Cartoons

Cartoons of today are very disturbing. They are made for adult entertainment more so than for children. These animated shows have mature themes and situations. Sometimes you can forget that they are cartoons. I grew up on the Tom and Jerry; Looney Tunes and others of the likes. In the 80’s cartoons started to get a little more complex, but not as bad as today. These cartoons use profanity, they display, adultery, deceit, gross violence and even sexual content. I remember watching cartoons where if you get hit with an iron, your face takes on the shape of the iron for about five seconds, after that, life goes on. Now that I think about it, that isn’t the right message to send either. These cartoons today are graphic to the point that they show blood and guts and fatalities. I never pictured seeing someone suffer an agonizing and violent death in a cartoon. Some of these films even give a disclosure stating that due to the way that some of these images are projected, the viewer is subject to possibly having a seizure or some other mental reaction. That is scary. Cartoons have lost its innocence. There are even cartoons that feature dysfunctional families including a perverted pet. These concepts were not heard in my day. They were not that repugnant even on regular shows. Cartoons have taken a turn for the worst, and it seems like there is no turning back.

For a Change

In Chicago, an honor roll student teenage boy was beaten to death for refusing to join a gang. He did not want to associate with them and the beat him until his last breath was taken. Sad to say that you hear about this often, but, to stop and think about it, there is a major problem here. What is the whole purpose of a gang? To belong to something or to be accepted by a group of peers. I grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia. This city unfortunately is known for crime. As children, we did not think of killing each other. We has neighborhood rivalries, but we competed with sports and fights did break out, but things did not lead us to murder. The scene of the world is changing very rapidly. Children are undergoing intense stress and anxieties just as much as adults. The pressures of joining a group of people who have bad intention with almost every action. Resistance could mean death. Many of our youths are lost. Lost to a world that feeds them the idea that their acts of badness is somehow liberal. They have the freedom to do as they please. But with freedom comes responsibility. Children and many adults do not exercise this freedom soundly. These kids are a product of their adults' foundation. A blood splattered one. Man cannot make this world better alone. The world will change. It will change quickly and permanently. The horrible things we see and hear about will have no place in the changes that are destined to occur.

Chapter's 4 & 5e

Digital World

I always wondered what to expect beyond the year 2000. I expected the world to be like the Jetson's cartoon. There was a TV show called beyond 2000 that gave us glimpses of the technology and the things we have to look forward to in the future. I was about 15 years old. The year was about 1990-91. There were no windows, and cell phones could be used to build a house. The world survived without all the accessories of life we have now. If you could not reach someone by calling their house, you just wait. If you know your favorite singer is releasing a new album. You go to the record store and check the list of new releases. If you wanted to know how to make a special gourmet dish, you’d better have a good cook book or hope that grandma is home to answer the phone.

I am entering this blog on September 21, 2009. It is a long ways from 1991. I am now 33 years old and entering this blog on my laptop. The reason I am blogging is because it is a requirement of my online English 111 college course. This is really the future. Everything is at the click of a button connected to the world wide web. Almost anything can be downloaded. You can become best friends and grow up with people who you only know by typing texts and viewing images.

Cell phones can fit in the palm of your hands and can perform almost any function an desktop computer can. You can purchase and transfer music as a “file” instead of a CD or record. And if need a quick recipe, all you have to do is Google it. Cars can verbally give you directions to a destination. Yes we are living in a digital world.

Scene Genesis

I work in the insurance industry. I have Life/Health/Annuities; Property/Casualty licenses. Right how I work for a company that outsources marketing and advertising for different insurance companies. I am operating a pilot program for a company called Scene Genesis. (www.sceneexhange.com). First of all, a pilot program is a new idea that is being tested, fine-tuned, and evaluated to see if it has enough success to launch into a full scale operation. I contact people who have recently been involved in a car accident. I find out if they have already selected a shop to repair the vehicle. I also find out if the appraiser from the carrier of either party has contacted them to estimate the damages. If the claimant needs assistance in finding a shop, I then explain that they can have access to scene exchange which is a website that will provide a listing of shops that will view the damage report and post proposals to fix their car. How it works is once the appraiser inspects the car. The report is sent to the company and uploaded to the Scene Exchange website. We give them a log in ID and password so they can view their own personal page. I only ask for their e-mail address to send them the link containing all info. I is doing quite well. This project started out with 4 reps, but I have been handling it solo for the past month. I am training another person now and we will be hiring a few other s to join the team. This is a great idea, it is very convenient for claimants, and I suspect much growth and success out of this program.

Come on, Kanye

There is a big buzz about what happened on the MTV VMA awards. Everyone is talking about Kanye West and his episode with Taylor Swift. During her award reception speech. Kanye interrupted by walking on the stage, taking her microphone and gave credit to Beyonce as having one of the best videos of all time, implying that Beyonce should have received the award instead of Taylor Swift.
I think that this act was idiotic and pointless. I believe he was under the influence of something to decide to do something like that. If that happened to him, he probably would have been ready to fight and or made a collection of songs scorning her. This type of behavior is a bad reflection on the Hip Hop culture which he so proudly represents. He is an individual, but he is associated with a culture that is viewed as rebellious and arrogant. This act did not do much to it's defense. This man immediately started sending apologies for his actions. Why? If the situation could happen again, would he not have done it? Is he saying it was a mistake? I have to be hard on him because there is no excuse for that. He won several awards himself and had the privilege to have his moment to enjoy. Even though Beyonce gracefully invited her to finish her moment at her expense, she can never get that initial sensation of that acceptance of her first VMA award back. That was stolen from her. I think he should be fined and used as an example of the consequences for ignorance.

Bang For Your Buck!

An interesting conversation was taking place at work. I observed, but I had to add my two cents in every now and then. The conversation started with the mentioning of the football player who refused to report to the camp after he was signed to a new team. This player obviously did not like the idea of going to this new team. He was presented with a $3 million contract and would not show up to register with the team. This news led to a conversation about athletes and their salaries verses teachers and their salaries. The question was raised "How is it fair that sports figures are paid millions of dollars to chase a ball when teachers are considered lower to middle class pay at best.

Some arguments in favor of the athletes are that they spend a full day's work every day during their season of performance to train, practice, and prepare for their duties. They also have to work hard in the off season to stay in the proper physical condition to maintain the level of performance expected of them. Professional Athletes are entertainers, and the entertainment business generates large revenue. This is why there are large salaries and glamour. These people are in the public eye and influence many. Some athletes have progressed to become national symbols of success.

Teachers, however, play a more behind the scenes role, explained one participant in the discussion. They are more in the trenches of society. Teaching children is not a public desire, as is a professional athletes. No one wants to turn on the television and watch someone teach a class live. Granted, many great movies are based on teachers making a difference. But you probably never saw a movie where a teacher got a multi-million dollar contract to join a school in desperate need.

One person suggested that teachers should be paid based on the student's performance. I disagreed because if teachers was paid on commission, children would suffer more in the long run. Teachers will be more prone to curb grades and do other things to insure their pass rate.
In response, someone replied, "where will the money come from. These are state and city funded institutions. There will not be millions of dollars to go around for teachers.

The question was asked, "can you throw a football 60 yards or more"? The answer was " can you inspire a child to achieve his potential"? Which is most important?

Music To My Ears.

Many people think that music is harmless and the content of lyrics should not be the blame for children's behavior. I think music has much to do with the influence of people in general. It affects us mentally, socially and emotionally.
Music is a form of entertainment. Melodic words over melody designed to stimulate or soothe us. Think about when you want to set the mood for romance. I will certainly consider a particular type of music to play to enhance this setting. If I want to get motivated to have a successful, upbeat day at work. I will chose a song that will influence my attitude to that effect.
Children are highly impressionable. They love music. Kids learn the words to songs before their ABC's. Think about it, the alphabet is commonly taught to a child in the form of a song. Music has a strong influence on our youth. Sad to say that today's popular music genres produce music that promote bad thoughts and behavior. The artists have a right to their productions but I think they also share a moral responsibility. Children can be prohibited from exposure to some degree, but they can gain access to almost anything nowadays. Parents play role in monitoring what they listen to but, again, all cannot be restricted.
I am sure no parent will allow some one to sit next to child in the backseat of their car and talk about how fun it is to pursue as may sexual partners as possible, drink and take as many drugs as you can, defy authority and get rich by any means necessary. This is something to think about as you look in the rear view mirror and see your child's head swaying back and forth with earphones plugged in. Songs relay strong messages that are easily retainable by a child. If not careful, a persons personality can be molded by this influence if he isolates himself to these thoughts over his early years, especially the adolescent stage where identity starts to manifest.
Not all music is negative. Many forms are very beneficial. As I stated earlier, music can help you learn. Sesame street sung a great deal of my childhood education. Music can uplift the spirit, with out it life may not be nearly as enjoyable. I believe,however, that careful consideration should be given to the content of our children's music. We choose our children' association carefully, and music is considered a part of our association.

Pro Health

The pro-health craze is more like a gimmick then a movement for awareness. I started on my path to a healthy lifestyle back in 2003. I committed myself to exercise and eating healthy portions of healthy meals and stuck to it for 3 to 4 years. I went to a low carb high protein diet. Worked out 4 to 5 days a week. I was very careful even at cookouts, banquets and Superbowl parties. I even started reading labels, counting calories and taking cleanse. I lost 45 pounds. I must say, It was a chore. The discipline required and the meticulous schedule of eating, sleeping and exercise. I was borderline miserable. I brought all of these health and fitness magazines and each issue had a new idea of how to get "ripped" quick. I worked and had other responsibilities and I found myself out jogging at 1:00 in the morning. The results were great and I felt better health wise but to keep this up forever seemed impossible. The food that is suggested to buy that is supposed to be so much better for you proved to make my pockets slim and trim before anything else. You can pound a treadmill for 45 min. and burn 600 calories but eating dinner for 15 min. can put on 3 pounds the next day it seems.

It is now 2009 and my 45 pound are back. I have started my quest over several times without success. I started over again Sept 1st. My mission is to get those 45 pounds back off of me but also to do it in an enjoyable way. This time instead of setting a goal just to see it accomplished. My goal is to prolong my years by good eating and active habits. Not routines, or sessions, but habits. I love sports, I plan to work these into the active side of my lifestyle in stead of making myself jog all times of the night. I plan to not deny myself of the foods I enjoy but use moderation and balance. I also am not going to rely on these magazines to tell me to invest in all these types of dishes that cost so much that it is a discouragement. I will not rush off the pounds this time I will change my habits in a way that my body chemistry will adjust and start working with me. This will work. It has to. My doctor says so.

There is nothing wrong with being health conscious, but in order for it to benefit me for the long run, it takes balance, and fun. The slogan is no pain, no gain. But what is a work out if all you think if is your last set, or the last quarter mile. I will desire the way of life, not just the results.