Every September, Reader's Digest publishes an annual humor issue. This year, in addition to the magazine, several short films were made. I starred in one of them. Check it out.
My video - The Crazy Assistant on ReadersDigest.com
Also, you can find it on YouTube. Click here.
And see all of the videos here.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Lower the Drinking Age?
As I was driving to work this morning, 1010 WINS reported there is a new initiative being started by the presidents of many prestigious colleges and universities centering on the debate of the national drinking age.
The initiative being referred to is known as the Amethyst Initiative. The drinking age currently stands at 21 years of age. And to many who have passed that landmark in their lives, it was a right of passage. Of course, many people drink before they are "legal." And this is the issue that the presidents of Duke University, Ohio State, Tufts, Manhattan College, and many others are taking up. They want to encourage a conversation to seriously think about lowering the drinking age to 18 years of age. And for many reasons the presidents of these colleges, have a point:
- Students will most likely engage in drinking prior to turning 21, especially when they are living away at college
- Studies have shown that 40% of college students report at least one symptom of alcohol abuse or dependence, 500,000 students suffer injuries due to drinking while 1,700 die in such accidents. And finally between 1999-2005, 157 college students literally drank themselves to death.
- By the time one is able to legally drink, they are also legally allowed to smoke, vote, wed, and enlist in the armed forces, so why can't they drink at the age of 18?
All of the above reasons are justified in their own way, but there are people who feel that even considering lowering the drinking age is a bad idea. These people are proponents of the fact that the law is the law and should not be changed just because drinking has put colleges into tight spots before. Another big opposer to the initiative, Mothers Against Drunk Driving believes only more alcohol related incidents and accidents would occur.
In many ways, drinking in the United States carries an ugly stigma from very early on in our history from the time of temperance and boot-legging. Drinking has always been put under scrutiny in the United States. I personally wonder why our country continues to struggle with drinking when many other countries around the globe have drinking ages lower than 21. In many cases, drinking is a cultural behavior. The glamor associated with drinking before you are "legal" in the United States wears off. Even the punishments for drunk drivers and rinking related incidents in other countries are handled much differently. Could it just be case that Americans are rebellious because it is inherent in their nature?
There is no simple answer or solution to this questions, but I ask you, what do you think? To learn more about the Amethyst Initiative, click here.
The initiative being referred to is known as the Amethyst Initiative. The drinking age currently stands at 21 years of age. And to many who have passed that landmark in their lives, it was a right of passage. Of course, many people drink before they are "legal." And this is the issue that the presidents of Duke University, Ohio State, Tufts, Manhattan College, and many others are taking up. They want to encourage a conversation to seriously think about lowering the drinking age to 18 years of age. And for many reasons the presidents of these colleges, have a point:
- Students will most likely engage in drinking prior to turning 21, especially when they are living away at college
- Studies have shown that 40% of college students report at least one symptom of alcohol abuse or dependence, 500,000 students suffer injuries due to drinking while 1,700 die in such accidents. And finally between 1999-2005, 157 college students literally drank themselves to death.
- By the time one is able to legally drink, they are also legally allowed to smoke, vote, wed, and enlist in the armed forces, so why can't they drink at the age of 18?
All of the above reasons are justified in their own way, but there are people who feel that even considering lowering the drinking age is a bad idea. These people are proponents of the fact that the law is the law and should not be changed just because drinking has put colleges into tight spots before. Another big opposer to the initiative, Mothers Against Drunk Driving believes only more alcohol related incidents and accidents would occur.
In many ways, drinking in the United States carries an ugly stigma from very early on in our history from the time of temperance and boot-legging. Drinking has always been put under scrutiny in the United States. I personally wonder why our country continues to struggle with drinking when many other countries around the globe have drinking ages lower than 21. In many cases, drinking is a cultural behavior. The glamor associated with drinking before you are "legal" in the United States wears off. Even the punishments for drunk drivers and rinking related incidents in other countries are handled much differently. Could it just be case that Americans are rebellious because it is inherent in their nature?
There is no simple answer or solution to this questions, but I ask you, what do you think? To learn more about the Amethyst Initiative, click here.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
My Sister's Keeper: A Book Review
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult is a captivating novel. Picoult is able to balance the right amounts of drama, suspense, and sincerity to keep the reader guessing what happens next. I completed the book in less than one week. For those of you that haven't read My Sister's Keeper, I won't ruin the book for you, but here's the basic plotline (which is explained on the back cover of the book as well).
Anna has always been defined in terms of her sister, Kate. After all, that's why she was born--to save her sister's life. You see, Anna is perfect genetic match for Kate who suffers for APL, a severe form of leukemia. Thirteen-year-old Anna has reached the juncture in her life where she begins to embark on the journey of self-definition. She no longer wants to be defined in terms of her sixteen-year-old sister, so she decides to sue her parents for medical emancipation, or control over her own body. Anna's decision to file the suit puts the family into moral and ethical dilemmas. To say the least, this is quite a book and well worth a read in my opinion.
Picoult writes the book in the voice of every character. Each chapter is told by a different character in the book ranging from Anna herself, to Sara (Anna's mother), Brian (Anna's father), Campbell (Anna's lawyer), Julia (Anna's guardian ad litem), Jesse (Anna's brother), and Kate (Anna's sister). Picoult is able to give each character a distinct voice which isn't easy to do. She is able to craft the story line evenly, but has mastered the talent of writing in past memories for each of the characters. The story moves along smoothly despite the voice (or narrator) of the story keeps switching. Picoult also has a great talent for writing in the minute details that we never appreciate, or rather are too busy too see.
As I was reading this book, I kept thinking to myself who has not wanted to sue their parents at one time or another? The thing is that probably most people wouldn't have the strength to do it even if they were undoubtedly confident in their decision. That is what makes Anna's character so complex. She is thirteen years old and making such adult decisions. Of course, given the circumstances of her conception and her development, she was thrown into the adult world at a very early age. The contrast between knowing what you want and knowing what someone else needs is very prominent in My Sister's Keeper.
The second theme that kept coming to mind as I read on was the nature of loss. Throughout the book, the entire Fitzgerald family is waiting for the other shoe to drop--for Kate to die because of her APL. Their lives are defined by this state of being. From the perspective of a parent, I can only imagine the thought f of losing a child. It is a horrible thing. So, in the book, to prevent or deter that loss, Anna's parents had Anna. This is where the ethical dimension of the story comes in. Is it OK to save one child while putting the other at risk when she will receive no benefit from the procedure? Of course, the first thing most people might say is the ultimate benefit is that she gets to keep her sister. This question is examined throughout the novel and it is hard to come to understand who is right or wrong because in a situation like this there is no black and white.
My Sister's Keeper does not disappoint. I will even admit that I shed a few tears toward the end. I would highly recommend this novel to any of my friends. And I definitely plan to read another Jodi Picoult novel in the future. If you'd like to get a copy of the book, or any book for that matter, let me tell you about some really fun, free, and easy ways you can swap books.
The first online swapping website is Book Mooch (www.bookmooch.com). This website is really simple to use and clearcut. Basically, you sign up for an account and then post 10 books that you don't feel the need to hold onto any more. Once you post your 10, you earn a point. You can use that point to contact anyone on Book Mooch to arrange a swap. Now, this doesn't mean that you have to swap your book for theirs. You can swap a book from them and they can swap from someone else. It's a free-for-all. So, you earn points when you swap a book and to get a book you spend those points. It's a great system. The only cost you have to pay is to mail your book to the person who has requested it. That's it. And to ship a book via first class mail (USPS) doesn't cost more than $2.50. Now, that's a bargain when most paperback books are now costing you upwards of $10 bucks. Another great feature of this site is let's say you have a bunch of points you aren't planning to use, you can donate them to charities Book Mooch works with to give books to people who can't afford them. How cool is that?
Another site that I've come across and like is Paperback Swap (www.paperbackswap.com). This site works exactly the same as Book Mooch, all you have to pay is the shipping, but you can also trade CDs and DVDs on this site.
The only caveat I will say to fellow readers out there is don't send your book out into the universe and expect to get it back. If you swap a book, say goodbye, unless you want to swap for it in the future, but then you might not see your book again. The plus side is that any book you really like that you've gotten from someone else is yours to keep if you want. So think of online book swapping like a library without a card and no late fees! Happy reading!
Anna has always been defined in terms of her sister, Kate. After all, that's why she was born--to save her sister's life. You see, Anna is perfect genetic match for Kate who suffers for APL, a severe form of leukemia. Thirteen-year-old Anna has reached the juncture in her life where she begins to embark on the journey of self-definition. She no longer wants to be defined in terms of her sixteen-year-old sister, so she decides to sue her parents for medical emancipation, or control over her own body. Anna's decision to file the suit puts the family into moral and ethical dilemmas. To say the least, this is quite a book and well worth a read in my opinion.
Picoult writes the book in the voice of every character. Each chapter is told by a different character in the book ranging from Anna herself, to Sara (Anna's mother), Brian (Anna's father), Campbell (Anna's lawyer), Julia (Anna's guardian ad litem), Jesse (Anna's brother), and Kate (Anna's sister). Picoult is able to give each character a distinct voice which isn't easy to do. She is able to craft the story line evenly, but has mastered the talent of writing in past memories for each of the characters. The story moves along smoothly despite the voice (or narrator) of the story keeps switching. Picoult also has a great talent for writing in the minute details that we never appreciate, or rather are too busy too see.
As I was reading this book, I kept thinking to myself who has not wanted to sue their parents at one time or another? The thing is that probably most people wouldn't have the strength to do it even if they were undoubtedly confident in their decision. That is what makes Anna's character so complex. She is thirteen years old and making such adult decisions. Of course, given the circumstances of her conception and her development, she was thrown into the adult world at a very early age. The contrast between knowing what you want and knowing what someone else needs is very prominent in My Sister's Keeper.
The second theme that kept coming to mind as I read on was the nature of loss. Throughout the book, the entire Fitzgerald family is waiting for the other shoe to drop--for Kate to die because of her APL. Their lives are defined by this state of being. From the perspective of a parent, I can only imagine the thought f of losing a child. It is a horrible thing. So, in the book, to prevent or deter that loss, Anna's parents had Anna. This is where the ethical dimension of the story comes in. Is it OK to save one child while putting the other at risk when she will receive no benefit from the procedure? Of course, the first thing most people might say is the ultimate benefit is that she gets to keep her sister. This question is examined throughout the novel and it is hard to come to understand who is right or wrong because in a situation like this there is no black and white.
My Sister's Keeper does not disappoint. I will even admit that I shed a few tears toward the end. I would highly recommend this novel to any of my friends. And I definitely plan to read another Jodi Picoult novel in the future. If you'd like to get a copy of the book, or any book for that matter, let me tell you about some really fun, free, and easy ways you can swap books.
The first online swapping website is Book Mooch (www.bookmooch.com). This website is really simple to use and clearcut. Basically, you sign up for an account and then post 10 books that you don't feel the need to hold onto any more. Once you post your 10, you earn a point. You can use that point to contact anyone on Book Mooch to arrange a swap. Now, this doesn't mean that you have to swap your book for theirs. You can swap a book from them and they can swap from someone else. It's a free-for-all. So, you earn points when you swap a book and to get a book you spend those points. It's a great system. The only cost you have to pay is to mail your book to the person who has requested it. That's it. And to ship a book via first class mail (USPS) doesn't cost more than $2.50. Now, that's a bargain when most paperback books are now costing you upwards of $10 bucks. Another great feature of this site is let's say you have a bunch of points you aren't planning to use, you can donate them to charities Book Mooch works with to give books to people who can't afford them. How cool is that?
Another site that I've come across and like is Paperback Swap (www.paperbackswap.com). This site works exactly the same as Book Mooch, all you have to pay is the shipping, but you can also trade CDs and DVDs on this site.
The only caveat I will say to fellow readers out there is don't send your book out into the universe and expect to get it back. If you swap a book, say goodbye, unless you want to swap for it in the future, but then you might not see your book again. The plus side is that any book you really like that you've gotten from someone else is yours to keep if you want. So think of online book swapping like a library without a card and no late fees! Happy reading!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
2008 Olympic Games
I love the Olympics. Truly. Every summer and winter games, I watch in awe as regular, everyday people are able to accomplish amazing feats of physical cunning. So far the United States has won 21 medals (seven gold, six silver, and eight bronze). I got to see Aaron Peirsol take home the gold in the 100m men's backstroke. He flew threw the water. The U.S. Men's Swimming Team is full of several world recorder takers and breakers. Matt Grevers took home the silver in last night's 100m. But the biggest swimming story on the men's side thus far is waiting to see what Michael Phelps is going to do at these Olympic Games.
Phelps hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan and is on the quest for eight gold medals at Beijing. In Athens, back in 2004, Phelps won six gold and two bronze, just falling short of matching Mark Spitz's record seven won in 1972. He's only set five world records (200m free, 200m fly, 200m IM, 400m IM, and 4x200m free) . He set these records at the 2007 World Championships. So far, in Beijing Phelps has won three gold medals. Will he be able to close in on his goal?
On the women's side of swimming there have also been some big wins. Dana Torres, a 41 year-old swimmer on the women's Olympic team won silver for the 4x100m freestyle relay. This is her fifth medal in this event--she has previously won three gold, one silver, and one bronze. She is the only swimmer to win a medal in five Olympics, not to mention her age is certainly untraditional. See the story Reader's Digest wrote about Dana by clicking here.
Natalie Coughlin is also a U.S. swimming start, going back-to-back to win Olympic titles in the 100m backstroke. I saw her make the 100m backstroke win for gold last night. It is so gratifying to see the joy in her face that she secured the title once again. It's amazing to see people from all around the globe get bestowed a medal that for some, fulfills a lifetime dream.
But there are people, everyday folks who can do amazing things. I wrote about some of them in the August 2008 edition of Reader's Digest. See the full feature at my other blog, by clicking here. Also, be sure to check out the daily slideshow of the Olympic Games on the website for Reader's Digest here. My supervisor at RD, Julie Bain, Health Director has been blogging about the Olympics. Check out her blog, here.
Enjoy all the glory of the Olympics because they will go fast. More to come soon on the progress of the U.S.
Phelps hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan and is on the quest for eight gold medals at Beijing. In Athens, back in 2004, Phelps won six gold and two bronze, just falling short of matching Mark Spitz's record seven won in 1972. He's only set five world records (200m free, 200m fly, 200m IM, 400m IM, and 4x200m free) . He set these records at the 2007 World Championships. So far, in Beijing Phelps has won three gold medals. Will he be able to close in on his goal?
On the women's side of swimming there have also been some big wins. Dana Torres, a 41 year-old swimmer on the women's Olympic team won silver for the 4x100m freestyle relay. This is her fifth medal in this event--she has previously won three gold, one silver, and one bronze. She is the only swimmer to win a medal in five Olympics, not to mention her age is certainly untraditional. See the story Reader's Digest wrote about Dana by clicking here.
Natalie Coughlin is also a U.S. swimming start, going back-to-back to win Olympic titles in the 100m backstroke. I saw her make the 100m backstroke win for gold last night. It is so gratifying to see the joy in her face that she secured the title once again. It's amazing to see people from all around the globe get bestowed a medal that for some, fulfills a lifetime dream.
But there are people, everyday folks who can do amazing things. I wrote about some of them in the August 2008 edition of Reader's Digest. See the full feature at my other blog, by clicking here. Also, be sure to check out the daily slideshow of the Olympic Games on the website for Reader's Digest here. My supervisor at RD, Julie Bain, Health Director has been blogging about the Olympics. Check out her blog, here.
Enjoy all the glory of the Olympics because they will go fast. More to come soon on the progress of the U.S.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The Hope Players
I had the pleasure of watching a bunch of my friends perform in an awesome production on Friday night. Every summer, a group of dedicated producers, directors, actors, choreographers, and friends pool their talent together to create a production called The Hope Show. The theater troop, known as The Hope Players, just closed their Summer '08 production of Back to the Eighties.
Born in 1984, I missed most of the 80s. The remnants of the 80s were still lingering in the 90s, but it just wasn't the same. So, Hope took me back to the days of Nickelodeon's Double Dare, the Golden Girls, Richard Simmons, Jane Fonda, leg warmers, and much more. The audience was also reminded of the stellar music of the 80s in a no holds, complete jam session of every song imaginable from "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" to "Thriller," which was the grand finale.
I was most impressed to see that many of my friends pooled their talent together to write the entire first act of the play. Every decade was immortalized by some landmark, be it Michael Jackson advertising Pepsi to a murder mystery combining A.L.F., Jessica Fletcher, Knight Rider, and of course, MacGyver. To put it simply, this year's production was, in my opinion, the best production ever. The creativity was immense, the talent stupendous, and the intention sincere.
The Hope Players began their crusade in 1997, raising money for the Hope Soup Kitchen in New Rochelle, New York. Since its humble beginnings, Hope has evolved into the Hope for Change Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising money to help fund research toward finding a cure for breast cancer. Every cent of every production goes to this cause. The time of every Hope participant is volunteered. It is an amazing organization.
I too, was once a member of the Hope Players. I'm now a dedicated audience member, but I had the pleasure of performing in several Hope productions. Those summers were some of the best summers of my life. If you cruise The Hope Players website, you're sure to find some lingering photos and bios of me when I was in my high school and college days. I kept thinking while I was watching Back to the Eighties on Friday night, how much fun everyone was having on stage and all the work that went into the production. Those summers always went fast. And for the audience, the production was over in a blink of an eye.
Unfortunately, I write this blog post after the production has closed, but it's not too late for anyone in the area to get involved in this cause. The Hope Players put on several productions throughout the year, so check out their website as well as the Internet home of the Hope for Change Foundation. As the cliche of the group has stated (for many years)...we hope to see you there!
Links:
The Hope Players Official Website
The Hope for Change Foundation
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