This I Believed

INCIDENT:
My friend just started a new blog with a great theme -- This I Believed. Many of you are probably familiar with the international essay project called This I Believe, which is often featured on public radio. This I Believe is intended for people to share the beliefs that guide their daily lives. This I Believed however is intended to reflect our changes in belief through the years.

MORAL:
I was asked to contribute to this new blog... and I how could I refuse? There are so many beliefs that I have had throughout my short life and the fact that they change and morph is incredibly reassuring. While it can be inspiring to see people hold true to certain core beliefs despite any opposition they may face because of those beliefs (read: voter rights, civil rights, etc.), the reality is that more of our beliefs have changed... or at least I hope they have changed.

I spent many nights debating my beliefs with friends in high school (we were a cool crowd). And it was early on in high school that I realized that I don't have to believe what my parents believe or what my teachers believe or what my religion dictates. I could and should question everything. How appropriate that I have ended up pursuing science...

Brooke Hogan = Idiot

INCIDENT:
First off, there is something wrong in the world when every single past and present TV star has a reality TV show (Christopher Knight -- My Fair Brady, Scott Baio is 46 and Pregnant, Denise Richards: It's Complicated, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, and it goes on and on). Anyhow, Hulk Hogan had a show last season about his family called "Hogan Knows Best." And now this season his daughter has a spin off reality show called "Brooke Knows Best." As far as I can tell the show has everything any successful reality show in America should have... a star that is an absolute train wreck and people who will wait at her beck-and-call. Please take this as the only evidence that you need or would ever want... in a recent episode she was asked who she was going to vote for, please enjoy her horrendous response:

MORAL:
All I can say is God help us.

In Memoriam: Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch giving a speech at the 2008 Commencement exercises at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh PA.

INCIDENT:
Carnegie Mellon computer science professor Randy Pausch died today of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was only 47 years old and is survived by his wife, Jai and their three children, Dylan, Logan and Chloe. Pausch gained national and international fame recently for his "last lecture" delivered at Carnegie Mellon in September of 2007. The video of the lecture made its rounds on YouTube and resulted in a book that further expounded on the themes of the original lecture -- live out your childhood dreams. I wrote about his lecture in a post called "I want to be a Tigger!" back in October and since then I have been searching for more of his great wisdom on life. Luckily, Pausch had many great friends and had touched the lives of a countless number of students. His legacy will live on in each and every person that encountered him in person and through the blessing of technology. One of Pausch's friends and colleagues at University of Virginia, Dr. Gabriel Robins, has a great website with videos, PowerPoint slides, and PDFs of Pausch's recent and not-to-recent lectures for the public to enjoy. If you haven't yet, take a moment and be moved by the strength and courage of this man. Afterwards, I am certain you will be believe that you can move mountains... and you will want to.

MORAL:
My deepest sympathies to Randy Pausch's family and to all those who were close to him. I hope and pray that his children will know what an amazing man their father was and how his life inspired millions. As a wonderful professor at UVA and CMU, he encouraged his students to push the limits of creativity and technology. Those of us that did not get the chance to take Dr. Pausch's Building Virtual Worlds class (there was always a very long wait list!) were still moved by his presence on campus. You can not say that about many professors outside of your own discipline. His "last lecture" and his time management lecture gave him the chance to inspire the world.

For sharing his message and his struggle, I will always be grateful.

Stop-Loss

INCIDENT:
My friend's son just got back from his third tour in Iraq. Following two tours in Iraq his initial end of term of service date drew near and he was suppose to get out of the military; however, he was stop-lossed. If you are unfamiliar with the stop-loss policy in the United States military, it is the involuntary extension of a service member's active duty service (Thanks Wikipedia!). It has also been referred to as the back door draft. Thousands of soldiers have been stop-lossed in this current war. Depending on the timing of the stop-loss, the soldier could be forced to serve another tour of duty. My friend's son went on to serve another 18 month tour in Iraq. His stories of Iraq are unbelievable and surreal. And every moment speaking to him you feel proud of all of our military personnel serving our country and at the same time outraged at how they have been treated.

Recently a movie directed by Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry) and starring Ryan Phillippe (Igby Goes Down), Channing Tatum (Step Up), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) has tackled this issue. Stop-loss is about the lives of a soldier and his platoon buddies as they return from their tour of duty in Iraq. Life was not as they expected it to be upon their return.



MORAL:
It is important to see this film and other films about the war in Iraq so that we can gain some perspective about the reality of war. We seem so isolated in the United States from everything that is going on in the Middle East and I wonder if an accurate image of the day-to-day in Iraq is what our country needs as we head to the voting booth in November.

If we will not get the truth from this administration, the very least we can do is to search for the truth ourselves. We owe it to our country and to our service members in the military.

The Girl Effect

INCIDENT:
My friend recently posted a video about "The Girl Effect" on her blog, Tizzylish. And as I read more about it, I started to get all teary-eyed. So what is the Girl Effect?

The Girl Effect, n. The powerful social and economic change brought about when girls have the opportunity to participate in their society.

It is an almost simple concept... to give opportunities to those who are willing and capable but don't have the means. Don't we all deserve the opportunity to reach our full potential?



MORAL:
With the state of the world, it is an almost overwhelming concept to think that positive change is possible. But occasionally we get a glimmer of hope. Like minded people who are committed and driven by the promise of tomorrow remind us that we are not alone. It is not just one person working towards a better world. It is all of us. We just have to pick up our flags and fly them high so that we can find each other. That is what a good organization can do... they can organize those who want to help make things better. Together we can foster change.

337 Project

INCIDENT:
Buildings are knocked down to make way for new developments everyday (check out Implosion World to get your fill of building and structure implosions). Although there is a high frequency of building tear downs, most don't make the news unless it is a prominent or famous building or structure like Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh or the Great Buddhas of Bamiyan. So one would not expect that the destruction of a small office building in Salt Lake City (of all places) to turn any heads... except this one did.

The 337 Project was an art collaborative experiment. The owners of the building at 337 South 400 East turned the demolition of the office building and turned it into a great opportunity. They invited 94 artists to cover the building and its 42 rooms with art including installations, graffiti art, sculptures, and paintings. The building was on display for two weekends and then it was demolished as planned.

Images from the project can be seen here. The project was also documented in a film by the Dada Factory, titled The 337 Project Documentary, which is now being screened in Salt Lake City all summer for free at the Salt Lake Art Center. Here is the trailer for the film:

An exhibit is also currently on display at the Salt Lake Art Center called Present Tense: A Post 337 Project. It is an exhibition by some of the artists who participated in the original 337 Project. Aside from the documentary and the exhibition, the 337 Project also gave birth to two good resources on art in Salt Lake City.

337 Project Blog - tracks everything related to the 337 Project including another 337 type project in the works

Dada Robotnik - "Robotnik is a place for crazy art and ideas"

MORAL:
It is so great to see imaginative thinking about the demolition of a building. Often the destruction of a building only results in lots of landfill, instead this project inspired the creativity of countless of artists and observers.

It also addresses the fragile nature of life. Although you know that at some point your life will end, it is not usually on the forefront of your mind. 337 Project starts with that premise. To create art with the knowledge that it will change and in fact be destroyed is profound. We often hold close things in this world with the hope that it will never leave our lives. If we take for one second the mindset that things are transient... that life is transient... would we live different lives?