Ethical Question

Is breaking the law ever an ethical solution to a problem?

Absolutely! Law in and of itself is a fluid entity and it's constantly evolving. This country was founded on principles that differed from the laws in place during the American Revolution... and without revolution, some things in this world would never change.



The story of the Sea Shepherd is an amazing example of how action, some legal, some not, can often force change. This situation is somewhat complicated by the differences in laws between separate nations that share the same oceans. In addition, maritime law may not be the same as the laws in this country; or more importantly, they may conflict with deeper held beliefs, such as the ideals of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Many may not agree with the tactics of the Sea Shepherd. Some say the law is the law and should never be broken. But the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is not a violent organization hell-bent on breaking laws. Their goal is not too hurt or harm anyone-- in fact, they are trying to preserve life-- and end the senseless killing of marine animals that is often a result of illegal fishing practices.

I applaud the efforts of the Sea Shepherd and any other group or individual who takes a stand for what they believe in. It is one thing to have strong convictions that differ from written law...it is another, to take action. There are acts committed every day that are unethical, but not illegal. To those people, I say shame on you. To the crew of the Sea Shepherd, I say thank you...

Free Topic

Rough Year for My Favorite Sports Teams

 

This has been a rough 12 months or so for my favorite sports teams. As much as I love them... and because I love them so much, it's been even more heartbreaking.

Here is a breakdown of my favorite teams in each of the sports that I follow:

Washington Redskins
Record: 4-12
Finish: Last in Division

Maryland Terrapins (Football)
Record: 2-10
Finish: Last in Division

Georgia Southern (Football)
Record: 5-6
Finish: Tied for 4th Place

Maryland Terrapins (Basketball)
Record: 24-9
Finish: Tied for 1st in Conference, lost 1st Rd ACC Tournament

Georgia Southern (Basketball)
Record: 9-23
Finish: Last in Division

Baltimore Orioles
Record: 4-18 (as of 4-30)
Place in AL East: Last

Atlanta Braves
Record: 8-14 (as of 4-30)
Place in NL East: Last

As you can see, other than Maryland basketball (which greatly underachieved) and Georgia Southern Football (had a losing record), all of my favorite teams either finished in last place or are currently in last place. Although the Terps basketball team finished in a tie for first place with Duke, they lost in the first round of the ACC Tournament and in the second round of the NCAA tournament. For a team with as much talent as they had, that was extremely disappointing.

Even so, other than GSU football (5-6 record) they are the only team that didn't finish in last place this season. I don't know how much more of this I can take! The Orioles have the worst record in Major League Baseball and the Braves are in the midst of a nine game losing streak.

So I don't see things getting any better for me this summer. Still, they are my teams and I'll love them until the end. Losing streaks have to end sometime and with 162 games in a baseball season, there's plenty of time to turn things around. Or so I keep telling myself....

Kahlil Gibran "The Prophet"

During my own personal "enlightenment years," when I was reading everything from Aldous Huxley to Friedrich Nietzsche, my mother gave me a copy of Kahlil Gibran's masterpiece "The Prophet."

In this work, Gibran shares his thoughts on everything from love and marriage, to friendship and giving. Written in prose style, Gibran shares his philosophies on freedom, pain and the search for self-knowledge.

Gibran was born in Lebanon in 1883, but moved to the United States with his mother, uncle, two sisters and brother in 1895. While attending an ungraded school in Boston, Gibran drew attention from his teachers for his drawings and sketches. He was later introduced to the artist Fred Holland Day, who helped Gibran on his road to artistic fame.

His most famous work is The Prophet, a book of 26 poetic essays that was published in 1923. Here is an excerpt from this work where Gibran shares his thoughts and feelings on Giving.



After Gibran's death, his life-time friend Mary Haskell donated nearly one-hundred works of art by Gibran to the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah, GA. This is the largest public collection of Gibran's art in the country.

My favorite quotes from Kahlil Gibran:

• "All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind."
  
• "An eye for an eye, and the whole world would be blind."
  
• "Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother."
  
• "Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."
  
• "Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof."
  
• "I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires."
  
• "Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children."
  
• "March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life's path."
  
• "Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars."
  
• "The just is close to the people's heart, but the merciful is close to the heart of God."
  
• "To be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction, is to live twice."
  
• "Yesterday is but today's memory, and tomorrow is today's dream."

Top Ten List for Why You Should Hire Me

Instead of ranting on and on about what a great prospective employee I am, I believe a list of admirable qualities can better demonstrate why I should be hired. I mean, if a person can't even identify at least 10 reasons why they should be hired, well then who would want to hire them any way?

So here it goes.

1. I am reliable (I have 2 cars, although that may not necessarily be a good thing)
   
2. I really care about doing a good job (seriously, I do)
   
3. I have lots of real world experience (not to be confused for being old)
   
4. I am educated (I actually have 2 degrees!)
   
5. I have great references (do drinking buddies count?)
   
6. I've learned to ask questions when I'm unsure (although I still hate to ask for directions)
   
7. I'm a real go-getter (I'm good at going to get things)
   
8. I'm a really swell guy
   
9. I'm good at taking criticism (I've been married for almost 10 years!)
   
10. I've got no place else to go

Batman...the Coolest Super Hero Ever

"Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel!"

Unlike most of my fellow students, I had the opportunity to view the original Batman series (in syndication, I'm not that old!) every day on television as a young kid growing up. It was without a doubt, the coolest show on TV and Batman is without a doubt, the coolest Super Hero ever created, before or since.

"To the Batpoles!"

Not only did Bruce Wayne (Batman's alter-ego) live in a luxurious home (Wayne Manor), but he had the coolest basement (the bat cave!), the coolest gadgets (answer the batphone!), where he kept the baddest ride ever built (the Bat Mobile). And he got to spend every day fighting crime with his best buddy, Robin, The Boy Wonder.

"Holy Moly, Batman!"

Batman was also well connected. The Police Commissioner and the Chief of Police knew that in a time of crisis, there was only one person capable of defeating evil villains such as The Penguin, The Joker, The Riddler and the temptress, Catwoman.

"The Riddler, He's Struck Again!"

Although he could fly and do other bat-like things, Batman didn't have your traditional super-powers. Instead, he used his cunning intellect to process clues left by his enemies or solve a riddle before it was too late. Then, through hand-to-hand combat, he and the Boy Wonder would whoop some ass to save the day.

And for that, Gotham City will remain safe forever.

Goldman Sachs Faces Fraud Charges

Courtesy of ABC News, abcnews.com and The Washington Post:

On Friday, the SEC brought charges of Fraud against Wall Street Power Investment Banking Company Goldman Sachs.



Who is Goldman Sachs?

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a global investment banking and securities firm which engages in investment banking, securities services, investment management and other financial services primarily with institutional clients, which includes corporations and high net worth individuals around the world. They are a heavy hitter on Wall Street! Two former employees, Robert Rubin and Henry Paulson went on to serve as the United States Secretary of the Treasury after leaving the firm.

Goldman Sachs has been involved in several controversies in recent years, but last Friday, the high profile investment banking company was charged with Fraud by the Securities Exchange Commission.

The SEC is charging that Goldman Sachs misrepresented investors, more specifically that a third party, Paulson & Company (who was supposed to be looking out for investors), deliberately inserted mortgages into an investment package that it knew were very likely to default so that it could make money . Subsequently, purchasers of the security lost approximately one billion dollars while Paulson & Company profited one billion dollars (it is being reported that Goldman Sachs was paid a fee of $15 million in the deal).

The Visit

Friedrich Duerrenmatt's The Visit began a four day run at Georgia Southern University's Performance Arts Center on Monday, and I was there for opening night.

The plot of this tragi-comedy centers around a small town that's in the midst of a financial crisis. In spite of the economic hardships there, the towns people have remained strong and united. Their moral resolve is tested, however, when a rich, former resident of the village (the debonair Clarie Zachanassian) makes a return trip to her home town.

As the story unfolds, it is discovered that she left the small town at the age of seventeen, because she had become pregnant by a prominent young man (Anton Shill) there. The towns people also soon discover that Shill had forced two boys to perjure themselves in an attempt to spare his reputation, and that the young girl had left disgraced.

Now she returns, to take vengeance on the young man, who has grown into an adult with a family of his own. Claire, who had prostituted herself to make a living and went on to marry a multitude of men, had also used her street smarts and savviness to build a giant fortune for herself. She offers to donate part of her fortune to help the town in its dire time of need, but only under one condition-- someone must kill Anton Shill.

As the townsfolk get deeper and deeper into debt, the temptation to snuff out Shill becomes greater and greater-- and Shill becomes more and more concerned for his life. At the same time, the ugliness of his earlier actions against Claire become more contentious among the citizens of his village.

This play was very entertaining-- funny at times, but it also forces you to question the foundation of your own morals, and how far you would go to resolve a crisis. Revenge for past transgressions is also an underlying theme-- how many of us can't remember some wrong from our youth that we would not enjoy making right?

This is the only play I attended since becoming a student at Georgia Southern, but I enjoyed it so much...it will definitely not be the last.

Summer Anticipation

What do I anticipate most about the summer? Absolutely, without a doubt, it is graduating on May 8th and being done with my undergraduate coursework.


I say undergraduate coursework, because there is always the chance that I return for grad school. However, this is the second undergraduate degree I've earned in the past two years (my first was a Bachelor's of Information Technology degree) and after four and a half straight years of college (except for a 6 month reprieve where I worked full-time), I need a break!

This begs the question then, what will I do with all the free time I've previously spent trying to maintain my GPA? Well, I am unable to say at this point. However, I hope to be working a combination of different jobs or internships in sports broadcasting and journalism. My fall-back plan is to work in Media Relations at GSU, and my fall-back Plan B is to return to Georgia Southern for a Masters Degree in Sports Management.

I know that doesn't sound very definite and my plan has more possibilities than absolutes, but I know this summer will be exciting nonetheless. At the very least, it will not be spent in a classroom.

History of American Economics

Ok, so this may be a stretch when it comes to discussing the history of American economics, but where do bank robberies occur? In banks, right? And banks contain money... and money is definitely a key component of economics.

On February 28, 1997, one of the most famous bank robberies in American history took place in Los Angeles, California, an event that would become known as the 1997 North Hollywood Shootout.

I will always remember this event because a large majority of the shootout was broadcast live on TV from an aerial helicopter. It was an amazing spectacle to say the least.

Clipta - new video wave: Bank robbers (North Hollywood California)

Here is a timeline of the events that happened as described in the History Channel documentary 1997 North Hollywood Shootout.

• Approximately 9:17 am attempt robbery of Bank of America location in North Hollywood, entering bank location spraying bullets into the ceiling as they enter
  
• Police who just happened to be driving by notice two masked men entering the bank and immediately call for back-up
  
• Larry Phillips & Emil Matasareanu storm into the bank, armed with AK47s and spraying bullets at the ceiling
  
• A little more than $300,000 was taken, but later abandoned during shootout
  
• Locked 30 Bank of America Employees in the vault
  
• AK 47 and M16 automatic weapons used by bank robbers with armor piercing bullets, they wore the full body armor
  
• Approximately 9:25 am: When they exited the bank, they were stunned to see the bank was surrounded by LAPD units
  
• After fierce gun battle, robbers attempted to leave the scene outside of the bank location, one in a car (Matasareanu ), while the other (Philips) walked beside him
  
• Some officers went to a nearby gun store during shootout to get assault weapons
  
• After tires were shot out of the car by police, Philips took cover behind a tractor-trailer, but when his automatic weapon jammed, he pulls out a 9mm handgun, which was soon shot from his hand...after picking it up, he put it under his chin and fired a single shot
  
• Matasareanu then got out of the car and started firing at civilians
  
• 9:59 am, Matasareanu is handcuffed by police after being gunned down, but died at the scene
  
• Before all is said and done, 350 policemen and women had been dispatched to the scene
  
• The gunmen fired over 1100 rounds of ammunition
  
• Police and SWAT 650 rounds
  
• 10 police officers and 7 civilians injured
  
• Both suspects were killed
  
• Larry Phillips shot 11 times including self-inflicted shot under his chin
  
• Emil Matasareanu was shot 29 times and died on the scene

Letter to the Editor...

Dear Editor and My Friends in the Statesboro Community.

In contrast to the negative news that pervades our newspapers and other media outlets these days, I felt compelled to write the following letter. This is my way, as a proud member of the Statesboro community, to ensure at least one positive message reaches the readers of this publication today.

I am a newer resident of Statesboro, my wife and I having moved to Georgia less than five years ago. In just a few weeks, I will also be a proud graduate of Georgia Southern University.

Since my time here, I have on numerous occasions heard rumblings of how the city has never embraced GSU, nor have the students embraced the city. As a soon to be member of both groups, I find this to be very troublesome.

Certainly, whenever I mention Statesboro, people automatically think of Georgia Southern. Conversely, when I discuss my studies at GSU, people immediately comment on what a great community Statesboro is (well, after they ask what's going on with the football team?).

I think its time both communities embrace each other. The education Georgia Southern University provides to the students from our community (as well as all over the world) is immeasurable. Graduates who stay in Bulloch County go on to make positive contributions to our community as they become nurses, teachers and business professionals.

As young people, they may not have the same passion for farmers markets or patronizing downtown business instead of the local Wal-mart. But they care about the community, and are proud to be a part of it.

I ask both communities to come together as one...to appreciate all the university does for Statesboro, and to take pride in the town we call home.

My Favorite Movie

I really do not have one single favorite movie, but definitely in my Top 5 is the 1976 Martin Scorsese classic, Taxi Driver.



Robert De Niro's performance is magnificent. Portraying the complex personality of Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle, De Niro draws you into the dark world of a character who is part psycho, part hero. Travis Bickle is battling inner demons, just as we all do. And just like most people, his intensions are good-- but Travis is very unrefined, and obviously affected by his time in Vietnam. De Niro makes you pull for him one moment, but then makes you pissed at him the next, when he does something stupid like take the beautiful Betsy (Cybill Shepherd) to an adult movie for their first date.

This movie is a glimpse into the dark underbelly of a society that most people dare not enter. What happens long after the sun goes down, in the seediest areas of the city. How do people end up there? Can they ever escape? Will Travis Bickle be able to rescue the lovely Iris from her pimp? Will he carry-out his plan to assasinate a presidential candidate?

More importantly, will Travis make a difference in the world he lives? Will his legacy be that of a hero or of a villain? I believe many of these same dicotomies exist in each of us...and the resolution of our inner conflicts, ultimately decide our own fates.

Yalta Conference

Resource: New World Encyclopedia.

Held in February 1945, the Yalta Conference brought together the leaders of the United States, United Kingdom and the Soviet Union to draw up the terms for the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany and to discuss the reorganization of post-war Europe.

By this time:

• German resistance was collapsing..
  
• The Soviet Army was already physically in control of most of Eastern Europe
  
• Hitler had moved into his underground bunker and would commit suicide 2 months later

Leaders at the conference:

• Winston Churchill: Prime Minister, United Kingdom
  
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt: President, United States
  
• Joseph Stalin: Ruler, Soviet Union

Each of the three powers brought their own agenda to the Yalta Conference:

• Roosevelt was lobbying for Soviet support in the Pacific theater and the planned invasion of the Empire of Japan. He also hoped to create a United Nations before World War II ended.
  
• Churchill was pressing for free elections and democratic institutions in Eastern Europe, specifically in Poland.
  
• Stalin was attempting to establish a Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe which he deemed essential to Soviet national security.

Major Points from the Meeting

• There was an agreement that the priority would be the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany.
  
• Germany would undergo demilitarization and denazification.
  
• A "Committee on Dismemberment of Germany" was to be set up. The purpose was to decide whether Germany was to be divided into several nations, and if so, what borders and inter-relationships the new German states were to have.
  
• An Allied Reparation Council was created and would located in Moscow.
  
• Roosevelt obtained a commitment by Stalin to participate in the United Nations once it was agreed that each of the five permanent members of the Security Council would have veto power.
  
• Stalin agreed to enter the fight against the Empire of Japan within 90 days after the defeat of Germany. The Soviet Union would receive the southern part of Sakhalin and the Kurile islands after the defeat of Japan.
  
• Millions of Soviets across Europe were forced to return to the Soviet Union under Stalin's Communist rule.
  
• The status of Poland was discussed, but was complicated by the fact that Poland was at this time under the control of the Red Army. It was agreed to reorganize the Provisionary Polish Government that had been set up by the Red Army through the inclusion of other groups such as the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity and to have democratic elections. This effectively excluded the legitimate Polish government-in-exile that had evacuated in 1939.

5 Political Cartoons

This political cartoon is very effective in showing that in spite of the differing opinions Republicans and Democrats have about the new health care bill, both parties feel equally as strong or passionate about their respective opinions. Using the expletive Vice-President Joe Biden was overheard saying (right before the President signed the bill) as part of the storyline in the cartoon adds even greater emphasis to the point being made by the cartoonist.

This political cartoon uses humor in addressing the most recent allegations of child abuse and sexual abuse against the Catholic Church in different parts of Europe. Making a reference to Tiger Woods' sex scandal in the United States, the Bishops in this cartoon ask each other what the Pope is planning to do to deflect the publicity of these scandals, to which the Pope says to himself, "I've decided to play in the Master."

This political cartoon higlights a controversial subject that I knew nothing about prior to seeing the illustration. Recently, Texas lawmakers approved changes to history, economic, and social studies textbooks used in the public schools there. This cartoon suggests that some of the approved changes are innacurate and historically false.


This political cartoon is very effective in illustrating what many perceive as the two main differences in ideologies between Republicans and Democrats. The "iou" illustrates the idea that Democratics approve too much spending from the federal government and the "no!" illustrates the idea that Republicans believe cuts to excessive spending need to occur.

This political cartoon suggests the federal government is spending too much time, energy and perhaps even money on the notion of global warming, while the unemployment rate in this country is the highest it's been in decades. The cartoonist is using polar bears stranded on a melting iceberg to further emphasize his or her point, as well as the dialogue between them to show an ironic parallelism between the notion of global warming and the growing problem of unemployment in America.