There has been recent speculation on the future of Michael Vick. He was allowed back into the NFL with a conditional re-instatement from Commissioner Roger Goodell. The conditions of his re-instatement include Vick being allowed to participate in practices and the final 2 pre-season games, also as of right now he is not allowed to play in any regular season games until Week 6. The thought of signing a Quarterback that can't play until Week 6 is driving most teams away. Goodell has the choice to shorten or increase the suspension. The upside for Vick is that Goodell may potentially shorten the suspension to Week 2. If this happens I find it hard to believe that an NFL team won't sign him. Vick has great talent and could help a number of teams, he also seems committed to making the most of the second chance that has been given to him. I believe that Vick is very focused on continuing his football career and gaining his reputation back. His new view on the way he should lead his life along with his obvious talent make him a good player to sign. With the recent news of Brett Favre's decision to stay retired may open up a spot for Michael Vick. My question is whether or not you think Vick should be signed by an NFL team and whether or not Goodell should shorten Vick's suspension from the regular season games. Also any suggestions of teams that should sign him.
Susan Boyle’s involvement in Britain’s Got Talent has brought this
question in to sharp focus this week. Susan proved that there are
people out there with amazing talents that the world doesn’t know about
but her involvement in the show has provoked much debate over how we
handle these people. To go from long term obscurity to worldwide fame
in seven week is a daunting task for anyone so why should we expect
people to be able to cope with it.
People looking at someone who
has a talent and say they are lucky but to some people with talent it
is a burden and a problem. Many talented people spend so much time
working on their talent that they have missed out on social development
and personal development as well as building on their maturity and
emotional capabilities. I think it is important we spend more time with
people who have talent equipping them to deal with their talent and to
pursue their talent to the highest level.
Should TV shows and
producers on programmes like Britain’s Got Talent be forced to do more
to protect the people who perform on the show and do more psychiatric
testing on them to see if they should be on TV? This show has made
headlines with the people who have appeared on the show but has this
series gone too far and are people now worried for the people on the
show? Instead of being entertained the audience is now starting to feel
uneasy with young acts breaking down in tears and a negative press
campaign against a woman who has won the hearts of many.
People
who have years of build up before they get famous for their talent
still can have issues and problems with what fame brings so we
shouldn’t be expecting people who haven’t had that to be able to deal
with it. As the general public I think we need to be careful about the
way we treat and react to people like this and shows like this as I
don’t think TV shows and the press will ever change. Fame can be taken
as quickly as it’s given but all the TV companies seem to be worried
about are viewing ratings and advertising revenue.
Do you spend
time perparing your self for the life you will lead when you become
successful in your area of talent? How important do you think this is?
Britain's Got Talent has brought this question in to focus this week
and I would love to know your thoughts and you can share them by going
to:
http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=731
Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”
It's another beautiful sunny day here in the Windy City, and my mind can't help but wander towards thoughts of beach days by the water, chillin' in my swimsuit with a thermos of ice-cold lemonade and a good book in hand.
[Right: Okay, so Chicago beaches don't look exactly like this in the summer, but I can dream a little, right?]
Beach time is also the time of year when magazine covers start sporting titles like, "Last-minute tips to achieve a beach-ready body!" or "How to get in bikini shape." Lately, pop-culture seems preoccupied with Melissa Joan Hart's recent weight loss, and the fact that she's featured on the cover of People magazine wearing a purple bikini. I'm not sure whether that's supposed to serve as inspiration or gossip, but I guess it sells.
They say she did it through diet and exercise. They say that any woman can do it. The magazines show pictures of slender women cranking out push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, and stretches. Then they display hefty slices of "carb conscious" chocolate cake, dripping with carb-free caramel glaze.
Frankly, I don't care how much weight Melissa Joan Hart lost this year. And I don't care to see any more magazines drawing on the assumption that the primary reason for exercise is to look good in a bikini.
Sure, I'll admit that lots of people exercise because they want to slim down. The prospect of possibly looking like a photoshopped supermodel is a huge motivating factor for many. But there are so many more reasons to play sports—health, community involvement, outdoor recreation, self-confidence, and developing better physical coordination, to name a few. I find it insulting that so many "exercise" related articles targeted at women seem to focus on weight loss as THE driving force behind adopting an active lifestyle.
Plus, there's nothing wrong with being a little bigger than average. In this culture, too many women and girls view weight gain as a personal failure. It doesn't have to be that way.
I hate it when magazines poke fun at cellulite, and I hate watching ads that seek to make women feel ashamed of their bodies for the purpose of selling a product. In a culture plagued by eating disorders and body image issues, we don't need any more media messages implying that women and girls need to change their physical appearance. I'd rather see articles that tell women to exercise because it's fun and healthy—not because their bodies aren't good enough.
[Sidenote: That's not to say that men don't also feel pressured to maintain a rock-solid "beach body." Men definitely see their fair share of articles pushing purely aesthetic weight loss and muscle gain. However, today I'm talking primarily about ads and articles targeted at female consumers. Guys- feel free to jump into the conversation.]
Some women and men of size are proud of their bodies, and they continue to play sports for reasons other than expected weight loss. These athletes totally rock; they are actively shifting attitudes around body image and exercise. Size-Positive fitness programs are popping up around the country. These programs do not encourage participants to lose weight, but instead focus on improving health. In my humble opinion, a health-centered approach to exercise is much better than a bikini-centered approach.
Let's celebrate our diverse bodies (both women and men), and take sports back from the weight-loss mania currently infiltrating magazine racks nationwide. And while we're at it, let's rescue our chocolate cake, too.
As the years go on it seems more and more like the media are in
complete control in peoples success and failure. It seems that
regardless of someone’s talent the media can make or break anybody
which is a depressing thought. People seem to be more interested in
entertaining news and scandal than getting behind someone because of
their talent.
This is not a new phenomenon by any stretch of the
imagination but is depressing nonetheless. With the increased interest
we seem to place in the lives of celebrities it is no wonder that there
is more scandal as the media won’t stop until they find some or if they
can’t they will create some. It’s like I was watching a documentary on
Miley Cyrus the other night and the interest in her life at the moment
is crazy with the amount of press she has following her around its no
wonder the press are going to pick up on anything which isn’t 100%
perfect.
The big media story in the UK this week is the break up
or Jordan and Peter Andre which shows the other side of media. Since
this was announced in the press showings of the pairs reality TV series
have risen significantly and I am sure both could sell their side of
the story to the press for big money. Now some may claim they are just
playing the media to make more money and get attention but only they
will ever know.
Because celebrities have got so good at playing
the media you may see it as the celebrities are fighting back and
trying to beat the media at their own game. The only problem now is
that because people are aware of both sides of the coin when a story
gets released about a celebrity you don’t know if it is a case of the
celebrity playing the media or the media playing the celebrity and on
top of this if something in the news about them is actually one hundred
percent true because of the games that go on you don’t know whether to
believe it or not. So are celebrities really helping themselves or not?
I
don’t know what the answer to this is and I don’t think there is an
answer as celebrities need the media and media need celebrities but I
think this cycle makes it really hard to find any role models any more
in the celebrity world as they don’t sell newspapers or get the
headlines that scandal does which I think is the biggest shame in all
of this.
We here at Talented Young People want to know what you
think about media and celebrities. Who do you think is in the wrong?
And what do you think could be done to solve the situations highlighted
in this weeks blog. To share your thoughts go to:
Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”
I didn't watch the Miss USA pageant last night. I was re-organizing my sock drawer or watching "The Real Housewives of Orange County" or doing something else less mind-numbing. Beauty pageants inspire a mixture of disgust and pity in me. I think contestants have a good case for child abuse allegations for the years of brainwashing, malnutrition and fake tanning inflicted upon them to transform them into walking, talking Malibu Barbies.
Last year, I felt a good deal of pity for Miss Teen South Carolina after her epic educational fail. This time, it's definitely disgust I feel for the contestant in the hot seat, Miss California.
Perez Hilton, everyone's favorite snarky (and openly gay) celebrity blogger, was a judge for the pageant and threw this question at Miss California: "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?"
I actually had to listen to her response a few times to understand what on earth she was talking about. She was probably confused when the question required an actual thoughtful response instead of the usual, sugar-coated "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" drivel.
In case you're in the same boat, this was her response: "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman."
Right, Miss California. In my country, "opposite marriage" is a phrase that makes absolutely no sense and makes you sound like an ignorant bigot. In my home state of California, you made a lot of people ashamed that you represented us on the national stage. In my opinion, you should probably consider your audience before you open your mouth to bash gay rights and cause intelligent women everywhere to cringe. It just may have cost you that pretty tiara that's now sitting on Miss North Carolina's blonde curls.
Perez Hilton recorded a no-holds-barred vlog after the pageant, calling Miss California a "dumb b----" for her answer (which he later apologized for).
What do you think of the whole debacle? Do you think Miss California was right to express her opinion, or do you think she should have tried to be more accepting and diplomatic? Do you think Perez Hilton was out of line with his response?
It's another beautiful sunny day here in the Windy City, and my mind can't help but wander towards thoughts of beach days by the water, chillin' in my swimsuit with a thermos of ice-cold lemonade and a good book in hand.
