Elie Wiesel's Night illustrates in discreet detail the horrors within the barb-wired confines of the Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz. The book reads fairly easily, although the sophistication of the language and writing style most likely faltered due to the novel's rough translation from Yiddish, a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, to English. Night allows the reader to effortlessly imagine the trials and tribulations of the average inmate in one of Nazi Germany's many slaughterhouses, although I personally found that the book's tone failed to truly epitomize and fairly demonize the atrocities performed by the Third Reich into a fashion that allows the reader to fully comprehend evil. Elie Wiesel's Night, however, succeeds in condensing what was one of man's most malicious acts of genocide in recent memory into a short narrative.
Night contains a multitude of various themes that can be inferred by a reader of any caliber. One theme being that of self-preservation and the power of will. Each and every piteous soul begins their journey without any idea of the rapidly approaching fate, whether their destiny glistens with glory or travails in torture. Those souls soon find that their fates have been placed in another man's hands, hands that show no empathy for the wretched who wonder into his grasp. Hope of retribution has been immediately crushed by the relentless wrath of the SS soldiers stationed at the death camps. The names of inmates are replaced with numbers, both to organize them and to demoralize them into a sub-human. Souls found unfit or unworthy of survival are quickly cast aside to the pits of hell, the furnaces of Auschwitz and Dachau. For those who have passed examination have either two options, continue their sufferings while maintaining a shred of hope or accepting their fate and succumbing to death. Those who lose hope and have lost the will to live are the first to perish. They become just another forgotten number engulfed in the smoke stacks ascending from hell into the heavens. The theme can comfort readers who envision Elie's struggles as a motivational tool to re-evaluate their own personal character.
Elie Wiesel writes his narrative from his own personal perspective of Auschwitz. Night practically embodies a biography of Elie's life within the clenches of death. Elie draws himself as a commoner living in a relatively peaceful town away from the German/Russian theatre. He possesses family consisting of three sisters, his mother, and his father, Shlomo. He seemingly wants the reader to be able to relate to his life prior to Auschwitz in order to hammer the horrors of his hell into the hearts of his readers. Elie's character possesses the purity of man as he continually wishes to do best for his fellow man. He attempts to encourage a fallen comrade to push onwards in order to survive, however, his efforts prove futile which immediately reflects another aspect of his character. After his friend refuses to continue his suffering, Elie seemingly forgets of his existence and continues his march of death as if he has became so well acquainted with Abaddon, the Hebrew Angel of Destruction,that the sight of the Reaper no longer phases him. This proves the ability of the SS to effectively beat what makes someone a human out of a human. Without humanity, man reverts to that of a beast, or in this case, cattle. Elie's experiences in Auschwitz also robs him of his faith in god and humanity. "Behind me, I heard the same man asking: 'Where is God now?' And I heard a voice within me answer him: 'Where is He? Here He is--He is hanging here on this gallows.'" Elie's resentment of God distinguishes the depth of hopelessness in his situation.
The setting of Elie's hell has haunted the hearts of all those who have suffered from within those fences. The walls of Auschwitz can be compared to that of a slaughterhouse, and her inmates are the cattle, but instead of the healthy being sent off to their demise, the weak are the ones hastened to their deaths. The halls were they rest possess nothing to provide warmth or comfort. Prisoners are given rags as a means to cover themselves. Disease and starvation ensues as the average prisoner is provided a small piece of bread and occasionally soup. Corpses litter the grounds until they are hauled away by their brothers and perhaps the most daunting addition to the suffering, the smoke stacks. Bellows of smoke rise into the heavens along with the ashes of their friends and family, leaving an eerie reminder to all of the prisoners that insolence and weakness will not be tolerated.
I recommend Night to anyone who wish to learn more about the trials and travails of a real story of survival rather than these silly teeny bopper books such as the Hunger Games. Anyone, who in fact enjoyed Night, should read Un di Velt Hot Geshvign in an English translation, of course. The latter book is an extended version of Night and more in depth as a result.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
CC 2(7):The Emergence of Joe Flacco and the End of an Era in Baltimore.
I am killing two birds with one stone with the arrival of the NFL Conference Championships.
TITLE: The Emergence of Joe Flacco and the End of an Era in Baltimore.
The source that I am using in which I am writing this Current Connection about is http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/61372/ravens-flacco-super-through-postseason... close enough. The Ravens have followed in suit the paths laid before them by the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers of yesteryear. They have accomplished an inconceivably wondrous post season run and capped that off with a victory in Super Bowl 47. The article that I have addressed you to describes one of the, if not THE, main factor pushing the Ravens past such great challenges.
The Baltimore Ravens, whose head coach happens to be brother to the head coach of San Francisco (John Harbaugh), have also reached the doorstep of the Super Bowl, a game that they, like San Francisco, have reached the previous year and a game that they, like San Francisco, lost in heartbreaking fashion. But this year's Baltimore Raven's team has not played at the level of excellence, particularly their once vaunted defense, that they have been known for. Instead, they have stumbled into the NFL playoffs, losing 4 of their last 5 games prior to playoff time. The situation seemed hopeless for the Ravens with the poor ball distribution of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the inconsistency of their quarterback, Joe Flacco, and their heavily injured defense who has had maybe their worse defensive year since the team moved from Cleveland to Baltimore and changing their name from the Browns to the Ravens in '95.
The situation seemed hopeless, until the Raven's long time Inside Linebacker, Ray Lewis, famous for his incredibly high level of play and his outstanding leadership skills, announced that he will retire after the end of the Raven's season this year. Ray Lewis has been with the team since the Raven's first draft in their first year of existence. Ray was drafted 26th overall in the 1st round of the 1996 NFL draft and would go on to reach 13 pro bowls and a record 10 all pro selections. Ray would cement the Ravens as a contender and inspire thousands will his speeches on and off of the field. Ray's announcement of retirement had obviously sparked a fire within that locker room, a locker room that revolves around their undisputed leader in Ray. The team faced the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the NFL playoffs. The Colts were hated inside the city limits of Baltimore and much or Maryland because the Indianapolis Colts were once the Baltimore Colts before they moved in 1983. Although the Colts were a 2-14 team the previous year, they have rebounded in impressive fashion under the outstanding play of first year quarterback Andrew Luck, earning 11 wins and only 5 loses, and were challenging their former city for the opportunity to continue walking the road to the Super Bowl. The Colts were actually favorites over the Ravens prior to Ray Lewis announcing his retirement, in which many analysts changed their picks to favor the Ravens in the midst of an inspired locker room. The Colts ran into a brick wall when they drove into Baltimore and were held to only 6 points in a blowout loss to the Ravens. Ray Lewis' last dance in Raven's Stadium came with a win and a chance to play the #1 seeded Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round.
Even though the Raven's have returned to winning form with the trampling of the Colts, they were a 10 point underdog against the overwhelmingly favored Broncos, a team that was seen to have the potential to win it all this year after the signing of former Colts superstar, Peyton Manning. Manning's presence had brought an immense shift in play calling. From the triple-option offense perfected by Tim Tebow, to the pass heavy Indianapolis offense. Peyton led his team to a 13-3 record and the first seed in the AFC title contention. The Manning led Broncos were prepared to host a limping Raven's team at Mile High Stadium. What they were not prepared for, however, was a team with fire burning in their hearts, a fire fueled by the impending retirement of Ray Lewis. The Broncos were extremely fortunate (and unfortunate at the same time) for just reaching overtime against the Ravens. Denver scored two easy touchdowns off of a kick and punt return to keep up with the rampaging Ravens. The Ravens would have lost if it were not for a long bomb from Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones for a 70 yard score, leaving only half a minute in regulation. The Broncos played conservatively with Manning kneeling to force overtime. The Ravens and the Broncos would continue to duke it out and eventually force a second overtime. This time, however, Manning would once again succumb to the playoff pressures and throw a costly interception, deep in Bronco territory. This stupendous field positioning allowed Baltimore's rookie kicker, Justin Tucker, to boot a 49 yard game winning field goal to send the Ravens to Foxborough, MA and the AFC Championship game.
Baltimore had time and time again defy the odds and continue their playoff push. This time against an old foe, The New England Patriots, who knocked them out of the 2011 playoffs to reach the Super Bowl. Baltimore had defeated New England in week 3 of the 2012 season but were once again the underdogs. Led by Tom Brady, the Patriots seemed to be destined at another Super Bowl berth. Both teams started the game sluggishly, ending the first half with New England having a 6 point advantage. New England's high powered offense that placed 3rd in all time scoring, was shut down in the second half. Baltimore tightened up and it was all Ravens there on out. Joe Flacco would put up another phenomenal game to finally lead the Ravens to the long desired Super Bowl. This is were it gets interesting.
As you may already know from reading my previous posts, the NFC's Super Bowl representative, the San Francisco 49ers, has a head coach by the name of Jim Harbaugh. The Baltimore Ravens' head coach just so happens to be his brother. This sets up the first and maybe only time that two brothers will coach against one another in the game to end all games. The two teams are identical when it comes to defense. Star players inhabit nearly every position on each level of the two defenses. The Ravens, whose defense terrified opposing offenses for a decade since their legendary 2000 defensive giant, have become a more offensively orientated team, no longer relying on their defense. The 49ers, once one of the most efficient and offensive teams in the history of the National Football League, have now become one of the most stingiest defensive teams in the league. The two teams set the stage for a promising Super Bowl full of juicy story lines. And once again, the Baltimore Ravens are the underdogs.
I can connect to this event due to the fact that I am a strong fan of both franchises and a football fan in general. UPDATE: Super Bowl merchandise has been flooding the market both online and physical stores. The news has also been rocked by America's homegrown holiday, the Superbowl. Bye!
Source: NFL.com
TITLE: The Emergence of Joe Flacco and the End of an Era in Baltimore.
The source that I am using in which I am writing this Current Connection about is http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/61372/ravens-flacco-super-through-postseason... close enough. The Ravens have followed in suit the paths laid before them by the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers of yesteryear. They have accomplished an inconceivably wondrous post season run and capped that off with a victory in Super Bowl 47. The article that I have addressed you to describes one of the, if not THE, main factor pushing the Ravens past such great challenges.
The Baltimore Ravens, whose head coach happens to be brother to the head coach of San Francisco (John Harbaugh), have also reached the doorstep of the Super Bowl, a game that they, like San Francisco, have reached the previous year and a game that they, like San Francisco, lost in heartbreaking fashion. But this year's Baltimore Raven's team has not played at the level of excellence, particularly their once vaunted defense, that they have been known for. Instead, they have stumbled into the NFL playoffs, losing 4 of their last 5 games prior to playoff time. The situation seemed hopeless for the Ravens with the poor ball distribution of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the inconsistency of their quarterback, Joe Flacco, and their heavily injured defense who has had maybe their worse defensive year since the team moved from Cleveland to Baltimore and changing their name from the Browns to the Ravens in '95.
The situation seemed hopeless, until the Raven's long time Inside Linebacker, Ray Lewis, famous for his incredibly high level of play and his outstanding leadership skills, announced that he will retire after the end of the Raven's season this year. Ray Lewis has been with the team since the Raven's first draft in their first year of existence. Ray was drafted 26th overall in the 1st round of the 1996 NFL draft and would go on to reach 13 pro bowls and a record 10 all pro selections. Ray would cement the Ravens as a contender and inspire thousands will his speeches on and off of the field. Ray's announcement of retirement had obviously sparked a fire within that locker room, a locker room that revolves around their undisputed leader in Ray. The team faced the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the NFL playoffs. The Colts were hated inside the city limits of Baltimore and much or Maryland because the Indianapolis Colts were once the Baltimore Colts before they moved in 1983. Although the Colts were a 2-14 team the previous year, they have rebounded in impressive fashion under the outstanding play of first year quarterback Andrew Luck, earning 11 wins and only 5 loses, and were challenging their former city for the opportunity to continue walking the road to the Super Bowl. The Colts were actually favorites over the Ravens prior to Ray Lewis announcing his retirement, in which many analysts changed their picks to favor the Ravens in the midst of an inspired locker room. The Colts ran into a brick wall when they drove into Baltimore and were held to only 6 points in a blowout loss to the Ravens. Ray Lewis' last dance in Raven's Stadium came with a win and a chance to play the #1 seeded Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round.
Even though the Raven's have returned to winning form with the trampling of the Colts, they were a 10 point underdog against the overwhelmingly favored Broncos, a team that was seen to have the potential to win it all this year after the signing of former Colts superstar, Peyton Manning. Manning's presence had brought an immense shift in play calling. From the triple-option offense perfected by Tim Tebow, to the pass heavy Indianapolis offense. Peyton led his team to a 13-3 record and the first seed in the AFC title contention. The Manning led Broncos were prepared to host a limping Raven's team at Mile High Stadium. What they were not prepared for, however, was a team with fire burning in their hearts, a fire fueled by the impending retirement of Ray Lewis. The Broncos were extremely fortunate (and unfortunate at the same time) for just reaching overtime against the Ravens. Denver scored two easy touchdowns off of a kick and punt return to keep up with the rampaging Ravens. The Ravens would have lost if it were not for a long bomb from Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones for a 70 yard score, leaving only half a minute in regulation. The Broncos played conservatively with Manning kneeling to force overtime. The Ravens and the Broncos would continue to duke it out and eventually force a second overtime. This time, however, Manning would once again succumb to the playoff pressures and throw a costly interception, deep in Bronco territory. This stupendous field positioning allowed Baltimore's rookie kicker, Justin Tucker, to boot a 49 yard game winning field goal to send the Ravens to Foxborough, MA and the AFC Championship game.
Baltimore had time and time again defy the odds and continue their playoff push. This time against an old foe, The New England Patriots, who knocked them out of the 2011 playoffs to reach the Super Bowl. Baltimore had defeated New England in week 3 of the 2012 season but were once again the underdogs. Led by Tom Brady, the Patriots seemed to be destined at another Super Bowl berth. Both teams started the game sluggishly, ending the first half with New England having a 6 point advantage. New England's high powered offense that placed 3rd in all time scoring, was shut down in the second half. Baltimore tightened up and it was all Ravens there on out. Joe Flacco would put up another phenomenal game to finally lead the Ravens to the long desired Super Bowl. This is were it gets interesting.
As you may already know from reading my previous posts, the NFC's Super Bowl representative, the San Francisco 49ers, has a head coach by the name of Jim Harbaugh. The Baltimore Ravens' head coach just so happens to be his brother. This sets up the first and maybe only time that two brothers will coach against one another in the game to end all games. The two teams are identical when it comes to defense. Star players inhabit nearly every position on each level of the two defenses. The Ravens, whose defense terrified opposing offenses for a decade since their legendary 2000 defensive giant, have become a more offensively orientated team, no longer relying on their defense. The 49ers, once one of the most efficient and offensive teams in the history of the National Football League, have now become one of the most stingiest defensive teams in the league. The two teams set the stage for a promising Super Bowl full of juicy story lines. And once again, the Baltimore Ravens are the underdogs.
I can connect to this event due to the fact that I am a strong fan of both franchises and a football fan in general. UPDATE: Super Bowl merchandise has been flooding the market both online and physical stores. The news has also been rocked by America's homegrown holiday, the Superbowl. Bye!
Source: NFL.com
Friday, January 18, 2013
CC1(6): San Francisco's Utilization of the Pistol/Read Option Offense to Guide Them Back to Glory
Sorry, Mrs. G, but I am writing another current connection over a sporting event.
TITLE: San Francisco's Utilization of the Pistol/Read Option Offense to Guide Them Back to Glory.
The topic in which I wrote to you about a month ago can be found here on NFL.com. Once again, the great city of San Francisco has produced a championship caliber football team who has battled its way up to the door step of the Super Bowl, but have struggled to accomplish the daunting task of reaching the Super Bowl on the road. Not since the Montana years in '89 have the 49ers successfully won a road playoff game. This describes how the 49ers have utilized their new Pistol and read option offense that may allow San Francisco to break their 20 year draught of road playoff games.
This Current Connection relates to a previous post that I have written involving San Francisco's young mobile quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. (Source) Led by Kaepernick, the Niners throttled the offensive juggernaut and the #3 seed Green bay Packers. "The performance by Kaepernick in his first playoff game shredded the previous QB rushing record for any game, set by Michael Vick (173) in 2002. It was also the most rushing yards for the 49ers in their postseason".
Green Bay's secondary underestimated Colin's phenomenal speed as he consistently scorched the running angles of the Packer secondary on his way to setting an NFL single game quarterback rushing record with 181 yards on the ground. Head Coach Jim Harbaugh's risky decision to bench his starting quarterback, Alex Smith, after a concussion side lined him for only 1 week, who ,by the way, was playing at an exceptionally high level of quarterbacking. Alex had led the Niners to a 6-2 record prior to his concussion that sustained in week 10 against the St. Louis Rams, where, as fate would have it, allowed Colin Kaepernick to stick his foot in the door of being a starting professional quarterback for a team that he idolized as a young boy. Kaepernick has never looked back and has allowed the 49ers to implement a rare third dimension in a professional offense, the read-option.
The read option is basically a hand off to the half back that the quarterback can choose to keep possession of the ball and run himself. The read option forces NFL defenses to pay attention to the quarterback running the ball after the play-fake. Typically the quarterback will only bring the ball down for himself if the running lanes for the half back is congested or if the defense is focusing too strong on the running back. Although the read option has been effective against NFL defenses, the play is rarely utilized in a NFL offense, either because the offense does not possess the proper quarterback to run the read option or their prideful offensive coordinator firmly believes that the play is a "college" play and should not used in professional play. The read option became prevalent last year with the emergence of Carolina's quarterback, Cam Newton, and Denver's former quarterback, Tim Tebow, and has begun to spread across the league with Redskin's quarterback, Robert Griffin III, and San Francisco's own Colin Kaepernick.
Now the once criticized Jim Harbaugh and the degraded read option has San Francisco one game away from reaching the Super Bowl, something that he may not have been able to accomplish again with the play of Alex Smith although Alex Smith had already beat the Packers at Green Bay in week 1 of the regular season. The added dimension that is Colin Kaepernick's unquestionable talents to run and throw at a proficient level, has allowed San Francisco to steamroll other powerhouse passing attacks such as the New England Patriots and the New Orleans Saints along with defensive powerhouses such as "Lovie Smith’s defense [who] struggled vs. the option." Now, San Francisco will encounter another finesse offense in the #1 seeded Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons have been notoriously poor against read option quarterbacks such as Cam Newton this year and are now the underdogs even though they possess both a better regular season record and homefield advantage. Colin Kaepernick is in nearly the same position as Alex Smith was last year when Alex had led a clutch game winning drive against the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round to propel the Niners into the NFC Championship, only to lose to the future Super Bowl champion New York Giants. If Kaepernick can harness the momentum that he had garnered from last week's slaughtering of the finesse Green Bay Packers, Kaepernick can finally shut up any of the critics of his and pronounce Jim Harbaugh a genius (as if Kaepernick hasn't already shut up his objectors in last week's performance). Jim Harbaugh had already taken a 6-10 team with an ineffective component in the most important position in sports, the quarterback, to a 13-3 season in his first year and 11-4-1 season in his second, both reaching as far as the NFC Championship game.
I am able to connect to this current event because of my heritage in the Golden State and the proficient play of their sport clubs, bringing joy to all of their loyal fan bases. The Quest for Six has evolved into a phenomena in the city by the bay. What was once thought of as a college offense designed specifically for a single quarterback (Colin Kaepernick), the pistol has eased its way into the NFL through the immensly talented Kaepernick. The Pistol forces opposing defenses to reconfigure their entire play style and work in the favor of the 49ers. (Speaking of Golden State, the Warriors have also become a force in the Western Conference in the NBA.) Ta-da!
(Update as of 1/25/2013, Jim Harbaugh's ingenuity of his offense trumped the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game. Knowing that the Falcons would pay an extraordinary amount of attention to Colin Kaepernick's read option game, Harbaugh utilized Atlanta's fear of the read option and redirected it in his favor. Captain Comeback (Jim Harbaugh's nickname given to him during his 1995 campaign as quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts when he led the Colts to an improbable post-season run that nearly gave the Colts a birth in the Superbowl. The Colt's run was stopped short in the AFC Championship game by the Pittsburgh Steelers) had his read-option quarterback to refrain from running the ball himself and to continue handing the ball off to Frank Gore. This method proved sensational against Atlanta's defense, who were making sure that Colin was under control in the running game. Atlanta played a lot of Defensive End contain and quarterback spy, which allowed for huge holes between the the guards and tackles for San Francisco and allowed Tight End Vernon Davis to run free in vanilla coverage. San Francisco dug itself out of a 17-0 hole to win the game 28-24. San Francisco advances to the grand finale, Super Bowl 47.)
Source: NFL.com
TITLE: San Francisco's Utilization of the Pistol/Read Option Offense to Guide Them Back to Glory.
The topic in which I wrote to you about a month ago can be found here on NFL.com. Once again, the great city of San Francisco has produced a championship caliber football team who has battled its way up to the door step of the Super Bowl, but have struggled to accomplish the daunting task of reaching the Super Bowl on the road. Not since the Montana years in '89 have the 49ers successfully won a road playoff game. This describes how the 49ers have utilized their new Pistol and read option offense that may allow San Francisco to break their 20 year draught of road playoff games.
This Current Connection relates to a previous post that I have written involving San Francisco's young mobile quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. (Source) Led by Kaepernick, the Niners throttled the offensive juggernaut and the #3 seed Green bay Packers. "The performance by Kaepernick in his first playoff game shredded the previous QB rushing record for any game, set by Michael Vick (173) in 2002. It was also the most rushing yards for the 49ers in their postseason".
Green Bay's secondary underestimated Colin's phenomenal speed as he consistently scorched the running angles of the Packer secondary on his way to setting an NFL single game quarterback rushing record with 181 yards on the ground. Head Coach Jim Harbaugh's risky decision to bench his starting quarterback, Alex Smith, after a concussion side lined him for only 1 week, who ,by the way, was playing at an exceptionally high level of quarterbacking. Alex had led the Niners to a 6-2 record prior to his concussion that sustained in week 10 against the St. Louis Rams, where, as fate would have it, allowed Colin Kaepernick to stick his foot in the door of being a starting professional quarterback for a team that he idolized as a young boy. Kaepernick has never looked back and has allowed the 49ers to implement a rare third dimension in a professional offense, the read-option.
The read option is basically a hand off to the half back that the quarterback can choose to keep possession of the ball and run himself. The read option forces NFL defenses to pay attention to the quarterback running the ball after the play-fake. Typically the quarterback will only bring the ball down for himself if the running lanes for the half back is congested or if the defense is focusing too strong on the running back. Although the read option has been effective against NFL defenses, the play is rarely utilized in a NFL offense, either because the offense does not possess the proper quarterback to run the read option or their prideful offensive coordinator firmly believes that the play is a "college" play and should not used in professional play. The read option became prevalent last year with the emergence of Carolina's quarterback, Cam Newton, and Denver's former quarterback, Tim Tebow, and has begun to spread across the league with Redskin's quarterback, Robert Griffin III, and San Francisco's own Colin Kaepernick.
Now the once criticized Jim Harbaugh and the degraded read option has San Francisco one game away from reaching the Super Bowl, something that he may not have been able to accomplish again with the play of Alex Smith although Alex Smith had already beat the Packers at Green Bay in week 1 of the regular season. The added dimension that is Colin Kaepernick's unquestionable talents to run and throw at a proficient level, has allowed San Francisco to steamroll other powerhouse passing attacks such as the New England Patriots and the New Orleans Saints along with defensive powerhouses such as "Lovie Smith’s defense [who] struggled vs. the option." Now, San Francisco will encounter another finesse offense in the #1 seeded Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons have been notoriously poor against read option quarterbacks such as Cam Newton this year and are now the underdogs even though they possess both a better regular season record and homefield advantage. Colin Kaepernick is in nearly the same position as Alex Smith was last year when Alex had led a clutch game winning drive against the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round to propel the Niners into the NFC Championship, only to lose to the future Super Bowl champion New York Giants. If Kaepernick can harness the momentum that he had garnered from last week's slaughtering of the finesse Green Bay Packers, Kaepernick can finally shut up any of the critics of his and pronounce Jim Harbaugh a genius (as if Kaepernick hasn't already shut up his objectors in last week's performance). Jim Harbaugh had already taken a 6-10 team with an ineffective component in the most important position in sports, the quarterback, to a 13-3 season in his first year and 11-4-1 season in his second, both reaching as far as the NFC Championship game.
I am able to connect to this current event because of my heritage in the Golden State and the proficient play of their sport clubs, bringing joy to all of their loyal fan bases. The Quest for Six has evolved into a phenomena in the city by the bay. What was once thought of as a college offense designed specifically for a single quarterback (Colin Kaepernick), the pistol has eased its way into the NFL through the immensly talented Kaepernick. The Pistol forces opposing defenses to reconfigure their entire play style and work in the favor of the 49ers. (Speaking of Golden State, the Warriors have also become a force in the Western Conference in the NBA.) Ta-da!
(Update as of 1/25/2013, Jim Harbaugh's ingenuity of his offense trumped the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game. Knowing that the Falcons would pay an extraordinary amount of attention to Colin Kaepernick's read option game, Harbaugh utilized Atlanta's fear of the read option and redirected it in his favor. Captain Comeback (Jim Harbaugh's nickname given to him during his 1995 campaign as quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts when he led the Colts to an improbable post-season run that nearly gave the Colts a birth in the Superbowl. The Colt's run was stopped short in the AFC Championship game by the Pittsburgh Steelers) had his read-option quarterback to refrain from running the ball himself and to continue handing the ball off to Frank Gore. This method proved sensational against Atlanta's defense, who were making sure that Colin was under control in the running game. Atlanta played a lot of Defensive End contain and quarterback spy, which allowed for huge holes between the the guards and tackles for San Francisco and allowed Tight End Vernon Davis to run free in vanilla coverage. San Francisco dug itself out of a 17-0 hole to win the game 28-24. San Francisco advances to the grand finale, Super Bowl 47.)
Source: NFL.com
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
book review number 2: Man's Search For Meaning
mrs gilmore, the method in which i have been forced to utilize in writing this book review does not allow me to use the capitalize button on my keyboard. thus, you will not see a single capital letter on here. thank you. and it turns out that i am unable to use the 'enter' key as well.
the book that i have been reading is titled 'trotzdem ja zum leben sagen. ein psychologe er lebt das konzentrationslager' (Man's Search for Meaning) and written by viktor e. frankle, holocaust survivor. the book, as you may have concluded, details the experiences of the everyday man inside the barbed fences of auschwitz. frankle experienced these horrors first hand and the accounts within this book were written within approxmiately one year of his release from the death camps, 1946-1947. although the reader might expect the book to be more about the terrors of camp life but in actuality, viktor intended the book to be about the psychological aspect of the average prisoner. prior to the war and his entrapment, viktor was a prestigous psycholigist and therapudic doctor. he took advantage of his time of travail within the fences to study the mental approach taken by each camper he came across, along with himself. the primary message that viktor desired to send to the reader was how one could maintain the will for survival through such hopeless hours, which he hoped could be applied to those who suffer from depression or are experiencing a challenging point within their own lives and so forth. initially viktor intended to remain anonymous in writting and publishing the book for he did not want the reader to acquire the false assumption that his primary goal in writing this book was for wealth and noriety but rather for the reader to recieve a positive outlook on life. .
the book begins with viktor introducing himself and how his journey to the camp began, but he begins to elaborate the emotional truama that had overwhelmed the new inmates.he details the process in which the prisoners were seperated into two groups regarding their appearence of being sutible for manuel labor.those who were unsutible according to the capos were immediately sent to the 'showers' for cleaning and relaxation, although there was nothing relaxing about where they were eaded, the gas chambers. viktor escaped extermination by lieing about his age for he was too young for the guards to allow him to live. initially, the prisoner was terrified, afraid of death, but after a prolonged exposure to theatrocities of camp life and the ever so common sight of your friends and family dieing, a prisoner loses the desire to carry on. in actuality, many inmates desired death over enslavement. some did choose to commit suicide rather than suffer. the human desire to live has deteriorated and the prisoners reverted to mere animals. (Now I am able to use caps and the enter key)
Style: Viktor's style of writing is similar to what you would in scientific report detailing the behavior of animals, although his writing ability proves that he has written books before. He allows the reader to ask their own questions along with proposing quite a few himself. Since this work of literature was translated from its original text so I cannot give you an accurate analysis of his "style". Although some say that the translation tends to be 'dry', I find it suitable for my taste in work. A very serious, in depth analysis of the inner workings of what makes a human 'tick'. I find that the book was quite easy to read since I am not very interested in the fantasy land books of today's teenage youth. I prefer
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It is considered to be one of the most influential books in American literature. "Named one of the ten most influential books in America by a Library of Congress/Book-of-the-Month Club Survey of Lifetime Readers"
the book that i have been reading is titled 'trotzdem ja zum leben sagen. ein psychologe er lebt das konzentrationslager' (Man's Search for Meaning) and written by viktor e. frankle, holocaust survivor. the book, as you may have concluded, details the experiences of the everyday man inside the barbed fences of auschwitz. frankle experienced these horrors first hand and the accounts within this book were written within approxmiately one year of his release from the death camps, 1946-1947. although the reader might expect the book to be more about the terrors of camp life but in actuality, viktor intended the book to be about the psychological aspect of the average prisoner. prior to the war and his entrapment, viktor was a prestigous psycholigist and therapudic doctor. he took advantage of his time of travail within the fences to study the mental approach taken by each camper he came across, along with himself. the primary message that viktor desired to send to the reader was how one could maintain the will for survival through such hopeless hours, which he hoped could be applied to those who suffer from depression or are experiencing a challenging point within their own lives and so forth. initially viktor intended to remain anonymous in writting and publishing the book for he did not want the reader to acquire the false assumption that his primary goal in writing this book was for wealth and noriety but rather for the reader to recieve a positive outlook on life. .
the book begins with viktor introducing himself and how his journey to the camp began, but he begins to elaborate the emotional truama that had overwhelmed the new inmates.he details the process in which the prisoners were seperated into two groups regarding their appearence of being sutible for manuel labor.those who were unsutible according to the capos were immediately sent to the 'showers' for cleaning and relaxation, although there was nothing relaxing about where they were eaded, the gas chambers. viktor escaped extermination by lieing about his age for he was too young for the guards to allow him to live. initially, the prisoner was terrified, afraid of death, but after a prolonged exposure to theatrocities of camp life and the ever so common sight of your friends and family dieing, a prisoner loses the desire to carry on. in actuality, many inmates desired death over enslavement. some did choose to commit suicide rather than suffer. the human desire to live has deteriorated and the prisoners reverted to mere animals. (Now I am able to use caps and the enter key)
Style: Viktor's style of writing is similar to what you would in scientific report detailing the behavior of animals, although his writing ability proves that he has written books before. He allows the reader to ask their own questions along with proposing quite a few himself. Since this work of literature was translated from its original text so I cannot give you an accurate analysis of his "style". Although some say that the translation tends to be 'dry', I find it suitable for my taste in work. A very serious, in depth analysis of the inner workings of what makes a human 'tick'. I find that the book was quite easy to read since I am not very interested in the fantasy land books of today's teenage youth. I prefer
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It is considered to be one of the most influential books in American literature. "Named one of the ten most influential books in America by a Library of Congress/Book-of-the-Month Club Survey of Lifetime Readers"
Friday, December 7, 2012
Current Connection Numero 5
I know you're getting tired of reading these current connection thingamabobs about football but I the NFL to be a quite simple topic to write about, for me at least. So let's begin shall we?
The savage vultures that is the media covering the classic quarterback controversies has once again stricken the locker room within the walls of 49er head quarters. The Niners of West Bay are no stranger to quarterback controversies. Towards the end of the 80s, the late Bill Walsh, head coaching great and pioneer of the west coast offense, began to take measures for having a suitable back-up quarterback to the all-time great, Joe Montana, who unfortunately developed a tendency to be injury prone. The Fighting Irish's finest, Golden Joe had already taken a team who once was the perennial door mat of the NFL, excluding the John Brodie and Y.A. Tittle years, to hoist the Lombardi trophy twice in the past 6 years but the team couldn't operate as efficiently without their on field general. Bill Walsh campaigned to find a suitable replacement when the time comes and what he saw was another future hall of famer in Steve Young. Young saw action occasionally during the Montana years as he watched Joe Cool take San Francisco to consecutive Superbowls in 88' and 89', but during the Niners' attempt at the unhearf-of threepeat in 90', Montana injured his throwing elbow on his last episode of 4th quarter heroics in 49ers garb. Thus ending the threepeat and the Montana era in San Francisco. Young took the reigns of the team and Montana left for Kansas City, taking along the 49ers fan base with him. Today, however, we have a similar "good" problem in West Bay.
49ers quarterback Alex Smith, drafter first overall in the 05' draft, was finally clicking in San Francisco under Jim Harbaugh's mentorship. He had taken the Niners (along with the help of a superb defense) to a tight win against the favorite New Orleans Saints. Alex and the Niners went 13-3 that year in a return to excellence after 8 years of misery, making it to the doorstep of the Superbowl only to fall short due to two extremely untimely fumbles on part of special teams. Smith was having a good season and was ranked in the top 5 in quarterback rating. Although his numbers were exceptional, he was still criticized about being unable take over a game like other elite quarterbacks across the league. Everything changed against the St. Louis Rams when Alex was taken out of the game due to a concussion he suffered on a quarterback scramble. Colin Kaepernick stepped in and lead the San Francisco to a rare tie. Alex's chances of starting again seemed un-threatened until the Monday night game against the Chicago Bears. Alex was forced to sit out this game due to failing to be cleared by doctors to play. Colin Kaepernick in his 2nd season in the league was practically a rookie going against the #2 ranked Chicago defense. Chicago was expected to shut down San Francisco's offense but little to their knowledge, Colin was a sleeping lion awaiting to be unleashed upon the league. Colin slaughtered the Bears in a 32-7 rout under the bright lights of Monday Night. Since then Colin has started the past 2 weeks in a victory against the surging Saints at the deafening Mercedes Super Dome and a OT loss against the rising Rams at the Edward Jones Dome.
Jim Harbaugh's decision on starting quarterback was viewed as a stupendous success after Colin continued his stomping of the Saints but controversy arose once again after Colin made some foolish rookie mistakes against the Rams as the game was coming to a close. The 49ers OC called what looked like a triple option toss deep in Niner's territory. Instead of keeping the ball himself, Colin tossed the pigskin to receiver Teddy Ginn Jr. The ball flew about 2 feet out of Ginn's reach and was ruled a fumble since it fell behind the line of scrimage, becoming a lateral pass. Ram's rookie corner Janoris Jenkins recovered the fumble and instinctively scrambled into the endzone, allowing the Rams to tie the game and reach overtime. Colin was able to place the team in the position to win as he drove down the field in OT but he was let down by the struggling kicker, David Akers, who missed the 42 yard kick. The Rams, taking opportunity of great field position, sent out budding star kicker (if their could be a "star" kicker aside from Adam Vinateri) "Legatron" Greg Zuerlion. Zuerlion turned heads as he was able to boot 70+ yard kicks in warm ups which is especially impressive since the NFL record for longest kick is 63 yards, ironically tied by David Akers earlier this season. Zuerlion didn't disappoint with his chance of redemption after he missed the game winner earlier. San Francisco left with a loss to an obviously inferior Rams team. The media clambered around Harbaugh, pelting him with questions of whether Alex should start instead of Colin. Harbaugh, being the mad scientist that his is, again teased the media with the cliche,"going with the hot hand." Earlier this week, Harbaugh decided that Colin still has the "hot hand" and will once again start against the anemic Dolphins. The Niner's defense should be able to easily stomp out any spark from the Dolphin's offense, carrying Colin to another victory. The real decision comes in 2 weeks, when San Francisco travels to the frozen tundra of Foxborough, Massachusetts to challenge the currently 9-3 New England Patriots and super star quarterback, Tom Brady.
The decision of returning to the seasoned veteran or going to the future face of the franchise will continue to be up in the air according to the media until the end of the season. If Colin can take the Niners to where Alex couldn't last year, the Super Bowl, Harbaugh will be praised as a genius and if cannot, Harbaugh will be praised for doing what's best for the future. We're all living in Jim Harbaugh's world and the reporters are just pawns at his whim. They just don't know it and for how this affects me, I'm from the Bay. What goes down in the Bay, goes down in my house. Bye Bye
The savage vultures that is the media covering the classic quarterback controversies has once again stricken the locker room within the walls of 49er head quarters. The Niners of West Bay are no stranger to quarterback controversies. Towards the end of the 80s, the late Bill Walsh, head coaching great and pioneer of the west coast offense, began to take measures for having a suitable back-up quarterback to the all-time great, Joe Montana, who unfortunately developed a tendency to be injury prone. The Fighting Irish's finest, Golden Joe had already taken a team who once was the perennial door mat of the NFL, excluding the John Brodie and Y.A. Tittle years, to hoist the Lombardi trophy twice in the past 6 years but the team couldn't operate as efficiently without their on field general. Bill Walsh campaigned to find a suitable replacement when the time comes and what he saw was another future hall of famer in Steve Young. Young saw action occasionally during the Montana years as he watched Joe Cool take San Francisco to consecutive Superbowls in 88' and 89', but during the Niners' attempt at the unhearf-of threepeat in 90', Montana injured his throwing elbow on his last episode of 4th quarter heroics in 49ers garb. Thus ending the threepeat and the Montana era in San Francisco. Young took the reigns of the team and Montana left for Kansas City, taking along the 49ers fan base with him. Today, however, we have a similar "good" problem in West Bay.
49ers quarterback Alex Smith, drafter first overall in the 05' draft, was finally clicking in San Francisco under Jim Harbaugh's mentorship. He had taken the Niners (along with the help of a superb defense) to a tight win against the favorite New Orleans Saints. Alex and the Niners went 13-3 that year in a return to excellence after 8 years of misery, making it to the doorstep of the Superbowl only to fall short due to two extremely untimely fumbles on part of special teams. Smith was having a good season and was ranked in the top 5 in quarterback rating. Although his numbers were exceptional, he was still criticized about being unable take over a game like other elite quarterbacks across the league. Everything changed against the St. Louis Rams when Alex was taken out of the game due to a concussion he suffered on a quarterback scramble. Colin Kaepernick stepped in and lead the San Francisco to a rare tie. Alex's chances of starting again seemed un-threatened until the Monday night game against the Chicago Bears. Alex was forced to sit out this game due to failing to be cleared by doctors to play. Colin Kaepernick in his 2nd season in the league was practically a rookie going against the #2 ranked Chicago defense. Chicago was expected to shut down San Francisco's offense but little to their knowledge, Colin was a sleeping lion awaiting to be unleashed upon the league. Colin slaughtered the Bears in a 32-7 rout under the bright lights of Monday Night. Since then Colin has started the past 2 weeks in a victory against the surging Saints at the deafening Mercedes Super Dome and a OT loss against the rising Rams at the Edward Jones Dome.
Jim Harbaugh's decision on starting quarterback was viewed as a stupendous success after Colin continued his stomping of the Saints but controversy arose once again after Colin made some foolish rookie mistakes against the Rams as the game was coming to a close. The 49ers OC called what looked like a triple option toss deep in Niner's territory. Instead of keeping the ball himself, Colin tossed the pigskin to receiver Teddy Ginn Jr. The ball flew about 2 feet out of Ginn's reach and was ruled a fumble since it fell behind the line of scrimage, becoming a lateral pass. Ram's rookie corner Janoris Jenkins recovered the fumble and instinctively scrambled into the endzone, allowing the Rams to tie the game and reach overtime. Colin was able to place the team in the position to win as he drove down the field in OT but he was let down by the struggling kicker, David Akers, who missed the 42 yard kick. The Rams, taking opportunity of great field position, sent out budding star kicker (if their could be a "star" kicker aside from Adam Vinateri) "Legatron" Greg Zuerlion. Zuerlion turned heads as he was able to boot 70+ yard kicks in warm ups which is especially impressive since the NFL record for longest kick is 63 yards, ironically tied by David Akers earlier this season. Zuerlion didn't disappoint with his chance of redemption after he missed the game winner earlier. San Francisco left with a loss to an obviously inferior Rams team. The media clambered around Harbaugh, pelting him with questions of whether Alex should start instead of Colin. Harbaugh, being the mad scientist that his is, again teased the media with the cliche,"going with the hot hand." Earlier this week, Harbaugh decided that Colin still has the "hot hand" and will once again start against the anemic Dolphins. The Niner's defense should be able to easily stomp out any spark from the Dolphin's offense, carrying Colin to another victory. The real decision comes in 2 weeks, when San Francisco travels to the frozen tundra of Foxborough, Massachusetts to challenge the currently 9-3 New England Patriots and super star quarterback, Tom Brady.
The decision of returning to the seasoned veteran or going to the future face of the franchise will continue to be up in the air according to the media until the end of the season. If Colin can take the Niners to where Alex couldn't last year, the Super Bowl, Harbaugh will be praised as a genius and if cannot, Harbaugh will be praised for doing what's best for the future. We're all living in Jim Harbaugh's world and the reporters are just pawns at his whim. They just don't know it and for how this affects me, I'm from the Bay. What goes down in the Bay, goes down in my house. Bye Bye
Thursday, November 15, 2012
CURRENT CONNECTION NUMERO QUATRO (4)
Well, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I am going to continue to write current connections relating to sports stories. I find them to be far easier to fabricate than your typical connection, for me at least. Now shall we begin?
The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) narrowly edged out the Kansas City Chiefs (1-8) at home Monday in what was seemingly developing into a "trap" game for the Steelers (a trap game is where a far superior team falls to an immensely inferior team due to the former lowering their figurative guns and taking the day off). Although they may have came away with the victory, they may have lost all hopes of winning the division with the Baltimore Ravens lurking around the corner. "Big" Ben Roethlisberger was sandwiched by Justin Houston and Tamba Hali as he was stepping up into the pocket in an attempt to avoid the relentless pass rush of Kansas City. Roethlisberger crumbled to the ground under the weight of both of the 265 pound defenders in what seemed to be just another victory for the Chief's defense, until all of Steeler nation (which I am not a part of nor will I ever be) held their collective breathes as Big Ben made his way to the locker room clutching his right shoulder and arm. The split-second play jeopardized the game and potentially the season for Pittsburgh, but Byron Leftwich was able to manage the team and lead them to a victory in overtime.
News of Big Ben's injury was thought of only to have been a common shoulder sprain in the quarterback's throwing shoulder until light was shed upon the affliction on Tuesday morning. According to Ben and his medical examiners, the 6'4", 241 pound man under center has suffered an extraordinarily rare rib dislocation, an injury only seen once before in any professional sport which the first being a rugby player in '95. What really makes Steeler fans and NFL fans in general cringe just at the thought of is that the dislodged rib happens to be directed towards his aorta and if pressed upon, could puncture his lung and potentially kill the quarterback. The Steelers have obviously took precautionary measure and has ruled their quarterback out for Sunday night's game against their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens have lost a their own fair share of star player this season. Their 13 time Pro Bowl selection Inside lineback, Ray Lewis, tore his pectoral muscle earlier in the season and led some analysts to believe that the all time great may finally hang up the cleats on a phenomenal career. This, however, does not necessarily even the playing field for the two teams. Ray Lewis may have had a far greater career when compared to Roethlisberger but Ben happens to play a far more important position (quarterback > inside linebacker). The Baltimore Ravens should be a clear favorite for their next meeting with the Steelers but if that wasn't bad enough for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh and Baltimore happen to face off again two weeks after the Sunday night game. If Baltimore can take advantage for the Steelers misfortunes, Baltimore should easily be able to win the division and secure a playoff spot along with a first round bye.
This sole injury may have a lasting effect on every team as the clubs begin to make their annual playoff push this December. The Steelers may make the playoffs but they should provide an easy target for any team they encounter on the road to the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh's shortcomings may leave the door open for any team to perhaps "fluke" their way into championship contention, but only time will tell. The Steelers season rests on the recovery time of Big Ben's ribs and as far as I am concerned, take your time Ben's ribs. We are in no hurry for your return. Love Baltimore.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Current Connection #tres (three for you white folk)
One of the most important events in human history happened to occur approximately 2 weeks ago and for the second time in the past three years! Of course I'm talking about the Champion San Francisco Giants winning the World Series. The World Champion Giants faced elimination 6 times on their road to the World Series and upon reaching the home stretch of their phenomenal post season to ultimately sweep the ALCS Champion Detriot Tigers.
The Giants climbed back from being down 0-2 in the Divisional Series against the Cincinnati Reds and down 1-3 in the Conference Series against the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals. People from every corner of the world counted the Giants out. A team that couldn't lead in the playoffs should not stand a chance against the ALCS Champions who swept their own advisarries, the Yankees.
The Giants backs were to the walls constantly. They kept getting knocked down and yet they got right back up swinging away. A little Rocky Balboa mentality goes a long way. The Giants would go on to capture their 2nd World Series since moving to San Francisco in '58 and along the way, inspiring millions to never give up no matter how impossible the task at hand may seem. I, being a former resisdent of the Bay, was also delighted to witness the Giants steamroll their way over the Tigers.
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