Sunday, April 18, 2010

Sexism

Ever wondered why as a young man, one should forego a seat to elderly people and ladies, and follow “ladies first” rule? It is easy to understand why one is encouraged to give up the seat to elderly people, but it is kind of complex to give up a seat to a lady especially one has the same age as one. Giving up a seat to elderly people is quite comprehensible because in Philippine’s culture, one is being taught to have this respect, but for the ladies? Why?


Giving up a seat to a lady in the Philippines setting is a sign of one being a gentleman, because gentleman always have this mindset of letting the ladies first, walking on the side where one is dangerous than the other, pulling a chair to let a lady seat, are some of the ways of the gentlemen. It is understood in the Philippine’s setting prioritizing a lady is an act of being a gentleman mainly because the culture taught the Filipinos to do so. In other setting like America, if one gives up a seat to a lady, then one is going to be called as a sexist. A community issue of today, sexism is the perception that a gender is better than the other; hence there is a need to discuss the causes, the effects, and the preventions of sexism.


There are so many imperfections in life, sexism is one of them. Sexism is caused by pride, differences (physically), culture and tradition, and likes. Pride is a way where one is a full of himself. One tends to act according to ego in which one is inconsiderate of the feelings of others. Physical Difference is more of the appearances that man and woman distinctively possessed. Man is created with broad shoulders and woman is created with slim shoulders are some of the many examples. Culture and tradition, is more of a practice passed from generations to generations. Woman before is considered to be inferior while man superior. Likes are more of preferences to things in life like: color, man is red and woman is pink; man plays robot toys and woman plays stuff toys. Sexism is still evident today because those people who practice sexism is still somehow conventional in thinking.


When there are causes of sexism, there are effects of sexism. The effects of sexism are: inequality and low self-esteem. Inequality is a situation that one sex is not at the same level as another sex so the gap between the two genders is elongated far from each other in a way that the two genders become strangers to each other, that’s why sexism has the chance to barge in because of the situation. The treatment is also somehow different because same genders complement each other making another gender somehow angry and jealous that is why one gender tends to have this sexism-like feeling toward that gender. Low self-esteem, one has this kind of problem when one does not have enough confidence because of the teasing and bullying suffered from the opposite gender. Teasing and bullying are caused by pride, differences (physically), culture and tradition, and likes. The farther is the distinctiveness, the bigger is the teasing and bullying.


Here are some of the examples of sexism in different situations in life: domestic violence. Men are likely to become more violent (like homicide and murder) than women no matter who start the conflict (“Sexism”,n.d.); rape. According to Mary Odem and Jody Clay- Warner, men rape women is not caused by some cognitive problems but because of the belief that men are more superior to women (“Sexism”,n.d.); education. Way back, women were never included in schooling, even if they were, they never had the chance to study what they like (“Sexism”,n.d.). According to research, male students are often receiving compliments than female does from the teachers (“Sexism”, n.d.); military service. In military cases, men are obliged to go to military when they are at the right age (18), but women are not required to go to military (“Sexism”, n.d.).


Sexism is something that majority don’t want to have in the society because it tends to bring people down in a way that there is no equality. In order to stop sexism, there must be preventions. Sexism can be prevented by accepting and tolerating others. Acceptance is something that one has trust between others because if one has 100% trust on others, then one has acceptance. Tolerance is accepting others despite of difficulty. Situations in life are never easy, because it needs steps by steps especially if it is about tolerating what one dislikes. Prevention can be done to sexism if one could apply acceptance and tolerance.


Sexism is a perception that a gender is better than another gender. It has causes and effects to many parts of life. It is such a major problem, but it can be prevented by having acceptance and tolerance.




Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexism

Friday, April 16, 2010

Co-education

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As people grow more and more experienced and knowledgeable, they tend to explore on new ideas. Since the world of today is a modernized one, people living on earth are being creative to help and make life easier. In a modernized world, there are many problems, and one of them is education. “Education is the key to success” is really a nice motto because everything in the universe is concepts, and as human-beings, they need these ideas to understand more about things. So a little mistake in teaching these concepts means a lot.


People suggest co-education and single-sex education because they think they think specifically one helps boys and girls develop their potentials to the fullest. As a solution to bring better education to both boys and girls, they should attend the same school. The writer prefers co-education instead of single-sex education because most schools today are organized this way, but that is not the only reason, there are more reasons.


Co-education is a style of education that allows boys and girls to study in the same school. In this type of education, boys and girls are equal in terms of treatment because teachers do not biased one gender for another. It is being applied to majority of the schools today basically the schools believe that co-education is better than single-sex education.


In a 1998 survey from the American Association of University Women, report noted “boys and girls both thrive when the elements of good education are there, elements like smaller classes, focused academic curriculum and gender-fair instruction” (debate+ boys and girls should attend separate schools”). In co-education boys and girls influence each other in behaviours and maturity-specifically more on girls influencing boys because girls are more matured and responsible when they are at the same age (“debate+ boys and girls should attend separate schools”). Boys and girls are enhanced better if they have competitiveness in them, hence since co-education could bring this era of competition, this type of education could help them improve academically.


Co-education is better than single- sex education because it lessens the probability of having sexism as an issue to the society (the writer’s view). Since sexism is a major problem today, as much as possible it must be contained. In co-education students have a better chance of learning the differences of both genders because in single-sex education, the interaction of boys and girls are not much. In nature, God created not just Adam nor just Eve, but Adam and Eve because God knows they can live together, improve one another and complement one another. As in reality the same goes because girls need boys and boys need girls to stay the best they can.
Single-sex education is good in some cases but co-education is still better although single-sex education has some points. In single-sex education, the students do not need to mind other gender to pressure them. It gives one gender the full identity because one gender can fully express what they like most without pressure from another gender.


Co-education is really better than the single-sex education (the writer’s view) because both genders influence each other. Boys and girls can learn better because both genders can be contagious in studies and in this way, they can do better together. It also prevents sexism because it gives boys and girls spaces to really communicate, and this really lessens the probability of sexism being built at early stages.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Michael Jordan versus Kobe Bryant

In the culture and tradition of the basketball world, everybody knows Michael Jordan, Air Jordan or His Airness, and Kobe Bryant, Black Mamba. Greatness is what these two players define simply because of their work ethics. They are so determined to be the best of the bests, and without a doubt, one has been and one is now. Basketball is a major sport in this world, as years pass on and on more people are engaged to it so one could imagine how hard it is to be a good player, not mentioning the best of the players. These two athletes are insanely great and talented; they both have some similarities and differences to be shared upon. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are going to be analyzed for comparison and contrast based on their offensive skills, effectiveness in clutch moments, and leaderships.


Offensive skills play a big role in basketball because these skills are required for scoring. These skills are dunking, shooting, driving, passing, creating (fouls) and posting-up. Basketball is a sport in which the team that makes the most points win. Michael Jordan was a shooting guard who could also play the position of small forward (“Michael Jordan”). Offensively, Jordan was very skillful because he could score at will at a high percentage (“Michael Jordan”). He could drive easily to the basket and draw fouls; his 8772 free throw attempts are ninth all time(“Michael Jordan”). One of his offensive skills, post-up, had developed into an unstoppable force (“Michael Jordan”). Michael Jordan was said to have the greatest offensive skills of all time. He was able to take jump shots, do dunks and make lay-ups. As for jump shots, he could take both two points and three points; as for dunks, he could do in-your-face dunks, windmill dunks, reverse dunks; as for lay-ups, he could make acrobatic lay-ups to seal a game like 360 lay-ups, reverse lay-ups, kiss-the-glass lay-ups. As for Kobe Bryant’s offensive skills, there are similarities between him and Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant is a shooting guard who could also play the small forward position (“Kobe Bryant”). He has the single-game record for 12 three pointers made(“Kobe Bryant”). He also has a very high basketball IQ because he is using his speed and athleticism to score at the basket (“Kobe Bryant”). As for shooting three pointers, Kobe Bryant has an edge over Michael Jordan, but overall offensive skills, Michael Jordan is still the man, because he is not going to be the greatest player of all time ( which was stated in nba.com) for nothing. As for basketball IQ, they are both like geniuses on how they approach the games. As for speed and athleticism, Michael Jordan is still the favorite simply because he was more gifted than Kobe Bryant.


Both players are the team’s go-to guys. Michael Jordan for Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards , and Kobe Bryant for the Los Angeles Lakers. Michael Jordan was known to the world as an effective clutch performer (“Michael Jordan”). Victory was often concluded because of his plays (e.g., The Shot) and he could still perform in times of bad conditions (e.g., Flu Game) (“Michael Jordan”). Michael Jordan was very effective when it comes to being a clutch performer. During his professional career with the Bulls and the Wizards, when the game is on the line, the player to take the shot is always him. When the game is on the line, he would always demand for the ball and most of the time he would hit the game-winning shot. One game. Back in the 80’s Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was a very close call game, as time was ticking down, like always Michael Jordan demanded the ball , and hit the buzzer beater over Ehlo,game won, Chicago Bulls won. Michael Just had that bucket of confidence in him that’s why no matter what the situation is, he could face it calmly. Kobe Bryant is not different compared to Michael. Kobe Bryant is the most effective clutch performer today. All of the time he would demand the ball from his teammates and isolate against the opponents until the ball was out of his finger tips. For Kobe, winning is like everything and if a game is going to be crucial, he knows he has to step up for the team, hence he will take the decisive shot. A game against Dwyane Wade’s Miami Heat team, the time was draining but Kobe had the last say, hence he took a three-point shot fading away from the basket, and the shot went in-they won. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are those kind of players who have iron butterflies in their stomachs . They are so distinctive to other basketball players because it requires a lot of guts to take crucial shots, and these two guys just make it look so easy. Kobe Bryant is very clutch, but Michael Jordan is the clutch king of basketball.


Leadership. Michael Jordan had always been the leader of the Bulls and Wizards. He was like a coach and a court general on the floor. Michael Jordan is so at winning, he tends to get very serious during games, hence he would operate his team about plans and stuff. Back in the 90’s, there was a particular incident that had happened, this was almost a fight between Dennis Rodman and Shaquille O’neal. As a leader of the Bulls’ team, Michael Jordan vetoed his leadership by pulling Dennis away because he knew that the Bulls need Dennis, and pulling Dennis away was also a great idea because suspension is a big distraction to the team. This is how great of a leader Michael Jordan was. As for Kobe Bryant, don’t ever fool around if one plays for the Lakers especially during a game because he will definitely get down on problems that he sees; he scolds and smacks one’s head. Kobe glares at teammates when they miss a pass and stares when he never touches the ball during a possession whether or not the Lakers score (“Kobe Bryant leadership”). One blogger named Curt Schilling wrote that Kobe yelled and berated his teammates most of the time on court (“Kobe Bryant leadership”). He is in a joy mood when situations are on his side and casual mood when bad situations (“Kobe Bryant leadership”). Instead of helping the team, he is more of being contagious to the team for spreading idea like it is the team’s fault, not his (“Kobe Bryant leadership”). As for the leadership, the two great ones have different attitude on the court. The way they run their ball clubs are greatly different, Michael Jordan for being more of a nice and a holistic leader, and Kobe Bryant for being more of a leader that cares more on self interests-based on other’s opinions.


Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are not just anybody, they are the greatest basketball players of their eras. They are great because they have great offensive skills, very effective in clutch moments, and have distinctive kind of leaderships. Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time, that is why his style of playing, particularly offensive skills, is being copied by other players. Kobe Bryant is no different, because he idolizes Michael Jordan so much, moves of Michael Jordan are seen in Kobe’s plays.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_jordan#Player_profile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_bryant
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/29989-the-fallacy-of-kobe-bryants-leadership

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

How to make a lay-up

Basketball is a sport that needs constant practice: basketball may be fundamentals like making a lay-up or may be difficult jump shots. Practice always plays a big factor in basketball because “practice makes perfect”. Perfectness is impossible to attain, but one can achieve nearly perfectness if and only if one practice with passion and dedication. For the association of practice, Thomas Edison once said, “1% for talent, 99% for hard work”. People are born distinctively; there are the talented ones and the average ones. Talented ones have faster pickups so they learn faster than the average ones, but even if one is talented, then not working his talent, hence it is futile. Average ones can surpass those talented ones if and only if they practice more than the talented ones practice. Look at the greatest basketball player of all time- Michael Jordan, he was that great not only because he has talents, but also because he was determined to be the best, hence he practiced like crazy. Michael Jordan once had an apology that goes like this, “sorry, I made it look so easy, you may see the good plays, but you could never see how much I put into practice.” Lay-up is the most basic so before one can dream of becoming a prolific scorer like Michael Jordan, one must start with the lay-up. The process in making a lay-up takes 11 steps and 11 steps must be dealt accordingly.


There are 11 steps for one to learn to make a lay-up. This lay-up is the simplest of the lay-ups because this type of lay-up is the foundation for other acrobatic lay-ups like reverse lay-up and not kissing the glass type of lay-up. Start the process by standing at the far right-hand edge of the free throw line (left-hand edge for lefty). This is to help one recognize how much distance should one have to be able to make the shot. Dribble the ball with one’s right or left hand. This is to help one get used to dribbling both right and left hand. Concentrate on the shooting square painted on the backboard. The upper-right corner (upper-left corner for lefty) is the most significant because it helps one where to aim the ball during shooting. Approach the basket slowly, dribbling the ball. This is for the establishment of good pacing. Stop dribbling when one is 5 to 8 feet away from the backboard. Preparing one for doing the last two steps is the purpose of this step. Pick up the ball while one is stepping with one’s right foot (or left foot for lefty). Traveling violation is a very common error in basketball, so this step is to avoid the violation, hence the step must be done at the same time. Take another step and plant one’s left foot (right foot for lefty), then jump off it. This step is to help one establish balance like yin yang, there are 50% black and 50% white because one needs the other; accuracy and precision are best at balance also. Bring one’s right knee (left knee for lefty) up toward one’s chest as one jump. Balance here is at its best because lay-up performs wonderfully at balance. Aim for the upper-right corner (upper-left corner for lefty) of the box on the backboard. Basketball (ball) is going to kiss the corner of the box on the backboard because this area is the only spot for the ball to have an easy go in. Shoot the ball with one’s right hand (left hand for lefty). This is to put enough power to the hand for it to have sufficient energy. The last step is to practice approaching the basket faster and faster until one running toward it. This is to help one make a lay-up consistently and ideally.


These 11 steps in making a lay-up must be done accordingly by not skipping one step for another. If one wishes to make it (lay-up), then one must practice a lot because success favors those people who pursue it. There is really no free lunch in this cutthroat world. Nothing in this world is free, because everything requires hardships. Hardship means that one must shed some blood, sweat, and tears on the skin; these 3 are the badges of hardship.


Lay-up may sound basic, but every player knows that it is one of the most important aspects in basketball because it may help one win a game. It takes 11 steps to fully comprehend what a lay-up is, but in order to be great at lay-up one must practice more than 11 times. There is a saying that I believe suits for basketball, ” The best works the hardest.”, so if one wants to be a great basketball player, then earn the name “basketball player” by working as hard as a basketball player would.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Michael Jordan

In order to convey to the new generations who is the greatest basketball player of all time, there is a need to convey Michael Jordan’s biography because he defined impossible, passion, greatness, icon and he was and still is a role model to many. In your own words, how do you define “the greatest player of all time” in basketball? Here is how I define it, the greatest player of all time is the man who has the attributes like: leadership, passion, perseverance, selflessness, confidence, speed, strength, athleticism, clutch, MVP, all-star, and lastly championships. These attributes may sound like too much, but for Michael Jordan these qualities are inborn to him because he has them all. Of all the basketball players you may ask, why Michael Jordan? A little of his biography will tell you why.

Michael Jordan was from an average family, of two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger sister. He started playing basketball with one of the two brothers, and all of the time he lost. Because of his competitive nature, he practiced a lot for the sake of beating his brother. At this stage, I could infer how much MJ wanted to win at an early age. His motivation and inspiration were shaped at this young age that’s why he could persevere for elevated skills. He was once cut from the high school varsity team. Yes, MJ was cut from the varsity team because he wasn’t good enough. He took that as a challenge, so he practiced, practiced, and practiced. He did join the varsity after the summer. In this point of time, he had developed passion and perseverance. At the University of North Carolina, he was the first freshman player in college to be a starter for Dean Smith. For your information, in Dean Smith’s legendary career he had never started a freshman, but he did for MJ. The difficulty of a freshman in starting is like finding a needle in the Pacific Ocean, yes, that’s how good MJ was. In MJ’s college career he won freshman player of the year and multiple All American’s. He was also an Olympic gold medallist. At this point of time I can see that he had developed passion, perseverance, and now speed, strength, and athleticism. In the 1984 NBA draft, he was drafted number three by the Chicago Bulls. During his rookie year he won the rookie of the year award against batch mates like Kareem, Charles, and John. Yes, they sounded right, these three players are three of the NBA 50 Greatest Players of All Time and yet MJ won the rookie of the year?! At this point of time I can feel that he added to his attributes with confidence and all-star. He did developed into a leader and reached to conference finals but never to the finals. He had won MVP’s, defensive player of the year, scoring titles, and all-star MVP but never a championship in the 80’s because of mistrust in his teammates and there were always problems when it comes to teamwork. But it was not like MJ is a ball hog or something, it was just that his teammates were not that good to assist MJ until Scott Pippen arrived and things started to get better. During the run of the 90’s he developed this selflessness and this was the decade when he was winning 6 championships. Even at the age of nearly 40 with the Washington Wizards he could still score 40 points, 50 points, and what’s more amazing is he is the only 40 year-old man that could score those points at nearly 40 years old. “He retired with 32,292 points in regular season play, placing him third on the NBA's all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.”- written in Wikipedia. MJ is not playing professional basketball anymore; he is now a part owner of Charlotte Bobcats.

From the 80’s to the 90’s and now the 21st century, there are still millions and millions of fans that support MJ, this may because he is such a big figure in the basketball world. For me, MJ is like oil in my car because without his source of power, my car would not move. For your information, I am a basketball player, so for me MJ is basketball. He is such a brilliant and terrific man on the court and off the court, that’s why I like him like the Mount Everest (that much, that big), for me admiration is like infinity, no boundaries, because he is my hero. Until now I am still hearing people talking about MJ and how he was dominating the game before unlike the players now, these compliments are telling me that MJ is still the best compared to the modern players of today. He is so legendary because he started from nothing, but now he has everything that’s why he is really a great role model to be learned with. He is the only man in the history of basketball that has the privilege to be called the greatest player of all time. You name it, achievements, skills, morality, understanding of the game, charisma, and etc, he has them all. From the start of his basketball life from having one on one against his elder brother to winning 6 NBA championships I can see that he has gone through a lot of processes and slowly but surely he attain these attributes: leadership, passion, perseverance, selflessness, confidence, speed, strength, athleticism, clutch, MVP, all-star, and lastly championships that’s why he defines “the greatest of all time”.