Friday, May 17, 2013

Bill Clinton


As many Americans know, the United States had better economic welfare and peace due to Bill Clinton’s successful political accomplishments. From creating a strong economy, to lowering crime rates, to improving the nation’s health, Clinton did it all. Bill Clinton’s accomplishments were truly remarkable due to believing in the common good of all citizens and the equality that many citizens experienced during his presidency. Bill Clinton’s success and numerous political accomplishments were the result of his social and political experience. Clinton worked together with his administration to create a better welfare for the benefit of all citizens. President Clinton once stated, “As we approach the next century, the American Dream must be restored to all Americans, and common ground must be found amid our great diversity”. During his presidency, Clinton was able to achieve the lowest unemployment rate in modern time. He was also able to drop crime rates significantly in many states and was capable of reducing welfare roles. It was also then, where citizens had the highest home ownership in the country’s history. All of these extraordinary achievements are only a few of the many ways Bill Clinton followed the fundamental belief of the common good.

Not only did Clinton attain political achievements by believing in the common good of all citizens, but he also believed in equality.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant is a professional NBA player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant attended Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as one of the best players in the country. He made varsity all four years of his high school career playing all five positions.   He averaged 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists throughout his high school career eventually becoming Pennsylvania’s Player of the Year. Bryant led Lower Merion to their first championship in 53 years.   After an outstanding high school career, Bryant ends up being the first guard to ever be drafted right out of high school. He was the 13th overall draft pick chosen by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996 and was later traded to the L.A. Lakers. He was 17 when he was drafted to the NBA. Kobe had won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1997, making him the youngest player to ever win it. Kobe has many accomplishments. He played in the NBA All Star game every season except his rookie year. He has been a part of the 1st All-NBA Team 15 of the 16 years being in the NBA as well as the All-NBA Defensive Team. He scored the second most point in NBA history next to Wilt Chamberlain, which was 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. He has also scored 62 points in only 3 quarters, the only player to score that many points in 3 quarters. He was the first player since 1964 to score 45 or more points in 4 consecutive games. HE HAS 5 CHAMPIONSHIP RINGS!!!!!!!!!!!


Messi

 Lionel Messi is an Argentinean soccer player who is currently playing for a European soccer club called, FC Barcelona as a forward. He has played in Barcelona since his professional career as a soccer player started. Also, Messi is Spanish as well ; because he has lived in Spain for over five years and granting him his Spanish citizenship. With only 169 centimeters of height, and 68 kg of weight, Lionel Messi has achieved lots of things with the national and club teams, but also many personal awards during his young career as a professional player that is still going on.  Messi has won the best soccer player of the year the past 4 years in a row whilst breaking Gerd Mullers most goals in a calendar year.
All in all Messi hasn't come close to retiring yet he has already sealed himself a spot amongst the worlds best ever.

Chapman University.

I would love to attend Chapman University to procure a chance to become a member of its renowned psychology program. Chapman is one of the best in the country, with over 40% of their undergraduates moving on to obtain their masters and doctorates. I aspire for the opportunity to be part of that exclusive 40%. In addition, Chapman's psychology program allows their students to observe and conduct different studies as they are learning about varying theories. This not only reassures me that I will be able to learn about psychology, but I will also be given the opportunity to apply it to the outside world. Chapman's faculty along with it's phenomenal campus, ensures that I will have the correct resources needed to graduate. The beautiful campus is ideal, and the whole school has an amazing atmosphere that makes one feel comfortable and welcome. I could unquestionably envision myself attending Chapman University, and I would without doubt be proud to call myself a Panther.

Wrestling.

I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in varsity wrestling throughout high school. Throughout my time as a wrestler, I learned that a team is only as strong as its weakest link and understood that if one person failed, we all did. By the end of my career, I was awarded two varsity letters, two Coach's awards, The Ironman Award, and medals for team and individual tournaments. While I had finally gained recognition for my hard work, I had also gained knowledge on the true value of teamwork, responsibility and leadership. Through being a leader, I have gained patience; through being a member of a team, I have gained determination and commitment; and due to the fact that I was a member of a competitive sport I have gained a steadfast will to succeed. These qualities are exhibited in everything that I partake in, from my unyielding work ethic, to my ruthless approach towards any obstacle that may get in the way of my goals.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Why I want to major in Psychology

Majoring in Psychology could potentially offer a multitude of benefits. The study of psychology will allow personal growth and understanding of one's own body, behavior, and characteristics, while also enhancing ones ability to decode certain scenarios with a more psychological perspective. In regards to academics, a Psychology major will have a chance to study from many areas, meaning that an undergraduate major in psychology will have the opportunity to pursue almost any graduate degree due to the broad aspects of the Psychology field. Not only am I extremely passionate about Psychology, but I feel as if I can put it into extremely good use throughout my future career as a lawyer.

Cafo's Are Inhumane


CAFOs is an acronym for Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). While it may
seem that the jobs of crop farmers all around the world are completely insignificant, in reality their jobs are extremely crucial in our everyday lives. In the 1970’s, agricultural policies and legislations in the United States encouraged smaller farms to consolidate into massive monocultures, which entailed single crop farming.  CAFOs are not exactly farms in nature; rather they are animal factories. Millions of livestock or hundreds of thousands of chicken are reared in and squeezed into confines where movement is limited and the animals are forced to survive in unbearable conditions. Pig’s tails are chopped off and chicken’s beaks are clipped without the administration of any painkillers, all in the name of routine management practices within the CAFOs. In addition, livestock in CAFOs are not developed to eat a diet of soy feed and corn. The animals within the CAFOs weren’t developed to eat chicken or blood manure, which in some instances added to factory farm animals’ feed to promote the protein and quantity of meat in these livestock. This amounts to mistreatment of animals.

I think its important to know where majority of the food in this country comes from, because its not just one person who can make a difference we as a society need to stand up against Cafo's.




Top 5 Favorite Movies

When it comes to movies I have seen A LOT. So please understand the difficulty of trying to dissect my top 5 favorite movies from all of the films I've seen is near impossible, but just for shits and giggles this is what my top 5 favorite movies are.

5. Forrest Gump:

This movie is one that Ive seen dozens of times. I find myself able to cope with really hard life problems whilst watching  Forrest Gump. Tom Hanks takes on this role with such greatness I cant even  begin to explain.


                             

4. Training Day:

All I have to say is Denzel, Denzel, Denzel. The guy outdoes himself, even when I thought it'd be impossible.  Denzel Washington plays a crooked narcotics detective in Urban Los Angeles. I dont want to spoil details of the movie because everything about it is golden.


















3. The Departed


The Departed is one of my favorite gangster movies and a captivating story about undercover and double agents. Set in Boston, this Martin Scorsese film is a story of police corruption and Irish gangs that run the city. The amazing cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin.

























2. Scent of a Woman

This is a gritty drama about a former colonel (Al Pacino) who is now blind. He's impossible to get along with. Charlie is at school and is looking forward to going to university; to help pay for a trip home for Christmas, he agrees to look after Frank over thanksgiving. Frank's niece says this will be easy money, little did Charlie know that Frank has a completely different agenda in mind.



















1. Santoori (The Music Man)

Before you laugh and think this is ridiculous after all these box office hits I put a foreign film. Out of all the movies I've ever seen this one was the most complete, and made me think about Irans's government, and people growing up in Iran, and what its like. Trust me, watch this movies even if you need subtitles!!

Zereshk Polo (Persian dish)


This is a cultural Persian dish called Zereshk Polo. The literal definition of zereshk polo is barberry-rice, and coincidentally thats exactly what it consists of. On the side you have barbecued tomatoes, sometimes you can even put a barbecued peppers to spice it up. Last, but certainly not least the fire grilled chicken filet thats made to perfection.


The ingredients to make it are as follows:


4 cups (32 oz) basmati or long-grain rice
1/4 cup salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup (8 oz) dried barberries (also known as Zereshk)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp powdered saffron


Directions for cooking are as follows:


-Rinse rice 3 times, then soak in warm water with 1/4 cup salt for 5 hours. Drain.
-In a large (8 qt) pot, bring 8 cups water to a boil. Add rice and cook 8 to 10 minutes until slightly soft. Drain in a colander.
-Rinse barberries (if using) 3 times. Melt butter in a small pot; add barberries and sauté 1 minute. Add sugar; sauté 1 minute more. Dilute saffron in 1/2 cup hot water and stir into barberries.

-In the large pot used to cook the rice, heat 3 Tbsp oil. Add rice, using a large spoon and fluffing rice. Pour barberry mixture over the rice.
-Cover pot and cook over low heat about 30 minutes. For a crisp, golden layer on bottom of rice (called ta-dig), cook another 15 minutes.
-Using a large serving spoon, place rice in a large flat serving dish, gently mixing the barberries with the rice.



As for the chicken, everyone has their own preferences towards how they like their chicken cooked.