The Internet Movie Database Essay Example for Free

The Internet Movie Database Essay As Phileas took his seat, he wondered what the movie he had heard so much about would be like. With the busy life he led working at the store all day and night, he barely ever got time to go to the movies. But, after a long and winding day, he looked for some respite in this movie called ‘The Pursuit of happyness’. The curtain was raised, as the story of a young man named Chris Gardner, living in the midst of the depression of the 1980’s in capitalism-led San Francisco. Phileas saw Chris unfolding the story of his life before him- a life full of struggle tears and despair. ‘That feels familiar,’ Phileas wryly smiled. Chris was not able to get a good education, and amidst the economic crisis and trauma, his wife leaves him with the custody of his young boy Christopher. ‘Dont ever let somebody tell you You cant do something. Not even me. All right? ‘ Chris tells his son, and Phileas is reminded of his own son Joshua, and his heart aches with the earnestness with which he wants his son to have a better life than his own. Around him, Phileas sees people in the audience, and there is a certain melancholy in the air. Smiles, tears and glistening eyes-the atmosphere was mixture of emotions as everyone seemed to feel the sobriety. Phileas breathes heavily as he sees Chris struggle to get a place to sleep every night. Chris does not lose hope, however and applies for an unsalaried internship at Dean Witter. If he proves himself, his dream of becoming a stockbroker might come true, and he might be able to give his son life he himself never had. Phileas could see memory of images flashing before his mind, as he pictured himself working at the store†¦. at home, with his wife and son†¦there is an eerie silence†¦suddenly, someone screams†¦tears†¦rage†¦despair†¦. Phileas can’t take it anymore†¦he wants to escape†¦please, God†¦ ‘The important thing about that freedom train, is its got to climb mountains. We ALL have to climb mountains, you know. Mountains that go way up high, and mountains that go deep and low. Yes, we know what those mountains are here at Glide. We sing about them. ’, Phileas heard a character speak, and he is brought back from his reverie. A smile played around his wrinkled lips as he admires Chris’ wit and humor despite the troublesome times he is facing. Phileas could not help feeling guilty at how he treated his family. How often he would lay hands on them! Oh†¦how much he regretted that†¦but never changed his ways†¦ Phileas leaned over to his left, as he saw Chris on the big screen before him. Here was a man full of belief and optimism. Here was a man who was determined to leave his yesterday behind and work for a better tomorrow. This was the story of one man’s struggle to the top. One could not help but admire the beauty and simplicity of it all-the entire take was effortless, and the expression was truly aesthetic and beautiful. Chris is asked whether he would like to work at Dean Witter. At last! Victory! Phileas felt the warm tears rolling down his cheeks. The emotion is overwhelming. This one moment shall change Chris Gardener’s life, (and, he exclaimed, the movie is based on a true story! ). Phileas sat on his chair, spellbound by the magic and power of the human will. The audience applauded as curtains fell. Suddenly, he felt the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders. He felt he was not alone after all. As Phileas walked out of the cinema, he put on his cap. ‘That was a most wonderful experience! ’ he thought to himself. As he waked past the street lamps, the misery he thought the world was painted with seemed to have faded away. Maybe there was hope for him after all†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it’, in Chris’ words. Phileas’ house appeared from behind the trees. He had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he had not realized he had reached home already! Phileas rang the doorbell. The door opened with a creak, and his wife and son stood before him, astonished to see the tears forming in his eyes. In a sudden, inexplicable burst of emotion, Phileas hugged both of them. It was a feeling of love, warmth and hope they had not felt in a long, long time. Phileas could finally be at peace with himself. References: ‘The Pursuit of happyness (2006) Memorable quotes ‘, The Internet Movie Database, http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0454921/quotes

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LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. His mother was Gloria James who was only 16 at the time. His father was Anthony McClelland. Gloria raised LeBron on her own. Life was often a struggle for LeBron and his mother. LeBron James, who has been called "the best high school player ever," is a creative dunker with the explosiveness of Jordan and the passing ability of Magic Johnson. Not since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a high schooler in the '60s has a high school sensation gotten so much exposure and generated so much excitement. He is known as a call showstopper" who has, during his tenure at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, exhibited the kind of fan-pleasing ability that will likely make him the NBA's No. 1 draft pick on June 26. James, who has a 32-point scoring average and 3.75 grade-point average, is a cordial, sometimes engaging youngster who is characterized by his unselfishness on the court that's mixed with a bit of flamboyance. And it's those credentials that elevated him to the level where he was the focus of what was called the "Fantastic Scholastic LeBron James Tour," an 8,500-mile, cross-country road schedule that included stops in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dayton and Greensboro, N.C. But with so much attention devoted to James, it has created the sometimes circus-like environment that surrounds him. Even so, he has been able to handle it with the maturity of one who is much older than his 18 years. "Sometimes it's tough because you don't get to be a kid anymore. But I've chosen this lifestyle and you have to take it for what it is," he says. "I love every moment of it. I'd rather people know me as a great basketball player than see me on the news [and people] saying something bad that I did." The McDonald's High School Player of the Year is a unique package of athletic ability and charisma that has enthralled spectators in ways not seen before at this level. This spring, for example, sellout crowds of 20,000 or more attended several All-Star games in which he played, and some paid upward of $85 to see him. There are nearly 1,100 LeBron James items listed on eBay. And when was the last time that a high schooler has generated so much excitement that his regular-season games were nationally televised?

Waiting for Superman

Brad Mitchell Ms. Campbell ENG 101 01 October 2012 Waiting for ‘Superman’ The film â€Å"Waiting for Superman† follows five children as they have to struggle through a system of conflicting education regulations and avoid the academic pitfalls that are public schools in order to receive a proper education that may guarantee them a career. The film, directed by Davis Guggenheim, asserts the claim that Teachers' Unions are a main problem to public education, and that charter schools are the safest and most definite method to ensure that a student acquires a proper education.While the film was created with good intentions to improve the education of American students, it has been dismissed by most due to the film seeming to demonize Teachers’ Unions and overly-praising charter school systems. Although public schools have indeed faltered since the 1970’s, it does not mean that private schools and charter schools are the go-to solution. The truth is, publ ic school systems have been proven to perform just as well as, if not better than, the charter schools that the film seemingly praises as a definitive solution.An article from The Washington Post by Rick Ayers talks about a survey run by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes, or CREDO, saying that it â€Å"concludes that only 17% of charter schools have better test scores than traditional public schools, 46% had gains that were no different than their public counterparts, and 37% were significantly worse. † (Ayers. ) Another popular argument that the film expresses is that the Teachers' Unions should be reformed because the regulations that the unions created make it nearly impossible to fire a bad teacher.Although Teachers' Unions do have room for improvement, throughout history and across the globe the unions have done more good than harm. The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association were created to abolish the discriminatory pay rates between male and female teachers, and to establish a firm group to ensure that changes to school systems would not be made without representation and that teachers as a whole would not get the short end of the stick. Waiting for Superman† highlights Finland as having one of the best school systems in the world, while in fact ninety-percent of the Finnish labor force is operated by unions. Dana Goldstein wrote in an article for The Nation: You also don't learn that in the Finnish education system, much cited in the film as the best in the world, teachers are—gasp! —unionized and granted tenure, and families benefit from a cradle-to-grave social welfare system that includes universal daycare, preschool and healthcare, all of which are proven to help children achieve better results at school. Goldstein. ) The film also continuously bashes tenure as ‘good idea turned horribly wrong’, saying that it allows bad teachers to sit in class and do nothing to te ach their students without risk of being fired. Tenure was created to ensure that university professors would not be fired for political reasons or when there was a change in administration. When it branched out to public schools, tenure protected every teacher from being replaced due to absurd reasons like race, religion, or sexual preference.Several surveys have shown that most principals say they would indeed have the authority to fire a terrible teacher if the need arises. The other main point that â€Å"Waiting for Superman† argues about is the funding of public schools versus the funding of charter schools. Public schools are federally funded, meaning that decisions made concerning the school and its administration are made by the state, which fall under a set of federal regulations.Charter schools, however, are privately funded, originally by parents and teachers who were committed enough to start a school under their brand of administration and regulations, as time we nt on, though, more people created their own charter schools mainly for the purpose of gaining more money from applicants and showing little care for the education of students, if only to keep their charter school operating. â€Å"Waiting for Superman† has received both positive and negative reviews since its debut in September 2010. Many critics say that the film is little more than charter school propaganda.While it may seem that way, especially with all the accusations of statistical inaccuracy, the film should not be completely ignored. Davis Guggenheim has fulfilled the purpose of the movie by raising awareness about the quality of public education, and alerting the public to the mess that is the work of Teachers' Unions and theirs' and the governments' conflicting regulations. The United States government and the people of the public must work together and reform and improve the nation's education system for the benefit of their children in the short run, and for the be nefit of their nation in the long run.Works Cited Dana Goldstein. â€Å"Grading ‘Waiting for Superman'. † The Nation. 23 September 2010. The Nation. 20 September 2012. . Rick Ayers. â€Å"The Answer Sheet. † The Washington Post. 27 September 2010. The Washington Post. 20 September 2012. . fairtest. â€Å"The Real Facts About ‘Waiting for Superman'. † FairTest. 29 September 2010. n. p. 20 September 2012. .

Dr. Roberta Bondar Biography

Doctor Roberta Bondar is a neurologist and a researcher of the nervous system. For More than a  decade she was NASAs head of space medicine. She was one of the six original Canadian astronauts selected in 1983. In 1992 Roberta Bondar became the first Canadian woman and the second Canadian astronaut to go into space. She spent eight days in space. After her return from space, Roberta Bondar left the Canadian Space Agency and continued her research. She also developed a new career as a nature photographer. While Chancellor of Trent University from 2003 to 2009, Roberta Bondar demonstrated her commitment to environmental science and life-long learning and was an inspiration to students, alumni, and scientists. She has received over 22 honorary degrees.   Roberta Bondar as a Child As a child, Roberta Bondar was interested in science. She enjoyed animal and science fairs. She even built a lab in her basement with her father. She enjoyed doing scientific experiments there. Her love of science would be evident throughout her life. Roberta Bondar Space Mission Payload Specialist on Space Mission S-42  - Space Shuttle Discovery - January 22-30, 1992 Birth December 4, 1945 in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario Education BSc in Zoology and Agriculture - University of GuelphMSc in Experimental Pathology - University of Western OntarioPhD in Neurobiology - University of TorontoMD - McMaster UniversityInternship in Internal Medicine - Toronto General HospitalPost-graduate medical training at the University of Western Ontario, at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston and at the Playfair Neuroscience Unit of Toronto Western Hospital Facts About Roberta Bondar, Astronaut Roberta Bondar was one of the first six Canadians astronauts selected in 1983.She began astronaut training at NASA in February 1984.Roberta Bondar became chairperson of the Canadian Life Sciences Subcommittee for the Space Station in 1985.She also served as a member of the Premiers Council on Science and Technology.In 1992 Roberta Bondar flew as a payload specialist on the space shuttle Discovery. During the space mission, she conducted a complex set of microgravity experiments.Roberta Bondar left the Canadian Space Agency in September 1992.For the next 10 years, Roberta Bondar led a research team at NASA studying information from dozens of space missions to analyze the bodys mechanisms for recovering from exposure to space. Roberta Bondar, Photographer, and Author Dr. Roberta Bondar has taken her experience as a scientist, doctor, and astronaut and applied it to landscape and nature photography, sometimes in the most extreme physical locations on earth. Her photographs are displayed in many collections and she has also published four books: Landscape of DreamsPassionate Vision: Discovering Canadas National ParksThe Arid Edge of EarthTouching the Earth