Change

            Roger was a thug before he met one woman who changed his life. He felt like the only way he could get what he wanted was to steal it. He wanted some new shoes, so he thought that if he stole a purse, he would get the money. He found a good victim, so he tried to snatch the purse and take off running. When things went wrong, he tripped and was caught in a headlock. He did not know at the time that this woman would help him find his way in life.

            It was by chance he found this influential person on the street. She brought him to her home and gave him dinner. Roger found out that she did things when she was young, and found that he could relate to her. By setting the example of a once-criminal staying out of trouble, it showed Roger that he could have a chance by staying out of a life of crime. In the end, he even got money for his shoes. This shows that staying out of crime can pay dividends.

            Although doing the right thing doesn’t always get you what you want, it still shows that you didn’t take the easy way out. Roger left Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones’ house with a different goal in life in mind, therefore he is a dynamic character. Roger never intended to change his ways before he met this character. Sometimes it is funny how life works out.

S.O.P.A.

As you probably already know, there is a bill currently being reviewed by the U.S. Congress called the S.O.P.A. bill. It stands for the Stop-Online-Piracy-Act, and was created by large movie corporations that are losing money from piracy. Piracy is when you illegally take information like movies and music to use without paying for it. While Piracy is an issue, the S.O.P.A. bill is not the solution. This bill will change the internet. It will give large companies the power to shut down websites and videos that aren’t actually causing any harm. Many internet companies such as Google, Facebook, and Wikipedia realize this and are leading the public with a charge against this bill.

On January 18^th, 2012, these companies led an internet wide black-out, protesting against S.O.P.A. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, was one of the supporters. He wrote on his Facebook page that S.O.P.A. was “Poorly thought out” and encouraged readers to contact their local representatives. He said that “The internet is the most powerful tool we have for creating a more open and connected world. We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet's development.”

The internet companies believe that this bill will cause censorship throughout the internet. Much of the public agrees with this. If a small video uses a little bit of music, the recording company has the right to shut it down. I don’t believe this is right. Internet video watching sites like YouTube already have a top notch security system against copyright infringement. This bill will obviously do more harm than good. If it is passed, entire sites can be shut down from just a single copyright violation.

I believe that the bill should be rejected in congress. It breaks the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” S.O.P.A. would threaten our rights as Americans. We should have the authority to use the information we want as long as it is in fair use. Obviously, S.O.P.A. is a terrible idea, and I urge everyone reading this to take action immediately by contacting your local representative.

Superbowl

Predicting the outcomes of sporting events comes with the uncertainty. People who gamble use investing-like strategies to do it for an occupation. In the NFL playoffs, there are four teams still standing. Two will fall this weekend. Each team deserves to be there, and all have a chance to win the eternal glory that is the Lombardi Trophy. There are enough statistics available to find out who has the best chance. This information is very valuable when it comes to gambling.

            The Ravens, Patriots, Giants, and 49’ers all have great teams, but the most valuable player in the Superbowl is almost always the quarterback. The quarterback is the captain of the offense and is the most influential player on the team. If the quarterback is doing well, then the offense is doing well. The Patriots and the Giants both have solid players at the position. Tom Brady practically carried his team to the playoffs, the Patriots had an ineffective running game and a less than stellar defense. Eli Manning is also a great quarterback with almost 5000 passing yards this season. Alex Smith on the 49’ers is a good player, but he is a rookie and  isn’t as experienced. Joe Flacco is an average player and just that. He is inconsistent and not the best clutch player. The main reason why he got to the playoffs was because of his team’s exceptional defense.

            “Offense wins games, defense wins championships.” Nobody knows the origin of this quote, but it is one of the truest statements ever proclaimed about football. If the other team doesn’t score points, you can’t lose. A defense isn’t the most glamorous part of the game, but it is half the battle. The Ravens and the 49’ers have the best defenses in the league, and the Giants have a pretty good one too. The Patriots, however have one of the worst defense against the pass. The Patriots have a high powered offense, but the opposing team just plows them over. It is hard to win without a respectable defense.

            Each of the four teams is there for a reason. For the Ravens, it is their rock solid defense that stops the opponents from scoring more than them. The 49’ers have their great defense and a talented young quarterback to propel them to victory. The Giants have a well rounded team with a proven quarterback, a great rushing game, and a solid defense. The Patriots are an offensive powerhouse with one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. All are great teams, but who is the best of them? Three games will soon decide that.

            Based on the stats, I can make a logical conclusion on what I think will occur in the playoffs. In the AFC championship game between the Ravens and the Patriots, I believe that the Ravens defense will slow down Tom Brady, and the game will turn to Joe Flacco. I don’t think he can handle with the game on the line, so I think that the Patriots will win. In the NFC championship, I expect Eli Manning to have a pretty good game, considering he is on a hot streak. The game will be decided on whether or not the Giants defense can hold against the exceptional 49’ers running game. In the Superbowl game, I predict that it will be a rematch of 2007’s, Giants versus Patriots. I feel this match-up would result in a shoot-out. In the end however, I believe that Tom Brady will put the Giants in a deficit that they can’t overcome. Based on my research, there is a lot of evidence stating that the Patriots will win the Superbowl.

Hawks and Eagles

Michael Obi is a young man excited about his new position as head master of Ndume Central School. He wants to revolutionize the grounds, so he and his wife decorate it with colorful flowers and bushes. Soon, it looked like an oasis of beauty in a run down village of Africa. He raised the standards of teaching, and it became a successful school. One day, Michael saw a old woman hobble through his bushes and right across the compound. Upon farther investigation, he found an old path that connects the school to the village's place of burial. He puts heavy stakes and barbed wire to cut off the path where it enters and leaves the school grounds. A few days later, the head priest of the village visits Michael and explains that the path is sacred to the religion of the village. Michael ignores him, and in two days, a tragedy occurs when a woman died in childbirth. Michael woke up next morning to the ruins of his school. It was later shut down because of the tribal war situation between the school, and the village.

Michael couldn't have prevented the tragedy, but he could have prevented the village blaming it on him. He could have compromised with the priest better then he did. He could have told the priest that the path was off limits to people outside of school, but kept it open for the so-called spirits. Michael's overconfidence fully blinded to everyone else's.  "Let the  hawk perch and let the eagle perch."