star defensive pairing capable of eating upwards of 25 of the 60 minutes of playing time. If you take an in-depth look at almost any recent Stanley Cup Champion, you’ll see a solid defence core that runs 8 or 9 men deep, not just the 6 that play every night. This enables the team to always have fresh legs available, and be completely prepared in the event of an injury.
Offencively is where the most delicate balance of players comes in. On offence, you have to balance grit, finesse, ability, speed, and all around hockey smarts. Most successful teams have a balance of scoring on the top two, and often times three lines, the fourth line typically stockpiled with defensive minded forwards, and “tough guys” not at all afraid to throw their weight around, and often times to drop their gloves in defence of teammates, or sometimes to simply create a change of momentum for their team.
Perhaps the most underappreciated part of any team is the man who finds all these pieces to the puzzle, and puts them all together. No team is complete, or able to compete at the level necessary to win a championship without that one guy who makes it all work. The guy who deals with each individual personality and type of player, does what’s necessary to not only make them happy, but produce an intense, hardworking group of athletes, with the chemistry and determination to make the championship dream a reality.
Oh man, I love hockey :)
Okay, first and foremost championships are won in goal. All around hockey, you’ll hear the saying “championship teams are built from the goal out.” So we’ll start there and work our way out.
Yes, each and every position is important, but goaltending is where championships are won and lost. A superstar isn’t necessary, but they need to be able to keep their cool in every situation, they need to be solid, flexible, and all the while they need to be durable and technically sound, it takes a special kind of athlete to combine all of those traits.
Moving out from goaltender, defence is secondary to a championship callibre team. Why? Because it’s the defence that is directly responsible for how hard a goaltender will have to work on any given night. One or two good defenders won’t do the job though, although it’s very beneficial to have a star defensive pairing capable of eating upwards of 25 of the 60 minutes of playing time. If you take an in-depth look at almost any recent Stanley Cup Champion, you’ll see a solid defence core that runs 8 or 9 men deep, not just the 6 that play every night. This enables the team to always have fresh legs available, and be completely prepared in the event of an injury.
Offencively is where the most delicate balance of players comes in. On offence, you have to balance grit, finesse, ability, speed, and all around hockey smarts. Most successful teams have a balance of scoring on the top two, and often times three lines, the fourth line typically stockpiled with defensive minded forwards, and “tough guys” not at all afraid to throw their weight around, and often times to drop their gloves in defence of teammates, or sometimes to simply create a change of momentum for their team.
Perhaps the most underappreciated part of any team is the man who finds all these pieces to the puzzle, and puts them all together. No team is complete, or able to compete at the level necessary to win a championship without that one guy who makes it all work. The guy who deals with each individual personality and type of player, does what’s necessary to not only make them happy, but produce an intense, hardworking group of athletes, with the chemistry and determination to make the championship dream a reality.
Oh man, I love hockey :)
Friday, January 23, 2009
Ethics
Ethics is such a tough concept to grasp, if you ask me. Who defines what is ethical? What makes their definition the "right" one. Do the same ethics apply to every person, in every situation?
Honestly I don't think there is one solid right answer to those questions. Everyone has a different interpretation of what is right and what is wrong, mora and immoral, acceptable and innacceptable, and as such there is no single definition that would suffice for all of the world.
No, I am not speaking religiously here. I know that many Christians would point to the bible for advice on ethics, and how to properly live one's life. The problem with that is, not everyone reads the bible, the world is full of different faiths and beliefs, so again one definition will not suffice.
To completely and thoroughly discuss ethics would take a very long time, so what I am going to discuss right now are "scare tactics" because to me they demonstrate one very interesting double standard in the ethical world, and show a prime example as to why one golden rule does not work, and why interpretation is an important factor in ethical thinking.
I think "scare tactics" are an interesting dimension in the ethical world. On one hand, it's completely unethical to scare someone into making a decision that would benifit the person doing the scaring, but on another hand, it is considered completely ethical to scare someone in to making a decision that is considered to be for their wellbeing.
For example, if I were to say to someone, "Hey, give me your money or you'll die." Okay, so that was to the extreme and I promise I have never said that to anyone, but you see how it would be completely unethical to try and use something scary in order to get something that I want.
On the other hand, take the "Truth" commercials, where the people basically say "Hey, stop smoking or you'll die." Again, it's a tactic to scare someone into doing something, but in this case it is considered to be for the other person's own wellbeing, therefor it is accepted as ethical. Is that person going to die for sure if they keep smoking? No, not for sure. Is it a possibility? Yes, it sure is. So is that commercial 100% accurate? No, but again, it's considered to be ethical because it is designed to help others, not benefit the makers of the commercials directly.
Anyways, that's all for now.
Honestly I don't think there is one solid right answer to those questions. Everyone has a different interpretation of what is right and what is wrong, mora and immoral, acceptable and innacceptable, and as such there is no single definition that would suffice for all of the world.
No, I am not speaking religiously here. I know that many Christians would point to the bible for advice on ethics, and how to properly live one's life. The problem with that is, not everyone reads the bible, the world is full of different faiths and beliefs, so again one definition will not suffice.
To completely and thoroughly discuss ethics would take a very long time, so what I am going to discuss right now are "scare tactics" because to me they demonstrate one very interesting double standard in the ethical world, and show a prime example as to why one golden rule does not work, and why interpretation is an important factor in ethical thinking.
I think "scare tactics" are an interesting dimension in the ethical world. On one hand, it's completely unethical to scare someone into making a decision that would benifit the person doing the scaring, but on another hand, it is considered completely ethical to scare someone in to making a decision that is considered to be for their wellbeing.
For example, if I were to say to someone, "Hey, give me your money or you'll die." Okay, so that was to the extreme and I promise I have never said that to anyone, but you see how it would be completely unethical to try and use something scary in order to get something that I want.
On the other hand, take the "Truth" commercials, where the people basically say "Hey, stop smoking or you'll die." Again, it's a tactic to scare someone into doing something, but in this case it is considered to be for the other person's own wellbeing, therefor it is accepted as ethical. Is that person going to die for sure if they keep smoking? No, not for sure. Is it a possibility? Yes, it sure is. So is that commercial 100% accurate? No, but again, it's considered to be ethical because it is designed to help others, not benefit the makers of the commercials directly.
Anyways, that's all for now.
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